I opened up my email to find these photos of natural beauties posing on the beach in Belmar,  New Jersey, a place I used to love to visit in the summer. In fact, on some lucky Sundays as a youngster, I would wander into the bathroom where my father was shaving and he would say in his deep voice way above my head, “We’re going to Belmar, today.”  This would unleash pandemonium in our small apartment. My feet would start jumping and I would leap into the air like a Mexican jumping bean and jump, not walk, to tell my sister, Kim, who once notified of the news, would also start jumping all around the apartment in anticipation of going to Belmar.  In fact, we never stopped jumping. We even jumped in and out of the waves and sand all day.

Leaving my reverie and getting back to the present; the photos are from my friends at Clean Ocean Action, a group that protects New Jersey’s beaches.  A lucky person had both a good camera and a good eye that produced these photos.

I looked up Least terns on the New Jersey Fish and Wildlife site and found that they are an endangered species. And I learned this: “Least terns produce several calls, more musical and high pitched than other terns,and described variously as kip, kip, kip or kit-kit-kit, and kid-ick, kid-ick, and also a rasping zr-e-e-e-p. Calls are often given in such rapid succession that two or three birds can sound like a large flock.”

Well, not only are they beautiful, they can sing. A talent I do not possess.Their parenting skills look quite good too. I never attempted to be a mother, but I am an adventerous aunt. My nieces and nephews are still alive after having gone on vacation with me numerous times.

I also admire their bright yellow beaks and jet black heads…. as they snuggle into the sand.Good luck little buddy. You can count on me to do everything in my power to protect and preserve your home and you. After all, I still jump for joy over the natural beauty of all living beings. How about all you natural beauties, will you do the same?