Morning Run. Pure Sunrise Magic.

Good morning! You up already? I’d like to invite you on a sunrise walk this Saturday morning. We’ll follow one of my regular routes, if that’s ok.  And jog or run a little too.

We’ll take the walkway from the garden to the beach. Right away we’ll see the magic of sunrise: the usually white sand now has a pretty pinkish hue.

on the beach at sunrise

And the ocean is bright blue. We jog north towards the nature reserve. The sand is packed tight by overnight rains. It’s easy on the foot, we start running. Over a long stretch of sand leading to the park, we turn around and take a funny selfie. Nobody is tiny this early in the morning.

Tiny sunrise walk

The sun is rising over the tall trees (featured image), and we jog into the park at the west end of the salt marsh.

nature reserve at sunset_tonemapped

This little path, a shortcut, is flanked by cheerful wild flowers and takes us right to the water.

nature reserve morning_tonemapped

It’s completely still. And the morning air is fresh.

sunrise salt marsh_tonemapped

The first rays reach above the tall trees and paint the grass and the water in beautiful hues. Most birds are still sleeping.

blue heron at sunrise2_tonemapped

But we find that the Great Blue Heron is an early riser. He prefers to hide in the high grass and doesn’t want to pose for pictures. So we continue our walk. We’ll actually run for a little while.

roseate spoonbill 2 at sunrise_tonemapped

And stop in our tracks when we see the only other early bird in the marsh.  A Roseate Spoonbill. She looks like she’s just waking up. Maybe trying to decide what she wants for breakfast.

SUNRISE AT NATURE RESERVE 2

We then continue to the east end of the marsh, now half lit up by the rising sun. Beautiful, right?  We stop for a little while to enjoy the painting. We take a few deep breaths. And a sip of water. But we must continue if we want to get breakfast at some point. And coffee. So we decide to take the fastest route back home, the street.

birds at sunrise all varieties 3

We now jog south on the bay-side. On a street light next to the Sailing Center, we find a dozen smaller birds of several varieties worshipping the rising sun. And enjoying the quiet of the morning. It’s going to be a busy day on the beach and on the bay too.

We’ll be home in another ten minutes. Thanks for keeping me company this morning. Take care now and have a great weekend.