Knowing how much I love photographing birds Andrew said, “After you get to Limantour beach, turn right and head north for about an hour. So many birds.” So on an early Saturday morning, masked and jacketed, Jadyne and I headed up the beach.
You can’t see our destination, three miles up the beach on the windy and cold July morning.
I saw these first. I have no idea what they are. Not comfortable with me being close they took off soon after they saw me.
Jadyne discovered several large snail-like creatures burrowed in the sand.
This one was alive. The yellow and blue is his shell; the mottled brown and white to the left is the homeowner out for a little morning exercise.
Jadyne found several more abandoned homes. We brought two of them home. This one is more than 4” wide.
Finally, three miles up the beach we came across an inlet with a small spit of land on which there were dozens of birds, mostly pelicans, cormorants, and gulls.
To their right was a small island where less active marine life slept, safe from predators known to cruise through the waters of Drake’s Bay, so named from the theory that Sir Francis Drake discovered the new world here.
Upon our return we saw many more pelicans, some flying solo, others in V formations. I wondered how the leader is chosen. Are there Type A dominant pelicans?
Solo
In formation.
Heading east.
One tree had washed up years ago and was made beautiful by years of wind and water.
One area was roped off to protect the breeding plover. There were few people who ventured out as far as we did, but as we returned we saw dozens of visitors, blankets, picnic baskets, coolers, and footballs. And masks. We saw masks. I had lost mine, so as I passed the beachgoers headed to the water I looked down, raised my handkerchief, and kept moving.