HEALTHY AT HOME
PHOTO BY TRISH JOUDREY
PHOTO BY CRYSTAL MURRAY
PHOTO BY MIKE BYRNE
The North Shore
“Oh no, we don’t walk that far,” laughed Millie, “But we do walk here every day. Today is Fay’s birthday so we had to celebrate it in our favourite place.” Full of curiosity, I started down the long expanse of reddish sandy shoreline stretching out about 1.5 kilometres ahead. Not another walker in sight. It was just me and the beach treasures in the sand, large surf clamshells, grandfather lobster claws, crab skeletons, and razor clams. The warm sea waters of the Northumberland Strait, the warmest north of the Carolinas, creates this flourishing environment for sea life. Upon leaving the sandy isthmus called Little Caribou Spit, an outcropping of iron-rich, reddish rocks heralded my arrival to the island. Munroes Island, a farm until the 1940s, has now become a favourite place for birding enthusiasts, nature lovers, and wilderness walkers. True to the guidebook’s promise, I saw a bald eagle soar over the calm receding waters while about twenty-five Red-Crested Mergansers in their winter colours swam close to shore. Noticing a bird watcher carrying a tripod along the kelp banks, I stopped to ask what he saw. “Great day today,” he replied while assembling his tripod. “You saw the Red-Crested Mergansers back there?” “Yes,” I replied. “Have you seen anything else?” “Well, I come here regularly to log birds. Today, apart from the Mergansers, I’ve had great sightings; Black Ducks, Long-Tailed Ducks, and a Bald Eagle.” With today’s particularly clear air, I glimpsed the large head of a solitary seal
ah! Summer 2021 - 44
