Only about 20 miles east of us the sea changes from the gentler waters of Long Island Sound to the open Atlantic Ocean with its bigger waves.
One last walk on the dunes and beach at Napatree Point…
between the Atlantic Ocean and Little Narragansett Bay
It was a very hazy day, the smoke particles in the air came all the way from the wildfires in Alberta, Canada. Sometimes the camera captured some blue in the sky and others times the sky came out very gray.
We heard this male yellow warbler sweetly singing before we finally spotted him flitting around the thickets on the dune, in the same area we saw a female back in September. It’s amazing to think that this little songbird spent the winter in Central America and has arrived here to breed.
As we were walking along a robin came wandering down the dune path towards us. He would take a few steps, pause, look around, and then take a few more. We stood still and he kept coming closer, and closer and closer. After he checked us out, he turned around and started retracing his steps in the same manner. Curious little fellow.
(thanks to Eliza for the identification)
When we got back to the parking lot these two herring gulls were having a spirited encounter. The one on the right kept making a long call and the one on the left kept jumping down into the water and bringing up globs of seaweed. The first one ignored the seaweed and kept repeating his long call.
What a beautiful goodbye. Maybe some day you will be back for a visit.
Thank you, Julie. I hope we will find a way to come back and visit some day, somehow…
I love your closing, Barbara. I enjoy the twosome!
The male yellow warbler sweetly singing is a wonderful find. I want to know the link to the website so that I could hear it’s sweet song.
You captured a gorgeous moment of the wave! The roses by the sea will be missed. Bittersweet.
Thank you so much, TD! It was such an emotional visit, the beach and dunes seemed more beautiful than ever that day, a wonderful gift. Here is one place you can hear the warbler’s sweet song: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Yellow_Warbler/sounds
Beach roses charm me every time. I never see them, yet feel drawn to them. Also rather like the duo of herring gulls. They seem sassy to me.
I love how cheeky gulls can be, with people and with each other. 🙂 My beach roses will be sadly missed, I do understand why you feel drawn to them.
Such a beautiful area of dunes, sea and sky. I love the fragrance of beach roses. I once made potpourri from their petals and the fragrance lasted for years. Great sightings, too, the birds are all busy preparing for the breeding season. Interesting to observe the courtship of the gulls. Your mystery flower is beach pea (Lathyrus maritimus).
I have a beach rose potpourri, too, that I keep in a paper bag in my dresser drawer! Only I didn’t make it myself, I bought it in a little shop in Provincetown many years ago. It still smells lovely. If those two gulls were courting they were sure taking their time getting acquainted. I kept wondering how David Attenborough might be narrating the scene. Thanks so much for the beach pea identification!
What a beautiful farewell. I loved the little warbler – I have written almost a page about them in Hilaryon stories. I think it is a miracle that those tiny birds can cross the Atlantic!
Now – looking forward to new photos from the new place where you two put down new roots. May you be happy there♥
Thank you, Leelah! 💙 Migration is indeed a miraculous thing to wonder about, and here we are, ready to migrate ourselves to a new place with a very different climate. I will do my best to post those new photos as soon as we get settled. Thank you so much for your well wishes and blessings.
That’s a gorgeous yellow warbler, and I do love the beach roses, too! It’s plain to see you’re going to miss this spot, Barbara. However, after you get nice and settled in your new place, perhaps it will be fun to return and see if anything’s changed?
I do wonder if we’ll ever find our way back here. Traveling is so much trouble with our medical conditions it might not be feasible, but we’ll see. But I think we will be very happy in our new home near the grandchildren and I bet there will be warblers and other kinds of roses to enjoy. 🙂 (Not sure about gulls, though.)
How very difficult it must be to leave behind this beloved beach spot, Barbara. This walk, your words and photos, were wonderful. You brought alive the beach scene, your robin friend and the gulls, the beautiful beach roses so beautifully. As a birder, I recognized the “sound” of your yellow warbler instantly with the mnemonic quote you gave. Truly delightful scene.
Thank you for your very kind words, Jet! I was completely enchanted with that cheerful yellow warbler and his sweet song, although he was quite a challenge to photograph as he was flitting around so much. I hope he finds his mate and that they have a successful breeding season. Beach rose thickets must be a good choice for nesting, with plenty of bugs around for food.
You have a gift for sharing what you see. Thank you for taking us along with you on all these walks.
Thank you so much, Rosie. It’s always a pleasure to know you’re coming along with me on our walks. I think having a camera in hand helps me to see things I might otherwise not notice.
A wonderful last walk of this beautiful beach, Barbara. I love each photo. How lovely to meet up with a few birds this last time, as they bid farewell to you both too! Especially that stunning Yellow Warbler! 🙂
Thank you, Donna! Seeing that warbler was such a treat, a wonderful goodbye gift for us both. Maybe he was letting us know that we will see warblers in North Carolina soon. 🙂 Not so sure about gulls so far inland.