By the Bird

I’m gulping in the beach walks this week, taking advantage of the warm weather and the low tides and attempting to counter balance the intensity of parent-conference week.

Shore birds are regular beach goers too. From the most common seagulls, those pesky scavengers who make a practice of poking their beaks into any beach bags left unattended and then chasing one another around, squawking to high volume, trying to abscond with the treasure, to infrequent sightings of great blue herons, tall and stately cousins to the snowy egrets that I delight in photographing.

In the last few days it has been cormorants that I keep seeing on the beach. I don’t think they are technically shore birds, I more commonly see them flying over the beach or sunning themselves on piers or in lagoons. They are described as strong swimmers and they have these big, awkward webbed feet that are definitely not ideal for walks on the beach!

I even spied one flying in the fog on Monday. They have a distinctive flying style, flapping their wings much more quickly than other birds. It makes them seem like they are in a big hurry and trying to catch up.

I find myself wondering if these cormorant sighting are related to the weird weather, the high heat, the lack of winter… Are they confused, lost, having trouble finding their usual food?

Clearly I have some research to do! But for now, I will enjoy watching these distinctive birds and appreciating their unique characteristics. And I can never take enough photos!