Sanderling (Calidris alba). Sanderlings are master predictors of the motions of the Ocean’s waves. As the waves go back and forth, the sanderlings find a perfect moment to begin their sprint run, dig some sand dwellers, and safely run away. For such a tiny body, they are master sprinters. Their beak is about the sizeContinue reading “Chasing the waves”
Category Archives: nature
Fashionista gulls
After my third attempt to photograph piping plovers at the Far Rockaway’s ended up in a failure, I began to feel disappointed. To protect the plovers, a part of the beach was closed. I walked for hours with my long lens camera, only to learn that the plovers moved to the other side. I wonderedContinue reading “Fashionista gulls”
Mysterious crab
I walked confidently on the yellow sand, staring at the shells deposited on the beach by the powerful waves of the Atlantic Ocean. Movements of the water displaced tiny pieces of sand along the shore, exposing sand dwellers quickly snatched by the seashore birds. As we were walking along the water, my sister screamed suddenly,Continue reading “Mysterious crab”
When the sounds disappear
My childhood house was located right by the forest. We used to call it the park, but only because there was a trail from one village to the next, parallel to a tiny stream. I would spend countless hours walking that trail. Regardless of the time, my ears would fill in with songs of birds,Continue reading “When the sounds disappear”
Preserving the unknown
One cannot miss what one does not know exists. A book by Michelle Nijhuis, Beloved Beasts, Fighting for Life in the Age of Extinction, presents several classic examples of animal species severely affected by human activities. Michelle describes animals which became symbols of conservation. Many such species are still with us, while some can onlyContinue reading “Preserving the unknown”
Insect pain.
As a child I remember looking at the sticky yellow tapes handing in people’s houses. Fly traps. Countless flies died on that yellow piece of tape, trying to escape in vain. Back in the 1990s, an upgraded version of a fly trap displayed in countless stores was an electric fly trap, with neon purple long,Continue reading “Insect pain.”
Full Moon in the sky
Look up and you will see the full Moon. Today, is one of the few days where all of the Moon’s mountains and craters are exposed, at least on the side of the Moon visible from the Earth. We cannot see the dark side of the Moon, maybe we can leave that to the astronautsContinue reading “Full Moon in the sky”
Awaiting sunset
A seagull admiring the sunset by the Hudson River.
Birds of the Salt Marsh in Brooklyn
Marine Salt Marsh is the largest park in Brooklyn. The Marsh has a unique combination of wetlands and grasslands, an ideal habitat for many species of birds. As you walk the path near the water, the vast grassland stretches for several acres. The entire area is about 800 acres. Multiple small birds find their homeContinue reading “Birds of the Salt Marsh in Brooklyn”
Speed of life.
I picked Nature Fast and Nature Slow, How Life Works from Fractions of a Second to Billions of Years by Nicholas P. Money out of pocket curiosity. How do you write a book about the speed of Nature with range from fraction of a millisecond to billions of years? By no means one can beContinue reading “Speed of life.”
Marta Grońska-Pęski 