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Monthly Archives: June 2011

PEI Questions and Answers

Posted on 2011/06/12 by Guy Posted in First Timers .

More Q&A.  See the first set of Q&A in an earlier post.

How do I get to PEI?

Prince Edward Island is accessible by air: Flights usually route through Montreal or Halifax.  However, in the summertime, there are many more flights coming from other major centres in North America. You can also get here by Ferry from Caribou NS to Wood Islands PE.  Consult the schedule and verify.  In the off season, there are just a few trips per day and the ferry closes from Christmas to late spring.  In the summertime, the ferry is quite busy and reservations are recommended. You can also take the bridge from New Brunswick. This is truly a memorable experience and the bridge is a wonder feat of architecture.  Again you should check the bridge status during inclement weather.  High winds will cause travel restrictions. Note that you only pay when you leave PEI.  The bridge will cost a regular vehicle $43.25 and the ferry will cost you $65.

How big is Prince Edward Island?

The Island is 224 km (140 mi) long and from 6-64 km (4-40 mi) wide. The total area is 5,660 square Kilometres (2,184 sq. mi). The Population is about 140,000 which does not amount to much more than one medium city elsewhere.  This being said, PEI is the most densely populated province in Canada.  Thus you are unlikely to ever get lost in the middle of nowhere, and perhaps more important, you are not likely to ever get stuck in a half hour traffic jam.

What are the symbols of PEI?

On greenvaleacres.com, I found details the coat of arms, flag, etc for PEI.

It is another nice day on PEI and I’m off to the garden.  More about PEI tomorrow

Granny ~oo~

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Tags: Travel PEI, vacation PEI, Visitor's Guide .

The Plight of the PEI Piping Plover

Posted on 2011/06/11 by Guy Posted in PEI the Garden Province .

Piping Plover

You may have seen piping plovers scurrying about on the beach. I never seem to have the video camera with me when I see one running back and forth into the waves.  As the wave goes out, they run towards it looking for fresh food and then they scurry back to avoid the next wave.  I could just sit and watch for hours.

semi palmated plover

It is easy to recognize a plover by the black ring around its neck.  However the piping plover is often confused with the semi-palmated plover shown on the left – Can you see the difference?

If you do see a plover on the beach, be patient and wait for “feeding time.”  These little fellas are subject to the whims of nature.  Storm Surges often reshape the coast: rocks, shells, animals, etc. Often after a big storm, the plovers have to move elsewhere in search of food sources. Sometimes they even have to look for new nesting grounds. They need a fair amount of beach to set up their nest away from the tide line – and storm surges. So when a storm surge eats away 20 feet of beach, they are desperate to relocate.

plover sign

The Piping Plover is an endangered species. So please watch for these signs and respect their habitat. This is one of the reasons that animals are not permitted on North Shore beaches in the national parks during the summertime. Dogs foraging about may disturb sensitive nesting areas.

In 2010, conservationists counted 69 plovers on the Island.

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Tags: animals, nature, outdoors .

RCMP Musical Ride coming to PEI

Posted on 2011/06/10 by Guy Posted in Experiences .

RCMP Musical Ride

Yes, the world renown musical ride of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police is coming to Prince Edward Island on July 9th at 8:30 PM. I heard this on the news yesterday and I had to put my ABC on hold for this breaking news.

The musical ride will be part of the Summerside Lobster Carnival. The Lobster Carnival is an opportunity to participate in all sorts of fun events, especially the cardboard boat race.

If you have never seen the Musical ride, you are in for a big treat. Imagine a combination of dance and synchronized swimming (no the horses are no in the water – it is hard to describe something with no equal) with about 40 horses often parading within inches of each other. As far as I am concerned the RCMP musical ride is unequaled in precision horse shows; the only one that comes close is Rainbow Riders.  See this you tube video for a small sample. For over 100 years, the musical ride has been delighting spectators of all ages.

If you will miss them on July 9th, you can see them the day before on Lennox Island on July 8.

For a complete list of bookings, see the RCMP website.

Granny ~oo~

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Tags: animals, nature, outdoors .

PEI Osprey

Posted on 2011/06/09 by Guy Posted in PEI the Garden Province .

osprey

The Osprey can be observed in Prince Edward Island.  It colloquially bears the names fishhawk, seahawk or Fish Eagle. I am missing the wing tip in this picture but you can usually identify the Osprey by the 4 “fingers” in the tips. It has reversible toes and scales on its talon that act as fishhooks to help hold its catch.  Remember the Gannet that dives in like an arrow?  The Osprey goes in feet first to catch its meal. I have yet to see one with a fish in its claws but this BBC video shows how much of a struggle it can be to extract it from the water.

The Osprey is often mistaken for the bald eagle.  The Osprey is much smaller but like with the Llamas and Alpacas you would have to see them side by side.  The Osprey also has a white belly whereas the bald eagle is all black (dark colour).

In PEI we are always looking for something to latch onto for symbolism.  So you will find a B&B called Osprey.

Tomorrow, the plight of the piping plover.

Granny ~oo~

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Tags: animals, nature, outdoors .

PEI Nuthatch

Posted on 2011/06/08 by Guy Posted in PEI the Garden Province .

nuthatch

Come to Prince Edward Island to look for the Nuthatch.  You will find both the read breasted and white breasted nuthatch in PEI. These little fellas are handy because they eat tent caterpillars. You will most often see them clinging on the sides of trees or performing acrobatic feats on bird feeders – especially the cage type.

After 5 days of rain, and cold weather, things are clearing up here and the weeds are calling.  Perhaps I’ll have longer to explore nature tomorrow.  For now the weeds are calling.

Have a great day

Granny ~oo~

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Tags: animals, nature, outdoors .

PEI Mockingbirds

Posted on 2011/06/07 by Guy Posted in PEI the Garden Province .

mockingbird

Northern Mockingbirds abound in Prince Edward Island.  Of Course if you hear one, you may not be quite sure.  The mocking bird imitates blue jays very well.  it also imitates thrushes, wrens, and unhappy robins. They are usually pale grey like in the photo but can sometimes appear to have a bluish tint.  They are common all over North America so they are not necessarily a reason to come to PEI. But please do come and enjoy their song . . . even if they are but imitators.

Apparently, they are very smart birds.  Smart enough to make sounds like barking dogs or alarm clocks to help give them a feeling of security.  They also seem to have the ability to spot a dangerous person in a  crowd.  So if a mockingbird attacks someone, perhaps you should head the other way  :-).

so

 

Hush little baby, don’t say a word,
Mama’s gonna buy you a mockingbird.
And if that mockingbird don’t sing,
Mama’s gonna buy you a diamond ring.

 

Granny ~oo~

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Tags: animals, nature, outdoors .

Llama on PEI

Posted on 2011/06/06 by Guy Posted in PEI the Garden Province .

llama

There are Llamas on Prince Edward Island. On Route 2, just West of Charlottetown, you will see a Llama ranch on the North side of the highway.  On most days, you can see the llamas grazing. There is also a u-pick strawberry patch on the property.  What a quaint combination.  As far as I know, Llamas do not eat strawberries.

If you remember the post about alpacas, you may wonder about the differences. They are both in the camel family and they are both native to South America.

  • Llamas are bigger than alpaca.  So if you see the two together you may be able to tell the difference.
  • Alpacas have straight ears and the Llama is curved.
  • The alpaca I have seen have woolly fur resembling sheep whereas llamas usually have a straighter coat.

I am sure there are many other differences; I am certainly no animal expert. Regardless of the differences, both produce a fur/wool that is very desirable, and naturally waterproof.  Come for a drive in PEI and get some Llama pictures.

Granny ~oo~

 

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Tags: animals, nature, outdoors .

PEI Information

Posted on 2011/06/05 by Guy Posted in First Timers, Uncategorized .

info

It is wise to be informed before coming for your prince Edward Island Vacation.

Fortunately, the Internet is always ready to help. In case you forget the address for the PEI Tourism site, use my favourite equivalent: peiplay.com. They have been making many changes this year.  There may be occasions where one part or another may not work as advertised . . . be patient.

From the home page, you can do your accommodation search – this is probably the most important part of your planning.  This year, campgrounds have been added to the search criteria so you can find all accommodation types.  Remember to have cookies enabled in your browser or the search will not work.  You can refine your search criteria in many ways.  I asked for a B&B in Charlottetown under $100 with internet access available for July 1 for 2 people.  See the 21 search results. Note also that the search from the home page never seems to work.  You have to repeat the search criteria again on page 2.  I hope they will have that fixed soon.

Now that you have found a place to stay, click on THINGS TO DO at the top of the page.  The select Beaches for a list of beaches and tide times.  Or select Culinary, Sights, Outdoors, or whatever strikes your fancy.  There is lots from which to choose.

You can also search by type of activity on this page. Pick from tours, bird watching, agri tourism, seafood, or water sports.

Other sources

While the government website is a good source, you can also rely on other websites.

Trip Advisor has several reviews – mostly for accommodations. Beware of the quality of the reviews.  Overly exuberant reviews are sometimes written by the owners to beef up their popularity.  It is also rumoured that horrible reviews are posted by the competition for similar purposes. Look for reviews that seem to come from the heart and are written in plain language.

I found a site that offers campground reviews.

You can also visit one of many travel blogs to find information about PEI.

Lunch Online offers listings and reviews for restaurants.

The Tea Guide has reviews of tearooms.

But the most important reviews are from people like me (me is important) who give you first hand experience and advice.  For example, If you visit PEI outside PEAK SEASON, check to see what is open. Peak season is generally from June 15 to September 15. Some places are open year round, others start to open in mid May. The biggest mistake you can make is coming to PEI in May with your heart set on having a traditional Church 5-course lobster supper. Come in the early spring or late fall for the scenery and a get away from the hustle and bustle.  Prefer to stay at a B&B and ask your hosts for help in finding out who is open.  You will find some operators very helpful – even calling attractions to confirm if they might be open for you tomorrow.

Tomorrow, back to the animals with Llamas.

Granny ~oo~

 

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Tags: accommodations, vacation PEI, Visitor's Guide .

PEI Herons

Posted on 2011/06/04 by Guy Posted in PEI the Garden Province .

Great Blue Heron

From March to October, Prince Edward Island is known as the Great Blue Heron capital of North America. Like most large birds, it is not very graceful landing or taking off.  However a heron is wonderful to see in flight.  They are also quit interesting close up like in this picture.  As long as you move slowly, you can usually get quite close – I think they try to stay more still than us in the hopes we do not see them.

My favourite viewing spots are the marshes along the North Shore.  I often see one underneath the boardwalk leading up to Cavendish Beach.

The Great Blue Heron is the largest Heron in North America with a wing span of almost 6 feet. It makes a sound like a hoarse duck. Once you have heard it, it is instantly recognizable. If you see one in flight, you will recognize it two ways:  the crook in its neck and the feet extending far beyond the tail feathers.

Come to Prince Edward Island this summer and catch a glimpse of the majestic heron.

Granny ~oo~

 

 

 

 

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Tags: animals, nature, outdoors .

PEI Gannets

Posted on 2011/06/03 by Guy Posted in PEI the Garden Province .

gannett

I love going for a boat ride. It gives me a chance to get a rare picture like this: A Gannet diving for food. I often see gannets circling about, much like the Eagles do, looking for food from up high. Then suddenly, they dive down like an arrow, plunge into the water and often come back up with a fish. Mind you, you will not see the fish, just a lump in their throat where they swallowed it underwater.

You have to come to Atlantic Canada to see the ATLANTIC Gannet. Else you need to go across the pond and look on the European coast. I have also heard that gannets migrate as far south as Florida for the winter.

Start by looking high above for a circling bird with black wing tips. If you see a gannet closer, you might pick up on the golden head.  Be patient – they are! Eventually you will see one dive.

So come to the Prince Edward Island Shores and look for hunting gannets.

Granny ~oo~

 

 

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Tags: animals, nature, outdoors .
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