Oystercatchers, Napatree

I spent a good part of the morning despondent about Max, but I didn't really have time for too much sadness, because my grand-daughter and her mom were coming for a visit, and I had to clean the house. Work is always an antidote to too much grief, and when I had things in hand, I decided to go for a walk on the beach at Napatree in Watch Hill to search for signs of the migration. This would also sooth my battered spirits. Surprisingly, there was very little in natural history motion, and I didn't spot a single butterfly or odonate. There weren't even any hawks heading south. But when I hiked farther than I thought I should—I was mostly walking to walk—I realized I'd made it all the way to the lagoon, and it was low tide enough that I could reach the spot where the shorebirds congregate. There were still plenty of American Oystercatchers in residence, and they were very cooperative about posing for pictures, both standing and scurrying along the pebble beach and flying close by, their stark black and white feathering and their lurid red bills a memorable October sight.