A Year on Clear Lake-Sept 25, 2013

A Little Crabby Today–September 25, 2013

I love a good surprise–and nature is full of ’em. Standing on the shore looking out at the water, I noticed a tiny army of critters scurrying across the mudflat. I was too far to see what they were, so I put the camera on zoom and snapped several photos. Looking at the enlarged images I was shocked to see the “army” was composed of fiddler crabs–the tiny crabs with one huge claw. I’ve never seen so many little crabs in one place. On the peninsula, I’m delighted when I come upon a solitary crab hurrying across the path. But here, there were scads. I must say these little guys were lucky today. The egrets and herons, who would love to be  chowing down on such tasty tidbits, were fully occupied across the way.

A pelican was sitting cool, calm, and apparently right at home at one end of the bulkhead, while the Little Blue Heron and the Snowy Egret fought over space at the far end. And somewhere in the middle, a tiny sandpiper went about its business oblivious to the goings on around him. Ah, life is good.

 Green Thought:“We have such a brief opportunity to pass on to our children our love for this Earth, and to tell our stories. These are the moments when the world is made whole. In my children’s memories, the adventures we’ve had together in nature will always exist.” ― Richard Louv, Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder