Hi! Yes, it's Spring (maybe?). Time to resume my daily beach walks. No excuses allowed, no matter how much fun I am having making doll quilts and other treasures with the recently arrived and very enticing boxes of 19th century fabrics . [next post]. It takes a hardy soul to enjoy the chilly spring beach. My friend stopped by one evening to give me the shard of cobalt seaglass he'd found during his run. And he was shivering, mentioned that it is so much colder by the water. Well, yes. Air may be 40s or even 50s but we looked up the water temp---ony 37*! With the wind, it's like primitive airconditioning. Only colder.
This week we've had intermittent days of sun as well as heavy rain, but I promised myself I'd persevere. Since the beach is generally barren of treasure, I tell myself I am getting in shape for the spring flea market. Fingers crossed for Sunday!
Sometimes I wander through my small neighborhood, searching for spring sprung-ing flowers. Don't you just love stripey crocus? So hopeful.
Oh and Mr Mockingbird is definitely back. He looks fuzzy and flustered, poor little man.
But most days I am on the beach by mid afternoon. Below, a natural dune, recently formed by end of March high winds.
It's a bit like having your daily walk down the fast lane of the Long Island Expressway at rush hour. See all the tire tracks?
The guys wave to me now, and I know and appreciate that they're working so hard to restore and enhance my beach. But it can be scary.
Look how close the trucks came to the oystercatcher!
He is scared! Not hurt, he got up and waddled away right after this.
Look at these deep grooves in the sand.
I followed tiny plover tracks up towards the dunes. Here is one of the try-out nests. The males make them to attract the females. This pair nests here every year.
This is what is happening only a few yards away.
Piping plovers are tiny, about the size of a sparrow. So their nests are hard to locate and entirely invisible to a man in a giant earthmover truck.
Then I walked east. Ruminating. "The OCs usually nest right about...yes! Here." And here is their nest.
Only two are here at the moment, down from 3 last week.
Usually we have at least 12, making 5 or so nests. They are partial to threesomes, apparently two males may share a female and help her with the nest and eggs.
This is a bouquet of ''easter egg tulips'', as my mom called mixed colorful bunches of our favorite cut flower. It's here for Mel who asks me why I so often choose white flowers. Nope. For April, I am going bright!
love
lizzy
gone to the beach!
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Lovely pictures. Make me want to head to a beach. Pretty flowers, and I spy a little quilt there :-)
ReplyDeleteWhen do the people come out that mark the nesting areas? I'd be tempted to put up something myself - bright colored stakes if nothing else, just to let the truck guys know.
ReplyDeleteAnd yay! Gorgeous colored tulips with a pic just for me! Such pretty colors after the dreary winter days.
I had some snowdrops blooming, and ONE bunch of my daffodils is blooming about a week before the rest. They're all weeks behind their normal bloom time though.
Love your yearly spring outing pictures. I have a hard time with your location and seeing NO ONE other person on the beach. I can't figure out how that works. I would be there every day with you walking. It is one of my most favorite things to do. Thank you Lizzy for always providing us with these beautiful images and information about the birds etc.
ReplyDeleteWe'll preetnd you re here with me! But yes, most of the year, it is just me alone on my beach. Yay
Delete. LOL I get all huffy when summer brings more people out, can't call it a crowd, but I feel invaded a little bit.
lizzy
Hi, the ocean looks beautiful! Have the trucks gone yet? I hope so, that poor bird HAS to be wondering WTH! I have a nervous stomach and I'm not even there.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing your knowledge about the birds and their nests with us...always something to learn from your posts.
Going to be record breaking hot weather here this week...earthquakes last week....hmmm, maybe we should move back east. :)
Happy Sunday to you,
--Kelley
Oh, I have lilacs blooming!! So exciting!
Delete--Kelley
Lilacs. swoon. We get them late June here.
DeleteKelley and Mel...the birds and the dunes project. I don t know when the trucks will finish. General [sensible] consensus is that the rebuilt dunes and beach will protect OUR homes, and that our ''nests'' are as important as the birds' But I worry about them. Mel, I usually put driftwood stakes around the nests to alert the wildlfe people. I don t think the giant trucks would even notice.
DeleteLets hope for No earthquakes and no tornadoes, ladies!
It's so wonderful they're helping to rebuild your dunes.
ReplyDeleteYour waves are gorgeous.
The earthquake in Chile didn't generate a tsunami for us, but the surf was up a little. Our little fishpond actually had waves. Would have taken a picture, but the 12-hour workdays are keeping me away from the beach and the sunsets. Work will calm down soon.
Your flowers are so bright that the colors almost hurt the eyes.
As always, thanks for sharing.
Hunter
Great to hear from you. Amazing that an earthquake so far away could perhaps have affected you. Scary! I not sure why small bodies of water get rough in bad weather, my pool gets waves too sometimes!
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