Good evening, friends! It's a glorious finally! summer evening here at the beach.
A thunderstorm rolled through earlier, just as Mo and I got set up for some late afternoon sewing and no-bark! training on the deck. It's a bit, well, a lot, windy but the air has that soft summer feel. Delightful. I wore shorts! Though I suppose I'll have to wear my winter parka for Mo's bedtime walk in a few minutes.
Birds....bird watching. I love to observe wildlife and birds, have done so all my life. I still have my first bird book, an adult field guide given to me, age 5. But here at the beach we rarely see songbirds, the edge of the ocean is too harsh for woodland birds. But in this plague year, a strange thing has happened, a rare joyful thing---we are seeing many more songbirds than usual.
I have Mr Mockingbird who sings in the tree outside my window as I write and there is a pair of cardinals who nest in a volunteer apple tree in the marsh each year, but that's about all.
One day last week a pair of cardinals spent the whole day investigating Mr Mockingbird's tree. I was so hoping they'd nest here but I haven't seen them since. Mr Mockingbiiird is away for the summer, he pairs up and nests in the bayberry shrub on the high dune. So the tree was vacant. But, no---so far.
One day Mo and I saw a catbird too, on a grey fence.
And I've seen robins! Not just passing through in February, eating berries. These seem to be staying, maybe nesting.
We are even seeing robins on the beach. That never happens.
My friend's house and yard, even more secluded than my own beach area, seems to attract even more birds. He said he saw a ''whole family of blue birds!" who wouldn't let him photograph them. Bluebirds? Buntings?
The flock of blue bids was seen here in the dunes.
Then he has scarlet tanagers nesting in his yard.
I have never seen a tanager this far east, to me they are quite rare and so beautiful.
I don't know what has caused this influx of beautiful colorful birds. Some articles mention the increase in wildlife visitations due to the quieter world we have been living in. Yet to me the area is not at all quieter, with everyone home from school and work. So it's a mystery.
On the beach the oystercatchers have chickies!
The babies began hatching last week. The parents are vigilant and will defend the bchicks who are usually shooed up into the dunes for safety not long after they hatch.
Piping plover. Have not seen any chicks yet.
More oystercatchers , a blog post from Lee by the Sea Wonderful
Tonight is the June Full Moon. The Strawberry moon. Beautiful.
She makes the adorable exquisite tiny bonbons of pincushions, using hexagons. Aren't they just darling! If she didn't live on the other side of the world I'd be wanting a bowlful of my own, and I wish I could feature them in my etsy shop. Love them and so admire her pristine sewing skills.
Enjoy the weekend~ If you are venturing out please be careful, the virus is still claiming 1000 lives each day here in the US. Just because the media have new issues to exploit, it doesn't mean the plague is gone.
love
lizzy
gone to the beach.......
early morning beach walk, from Nicky in South Africa:
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