SCENES FROM THE BEACH | by George Thatcher / NOV. 29, 2015

The arrival of high tide is a major daily event for many shorebirds and for small animals like fiddler crabs. It is occasion for huge amounts of sea water rushing ashore, bringing with it all sorts of edible refuse -- dead sea life and tiny, live crustaceans. Gulls, plovers and others appear almost magically to enjoy the feast. High tide today is at 7:53 a.m., but the shorebirds gathered at water's edge do not need tidal charts to tell them that the sea has flowed inward; they sense the result.

-- Diary, fall 2015

From the diary of beach walker George Thatcher / Email: fishcrow@aol.com

Collections of Mr. Thatcher's observations are available from Quail Ridge Press (www.quailridge.com or 1-800-343-1583).

This story was originally published November 28, 2015 at 6:49 PM with the headline "SCENES FROM THE BEACH | by George Thatcher / NOV. 29, 2015 ."