In the shallow surf at Virginia Beach, a Semipalmated Plover plunged its bill into the water and came up with a wriggling sand flea. The bird tipped back its head, ready to swallow, when the flea squeaked, “Spare me, noble plover! I can lead you to treasure buried right here in the sand.” The plover paused and dropped the flea. “Treasure?” it asked, sharp and curious. “What kind of treasure could a flea possibly know about?” The flea wriggled and chirped, “I spend my life digging in this beach, hiding from waves and claws. In all that burrowing I’ve uncovered wonders — shells polished smooth by the sea, bits of bright glass worn soft and sparkling, and golden grains of sand that glitter like coins from the sun.” The plover’s dark eye narrowed behind its white forehead blaze, the orange at the base of its bill glowing dangerously in the morning light. “And you can lead me to this treasure?” “Yes, yes!” said the flea eagerly. “Follow me to the water’s edge and you’ll see. But hurry — the tide will swallow it if we wait too long.” So the plover followed the flea on slim orange legs as it scuttled toward the edge of the surf. But of course, the flea had no treasure. It only meant to slip beneath the wet sand when the next wave rolled in. When the water rushed forward, the flea flipped onto its back, backstroking in the shallows as it jeered, “Too slow, longlegs! Who needs treasure when I’ve fooled you instead!” Just then, a silver flash broke through the foam. A hungry Mummichog, nosing along the wash, darted forward and swallowed the sand flea in a single gulp. The plover blinked, feathers ruffling in the salt breeze. “Well,” it muttered, “I never knew sand fleas could talk.” And with that, it stepped lightly back across the beach, resuming its hunting as if nothing unusual had happened at all.

Semipalmated Plover on the shore at Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Virginia Beach, Virginia, August 2025.

#birds 🪶 #birding #shorebirds #birdphotography #wildlifephotography #naturephotography #semipalmatedplover #BirdsSeenIn2025

This photo shows a vibrant mountain valley with lush green ridges and a winding road snaking through the forest below. In the foreground, wild flowers bloom in soft pink colors amid tall grasses and purple lupine spikes, under a brilliant blue sky dotted with fluffy white clouds.

Rocky Mountains 🤎 ☮️

#Photography #Landscape
#EastCoastKin #Flowers #BlueSkyMonday #Scape
#MountainMonday

Gordon the Goldcrest #birds #ukbirds #nature #wildlife #BirdOfTheDay

Subadult Heermann's Gull in winter plumage perched on a rock - a large gull with a red beak, grey mottling on its head and a dark grey back.

The distinctive Heermann's Gull, seen on our pelagic trip off Vancouver Island #Birds #BirdsSeenIn2025 #Gulls

Close up view of two pink unidentified azalea flowers on the plant, with leaves and other plants blurred in the background.

Azaleas for Monday

#ColorADay #PinkMon #photography #flowers #bloomscrolling #MacroMonday #macrophotography

#borzoi

Hawthorn berries

Have a good start to the week

#photography
#nature

Malgré la censure de la réintroduction de l'acétamipride en France, des productions traitées par ce pesticide continuent à être importées comme la noisette.

📣 Interpellez Ferrero France pour exiger une utilisation exclusive de noisettes sans acétamipride : boycott-nutella.agirpourlenvironnement.org

Amazon : Protégez les requins ! Les requins dominent les océans depuis plus de 400 millions d'années, mais maintenant un commerce en ligne cruel les mène tout droit vers l'extinction – leurs mâchoires sont sculptées et vendues comme

Amazon : Protégez les requins !
action.eko.org/a/amazon-pro...

#pétition Aidons la population du Cambodge à sauver la forêt de Prey Lang Prey Lang est la plus grande et la plus importante forêt tropicale du Cambodge. Le gouvernement, qui l’a placée sous protection en 2016 en raison de sa biodiversité, continue pourtant d’y octroyer des...

#Pétition Aidons la population du Cambodge à sauver la forêt de Prey Lang
sauvonslaforet.org/petitions/13...

#alphabetchallenge #WeekZforZoology
Mama and baby sea lion in the #Galapagos
Zoology lesson #1: sea lions have visible ears, seals don't have any external ear flaps
#2: they say these animals don't have emotions, but I don't believe it
#travelphotography #EastCoastKin #love

Small gray rabbit chewing, looks like yelling.

“It’s too hot!”

Juvenile Robin on my patch today
#birds #birdingscotland

There are now a number of Greenfinch fledglings in The Garden Jungle, they are still being fed periodically by the parents but also learning to make there way on their own, lovely to watch #birds #thegardenjungle #wildlifephotography #naturephotography #shropshire #UKwildlife #birdphotography #canon

🔎 Nous relayons les propositions de l'association Sabine @sabinerouenvelo.bsky.social, pour un véritable REV (Réseau Express Vélo) route de Lyons, en tout cas mieux que sur la photo ! 😉
👉 La piste route de Lyons fait partie de l'itinéraire 9 du REV, reliant Rouen centre à l'Est de la Métropole..

Richardson's Geranium (Geranium richardsonii): a single, white bloom on a very tall stem high above several of its green leaves; the flower consists of five rounded petals (white with purple veining) and five purple stamens in the center. This wild Geranium is native to Western North America and ranges from Alaska to New Mexico.

A wild geranium that has always dreamt of being an orchid.
#wildflowers #nativeplants #nature #photography 📷

Agriculture : la loi Duplomb menace l’environnement et notre alimentation future Une centaine d’organisations nationales et locales de la société civile appellent à une mobilisation le 29 juin pour dire non à la proposition de loi Duplomb qui annihile toutes avancées environnement...

🚨 Lundi : débat à huis clos sur la #LoiDuplomb
Cette loi sacrifie l'environnement et l'agriculture durable pour une minorité :
❌ Retour des pesticides
❌ Contrôles affaiblis
❌ Élevage intensif encouragé
Avec +100 organisations, nous alertons dans @liberation.fr
www.liberation.fr/idees-et-deb...

La mairie de Perpignan, fief du RN Louis Aliot, perquisitionnée pour des marchés publics présumés irréguliers À l’origine des perquisitions réalisées ce mardi 24 juin, une enquête ouverte suite au signalement effectué par un élu d’opposition, qui dén

Un vrai parti du bloc bourgeois…
l.leparisien.fr/r71D

Les jets privés et les vols de luxe doivent payer pour la justice climatique. Alors que beaucoup d'entre nous se soucient de notre empreinte carbone, les milliardaires parcourent le monde dans des jets privés. Et ce n'est pas tout, ils le font sans payer d'impôts : le carburant

Les jets privés et les vols de luxe doivent payer pour la justice climatique. action.eko.org/a/faites-pay...

Le Madleen

Les trois conteneurs marrons sont ceux qui contiennent les cargaisons militaires à destination d'Israel

Action en justice contre le salon du bourget

🌊Soutien et solidarité avec le Madleen, la flottille en mission humanitaire qui se dirige vers Gaza, blocage des transports d'armes de la France vers Israël et action en justice contre les organisateurs du salon du bourget !
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Head and shoulders portrait of a bird in three-quarter profile. It has a ver pointy, tall blue crest and a bright black eye. The background is soft grey and beige bokeh.

It has been far too long since I've seen a blue jay (complaint has been lodged with the relevant authorities) #birds 🌿

JUST A REMINDER ...

... of how close we are today ...

Me to myself: This is annoying. This conversation is annoying, this person is annoying. I hope I’m hiding it well.

My face:

The Siberian Bone Hunters Diving for Ice Age Mammoth Fossils A search for the fossils of long-extinct creatures, hidden in Russia’s frigid waters.

As Arctic permafrost melts, divers are plunging to frigid depths to search for bones that have been hidden for centuries.

My dad captured this beauty during last night’s sunset. Enjoy!

A Northern Saw whet owl with brown and white speckled feathers perches on a narrow branch attached to a tree trunk. Its piercing yellow eyes gaze forward, surrounded by a snowy, blurred forest background.

Northern Saw-whet Owls are small in size and humongous is cuteness.

📸 sandra_bourgeois
#Littleowl

Coucou, Ciel Bleu. Il paraît que tout le monde est gentil ici. Voyons si ça peut être apaisant.

a brown dog with long eyelashes

The eyelashes on this dog