Terns

A friend asked me if I had done anything special this summer. I had to think... no, no trips, no vacations, no big events. I felt depressed, somehow underprivileged, as if I was missing out on summertime while everyone else tubed down mountain streams, ate melons at family reunions, and traveled abroad. So I asked Robert and Meredith to go with me Wednesday evening to the beach around 5pm. That way we'd only have to pay for an hour on the meter. We went to the last beach access before Shell Island resort and walked to the end of the beach. There are old wooden steps there and a little copper mailbox with a notebook inside for people to leave their musings. Also right now, there is a cordoned off area for nesting birds. We had the most magical evening. I kept noticing the sweetest, wee little webbed bird prints. I've never seen any like them. I asked Robert what they were and he wasn't sure, and then DUH! we realized they were made by wandering baby Least terns! They ran out from under the white ropes and huddled in deep human footprints waiting for their parents who must have been off fishing. Some perched on sand hillocks peeping for food, their fluffy down glowed gold with the sun set behind them. We walked around to the sound side and lazed in the crystal clear shallows like manatees watching the tides rush in. We splashed and rough housed, tossing Meredith and chasing each other. When we settled down and laid in the water on our stomachs with only our noses out, we were still enough that birds all hanging out on the sand, forgot about us and came very close. We had oyster catchers mere feet away from us feeding their young. I had hoped to go tonight and take my own photos but the rain interrupted. The above photograph came from here.
So did I do anything special this summer? well, now that you mention it.....