Winter Revisited




Winter in Panama & Winter's Zone

I wanted to visit Winter again before her movie, "Dolphin Tale," was released, so my mom and I took ourselves to Clearwater Marine Aquarium one recent afternoon.  Would Winter be the same after her starring role and so much publicity, or had she turned into a diva since my last visit? How much had the aquarium changed, and would Hope, CMA's youngest dolphin, be out and about in her tank?  And what cool new stuff would be in the gift shop?

Before heading to Winter and Panama's Zone, Mom and I went through the darkened area where golden-eyed stingrays whiz around their touch tank.  I love those guys, how silky-soft they feel, and it's fun watching them flip their wings as they swim.  Around the corner from the ray tank, we passed a quiet area where through a window we could see a sea turtle recovering from emergency surgery.  As we climbed the stairs to CMA's second level, we could smell the river otters, a mixture of sea creature and litter box. They're stinky, those otters, but they crack me up, because they're so rambunctious and full of life.  Plus, who can resist their liquid black eyes and long whiskers?

In their zone, Winter was swimming around the tank she shares with Panama, but she wasn't as energetic as she usually is.  The aquarium had opened late that day, due to morning press conferences, and it looked like Winter was pooped.  It's not easy being an in-demand star!  Winter was tired enough to skip her afternoon performance/dolphin demo with Panama, and swam into her individual tank.  Panama was up to her usual tricks, though, and Mom and I enjoyed watching her do her thing.  Afterwards, we went to Winter's tank, and watched her for awhile.  She was so relaxed, it made me want to take a nap. 

  

Winter in profile

While we were standing at Winter's tank, a man and young woman walked up next to me, and the guy started telling his companion about Winter, her habits, how friendly she is, how he thought she learned to recognize him during the months it took to shoot "Dolphin Tale."  At first, in my mind, I was thinking, "blah, blah, blah," but the longer I stood there, the more he sounded like he knew what he was talking about.  I didn't know it until later, when I saw his photo on CMA's Facebook page, but that guy was Charles Martin Smith, who directed "Dolphin Tale."  So, I guess he did know a few things about Winter. 

Sleepy Winter

Since Winter was making up both yawn, Mom and decided to move up one more level to watch Nicholas, who definitely was not worn out.  He leaped through the air, chased after toys, and raced around his tank, which had us all laughing and clapping.  There's something incredibly joyous about watching dolphins, because they look like they're having so much fun.  And I'm happy Nicholas has a safe place to live, since he's another one of CMA's resident dolphins who can't be re-released into the wild.

Nicholas

If Winter were ever to have competition in the cute and charm departments, it would be from Hope, CMA's latest rescued dolphin.  Like Winter, she was found injured in the wild, and was brought to CMA to recover.  Still a baby, she's being trained and rewarded with a combination of bottled formula and solid fish.  I'd never seen such a tiny dolphin before, and she really is a sweet thing.  It's reassuring to know she's in good hands, and will flourish and grow ... and maybe have her own movie one day?

Hope

A lot has been written about Winter's prosthetic tail,  how she overcame losing her tail to live a healthy, full life, and what an inspiration she's been to people who've lost limbs.  Well, I'm here to tell you she's also an inspiration and joy to at least one person with Alzheimer's Disease: my mom.  My mom may not remember afterwards she's been to the aquarium, but during the time she's there, she's nothing but smiles.  She loves all the animals at CMA, but Winter is the one she remembers.  That makes me love Winter even more.

And, no, Winter hasn't turned into a movie star diva.  And, yes, there was some cool new stuff in the gift shop.

Update:  I started this entry quite some time ago, and have since seen "Dolphin Tale" twice.  The first time, I thought it was a little too sweet, not that I didn't cry!  But when I watched it again recently, I really appreciated the story - no amount of Hollywood can change what really happened to Winter, and what a great place the Clearwater Marine Aquarium is.

What does everyone else think about the film?  Who's visited Winter at CMA?

Anclote Key State Park

Fishing boats along the Sponge Docks

Sometimes it's fun to play tourist in your own backyard, and having out-of-town guests is always a great excuse to do touristy things you probably wouldn't do on your own.  One advantage of living in Florida, is there's an abundance of activities aimed at toursits, which means it's always time to play.  Another advantage is someone is almost always expecting out-of-town guests, in this instance Anna and her sister, Nellie, so The Way Eye See It was off on local adventure.

Tarpon Springs is an small town in our area known for, among other things, its Greek heritage.  There are several Greek restaurants and shops selling touristy stuff, as well as Greek souvenirs and food on Dodocanese Blvd, the main drag along Tarpon's historic sponge docks.  It's definitely like stepping into an Agean-blue slice of Greece: Greek language, Greek food, Greek music floating out shop doors, and, if the sponge boats have unloaded their hauls for the day, the salty ocean smell of sponges.

For as long as I can remember, there's been a guy on the docks shouting out departure times for Sponge-o-Rama's Dolphin Cruise, which I always thought was prettyy cheesy, until Anna and Nellie mentioned the trip now includes a stop at Anclote Key State Park, home of Anclote Lighthouse.  That turned the tour into something much more interesting, because, unless you have a boat, one of these tours is the only way to get out to Anclote Key (and the 3 other keys in Anclote Key State Park).

If you're going to take a Dolphin cruise, I highly recommend lunch at one of the Greek restaurants along the sponge docks.  We enoyed greek salads and saganaki (opa!) at Mykonos, which I think has better food than Hellas, one of the more well known restaurants.  If the seas look rough, though, I recommend lunch after the cruise!

Anclote Key Lighthouse is three miles off the coast of Tarpon Springs, and before hitting the Gulf of Mexico, you pass various sights along the Anclote River, like the house used in the 1953 movie "Beneath the 12 Mile Reef," starring a young Robert Wagner.  As for me, I was more interested in the wildlife action, and there was a lot. In the Gulf we saw dolphins, all kinds of sea birds, and, amazingly, an osprey chasing  an eagle across the water for its fish.  I had my money on the eagle to win, but, wow, that osprey stole the eagle's fish! 

The approach to the lighthouse, watching it get bigger and bigger, is really cool.  It's not your traditional looking lighthouse, but a metal, rust-colored skeleton shape. Currently opperated by the state of Florida, and on the National Historic Register, Anclote Lighthouse was built in 1887, deactivated in 1985, and relit September 13, 2003. 



Anclote Key Lighthouse



If you're into shelling, Anclote Key is the place to be.  Before we got off the  boat, the captain passed around little bags for shell collecting, and it didn't take long for the shellers to fill them up.  It was tempting to stop and look at all the pretty shells in the sand, but Anna and I decided try and get closer to the lighthouse. We'd also heard Anclote was great for birding, although, since we were docked for only 30 minutes, time was at a premium.  We hoofed it across the sand, but soon realized we'd never make it to the lighthouse, so stopped and soaked it up from afar.  Meanwhile, little semi-palmated plovers and willets cruised by, moving in and out of slight strips of water. At least we saw 2 of the 43 species of birds who live there.

Thirty minutes flew way too quickly, and it was time to head back to Tarpon.  Nothing as spectacular as eagle vs osprey happened on the return trip, but we saw more dolphins, and even passed an outbound sponge boat, another tourist trip, complete with sponge diver in authentic sponge diving suit, and a sponge diving demonstration.  I always thought that had the potential to be cheesy, too, but now.... Well, I'm ready to play tourist in Tarpon Springs again.  Does anyone have any guests on their way?

Sponge Diver

Wall Springs Park

blue-winged teal

Wall Springs Park in Palm Harbor is a sweet place, but I sort of wrote it off my bird watching list about a year ago, after a few ho-hum visits.  Well, that was a mistake.  Recently, a coworker mentioned she'd been watching a Great Horned Owl there over the course of several weeks, and I decided finally to find it for myself - and by find it, I mean asking my coworker she'd found it. 

In addition to being a pleasant place to walk around, Wall Springs is full of history.  It was originally owned by the Wall family, until, in 1927, they sold their property, and Wall Springs became Health Springs.  The spring was used as a health spa and bathing area up until the mid-60's. By then, the name had reverted back to Wall Springs. Between 1988 until 2009, Pinellas County aquired the property, totalling 210 acres, definitely a respectable size. The source of the spring is the Upper Florida Aquifer, and the spring waters maintains a balmy 74 degree temp. Swimming is no longer allowed, though, in order to maintain the ecosystem. The park is even connected to the Pinellas Trail, which makes for easy bike access.
 

red-breasted merganser

I dropped by one Saturday evening after work, with only my binoculars, thinking of the relaxing walk and potential owl sighting.  Of course, because I didn't have my camera, the first bird I saw was brand new to me.  Without a picture, I had to rely on my memory, and hope I'd recognize this duck when I got home and looked in the Stokes Guide to Eastern Birds, which I also didn't have with me.  Soon after seeing new duck number 1, new duck number 2 paddled by.  There were also several mallards in the spa/pond area, as well as gulls, 2 Little Blue Egrets, and a Tricolored Heron.  If you follow the sidewalk around the pond, you'll cross a bridge over Boggy Bayou, which is another opportunity to see birds - Great Egrets, White Ibis, and a Great Blue Heron this time. The sidewalk turns off to piers, which offer great views, but, if you continue towards the observation tower, you'll find the tree where the Great Horned Owl lives.  She's well camoflagued, but she's worth the effort.

great horned owl

After watching the owl, ear tufts gently blown by the breeze, giant yellow staring eyes, I turned back and headed towards the bridge.  On one side, there were two Snowy Egrets standing on driftwood, then, nearby, another bird unfamiliar to me. I was excited, hoping it was a Clapper Rail, since I've seen them in pictures, but never in person. I'd also recently read about Clapper Rail sightings in the area, so I stored that guy in my memory bank, along with the two new ducks.  SPOILER ALERT for the picture below!

juvenile black-crowned night heron

As excited as I was to go home and look up the birds I'd seen, I wasn't going to miss a gorgeous Florida sunset, looking out from the pier, taking in the breeze and the birds flying off to roost. Is there anything better?

another beautiful florida sunset

And with help from my bird guide,  I was able to identify the ducks and bird I'd seen: Blue-winged Teals, Red-breasted Mergansers, and a juvenile Black-Crowned Night Heron.  So no Clapper Rail this time, but they're around. I know I'll see one sometime, and that's all that matters.  When it comes to my time in nature, I'm happy with whatever's on offer, and what I see almost always exceeds my expectations.  As for Wall Springs, I learned my lesson: don't give up on parks, because you never know when a ho-hum experience will turn into a great one.

Sand Key Park

tern chick

      

"Cute! Cute! Cute!"  That's what I wrote in my journal the evening after visiting Black Skimmers, Royal Terns and their chicks at Sand Key Park in Clearwater.  Since I rarely go to the beach, I had no idea these guys were laying eggs, until I read about them on PinellasBirds.com. Their location wasn't revealed, but, after a little detective work, I figured out where to find them. I'd never been to Sand Key before (that I remembered), and hadn't been through Clearwater Beach in years. The Way I See It was on a new adventure, and crossing off yet another park on the Great Florida Birding Trail.

Sand Key Park is an oasis compared to Clearwater Beach, which is extremely touristy and built-up, a far cry from back in the day when I was a kid, and there wasn't much more than mom & pop hotels, miles of sand, and the Gulf of Mexico.

A barrier island, Sand Key is 95 beautiful acres, separated from Clearwater Beach by Clearwater Pass.  It was opened to the public in 1984, and visitors can enjoy both the beach and park, where there's a salt marsh.  I definitely recommend a trip to this park, but don't necessarily recommend going on a summer's afternoon, even early afternoon. It was hot!

Even the birds looked hot, at least the snowy egret we saw in the parking lot did.  At first, I thought it was a white plastic bag in the water, until I got closer, and could see it was a snowy submerged to its neck. Out on the beach, some of the Black Skimmers were crashed, bellies flat on the sand, looking dead, which scared me at first.  I image the cool sand felt good to them. 

Terns of varying sizes were everywhere, flying, catching fish, trying to steal each others' fish.  We watched them for a long time, before moving further down the beach, where we could see a large roped-off square, which was the Skimmers' nesting area.  



royal terns having a fish fight



I'd never seen either Tern or Skimmer chicks before, and I could watch them forever.  The tern chicks were in the fledged stage, not in the least bit fluffy, and looking like small adults.  Some of the Black Skimmer chicks,  though, were downy things, sand-speckled fluff camouflaged in the sand.  Quite a few were still hanging out with their parents, but one little Skimmer bravely ran across the sand with its wings spread.  It was too small to fly, but old enough to start practicing.  Just about the sweetest moment for me was an adult and two chicks lined up, all with their beaks open.  I don't know what they were talking about, but it made us laugh all the same.



skimmer shout out

I guess some Skimmers don't read very well, because there were a few who'd built their nests outside the roped-off area.  Beach-goers were respectful of the Skimmers' space, many stopping to look, and the skimmers were cautious, but not so scared they weren't acting normally.  It was a hub of activity inside the nesting area, with adults and chicks moving around, little chicks exploring, or burrowing under a parent.  I love nesting season, watching how parents and chicks interact, and imagining what they're saying when they call to each other, or what they're thinking as they move across their world. In this instance, I imagine they were talking about how hot it was, and what a good idea it would be to find some shade.  After a few hours of birdwatching, I felt the same, but look forward to another summer of babies!  And another trip to Sand Key Park, which, by the way, is a nesting area for sea turtles.  But that's another story.





black skimmer with chick





Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary

swamp hibiscus

I can't say I've had many psychic dreams before, but something about the ghost orchid seeped into me and wouldn't let go.  This summer I had the most vivid dream about a ghost orchid, that I had gone hunting for them in Orlando. Funny thing is, in my awake world, I wasn't even sure ghost orchids existed. The  morning after my dream, I had no recollection of flowers, until a patron at the library where I work checked out the audiobook version of Susan Orlean's The Orchid Thief.  Then someone checked out a few orchid magazines, and another patron requested a book with "orchid" in the title.  There's nothing like being hit in the head with synchronicity!  So, I hopped online and googled ghost orchids, and, amazingly, discovered a ghost orchid lives just 3 hours away from here in Naples at Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary.  Even more incredible, the ghost orchid was in bloom. It was calling me, and I had to visit and ask what it wanted.

"super ghost"

Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary is considered the "jewel in the Audubon crown."  The Audubon Society became involved with the sanctuary over 100 years ago with a campaign against plume hunting, and officially founded Corkscrew in 1954.  It's 14,000 acres of pine flatwood, wet prairie, marsh, pond cypress, and home to the largest remaining virgin bald cypress forest in North America.  One of the gateways to the Great Florida Birding Trail, Corkscrew supports one of this country's largest colonies of nesting wood storks, as well as +200 birds, both natives and migratory. Add a gorgeous butterfly garden and the Blair Education Center and the ghost orchid, and you know you're in for quite the experience.

Naples is about a 3 hour drive from where I live, so The Way Eye See It loaded up pretty early in the morning, in order to have most of the day to explore.  Even the parking lot at CCS is interesting! There's a huge butterfly garden, where Anna and I saw white peacocks, gulf fritillaries, and Florida's state butterfly, the zebra longwing.  Also cool was seeing a tiny Ruby-throated Hummingbird zoom down to drink from the flowers.  It was hard to tear ourselves away from butterfly garden action, but we knew we had a lot to pack into the day, so we followed the boardwalk to the Blair Education Center and paid our $10 entrance fee.  Right inside the front door was a poster describing the ghost orchid, with an attached dry erase board on which was written, "12 blooms!!" 

There's another dry erase board before you hit the main boardwalk, and we stopped to read what everyone had seen thus far: many birds, black bear, snakes, butterflies, skinks.  I love the anticipation of what lies ahead on nature walks. Of course, we wanted to see everything listed on that board, and knew we wouldn't. But maybe we'd see different things?

The first bird to greet us was a white-eyed vireo, a new bird for me.  We could hear woodpeckers all around, and saw a fair share of red-bellieds, as well as a pileated, which we heard first, then waited and waited to see.

white-eyed vireo

Whenever I'm walking through swamps, woods, and other natural areas in Florida, I always wonder what it  must've been like for explorers crazy enough to hack their way through tall grass and wetlands, with no idea of what they'd encounter.  Huge bugs, alligators, snakes....  I, for one, am happy in most instances to stay on boardwalks!

Corkscrew's boardwalk is 2.25 miles long, and you're definitely at one with the landscape.  As we made our way to the ghost orchid, we passed alligator flags, pond apple trees, swamp hibiscus, swamp lilies, a tiny ribbon snake, and who knows what else hidden above and below us. Butterflies whizzed past, and we were thrilled to see two new ones: a queen and a ruddy daggerwing (if ever I need an alias, it's going to be Ruddy Daggerwing!)  Even though I couldn't wait to see the ghost orchid, I didn't want to rush the experience.

queen

 

And finally we saw it, this "super ghost" with an unusually high number of blooms. This orchid, the only wild ghost orchid whose location is not kept secret.  Actually, we saw the scope an Audubon volunteer set up for better orchid viewing.  In my vision, I saw the orchid up close, but, in reality, it lives about 150 ft from the boardwalk, 45ft up a 400 year old cypress tree.  Also, in my vision, I was 1 on 1 with the orchid.  In reality, though, the scope was like Grand Central Station. Luckily, I had my big zoom, and Anna had her binoculars, so we were set with pretty good views as we waited our turns at the scope.  

WOW!  I was blown away when I saw the orchid up close.  It's very ethereal and tendril-y and mysterious and sexy, and I'm fairly certain it knows this. I asked why it called me to Corkscrew, dragging me out of bed at 5am to drive 3 hours away.  I wanted to hear something profound and life-changing, and I did. The ghost orchid said simply: "Stop. Be still. Enjoy me." 

The ghost orchid usually blooms in July and August, and I wonder if it will reappear in my dreams next summer.  Will I still need its gentle reminder?  I daresay I probably will.  And, even it doesn't come to me in my sleep, I'll definitely stalk Corkscrew's website until the announcement comes it's time to commune with the orchid once more.

Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park & the Florida National Cemetery



Sanhill Cranes


Note to self: next time The Way Eye See It heads off somewhere, do some research!  Actually, I thought I'd researched Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park fairly well, but somehow I didn't absorb the fact that it's humongous.  Our "ah ha" moment, as Anna called it, came when we climbed the park's 50 foot observation tower and surveyed nothing but vast land - 21,000 acres worth.

One of the reasons I wanted to go is because PPPSP is a gateway to the Great Florida Birding Trail, and, for that reason, I assumed we'd see birds galore. We actually did see quite a few birds on the 2.5 hour drive over; sandhill cranes pecking in the dirt by the road, cattle egrets on and around cattle, and a sweet flash of swallowtail kite flying over us on I-75. 

PPPSP is Florida's first state preserve, established in 1971, and it's even designated as a National Historic Landmark.  Artist and naturalist William Bartram called it "the Great Alachua Savannah" when he visited in 1774, and it's pretty remarkable to think of how little has been changed by human hands since then.  In fact, I'll let Bartram himself describe what he saw (and what we saw, minus the wildlife) :

"Now on a sudden opens to view an enchanting scene, the Great Alachua Savannah. Behold a vast plain of water in the middle of a pine forest 15 miles in extent and near 50 miles in circumferance, verged with green level meadows, in the summer season beautifully adorned with jeting points and pormentorys of high land. The prospect is greatly beautiful by the prodigious numbers of wild fowl of various kinds, such as cranes, herons, biterns, pluvers, coots, vast herds of cattle, horses, and deer which we see far distant, in detachments over the vast plain. The upper regions of the air contributes to this joyfull scene. The silver plum'd heron, early in the morning, hastening to their fisheries, croud the watery plain. The sonorrous stork and whooping crains proclaim the near approaches of the summer heat, and decend from the skies in musical squadrons themselves over the wide green."



View of PPPSP from the observation tower

Since it was blisteringly hot, Anna and I didn't spend too much time on that wide green.  We walked a little bit of one trail, and, when we didn't see or hear anything, decided to try another trail, again without much luck. Our last stop was a boardwalk, but saw nothing on the ground or air, although we were surrounded by gorgeous thistle. We then decided it'd be much smarter to return in the fall, when more creatures would be out and about.   





thistle



It was still fairly early in the day when we left PPPSP, so we weren't quite ready to go home. On the drive over, we'd seen a sign for the Florida National Cemetery, and we decided if we passed another sign on the way back, we'd stop and check it out. We knew we'd made the right decision when another swallow-tailed kite flew overhead on I-75.

The Florida National Cemetery, near Bushnell, lies in the Withlacoochee State Forest, and is the final resting place for +97,000 veterans of twentienth century wars and their spouses. Land for the cemetery was transferred to the Veterans Administration in 1983, and a carillon was constructed in 1993 by WWII AMVETS. When we were there, the bells played "From the Halls of Montezuma" and "Tis a Gift," both very fitting.

Seemingly endless lines of graves make the Florida National Cemetery a humbling place, particularly when you face the grave a newly buried 22 year old soldier. Because we were there on Memorial Day, flags were everywhere, snapping in the wind high on their flagpoles, and in front of hundreds of headstones.  This war cemetery is no different from any other, reminding us of not only the worst in us, but also the best.  



 



view of Florida National Cemetery



Fort De Soto & Egmont Key

White Ibis

I'll come right out and say it: I  love Fort De Soto and Egmont Key. Given the opportunity, I'd wander both places for as long as possible, never tiring of either one. Fort De Soto is huge. It consists of 5 interconnected keys, and is the largest park in the Pinellas County system. Egmont Key is much smaller, just 400 acres, and accessible only by ferry or private boat. I hadn't been to Fort De Soto in years and years, and couldn't really remember much more than the fort. I'd never been to Egmont Key, so this visit was very much a treat. The Way Eye See It Photography was also on a mission. Anna and I wanted to see the long-billed curlew PinellasBirds.com had reported seeing at Fort De Soto. We were also hoping to see a magnificent frigatebird, but the curlew was our ultimate goal.

Ferry arriving at Egmont Key

A few days beforehand, I tried figuring out Hubbard's Marina's  online ferry schedule to Egmont Key, without much success, so, when we headed to Fort De Soto, we weren't sure if we'd be making the trip to Egmont Key. We weren't too worried about it, though, because we sometimes get so absorbed wherever we are, we lose track of time. In this case, we stopped along the way to Fort De Soto's main entrance to check out some osprey in trees around a lake, and ended up watching a monk parakeet pop in and out of hole in the trunk of a palm tree. When the parakeet disappeared into its hole, we got back in the car and motored up to the main dock. We were surprised the ferry was not only in service, but set to depart within minutes. The ferry captain generously offered to wait while we ran back to the car for our camera equipment.

Twenty bucks later, we were on our way to Egmont Key, and it's a beautiful ride. One thing the ferry captain stressed along the way was how Egmont Key is a wildlife preserve, that birds were nesting on the south end of the island, and that gopher tortoises are plentiful, but not to be touched. Egmont Key is also home to Fort Dade, which served as a camp for captured Seminoles at the end of the Third Seminole War, as well as a circa 1858 lighthouse. Anna loves lighthouses, and this one is really cool.

Egmont Key Lighthouse

We checked out the fort, walked the beach, watched a mother osprey with her chicks way up high in their nest, and marveled at the view. There weren't as many birds as I'd hoped, and I'd expected to see gopher tortoises all over the place, after what the ferry captain said, but the only one we saw a baby tortoise being carried by a boy, whose parents didn't seem to care. It takes a lot for me to speak out about things, but, in this instance, I couldn't help myself, because I wanted to stick up for the tortoise.

Pathway to the beach on Egmont Key

There aren't any amenities on Egmont Key, no places to eat and no restrooms. We brought snacks, and, as for the bathroom, if you don't mind peeing al fresco, the water's warm, and there's a great view of the Sunshine Skyway!

The ferry ride back to Fort De Soto was just as fun as the one to Egmont, even better, actually, because we saw dolphins. Back on dry land, Anna and I started figuring out where it would be best to start our hunt for the long-billed curlew. Fort De Soto has several beaches, and we had no idea on which the curlew had been seen. We eventually decided to start from North Beach.

Only we didn't realize how big North Beach is.  As we walked through a small pine tree shaded area leading to the beach, we were stopped by a woman, obviously a birder, with binoculars and a field guide in the pocket of her dress, who asked us if we'd seen the long-billed curlew.  She told us she'd driven all the way from Miami to find it! She'd seen magnificent frigatebirds on her drive to the west coast, which made us jealous, since we'd seen zero, but we were honest and said we had no idea where the curlew was.

North Beach was packed. Bodies, umbrellas, towels, empty flip-flops, the smell of suntan lotion in the air. We stopped to check out a little pond, hoping every bird we saw in the distance was a curlew, but of course they were white egrets, blue herons, white ibis - all wonderful birds, but not the curlew. We were just getting back to our discussion on where to start looking, when the universe sent a sign: a photographer, decked out in camo, with a camera and zoom lens around his neck, and a camera with even bigger zoom on a tripod on his shoulder. I pointed him out to Anna, and knew he'd lead us to the curlew.

Gangsta-looking Terns

It must've looked funny, if anyone even noticed, a camo-clad photographer (why camo on the beach?) being followed at a respectful distance by Anna and me with cameras, zoom, and monopod. When the photographer stopped and set up his tripod, we stopped, too.  We were next to an roped-off area for  nesting wilson's plovers, and on the sand and water's edge were many short-billed dowatchers, godwits, american oystercatchers, black bellied plovers, and gangsta-looking terns.

We didn't see it at first, because it was surrounded by dowitchers, but there, in the sea grass, was the long-billed curlew.  Wow. They're definitely unusual birds, a little awkward-looking with such a long bill, but very beautiful. It preened and preened, lifting its wings, poking at its belly with that long bill, ruffling its feathers. I took shot after shot, not knowing when it would leave. Eventually, it walked away, putting its bill to use by moving a few other birds aside, then it hopped, went airborne, and landed in front of us on the beach, giving us a perfectly unobstructed view of its magnificent self. A few minutes later, it lifted its wings and flew away.

I don't know if I'll ever see a long-billed curlew again, but it's ok if I don't. Seeing one once makes me deliriously happy, and that's enough for me.

Long-Billed Curlew