Ocean Tides

Not social distancing.  The CDC recommends wearing a mask if you decide to get that close:)  

As the desert heat overtook Tucson, we made an escape to the much cooler California coast. 

Black Oystercatcher

We found some open and lovely spaces to keep away from the crowds. And when we encountered groups of people, we wore our masks. 

It was a much needed mental break from the day-to-day routine. It was also great to see that in many parts of Southern California that 90 percent of the people wore facial masks and observed social distancing.  It wasn't until we got closer to the Orange County border that we noticed more people not wearing them.  La Jolla was a great example of people NOT wearing masks or observing the 6 foot rule. 

I love it when people paint on the beach.  So nice to see. 

We sat in our chairs and watched the waves crash against the shore.  As the tide began to rise, the cold waters began to erase the footprints on the sand.  The waves hit the ending beach point of the nearby estuary.  Ocean waters rushed into the salt marsh with great vigor forcing the inland river to rise. Slowly the sand eroded around us and the beach disappeared. 

The Snowy Egret has yellow feet

Hundreds of terns flew over the "sweet spot" where the river and ocean met.  There, they collected tiny fish from the waters. 

California Sea Lions

The sun filtered through the clouds.  And often the clouds won their gray battles. 

the beaches of Torrey Pines

It was during that night of the ocean tides entering the salt marsh that I noticed a pair of Gull-billed Terns hunt over the tidal rivers of the marsh.  At one point, I saw a bird collecting nesting material. 

My only 2020 lifer so far, the Gull-billed Tern!

This has been such a strange year.  We have a fire on our mountain in Tucson. Then there's the George Floyd protests amid the rising number of covid cases in AZ.  And then my summer job was cancelled.  No summer school.  We don't even know how school will start up with the cases on the rise again.  My Panama trip was cancelled yet airlines want everyone to get back on a plane like it's okay when clearly it's not. There's a lot of mixed messaging happening. We talk about all lives having value and yet we are allowing our elderly to die at elevated rates over money. Basically, we're all on our own even when they annoyingly say, "We're all in this together." No we are not.  So watching terns at an estuary was a welcome mental retreat.  

California ground squirrel

You can see people wanting to get back to normal.  California state closed the parking lots to national and state parks making access to the beaches almost impossible.  I know little tricks to avoid the public craziness, but even I had challenges on this adventure. We figured it all out and had a great time. 

Snowy Plover

Snowy Plovers were in good numbers as were terns and other shorebirds.  It was a lot of fun doing some ocean birding and getting out of the Arizona heat.  I actually felt a spark of excitement on this trip after observing the tern.  The road is calling for me again.  In the next post, I'll cover ID points for terns and some other fun observations. 

Our first day on the beach was a welcome moment.  Like a mental sigh of relief. I didn't realize how much stress I have been carrying inside of me. Ocean breezes, cooler temps, awesome birds and lots of people watching.  Life finds a way to go on even during a pandemic.  Until next time....