On Wednesday March 4, 2015, I went for two walks along the beach. I went south in the morning up to a small stream that runs into the ocean. The river stirs up the sand, making this a great place for gulls and shore birds to feed. A dense fog permitted me to approach the birds without disturbing them. It also made for photos that aren't quite as sharp as others taken on cloudy days.
I came across a very large number of gulls, including about 50 Bonaparte Gulls, pictured below. I think this may be the first time I have seen their legs! Lovely.
These two Bonapartes Gulls were stepping out together (below).
Grounded by the fog, as well, was a Forster's Tern (below), being reflective.
The afternoon walk yielded a flock of Willets (above), scouring the water for crustaceans.
The next day was warm and sunny. Walking north, I found the gulls again. The one below was getting quite bored with me.
Herring Gull |
This Great Black-backed Gull seemed very nonchalant about my presence. |
Cool photo above: as explained in the first part of the Myrtle Beach blog posting, there are 3 large gull species on the beach, and a mix of juveniles and adults. Here are all three, from left: Adult Great Black-Backed, juvenile Herring and adult Ring-billed. The size differences can be seen, largest to smallest. Great Black-backed Gulls are BIG.
I was seeing a few Grebes, Cormorants, Loons and Mergansers in the surf. The choppy seas didn't permit photos. While looking out at these fishing birds, I saw the first Pelagic bird of this trip, a Northern Gannet flying from North to South without diving.
At 4:30 PM, the last strong cold front of the winter charged across the beach and out to see, where I snapped these photos of it. The temperature plunged 20 degrees in 20 minutes, and didn't recover until Saturday, two days later. That day I went to Huntington Beach State Park, which will be featured in the next posting.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Help with "Comments"
1) Click on "Comments" at the end of the blog entry that you wish to comment on.
2) Type your comment in the field provided.
3) Under your comment choose "Name/URL". Type your name (first and/or last names) in the box provided. Choosing "Name/URL" will ensure that you do not need to "register" before leaving a comment.
4) Click "Preview" to see how your comment will look on the site if you wish, otherwise skip to step 5.
5) Click "Publish" to submit your comment.
Please note that all comments are moderated so I will review them before they are published.
I look forward to receiving your comments.