In early July my fiancé and I spent some time in Nova Scotia, spending a night in Cape Breton before heading to the Annapolis Valley where he grew up. We decided to drive down to save on costs, spending the first night in Woodstock, NB as we did in 2008 and our second night in Baddeck on Cape Breton Island. There we stayed at the Silver Dart Lodge right above Bras d’Or Lake near the start of the Cabot Trail. The property was lovely, with single rooms in the main lodge and small chalets available for rent (we stayed in the main lodge). Situated on 90 acres, the property boasts a pool, a playground, a gazebo overlooking the small, rocky beach, and best of all, hiking trails in the woods.
We arrived in the early afternoon. Doran wanted to rest after the long drive from Woodstock, but I felt compelled to explore the property. I could hear the lovely song of a Northern Parula coming from the trees behind the lodge so I decided to start my exploration with a walk along the hiking trails. There was a charming wooden frame at the entrance of the trail; I spotted movement just above it and was surprised to see a very young robin perching on top of the frame.
It didn’t seem inclined to move; I froze, and we spent several minutes watching each other before I finally decided proceed beneath the gate.
The narrow path passed through a dense wood predominantly composed of conifers. The mosquitoes were annoying, but just barely tolerable without bug spray. I heard a couple of Red-eyed Vireos and a single White-throated Sparrow singing and some small birds chipping high up in the trees. I started pishing and was delighted when a Blue-headed Vireo and a Golden-crowned Kinglet both flew in. A Red-breasted Nuthatch was also present.
A little further along I came to an open area which looked good for insects. Unfortunately the skies were clouding over, so there weren’t many bugs buzzing around. A Hobomok Skipper and a young Chalk-fronted Corporal caught my attention, and that was it.
I startled a Great Blue Heron perching in a tree in the woods; I didn’t know it was there until it took off in a flurry of wings. It seemed an odd spot for the heron to be perching, but when I looked for water in the area I didn’t see any.
From there I headed down the main road to the lake. The “beach” was merely a rocky strip a couple of feet wide, but to get there the trail passed through a small open meadow dotted with trees. I heard another Northern Parula, a Yellow Warbler, and a Least Flycatcher singing in this area, while a Pine Siskin and a couple of Cedar Waxwings flew by overhead. There is an island offshore where I could see several gulls and cormorants, but I didn’t bring my scope and was unable to identify them.
It looked like it might start to rain, so I headed back up to our room in the lodge. Movement in the vegetation next to the path caught my attention, and I saw a wee Eastern Red Damsel land briefly on a stalk of vegetation. (This is not the best pic, but since it has been so long since I photographed one I’m including it!)
The sun was shining the next morning so I went back down to the lake to look for the Eastern Red Damsel and take some pictures. I didn’t see any odes, but I heard the Least Flycatcher again and saw the Northern Parula in the tree tops. The lake looked beautiful in the morning light. (All of the below photos can be enlarged by clicking on them).
On my way back up to the lodge I noticed a Pileated Woodpecker tapping on a wooden post above the lupins growing close to the road. It didn’t stay long enough for a photo; the lupins did. These lovely flowers are common roadside flowers in the Maritimes.
Here is a shot from the front veranda outside our room:
By the time I was done wandering around Doran was up and we headed over to the restaurant to eat (both our dinner there and the breakfast were delicious). We had to check out after that, but I really enjoyed our stay there, and would recommend the Silver Dart Lodge to any birder or nature enthusiast visiting Cape Breton.
After leaving Cape Breton Doran and I spent the rest of our vacation in Greenwood. We stayed with Doran’s foster mother, Iris, just outside of town on the South Mountain; though at 275 metres in height, the “mountain” is the same height as the Eardley Escarpment in Gatineau. This granite ridge forms the southern edge of the Annapolis Valley and protects it from severe weather blowing in from the Atlantic Ocean. There are plenty of fields and small woodlots along the roadways on top of the mountain, and small lakes and larger swathes of mixed forest beyond the main roads. Iris’s property consisted of a large yard with a small woodlot containing a swampy area at the back; if that wasn’t enough for me, there was a dirt road close by which was wooded on one side and had a dense scrubby meadow on the other. All of this made for some excellent habitat to look for wildlife.
I got into the habit of waking up early and going for a walk along the dirt road before anyone else was up. On my first morning there I left the house at 7:45 and spent almost an hour walking. The day was warm but overcast; I saw a few butterflies (to follow in a separate post) and about 15 birds species. I was hoping to see some dragonflies on this trip, and was happy when I saw one zip past me on the road. It landed on the ground, then on a leaf where I was able to identify it as a Hudsonian Whiteface – a species I don’t see very often in Ottawa.
The following day I got up early for my usual morning walk, determined to find my way to Zeeke Lake, shown on the maps as a short distance away down a small side trail from the road. In the vegetation along the trail I saw a couple of Eastern Forktails and Sedge Sprites.
Once I got to Zeeke Lake I was disappointed when I saw that the road ended in a small clearing with a hunting cabin (there was no door, and the windows had no glass in them) set right on the shore of the lake with thick vegetation surrounding it. There was no shoreline to walk along whatsoever, no place to search for odes or marsh birds – though I did see a couple of Chalk-fronted Corporals in the clearing and hear a couple of Swamp Sparrows and Red-winged Blackbirds in the marsh. I also saw a couple of mallards far out on the water and a Swamp Spreadwing (a male, fortunately – my first spreadwing of Nova Scotia) along the trail back to the road. The day was starting to cloud over, which probably accounted for the lack of odes in the area.
As I was returning to the house, I was startled to see a large dragonfly patrolling along the hedge that marks the property line. I watched it long enough to ascertain it was an emerald of some sort with bright green eyes, then went to the car to grab my net. Unfortunately I lost sight of the dragonfly when it zipped off in an entirely different direction; this was the only emerald of my trip and would have to remain unidentified.
I am grateful we are able to stay with Iris on her amazing property when we visit; it is fantastic to be able to relax in a “natural oasis” in between visiting friends and family. So thank you, Iris, for putting up with us for the week and sharing your home!
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