Tina has challenged us to present a photographic sketch of a neighborhood. After considering a summary of major tourist destinations on the Long Beach peninsula (some of which I have featured in previous posts), I decided to keep it closer to my beaten path!
Traces of unseen life are everywhere! These appear to be the tracks of North American deer mice (Peromyscus manipulates) a nocturnal mammal that nests during the daylight hours in trees or burrows.
Humans hands have shaped this little nest. These sites often pop up along the beach only to be blown away by storms and later reconstructed in new forms.
A month ago, I would see two or three crows at a time, here and there. Looks like flocks are migrating in for the summer!
The same is true for this handsome group of Western Seagulls who greeted me one morning.
Though not every day, I did see Bald Eagles flying over the beach and this one perched at the edge of the dune berm.
On my last morning beach walk I was happy to see 20 +/- migrating Black-bellied Plover (the bigger one) with about 50 to 75 Spotted Sandpipers (the smaller one above) along with a few Snowy Plovers (below). In mating feather, the Black-bellied Plover lives up to its name!
To finish off this visit to my beach neighborhood, two Columbia Black-tail Mule Deer grazed through the meadow in front of our condominium
Thank you to Lens-Artists for another fun challenge!
Lindy Low LeCoq 