Sunday, April 20th, was one of those perfect spring days when everything feels fresh and alive—and it ended up being a day full of firsts for me!
My first live horseshoe crab of the season greeted me on the south side of Big Stone Beach. There’s just something magical about seeing them return. On Big Stone Beach Road, I spotted my first snapping turtle and—yes—my first snake of the season, a reddish-brown one (still trying to ID it, but it was beautiful in its own way).
I’ve also been keeping my eyes on the eagles lately. There are three that I see regularly—usually perched along the row of trees on the north side or scanning from the sand mounds where the worms have been active. I saw a fourth eagle feasting on a possum near the Stratham monument that day. Nature is doing what it does.
The tide was especially low, and the beach was in great shape. Lots of gulls were hanging out on the mounds, calling to each other and picking through what the tide left behind. You could really feel the change in the season.
When I got home, the day continued to surprise me: I saw my first hummingbird and first bluebird of the year, both at my feeder! I always take those as good signs.
These kinds of days remind me how lucky we are to live so close to places like Big Stone Beach and the wildness that’s still here.
