Out on the Tidal Flats

 The coastline of Gros Morne is varied. To explore the inter-tidal zone here means heading out to different places where land meets water. Today, I spent an afternoon on the tidal flats in Glenburnie, NL. Even though this shoreline is very close to Woody Point, where I am living during the residency, it is like a different world entirely.

After parking the car, I took a short walk through the woods and then the salt marsh opened up before me. A salt marsh is an expanse of tall grasses and other plants that have adapted to survive regular flooding and draining of saltwater. It is a place that is full of life. Shorebirds and other animals thrive here. You can read about salt marshes here.

Beyond the salt marsh were the tidal flats. Opengeology.org  describes tidal flats as: "Wide and flat areas of land covered by ocean water during high tide, but exposed to air by low tide." I put my rubber boots to the test and walked in and out of the water that rippled between areas of stone and mud.

Greater Yellowlegs

Click here to watch a video I took of the entire 360 degree panorama. You might want to turn the sound off. The wind was pretty gusty.

And to finish off this post (more to come about tidal flats), here are some underwater photos I took today in the shallows.