FIRE!

If I'd been looking at a forest I would have thought this morning's sunrise was a forest fire! It took my breath away in its blazing beauty.

 Over the next hour the progression was just as stunning.

Lest I forget... scenes like these remind me

why I enjoy starting my day with the rising sun.

Happy final day of March!

.

And the following day...

Another glorious start to the day. Different but just as awe inspiring as yesterday's glory hallelujah.

Yes, I DO know how lucky I am to be able to see the sunrise on the beach every day.

Glorious start

I like to call this a glory hallelujah kind of sunrise. A great start to ANY day.

A picture is certainly worth a thousand words here.

Royal Banding

In the winter our beaches are home to many migratory birds — both the human and the feathered kind — each coming to enjoy our warm sunshine. 

Among my feathered favorites are the Royal Terns. They are delightfully vocal and sometimes appear to be scolding each other. In fact they remind me of the human species where one is scolding and the other studiously paying no attention. Forgive the amateurish video but this gives you an idea of what I mean.

However, what intrigued me today was several of the Royal Terns had bands on their legs. I'd never noticed this before and had to find out what I could. Apparently their breeding and nesting grounds are along the coast of North Carolina and Virginia and several scientific groups band the young before they begin their migration south. Most end up on the east and west coasts of Florida and some have even been tracked as far away as the Dominican Republic. Here are couple of the cuties with their gleaming silver bands. Most on the right foot and only one I saw had his on the left. 

So, if you just pay attention, you are likely to learn something new every day. 

My first time...

First time? No, it's not what you think. Today was the first time I've seen a right whale in person! 

Just off our coast a right whale and her calf were meandering south. A friend works with the local whale watch project and knowing this whale and calf were very close to where I live, called me. I got there as fast as I could and was so thrilled. 
They were pretty far off shore and barely visible without binoculars. 
I snapped many, many pictures but the one above is the only one that gives any indication that they weren't a figment of my imagination. Just right of center, up near the horizon you can see a little bit of a plume of her "blow" arcing above the surface. 
I spent a glorious 30 or 40 minutes captivated by this amazing sight. The first time is always the best.