As the tide recedes, there is an opportunity to see more of the plant diversity of the living waters.

One of the colourful seaweeds that occasionally is found on the shore is the Coralline Algae. It's a reddish algae with an impressive, delicate design if one takes a little time to look at it closely.

Sometimes crabs get stranded on parts of the beach where they are unable to bury themselves. With all these elements along the shores it is a wonderful place for the birds to congregate and search for food.

Seagulls dive into shallow waters and bring ashore enormous shells which they drop onto the rocky shore to open them. Some often drop the shells from aloft for greater impact.

	They say you have to have a lot of patience if you go fishing, well, herons have plenty of that.   They stand in a few inches of water and wait for something tasty to pass by within reach.

Other birds swim the waters and walk the shores. Mergansers, left, Oystercatchers, centre, and Scaup, right, are but a few and watching them go about their business is always pleasurable.

	Oystercatchers patrol the water's edge seeking out any small crustaceans that may be visible at low tide.

	And keeping a watchful eye over it all in the trees are the birds of prey the Bald Eagle. Sometimes a scavenger, it is also is quite capable of picking off one of the ducks if they drop their guard at all.