Walking the marsh loop at low tide
The marsh loop is only about three miles, but it's a different walk every time depending on the tide. At high water the path along the old dike feels like a causeway; at low tide the whole basin opens up into mud flats, channels and the smell of salt.
I started just after seven. The light was flat and grey, which made the egrets look almost luminous against the reeds. Halfway around, a great blue heron lifted off from a channel about twenty feet away, unhurried, and settled again a little further along, as if mildly annoyed.
The second heron I only noticed because it moved. They have a remarkable ability to stand still until you are nearly past them.
The far end of the loop was muddier than I expected after last week's rain. Note to self: the boots are waterproof, the socks are not a substitute for gaiters.
Back at the car by half past eight, coffee still warm in the flask. A good morning.