Showing posts with label sea grasses. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sea grasses. Show all posts

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Curious willet at low tide, Pillar Point Harbor

Intertidal zones are fascinating places to observe nature as they are constantly in flux. The intertidal reef at Pillar Point Harbor on Half Moon Bay is a terrific place to explore during neap tide cycles, especially during a negative tide. You never know quite what to expect, but the birds are great at this locale, and its a fun place to see them in a different setting.

Curious Willet at Low Tide at Pillar Point - Pat Ulrich Wildlife Photography

Last November we took a trip there for a sunset that coincided with a large negative tide, and were greatly rewarded with some interesting wildlife. We even saw a very small octopus that was stranded in a tidal pool near shore, which was a real treat! The top two shots in this post are two of the many willets that were cruising the reef looking for easy prey to pick off. The top shot is of a curious bird that came over a rise and seemed surprised to see me. They look so crazy from straight on, don't they?

Willet in the intertidal zone at Pillar Point - Pat Ulrich Wildlife Photography

The reef was completely different this time compared to when I was last there a little over a year before that. On that trip, in August of 2009, the intertidal zone was not covered by seagrasses like it was this time. Instead, as is shown in the shots below, there was a really fascinating covering of these bulbous pods all across the reef. It was really a surreal landscape, and it was fun to photograph birds, like this black turnstone, in such a weird setting!

Black turnstone in the intertidal zone at Pillar Point - Pat Ulrich Wildlife Photography

It also happened to be quite foggy that morning, which added another layer to this mysterious landscape. Although the birds seemed to be quite at home in this alien-like world.

Snowy egret in sea of pods - Pat Ulrich Wildlife Photography

Submitted as part of the World Bird Wednesday -- Follow this link to see the submissions for this week!