“The edge of the sea takes many forms. Sand beaches have long, rolling waves, sandpipers, fiddler crabs and clams. Older beaches are almost bereft of life.
“My favourite coastline is the low, rocky shore. The solid outcrop provides a sturdy home and foothold for the richest of marine environments. The changing tides alternately cover and expose the inhabitants of this zone. There is abundant oxygen and light, but the pounding surf brings special problems for the plants and animals which cling to the rocks.
“When the tide is in, the fish move into this zone for a feast. When the tide is out, birds flock to the same territory to feed. But the conditions are so ideal for life that it is a constantly renewed banquet. These glaucous-winged gulls are standing amid bladderwrack seaweed, barnacles, limpets and other mollusks. Although these are foods for other creatures, they are not part of the gulls' diet. The gulls are waiting for stranded fish, crabs or shrimp to appear in this ever-changing cafeteria of the sea.”