. Coast watch. Marine resources; Oceanography; Coastal zone management; Coastal ecology. By Kathy Hart There's nothing like fall at the of a friend, warding off the cooler Higher on the beach, I catch a pair of black eyes peering just over the top of a golf-ball sized hole. It's a ghost crab, so-called because its sand-colored body makes it capable of vanishing before your eyes like a ghost. The crab's eyes sit like periscopes above its head. The crafty crustacean decides to run for it, scuttling along sideways on its tiptoes to a hole nearby. As I cast my eyes seaward, I see a flock of pelica
. Coast watch. Marine resources; Oceanography; Coastal zone management; Coastal ecology. By Kathy Hart There's nothing like fall at the of a friend, warding off the cooler Higher on the beach, I catch a pair of black eyes peering just over the top of a golf-ball sized hole. It's a ghost crab, so-called because its sand-colored body makes it capable of vanishing before your eyes like a ghost. The crab's eyes sit like periscopes above its head. The crafty crustacean decides to run for it, scuttling along sideways on its tiptoes to a hole nearby. As I cast my eyes seaward, I see a flock of pelicans, one behind the other in a straight line skimming just above the wave tops. One falls out of the formation to rise, then dive beakfirst into the sea for a possible catch of menhaden or mullet. The sky is always bluer in the fall. The northeast breezes push away the 16 SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 1996 beach. It's my favorite time of the year there. The hordes of tourists have packed their beachbags and gone home. It's more quiet, less frantic with the activity of people. The sand, no longer baked by 90- degree temperatures, warms my toes instead of scorching them. The winds blow cooler and with more vigor. I take refuge in the ocean, which still holds its summer warmth. I alternatively swim and float in the warm ocean swells. The sun's heat is now a welcome source of warmth as I lie on my beach towel after my swim. In the summer, the heat is annoyance — an element to contend with — but in the fall it's more breezes. Now that the summer tourists have gone, the beach belongs again to the ghost crabs, gulls, terns and sander- lings. On days when the fish are running, recreational anglers line the beach and nearby piers casting for fall catches of mackerel, gray trout or bluefish. I bask in the sun's warmth and watch the sanderlings play tag with the breaking waves. They run away from incoming waves, then chase the backwash seaward as they probe the soft sand for mole crabs. If they ma
Size: 1799px × 1389px
Photo credit: © The Book Worm / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookcollectionunclibra, booksubjectoceanography
