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With the weather still unseasonably, deliciously warm this weekend, our family headed out to Sandy River Beach, Jonesport, for a bonus beach day. As soon as we arrived, we met up with this mother-daughter-duo, out for a bonus beach day, too!
I’m not actually sure if this pair of Herring Gulls are males or females, since there are no really obvious visual differences between genders. One is an adult in breeding plumage, the other a juvenile in its first year. But I’m totally projecting the whole mother-daughter dynamic, because it just felt that way to me!
A wild apple had made its way down onto the sand, transported perhaps by a munching human, just as likely by wind and gravity or the energetic efforts of a squirrel or raccoon. Everyone enjoys Maine wild apples at this time of year!
What’s this, Mom? That’s an apple, sweetie. Here, have a bite.
For several minutes, Mom took bites of the apple, and Little Bit took them from her beak. But soon enough, she had the idea.
That is definitely a teenager move 🤣
Little Bit was very chatty, rarely quiet in fact. Her soft, piping calls were as regular as breathing, inquisitive, exploratory, conversational.
She was mildly curious, entirely self-confident, maybe showing off just a little as I clicked and giggled and clicked some more. She was definitely reminding me of a runway model, and I was just getting all the moods…
Casual…
Sophisticated…
Thoughtful…
Diva…
Then the wind kicked up…
…and this one is giving Marilyn Monroe, don’t you think?
I suddenly noticed that Little Bit’s dreamy eyes are a deep coffee brown. As she matures, they will transform into a striking lemony yellow, like Mom’s.
Why is it such common knowledge that a baby’s blue eyes may change over time, and yet it never occurred to me that this could be true for birds, as well? How easy it is to forget all the tiny details we may have in common with our wild friends!
Little Bit was endlessly fascinating, but eventually I had to put my camera down and join my family in all of the usual beach activities: splashing and swimming, soccer and sand, tide pooling, searching for treasures.
We walked along the beach in one of those straggly squiggle-lines that develops when everyone is beach-combing and talking and laughing and teasing each other at once. As we approached Mom and Little Bit, Mom took up a station in the soft, sun-dried sand at the top of the shore. Little Bit scampered about the damp sand, still chasing nibbles of her apple. As we approached, she matched our pace - right in the middle of our family squiggle - and joined our stroll. She looked this way and that, up and down the wandering line. So this is what it’s like to go on a walk with humans. They are so weird. She launched a quick, veering flight and joined Mom to observe us from a distance.
I loved Mom’s approach, calm and poised from her vantage point, one sharp eye on our every move. You see, Mom’s perspective on humans has matured into a healthy skepticism that translates into a watchful distance. But Little Bit is still just exploring a world around her that offers new delights every day. Rather than ruin it for her, Mom lets her discover her own boundaries. I, personally, do not really trust humans. I’ve seen far too many examples of their behavior over the years, and they are best enjoyed from a distance. But I don’t want to ruin your curiosity, so you just explore them as much as you want, and I’ll be right here keeping one stern eye on them, making sure they behave.
At least, that’s the rough translation from bird to human :) And it worked! We did behave, and Little Bit got the chance to explore, and we were delighted by her, which I’m sure made Mom proud.
And I was, once again, amazed to feel that familiar tug that reminds me that my heartstrings are intricately interwoven, messily tangled, hopelessly knotted up with this living, breathing, fleeting, changing world that I call home 💕
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This was lovely, Sydney! Thanks for taking us along on your walk!
Arya the Cockatiel says that you have a good understanding of avians. Thought you might like to know.🐦🦜🕊