Long-billed gull?

From a distance I saw what was certainly a gull, but it had an extra long bill. Huh? Not gull-like at all. What in the world is that? Since I am used to coming across new critters on the beach, I was sorting through my brain but got stumped on this one.

I approached the long-billed gull and realized this bird was struggling with something... something in his mouth. Ha! I finally realized what it was. This greedy gull was trying, without success at first, to swallow a whole fish. The fish was so long and so big that the gull couldn't get all of it in his mouth and down his throat. He spit it out and grabbed it up again several times. I watched from a distance not wanting to scare him away from his hard-won catch but fascinated to see what the outcome would be.

Never one to be deterred this gull finally managed, after several somewhat gruesome attempts, to swallow the thing whole and keep it down. Yuck! Though I must say it was fascinating and another reminder of the incredible things I get to witness if I but keep my eyes and mind open.

Sunset...

It is not often that I get to see a sunset. Sunrises are easy from the beach, but my house is surrounded by so many trees, and faces in the wrong direction that I rarely get to enjoy a sunset. Fortunately I have friends who occasionally send me pictures of lovely sunsets. Such is the case with the colorful clouds you see here. My friend Ed lives just a couple of blocks away and this was taken from his second story deck. Great picture. Thanks Ed!

Laws of attraction... humpf.

A friend and I were having an email discussion of the Laws of Attraction. The Law of Attraction simply says that you attract into your life whatever you think about. Your dominant thoughts will find a way to manifest themselves. In other words, if you really want something and truly believe it's possible, you'll get it. Good, I thought, let's give this a try.

That evening I concentrated on my wish to be able to "put my hands on all the dollars I'll ever need." That was my exact thought... put my hands on all the dollars I need. The next morning I awoke and headed to the beach as usual.

Guess what I found there... that the laws of attraction really work. That morning I found something rare and extraordinary on the beach, dollars, sand dollars. Two of them! The extraordinary part comes because in the eleven years I've been walking this beach I have only seen one whole sand dollar. I rarely even see the little bits and pieces of broken sand dollars. The morning after wishing to put my hands on dollars... I did just that, I had two whole sand dollars in my hands!

Do you suppose Law of Attraction works and I wasn't specific enough? Maybe, maybe not. Anyway, I now have two lovely sand dollars. One (see close-up above) even has a tiny barnacle growing on it. What a bonus.

Radiance

If a picture is worth a thousand words, without doubt this photo's image of radiance is a perfect description of the word. This sunrise was truly luminous, plus the weather was cooperating with cool temperatures and a nice breeze. Doesn't get much better than that!

Different time, different beach

Going to the beach at midday was like going to a different beach. With Florida's summer and humidity, it is imperative to be outside before the sun gets too high and before temperatures rise to the 90s and above. Having spent the past several months being sure to get to the beach before dawn, I found quite a difference in the beach at noon. Very few people, very little humidity, strong breezes and stunning surf. It was like being somewhere new.

Not only was it refreshing with our latest taste of fall, the winds out of the East made perfect conditions for kite boarders. The ocean temperatures were still warm and the kite boarders were in heaven. I even talked to a couple of them about the thrill of flying over the surf at breakneck speeds and being lifted up to 20 feet in the air before settling back to the surf. Oh to be young and strong. Guess I'll have to get my thrills vicariously but that's okay, I enjoyed watching them and enjoyed a new beach feeling.

Surprise beachgoer

Huddled inside my coat this morning due to Florida's record low temperatures, I was trudging along the beach right at the high tide mark. Even though it was about two hours from high tide, the nor'easter was pushing waves ashore right up to the vegetation that lines the beach. I was looking down but glanced up for a second and was almost eye to eye with a great blue heron. Surprised, I stopped, grabbed my camera and he was still just staring at me not a bit frightened, I guess because he was about my height. He let me take his picture, then turned and led me down the beach.

I should have guessed that he would walk as fast as I do with his long legs, but I got a really good chuckle as he walked in front of me for quite a distance. He finally went into the waterline to find his breakfast and I continued on my walk.

It is not often that I have company on my walks. Though not talkative, I really enjoyed walking with this big guy this morning. Made me entirely forget that I was cold!

Great start...

Every sunrise is different... this one I particularly liked. It is astounding that with just a little change in humidity, temperature, and cloud layer we get a different vista to enjoy each day.

These colors and the little cock's comb of clouds certainly make it a great start today. I'll take every bit of glory from this sunrise and enjoy it all day long. Thank you Mr. Sun.

Big ol' cloud

Don't you just love the juxtaposition of the fiery rising sun and this big towering cloud? I thought it was quite a sight especially the way the cloud picks up various colors from the sun. Surprisingly enough I didn't get rained on and it wasn't long before the sun chased the clouds away.

Once again... what a lovely way to start the day and I'm so very thankful that I'm able to live this close to the beach. Lucky me!

Barnacles...

Thank you Edward. In the Coral Condo post I asked if anyone knew what the thing was. My friend Edward said it looked like a barnacle to him. Yep, these are called Pink Barnacles. Imagine that.

Coral Condo

Dead low tide this morning and there are always unusual finds along the beach. I saw this bright pink object and thought it must be manmade since the color was so vivid. It looked like something that you'd put in a small aquarium as entertainment for the fish. When I picked it up I realized that it was not plastic... it was a coral condominium for little sea creatures. I can't find anything like it on the Internet and I'm not positive what it is. I do know that some sort of critter lived there and it was apparently attached to a reef at one point in its life. Interesting. If you know what it is, let me know.

With all the beach-front condominiums here in Florida, well along any coastline actually... I wonder if this is where the original idea came from. Mother Nature beat us to it with this cute and colorful little coral condo.

Crab for breakfast

Yawn... I overslept this morning and found an entirely different beach waiting for me. Many more people, much more activity and of course more sun... which means more heat. Our first hints of Fall last week were certainly short lived, this week we've been looking at record high temperatures. Ah well, at least there is no snow like many in the country are experiencing. I won't complain.

Since it was past time for breakfast, I enjoyed watching this yellow crowned night heron capture and eat a crab. Yum! Not my breakfast choice but I enjoyed watching the stealth and cunning of this wonderful bird. Mother Nature certainly endows her critters with unique talents, this is one of my favorites.

Morning moon, rosy dawn

This morning was a feast of wonderful sights. First was the full moon setting in the West which greeted me as I left the house. It was early and at first the beach was lighted only by the moon, but it wasn't long before I caught the first rosy glimmers at horizon's edge.

It turned out to be a striking sunrise with the offshore clouds and sun making a unique palette of pinks and blues, magentas and purples. Lovely.

The moon on one side, rosy dawn on the other... nice way to start any day if you ask me.