Beautiful Beach Day at Silver Sands State Park in Milford, CT

Nothing in summer is better than a beach day. The cool breeze off the water cools your skin, while your other senses are pleasantly overwhelmed by the crashing surf, ocean smell and hot sand. For me, the beach is a place of relaxation and exploration. The beach is a natural transition zone between the marine ecosystem and the land ecosystem. So naturally, this area is filled with interesting plants, animals and environmental formations. 

Below are photos I took at Silver Sands State Park in Milford, Connecticut. From shells, to interesting rocks and a beautiful sunset, I was able to capture some cool aspects of what makes the beach awesome and interesting. 

The first photograph is a close up image of shells on the beach. 

Shells at Silver Sands State Park

The next photograph is of Charles Island. Its a very small island that is located just off the coast of Milford and is a part of the Silver Sands State Park. What makes this island unique is its tombolo (essentially a sandbar) that forms during low tide, connecting the beach to the island. You can even walk out there but you have to be careful not to get stuck when the tide begins to rise! Also, the island is off limits from May - October to protect endangered birds nesting grounds. 

Charles Island in Milford, CT and the tombolo connecting the island to Silver Sands State Park. 

The next image is of a cool feature I discovered at low tide. It must be something man made that hasn't been moved in a while. Now it' is part of the seascape, creating an artificial tidal pool at low tide. Its pretty neat! 

Man-made tidal pool at low tide in the afternoon sun. 

Here's a close up photograph of the little tidal pool. So cool! 

Tidal pool at Silver Sands State Park in Milford, Connecticut. 

Long Island Sound is one of those places in the world that has a huge difference in tide levels from low tide to high tide. This area of Silver Sands has a very shallow and flat area off shore that allows for a lot of sand to be uncovered during low tide. As the tide goes out, it forms these little ridges in the sand, which just happen to glisten in the afternoon sun too! 

Low Tide at Silver Sands State Park

A piece of concrete is exposed during low tide. It's past use is hard to determine but I'm sure it currently provides a lovely home for fish and hermit crabs! 

Concrete at the beach

Clams, oysters and muscles were once abundant in the waters off Milford, Connecticut. Over time however,  over fishing and pollution diminished their presence. They're not completely gone. Muscles are a lot more abundant and easier to find than oysters or clams. Below is a muscle shell on the beach. 

Muscle shell on the beach

Beautiful piece of red seaweed on the beach during low tide. 

Seaweed at Silver Sands State Park

Birds love the beach for its abundant sources of food. They also enjoy walking in the sand and leaving their footprints behind! 

Bird prints in the sand at Silver Sands State Park

Finally, what would a day at the beach be like without a beautiful sunset to end the day! 

Sunset at Silver Sands State Park 

Napatree Point on Memorial Day Weekend 2015

It's a few weeks past Memorial Day but I figured I would post these pictures now that the unofficial start to summer is in full swing and it's actually warming up! On Memorial Day weekend, I went to one of my favorite beaches in New England, Napatree Point in Watch Hill, Rhode Island. It's a 1.5 mile long spit of sand that juts out west from the historic district of Watch Hill. From Napatree, you can see Rhode Island, Connecticut and even Fisher's Island, New York! 

The beautiful stretch of sand is currently a nature preserve but it once was government land with a fort in the first decade of the 1900's. The remains of the fort still exist at the western point of the beach, slightly hidden by the growing brush and sand dunes. The fort, Fort Mansfield, was built in 1901 and then removed from the list of active posts in 1909. In the late 1920's the United States government sold the land to a private developer who built homes on the sandy stretch of beach. These homes would only last a decade as well. In 1938, the Great New England Hurricane devastated the area and Napatree Point, destroying all the homes built on the peninsula, leaving nothing but the foundation of Fort Mansfield.  There hasn't been any development on the stretch of land since and now it's a nature preserve where people can enjoy the beautiful beach and endangered birds, like the pipping plover, can nest! 

The beach is absolutely beautiful and pretty clean. Memorial Day was a little early this year and although the sun was out, the wind was off the still frigid waters, by the afternoon beach goers were wrapped up in their hoodies and beach blankets. 

 If you walk down far enough, you feel as if you are on a deserted island. It's the perfect location for a quite beach day! 

The above photo was taken from the top of one of the sand dunes, looking east towards Watch Hill. Notice the long stretch of beautiful beach! 

The colors of the white sand, green dune grass, blue water and blue sky make for a perfect paradise on Napatree Point! 

Another view of Napatree, looking east towards Watch Hill. 

An artsy photo of some branches on a sand dune, looking out over Block Island Sound. Branches, debris and grass will build up the sand dune, protecting the strip of land from eroding into the surf! 

Could you ask for a more perfect beach spot?