Flowers , Flying Flowers and a Cheeky Sheltie

 Maggie hasn't been feeling too well the past couple of days, but prior to that she had several outings with me to local parks and beaches.  She is on the mend now, I think, though her arthritis is giving her more trouble than usual and her tummy is still a bit out of sorts.  As I'm resting her at the moment, I'll post some of the photos I took last Wednesday at Craig Bay Heritage Lands here in Parksville.  We often go there as it is always peaceful and is a short, easy walk along the ocean's edge.  

We usually start from the main parking lot, down a short trail through the trees.  Along the sides of the trail are clusters of snowdrops, and now masses of crocuses are also in bloom.  Maggie was quick to show me the photo opportunities.

Hey Mama - there's some snowdrops and crocuses in here!

Here, I'll pose with a crocus at my butt and snowdrops behind me. 
I won't crush any flowers, Mama, I sits carefully. 

Mmmmmmm - the dirt smell goooood in the spring!

Once down in the flat ocean-side heritage lands, we were quickly inundated with bird calls from the clusters of brush - sparrows and juncos, towhees and robins, and an eagle high in a tree.

My favourite birds on that visit, though, were the Anna's hummingbirds who were flitting and zooming around everywhere.  They perched on a bough or a shrub just long enough for me to raise the camera to my eye before flitting and zooming off to the next shrub or bough before I could focus the lens.  Anna's hummers stay on the island year round, but their activity now is partially fueled by mating instincts as the males flash their iridescent scarlet and green feathers at nearby female hummers. It is no wonder Anna's hummingbirds have sometimes been nicknamed "flying flowers". 

Maggie and I spent a while resting on the many benches, watching for geese and ducks on the waters, and just enjoying the fresh air.  Maggie, of course, posed any time she saw a location likely to net her a treat from the pouch on my hip.  

She's such a cheeky girl - she's even learned to smile on command!

I swear there's a glint in her eye, cheeky little girl!

As we headed back up the hill, we spied more crocuses in the woods, and a large patch of snowdrops at their peak.  A few more photos, a few more treats, and it was time to go home.