Sidney Spit

  

Spit: a narrow coastal land formation that is tied to the coast at one end...Spits, which may be completely formed of shingle or sand, are formed by the longshore movement of sediment. They are often completed curved, with a characteristic recurved head (hook). 

After our wonderful Easter dinner with family last night, followed by a joyous church service this morning, Tim and I packed up some dinner leftovers and launched the boat for the first time this year. 

Our destination wasn't far - Sidney Island, clearly visible from our own, much larger island, just a couple of kilometres away. Scenic Mount Baker showed her pretty white head across the water. 

I've wanted to walk the length of the sand spit on the north side of the island for a long time. The spit is mostly covered by water during high tide. Today, though, a very low tide happened mid-afternoon, enabling us to walk the full length (2 kilometres) of the spit and back with ease. 

We did not dawdle on our walk, for although the sun shone most of the time, the wind whistled about our ears and had me pulling up my hoodie for warmth. 

The east side of the spit is sandy beach that rises up to a narrow top and then falls away on the other side to mud, rocks and intertidal pools where birds like to congregate. Today we saw Great Blue Herons, Gulls, Eagles, and migratory Brant Geese en route to their northern nesting grounds in the Arctic. 

At the south end of the spit, one-third of Sidney Island comprises a national park, and the other two-thirds is privately owned. In the early 20th century, a group of Victoria business men purchased the island to use as a hunting preserve. They introduced guinea fowl and peacocks, as well as fallow deer that are now considered invasive. 

A view from the trail lookout, slightly above the beach, shows the meandering shoreline of the spit. 

After returning to our boat (via the dinghy), we tried relaxing and reading for awhile, but the rocking waves soon had us firing up the engine and heading back to shore. All in all, it was a successful first run for the season, and we hope to do some longer trips in the near future. 

Linking with Mosaic Monday, hosted by Maggie of Normandy Life.