Sunny afternoon by the water

Today, the weather was irresistible. We had to get out and we decided to enjoy that amazing sunshine and walk the Winter Cove loop, part of the Gulf Islands National Park.

Above: Winter Cove, the long view from behind the salt marsh

Parks Canada has been busy in the Winter Cove sector. Lots of machinery still around, they are not done yet. There will be new paths, new footbridges crossing the wet areas, and so on. My only regret is that they felt the need to block off the access to the waterside trail, for a good portion of the shoreline on the "sunny side". And we all know how important the sun is during the winter... Too bad.

Above: Fawn lilies (Erythronium oregonum), very graceful in the sun.

There are all sorts of treasures on the forest floor, or near the shoreline, at this time of year. Lots of wild flowers are showing up. The Fawn Lily is one of them, but when you look up, you can spot the salmonberry blossom, a lovely shot of hot pink in the sky.

Above: Salmonberry blossom (Rubus spectabilis), high above my head.

While we were following the path, we disturbed some birds that were fighting over something on the ground. Turns out it was a dead snake, and the raven got part of it. Overhead, an eagle patiently waited his turn at the carcass...

Above: One of the Winter Cove resident eagles... waiting for a snack.

And in the distance, we could hear the sea lions that are resting on the Belle Isle rocks. Quite the racket coming from those rocks. They must be getting ready to head North for the summer.

It was a lovely hour of walking, a very nice escape from the computer on a spring day.