Waking up at Sanibel Island this morning, we were out early for a walk with the birds and shells. Walking alongside my parents this week, we each shared a lot about our passions - the shells they were collecting and the birds I was observing and photographing. I would eventually leave with a couple of shells and my dad with a lot of bird photos.
Clouds mostly obscured the sunrise, except for the moment the red ball of a sun rose from the horizon and then disappeared into the clouds.
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| Black-bellied Plover (non-breeding plumage) |
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| Black-bellied Plover (non-breeding plumage) |
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Ruddy Turnstone
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| Black-bellied Plover (non-breeding plumage) |
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| Black-bellied Plover (non-breeding plumage) |
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| Willet (with a Ruddy Turnstone in the background) |
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| Black-bellied Plover (non-breeding plumage) |
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| Sanderling |
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| Willet |
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| Willet |
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| Lesser Black-backed Gull (this is the same species that I saw on St Pete Beach that I had wished I had gotten better photos of!) |
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| Sanderling |
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| Sanderling |
I wandered off on my own for a bit while my parents searched for shells and came upon this Willet pictured below. The two of us walked along the shore for a long time. I don't know if the bird was even that concerned with my presence but it was a special moment for me and so I wrote a poem about it.
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| Willet |
Sharing the Beach with a Willet
I walked the shore with a Willet,
running in and out of the waves,
the sun low behind us as the day began,
golden light pouring over us.
Finding a treasure higher on shore,
clasping it in his beak, he rushed to the surf
and dropped it in the water
over and over.
Then we continued down the shore.
The sound of the crashing waves
drowning out all else.
The crunch of shells marking time.
The Willet paused,
suddenly wary of my presence.
So I paused too
to give him space to move on at his own pace.
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| Willet |
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| Willet |
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| Willet |
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| Black-bellied Plover (non-breeding plumage) |
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| Laughing Gull |
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| Lots of shells to look for on the beach! |
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| Willet |
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| Black-bellied Plover (non-breeding plumage) |
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| Black-bellied Plover (non-breeding plumage) |
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| Black-bellied Plover (non-breeding plumage) |
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| Black-bellied Plover (non-breeding plumage) |
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| Black-bellied Plover (non-breeding plumage) |
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| Lesser Black-backed Gull |
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| Lesser Black-backed Gull |
When a rain storm came through this afternoon, my dad and I went out to take a walk in the rain.
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| I just love walking in the rain! Can you tell? |
When we went out this evening, there was a decorated palm tree that was insisting I take a selfie with it. :) We had a good seafood dinner at
Timbers.
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