Wednesday Walk around Kanonersky Island in search of signs of spring

The closest piece of unspoilt nature to my house is on Kanonersky Island. So if I want to take a little break from the city noise, but I don't have much time, Kanonersky Island is the best choice. Unspoilt nature does not mean ‘breathtakingly beautiful landscapes’, unspoilt nature on Kanonersky Island is low trees, bushes and herbage. In winter and early spring the scenery of this island is not very picturesque, but I like this simple nature.

In fact, the definition ‘unspoilt’ is not quite correct, it would be better to say ‘undeveloped’. Because the coastline is fortified by a dyke, several paths and field roads have been laid among the bushes, and a reservoir has been dug approximately in the centre of the island. But further development of the territories was stopped in order to preserve this piece of nature for migratory birds. The island is surrounded by the metropolis and is the only suitable place for birds to rest during migration. Some birds make nests here.

The morning was sunny, so I decided to go to Kanonersky Island to see if the leaves had appeared on the trees, if new grass was growing, if the willow was blooming. It is too early to walk on country roads and paths. The ice has not melted everywhere. Some roads have turned into huge puddles, other roads are a continuous impenetrable mud. I bypassed the most difficult places on side paths and then walked along the shore of the island on a stone dyke. It's not the most comfortable route, the causeway is not very flat and sometimes I had to jump from stone to stone.

Surprisingly the ice on the lower road still hadn't melted. The beginning of spring was very warm and the surface of the Gulf of Finland was already clear of ice. But the ice on the road in the lowlands is melting slowly. I hoped to make a small circle and return by another way, by the road along the shore of the bay. But the upper road was impassable for those hoping to walk in light trainers. You can walk on the upper road only in rubber boots. So I had to return by the same route.

This is my entry for the #WednesdayWalk challenge by @tattoodjay.