Soon to be owned by birds

Ah, a day of (relative) warmth, a day to believe that spring might be coming, a day for wandering...

Snow on Monday and a cold, cold start to the week made me doubt the calendar. That made today a special day, a good day for walking along the edge of the ocean. The beach at Parker River is scheduled to close in just three short weeks, hopefully to provide a nesting ground for piping plovers.

From the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge web site: "Each year the entire 6.3 miles (10.1 kilometers) of refuge beach is closed to all public entry beginning April 1 to provide undisturbed nesting and feeding habitat for the piping plover, a shorebird species threatened with extinction. Portions of the beach not being used by the birds may be reopened beginning July 1. Typically all sections are reopened by mid-late August."

Today was a good day to sneak in before the birds, to walk the beach, to listen to roar of the waves.