Posted by David McRee at BlogTheBeach.com
My alarm clock went off at 4:05 this morning. I was to meet Paddy Cunningham-Pascatore and the rest of our group for a pre-sunrise Space Coast Birding Festival field trip in the bird-rich Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge (MINWR).
It was pitch black when I arrived in the parking lot of [...]

Posted by David McRee at BlogTheBeach.com
Not all activities at the Space Coast Birding & Wildlife Festival are outdoors. Much of the festival takes place in the Exhibition Center in the Gymnatorium at Brevard Community College. Vendors who serve the birding community showcase what they have to offer.
Thursday afternoon I had a couple hours of free [...]

Posted by David McRee at BlogTheBeach.com
I first met the friendly scrub jays when I went on a camping trip to Oscar Scherer State Park in Sarasota as a kid. These beautiful jays have no fear of humans. Since they are so habitat-specific, few people get to see them. I became reaquainted with this species this [...]

Posted by David McRee at BlogTheBeach.com
Wednesday after lunch I had a class on Warblers (very small birds) at the Merritt Island Wildlif Refuge Visitor’s Center. After the class I took a quick trip out to Playalinda Beach, which was only 6 miles away. It was a quiet afternoon–I was the only person parked at the [...]

Posted by David McRee at BlogTheBeach.com
After our class on gull I.D. at the Space Coast Birding & Wildlife Festival we headed over to the Brevard County Landfill and rode a bus to the top of “Mount Brevard,” as it was called by Erin from Brevard’s Solid Waste facility who escorted us to the top of [...]

Posted by David McRee at BlogTheBeach.com
I started my Wednesday morning with about 20 gull enthusiasts in a class presented by gull expert Alvaro Jaramillo.  He started out with the gulls most of us are familiar with–Herring, Laughing, and Ring-billed–and showed us what to look for when trying to identify a gull.
Gulls species can be a [...]

As of today, the 10-day forecast on weather.com for Titusville, Florida looks great. This is a relief after several weeks of sub-Florida temperatures that had most of us huddled indoors in disbelief.
If you are driving to the Festival on Tuesday, you should encounter mostly sunny conditions in the upper 60’s in Florida. By Friday, daytime [...]

Posted by David McRee at BlogTheBeach.com
This Wednesday is the opening day of the 13th Annual Space Coast Birding & Wildlife Festival in Titusville, Florida.  The opening reception, sponsored by Swarovski Optik, is located in the Brevard Community College Gymnatorium from 4 to 6 p.m. Wednesday. You’ll find a room full of birders as well as [...]

Posted by David McRee at BlogTheBeach.com

You’ve toured the lovely island of Ireland.  You’ve driven through rolling green countryside, visited some relatives, perhaps, and popped into Gus O’Connor’s for a pint of Guinness.  Somewhere in there, you’ll have to make your pilgrimage Dublin – it’s expected, of course – and when you do, you’ll likely head over to the nearby town of Dun Laoghaire.

They don’t call Dun Laoghaire “Dublin’s Riviera” for nothing!  This town and harbor just 11 clicks from Dublin has some amazing history – not to mention a very pretty view.  It is also home to a rocky outcropping  towards Dalkey Island that makes a fine sort of beach.

Each Sunday, rain or shine, you’ll see many walk down past the marina to take their morning swim.  Togs must be worn – the signs are plastered as far as the eye can see.  And from rumor, it seems that the town means to enforce the rule (though you’ll see every bare bit of a man as he changes into those togs in the dressing room just above the rocks).

The water isn’t that warm – even, it would seem, in summer.  And the sun rarely pokes out from behind the clouds.  But still, each Sunday, the faithful come.  Some swim a few laps, some swim all the way to Dalkey – and some just sit outside and enjoy the sound of the water lapping on the rocks.  It’s a fine a way to spend a Sunday as any.

The rocks can be a bit jagged so water shoes are probably a good bet.  The current can be swift as well.  But there’s something about Dun Laoghaire that will keep calling you back.  Even if you have to buckle down and wear a pair of togs while you’re there.

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Photo courtesy of Kayt Sukel.

Northern Ireland.  When you think of the place, you likely think of rolling green hills, the quaintness of Belfast or maybe well-tended, homey farmsteads.  Warm, sandy beaches?  Er, not so much.

But Northern Ireland is an island.  And as such, is actually home to some lovely beaches.  In fact, due to its unique topography and flora, the island boasts some of the most beautiful coastline you may see in all of Europe.  The thick green that this island is known for opening up to white sand is a sure beauty to behold.  Add in stunning natural formations, pebbles and the odd gorse bush or two and you’ll find more than a few postcard-worthy landscapes.

But beyond the pretty,  you can feel good about the safety and environmental friendliness of these strands.  In the past few years, the island has been hard at work cleaning up its beaches to make them not only beautiful but safe.  And in particular, Northern Ireland’s Blue Flag beaches are well worth a visit for a swim, some sunbathing or just a walk down a pretty stretch of coast.

The international Blue Flag system rates beaches on everything from cleanliness to bathrooms to accessibility.  In 2009, six of Northern Ireland’s beaches made the cut across 29 categories for Blue Flag status including Murlough Beach in County Down, Benone Beach in County Londonderry, Portrush White Rocks in County Antrim, Portstewart Strand in County Antrim, Tyrella Beach in County Down and Cranfield West in County Down.

The unique Irish countryside that opens to the beach isn’t a Blue Flag category – though some might argue it should be.  That’s just an extra for beach-goers to enjoy.

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Photo courtesy of L_J.

Sunbathing on the shores of Lake Zurich, Switzerland

Switzerland s a landlocked country. Whats more, Switzerland is a cold country; even in the middle of summer temperatures can be downright chilly. But the Swiss, stoic to a fault, don’t let the lack of a coastline or the brisk winds sweeping down from the snow-clad summer Alps hinder their summer beach outings. Instead of the ocean they head for the lakes, and one of the more popular places to spend a day at the beach is Lake Zurich.

This 24-mile long lake, which was gouged out by a glacier during the last Ice Age, sits in a densely populated region, surrounded by a beautiful pre-Alpine setting. Although almost a million inhabitants live around the shores of Lake Zurich, a third of the its shoreline is still freely accessible, and residents flock city beach resorts to swim and sunbathe, making the most of the country’s short summer season.

Giant Ferris wheel towers over city beach resort in Zurich

Strandbad Mythenquai resort, located in Zurich proper, offers a long stretch of sandy beach complete with diving platform, children’s playground, barbecue facilities, boutique, massage, aerobics, volleyball, and a good waterfront restaurant, all framed by the spectacular Alps. Close by, Seebad Enge is another popular lakeside resort that features floating rafts, designated women-only areas, massage, Yoga classes and saunas. There’s even a giant Ferris wheel at the resort, which at one time was the tallest in the world. Singapore claimed the title for highest Ferrris wheel in 2008, but Zurich’s wheel still provides stunning views across the lake.

Sunbathers stretch out on expansive lawns surrounding the lake shore

Tourist brochures insist that the lake water climbs to 68 degrees in the midst of summer, and that folks actually swim in it, but on the day I strolled along its shores few had ventured into the water. I am, however, willing to give them the benefit of the doubt – it was rather gray and drizzly that day. And even in these less-than-perfect conditions, scores of people were sprawled on lawns and splayed on docks jutting into the lake, as if daring the sun to peek through the cloud cover.

Photo Credits: Barbara Weibel

Article by Barbara Weibel of Hole In The Donut Travels

Posted by David McRee at BlogTheBeach.com
Are you a birder? Did you realize that the act of watching birds can help protect them?
In a study of birding economics, Paul Kerlinger of the Cape May Bird Observatory noted that in the mid 1980’s birders added an estimated $20 billion to the economy annually. In a Tampa Tribune [...]

Fun and fresh bikini styles emerge in the 1960s. Courtesy of Slate.

Slate’s A brief history of the bikini is a terrific synopsis of the evolution of the bikini. Who knew the two-piece swimsuit had its origins in fourth century Rome? Slide 8 is my favorite; I love the fresh style of these bikinis especially the one second to last on the right, as the tops are cut in a flattering way and appear to be supportive. My inner history buff found the belly button taboo in the 1940s to be is particularly interesting. It happened to be the same decade  the bikini made its first appearance on the cover of a magazine – which happened to be Life Magazine – and paved the way for Sports Illustrated’s Swimsuit edition.

Posted by David McRee at BlogTheBeach.com
In the middle of a cold, gray winter it’s nice to remember that summer is not that far away. Here are a few photos from my trip to the Dry Tortugas near the Florida Keys last spring. The air was hot, but the water was still cool enough to be [...]

Posted by David McRee at BlogTheBeach.com
Are you going to the 13th Annual Space Coast Birding & Wildlife Festival in Titusville the end of this month? If you are, be sure to look for me and say hello! I’ll be attending the whole week and will be blogging and tweeting about my experiences at all the [...]

It’s a time-honored tradition. After sunset, Californians gather at the beach and build a bonfire in one of the concrete fire pits that dot the beaches all up and down the coast. Whether the focus of a beach party, a night of star-gazing, or an impromptu hot dog and marshmallow roast, the pits are a cultural phenomenon in California.

Now that tradition is in danger of disappearing forever. Last week, the ranks of State-maintained fire pits were reduced when the following seven were removed due to budget shortfalls

• Bolsa Chica State Beach, Huntington Beach
• Crystal Cove State Park, Newport Beach
• Doheny State Beach, Dana Point
• Huntington State Beach, Huntington Beach
• San Onofre State Beach, near San Clemente
• Silver Strand State Beach, on San Diego’s Coronado Island
• South Carlsbad State Beach, Carlsbad

California cities are following suit. San Diego recently ordered the removal of 186 concrete fire pits from its beaches and shoreline parks, including those located in Mission bay and on the beaches of La Jolla, Mission Beach, Pacific Beach, and Ocean Beach.

Those in favor of the money saving measures insist the removal of fire pits is a good idea, since they are regularly used to burn trash that ends up littering the beach, and bonfire parties can often get out of control. Opponents say the move will forever alter the essence of the city. City and State officials, who seem generally pleased to be rid of the onerous task of maintaining the pits, point out that people are still welcome to build fires in their personal barbeque grills.

Video Credit: TVman1981

Article by Barbara Weibel at Hole In The Donut Travels

On my last trip to the Rivera Maya in Mexico I was very fortunate to fall into a group of local scuba divers and explorers who introduced me to some pretty phenomenal diving that you won’t find in any guide books. Luis Leal of Acquacaves Dive Center invited me on a dive with bull sharks off the coast of Playa Del Carmen. “Bull sharks”? I thought to myself in a confusing combination of excitement and concern. “How many are there?” I proceeded to ask. “About 12″, Luis responded. He continued to tell me more about them in that this particular group of female bull sharks has been visiting a particular location just 100 meters off the coast of the northern side of Playa Del Carmen for the past three years. They spend several months here breeding. Multiple groups of divers visit them daily without any history of incident (that I’m aware of!).

Bull Sharks, Playa Del Carmen, Mexico

So out we went, a group of eight divers in a tiny fishing boat. Being surrounded by divemasters and instructors I felt I was in the most secure situation one could possibly be in at a time like this. When we reached the site, I was shocked at how close 100 meters was from the beach, which was full of swimmers and sunbathers, all completely unaware that a dozen bull sharks were in the area. Down we went and bottomed out at about 85 feet. We over-weighted so that we could securely plant ourselves on the ocean floor kneeling and simply observed. They acknowledged our presence and began circling us. We stayed down for over forty minutes before slowly ascending to the surface. We saw sharks for every minute of this dive and the remora even followed us to our safety stop at fifteen feet.

Bull Sharks, Playa Del Carmen, Mexico

You can expect to see the bull sharks in the colder months from November until February. I also captured a short video of the dive.

Photo credit: Marisa Marchitelli

Posted by David McRee at http://www.blogthebeach.com
If you’re not familiar with the photography of Robert J. Amoruso you’re in for a real treat. Take a few minutes and visit his website at WildScapeImages.com and you’ll be glad you did. His photographs of nature, landscapes and birds are breathtaking. Looking at his photos of birds is almost [...]

Betty’s Bay is for the birds—penguins that is. You won’t find sunbathers along this curve of beach at Stony Point on the South African coast near Cape Town. Instead, you’ll see thousands of Jackass Penguins (also called African Penguins) swimming among the rocks and relics of the old whaling site.

Stroll along the wooden boardwalk that stretches on one side of the cove to see the web-footed birds huddled in groups on the sand. Undisturbed by the arrival of human visitors, they’ll come close, cocking their heads in curiosity, observing you as you observe them. After snapping their photo, you’ll swear that the friendly appearing birds were posing just for you.

Watch the penguins as they waddle out to sea, becoming sleek swimmers once in the water. After hearing the braying calls, you’ll understand why they’re called Jackass Penguins.

You’ll find Betty’s Bay on the Clarence Drive Route, a scenic coastal drive between Hermanus and Cape Town. The boardwalk provides easy walking for children, who will delight at the penguin’s funny antics. The area is also known as prime land-based whale watching territory.

Review by Donna L. Hull, My Itchy Travel Feet
Photo courtesy Donna L. Hull