Pausing (tern)

Most of the weekend was spent within view of the ocean, on various benches along the boardwalk. That's a pretty nice way to watch the world go by, I think.

Anyway... I noticed that some of the Laughing Gulls seem to be pulling back their summertime black hoods in favor of a more undistinguished (or is it indistinguishable?) look. The terns still look the same, though I could imagine this one suddenly remembering an appointment someplace to the south.

There were small flocks of peeps feeding back of the jetty and flying, fragile bits of silver and pale russet, among the beachgoers. Telling one from another is impossible, because even among the normally *easy peeps* like sanderling and semi-palms, no two in a dozen look the same at this time of year. They're all a scraggly mix of winter gray and spring red. Shorebirds just escape my abilities!