“Right in this moment, I can’t even remember what unhappy feels like.” – Maggie Stiefvater
A few days ago around sunrise, I decided to take a long walk on the beach, something I try to do at least twice a week. When walking down the boardwalk my attention was immediately drawn to the beautiful sweetgrass brushes growing beside the sand dunes.
“Nature unfolds her treasure at the first ray of sunrise.” – Kishore Bansol
The beach looked magical this particular morning. It was low tide and the sun was casting bright rays of light off the ocean surface and wet sand. For the first half an hour the ocean and beach belonged to me, a few docile Herring Gulls (Larus argentatus) and Sanderlings (Calidris alba) searching for food.
“A day at the beach begins with a sunrise and ends with a smile…” – unknown
Notice the recent bicycle tracks as well as joggers and walkers out for the morning. Although, the most obvious sight is the numerous coquina clams (Donax variabilis) which buried themselves in the sand when the tide went out. This is a common sight and critical food source for shorebirds, fish and ghost crabs.
“In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous.” – Aristotle
This is a close of buried coquina clams showing the patterns on the sand. They are one of the favorite foods for sanderlings; the straight line pecking marks shows where show where the birds were searching.
Notice the small white coquina clam and the trail it leaves when moving around on the sand.
“Nature is painting for us, day after day, pictures of infinite beauty if only we have the eyes to see them.” – John Ruskin
When leaving the beach, the tide was starting to come in and I noticed this lone Godwit (Limosa lapponica) searching for food.
“Just as the sunrises, a fresh start begins. We all have a choice. Will you make the best of it?” – Jacqueline Cooper
Walking the beach is one of my favorite ways to spend part of the day. There are always different sights to see early in the morning and I am lucky to have it so close by.
Hope you enjoyed this post and thank you for visiting! (Double click each picture to see it in full screen.)
And, thank you Amy for encouraging us to share a part of our day with others. Be sure to see her interesting post by clicking here.
Please remember to Stay Safe, Be Kind and Be Patient with Others. A little kindness goes a long way. 