Pivoting to the Shoreline

This first-of-the-year dusting of snow this week calls for a mental as well as a physical re-orientation to enjoying Halibut Point.

Winter shoreline

Animated life has quieted in the Park uplands. My seasonal compass points toward the shoreline.

Snow Bunting

At the tip of the grout pile this Snow Bunting foraged for seeds in weedy patches. It's a fancy sparrow-like bird with feather-tufted leggings.

Harlequin Duck

Down below came the annual pleasure of returning Harlequin Ducks, and renewed astonishment at their chosen habit in the rocky surf.

Semipalmated Plover

One day I was favored by the sight of a tiny stone-colored plover.

Peregrine Falcon

It pays to turn around occasionally, where a formidable falcon  might make a brief perch.

A fish-spotting Northern Gannet

On windy days gannets go rocketing past the Point on their six-foot wingspans.

Red-breasted Mergansers and Greater Scaup

Sea birds have been on the move during the fall migration, sorting themselves into local niches or moving further south. Luckily for lovers of the outdoors, shoreline wildlife will be much more varied and active than in summertime. Bundle up.