Yesterday was sunny and clear, so I had a look at our Island home from high above:
Satellite view of Prince Edward Island – March 31, 2021
You can see winter has mostly melted away, though some snowy areas remain here and there. Around the house, grackles have returned, and so has our resident alarm clock with wings, a song sparrow that perches next to our bedroom window every morning. 🙂
As sunsets at the beach go, this was a bitter cold one:
Icy beach at sunset – Prince Edward Island
The sea ice on the north shore of Prince Edward Island didn’t stick around for very long this year, so I’m glad I got to see it while it was here. 🙂
March is here and it is still cold, windy, and very much winter on PEI:
Winter in Naufrage – Prince Edward Island
In this aerial shot from Naufrage you can see the harbour is blocked with sheets of ice, while out to sea there is fast ice all the way to the horizon.
Ice season is here and that means it’s just beautiful outside:
Sea ice and red cliffs at sunset – Prince Edward Island
Current sea ice situation around Prince Edward Island
Every day I’m keeping an eye on the ice charts, and maybe soon we’ll have some sea ice in Souris too. We are always the last ones to get it on PEI but as you can see in the picture it’s well worth the wait. 🙂
Walking to the sea – Rock Barra
February is here and I hope we’ll soon see more snow and far colder temperatures. As you can see in the photo above, yes there is snow on the ground, but we could easily do with some more! 🙂
Temperatures dropped sharply this week, with many freshwater ponds and even some saltwater bays freezing over. Walking PEI National Park’s Greenwich Dunes Trail in the bitter cold, I was pleased to have the whole park to myself:
Greenwich Dunes Trail – PEI NP
Greenwich Dunes Trail – PEI NP
Greenwich Dunes Trail – PEI NP
Greenwich Dunes Trail – PEI NP
Stay warm everybody 🙂
These past few weeks I’ve been exploring our little corner of the island again, sometimes venturing a little farther from home, enjoying all the fall colours as they appear along the highways and walking trails.
Fall colours – Indian Bridge, PEI
On PEI, fall colours usually show up along wetlands, rivers, and ponds first, then along highways and backroads, then a little later, inside the forest too.
While vibrant oranges and reds have already come and gone in some spots, many areas are yet to show their true fall splendour. Yesterday I explored a few trails in Bonshaw Provincial Park and aside from the leaves on the ground, the forest was still mostly green:
Forest trail – Bonshaw Hills Provincial Park, PEI
As the wait continues, I can always count on glowing reds along the coast:
Red cliffs at sunset – Prince Edward Island
I hope that wherever you are, you’re able to enjoy fall colours too. 🙂
Summer has arrived for real this week, with lupines springing up by the roadside, warm weather all over the island, and lots of sunshine lighting up our colourful coast:
Bayfield Point – Prince Edward Island
Looking forward to our first swim now 🙂
Here’s a grackle outside our kitchen window:
Grackle in spring flurries – Souris
These birds return to our home every spring, and this year there are easily 60-80 of them. It’s hard to get an accurate count because they fly off as soon as they spot me at the window. Right now they’re all nesting and singing and chasing each other, the yard is a busy place. Hummingbirds will arrive soon too.
Marije and I are still doing well amid the pandemic and hope you are well too. At the moment there is just one active case of covid-19 on the island, so PEI has been very lucky. We are still taking strict precautions, Marije does all of our shopping, once every two weeks, and I clean every item that comes into our home. I stay home most of the time, though I’m looking forward to spending more time outside when the weather improves. 🙂
Our backyard birds are singing all day long, building nests and chasing each other with amorous intent. On a walk around town I spotted these colourful blooms by the side of the road, so I dare say spring has arrived in Souris:
Spring crocus – Souris, PEI
I’m looking forward to exploring our local area the coming weeks, with roads now mostly snow free the forests will soon be accessible again, I just have to wait for the dirt roads to dry. Winter weather does occasionally interrupt our budding spring though, just yesterday we had a cover of snow coming down:
Spring flurries – Souris, PEI
I’m happy to report most of it has melted by now 🙂
