The swimming was excellent at Miracle Beach this afternoon. As an added bonus a flock of Bonaparte gulls (Larus philadelphia) was actively feeding on invertbrates in floating bits of seaweed. I normally enjoy birdwatching from the shore but I have to admit that floating quietly on my back and watching the Bonapartes fly over added a whole new dimension to the experience. I highly recommend it!

With only one’s head poking out of the water, you become less of a predatory threat. It is possible to approach close enough to view both the bird and its behaviour in a far more natural way. Of course it would have been fantastic to have a camera to capture this perspective but regretfully my Nikon is not waterproof. In some ways that’s a good thing. Instead I was “forced” to simply enjoy the moment and the gulls. I am thinking that bird listers might just have another category to add to their repetoire however – “birds observed while swimming!”