This last week has been unusual; I’ve been up at 5:30 to 6:00 am on multiple days. Of course that alone is rather mundane, however, I’ve also gone to the beach each one of those mornings. The sea and the [empty] beach are extremely tranquil and relaxing at this time of day. The fresh sea breeze is almost like the jolt from a cup of coffee. Almost.
One of the really interesting things I’ve seen, are these little crabs that burrow in the sand (from a little research, perhaps ghost crabs? A fitting name, I concur.) They’re very small: at most 4 inches across with the legs. They have little holes dug in the sand (literally everywhere) and if you are lucky you can watch them scoop out a ball of sand before they hide in terror. I’ve really wanted to get a picture of one but it has proven tricky. This is mainly because:
(1) Their bodies are a sandy gray color and their legs are a sandy sand color. Um, yeah, you can’t hardly see them.
(2) They are extremely skittish. It’s hard to get within 5 feet of one, and if you do and you move, “swoosh”; back into the sand they go.
(3) I’ve only been able to spot them from around 6:15 am to 7:30 am. I’m not sure if they hide in the sand all day or I just don’t know where to look at that time.
Today, with 30 minutes of patience (and lots of empty photos) I was able to capture a decent picture AND a little movie. Enjoy!
The video was shot from about 12 feet away, so the guy is hard to see. However, towards the end of the video, you’ll see him flee back into his hidey-hole. Poof, like magic!
EDIT: Apparently youtube is still “processing” this video…if it doesn’t work when you try, check back later!
