It was a LEMMING invasion!

There’s been a lemming invasion!  They ALL joined me for my morning ramble today.  6.30 in the morning and lemmings that are usually still in LALALAND at that time of day were upright ... and vocal.

I’m perplexed.  I’m bewildered.  Their behaviour has me baffled.

What happened to my PEACEFUL morning ramble?

Even the hound was befuddled!

I’m used to the middle lemming joining me twice a week.  We have a good girly natter and catch up on what’s happening in each other’s week.  Now that she’s no longer living at home, moments like this are precious and enjoyable.

Not that this morning’s ramble wasn’t enjoyable, you understand ... it was ....  just not as PEACEFUL and CALM.

It’s another morning in PARADISE though and even the presence of additional lemmings doesn’t detract from that.  Sunrise, reflections, low tide .... it’s my kind of heaven on earth.  How can anyone doubt the presence of a greater being than us when witnessing the birth of a new day.  The menacing inkiness of the ocean is banished as the sun’s rays touch it’s surface.  The sky is lit by by a gold and orange fire .... my every day begins in such a MAGICAL way.

The only ripples on the seas’s surface are created by the wake of the ferries as they carry their early morning commuters back and forth to the city. They throb noisily across the gulf, the sound of their engines loud in the stillness of the day.  I often wonder if the pilots of the ferries heading back to Half Moon Bay and into the sun rise, even notice the magnificence of the morning sky?

Low tide means the heron will be in the bay ... and he was.

The early morning darkness makes it difficult to capture him clearly at the moment though.  He was having great success fishing in the mud flats and caught umpteen crabs and fish whilst I was watching.  I had VERY muddy shoes and feet as the tide crept out and I tried to get closer to him.

I’m not the most patient of people but patience is necessary when trying to photograph the herons.  They’re incredibly nervous ... understandably so ..... with the number of hounds that race into the waves after balls and logs et al.  Any heron seeing a hound bearing down on them is going to take flight and the herons in our bay are no exception.

The advantage of having one or more of the lemmings rambling with me is that they can keep the hound amused and away from the heron whilst I stalk it.

It’s not easy to stalk a heron when your feet keep getting stuck in the mud though
 .... and it’s certainly NOT quiet. 

 That there heron is clever.  He waits until I get a few feet away from him and my feet are well and truly stuck ..... and then he gaps it!  Up, up and away ..... to the other end of the beach!

There's only so much stalking a girl can do though before a hound gets a tad tired of it.  By this time the lemmings had all headed home and no-one was paying her any attention so she barked .... and the heron took flight ..... AGAIN.

I guess that's the heron's photo shoot over for the day.