Return Of The Whimbrel In Laguna Beach: Photo Of The Day

LAGUNA BEACH, CA — While tourist season is ending in Laguna Beach, whimbrel season is just getting started.

Laguna Beach resident photographer Susana Cruciana captured these photographs while she was visiting Crescent Bay.

"One of my favorite haunts growing up, Crescent Bay." Susana told Patch. "So happy to be joined by a whimbrel. I love Fall, when they start to return to our shores."

Whimbrels are a distinctive shorebird commonly identified by its downward curving bill. In Laguna Beach, whimbrels wander up and down water lines to retrieve items from the surface of the wet sand, as well as using their long beaks to probe under the shore's surface.

Whimbrels are often spotted in Laguna Beach during the cooler seasons before departing in the summertime to mate.

Thank you for sharing your photos with the Patch community, Susana!

If you have an awesome photo of nature, breath-taking scenery, kids caught being kids, a pet doing something funny, or something unusual you happen to catch with your camera, we'd love to feature it on Patch.

We're looking for high-resolution images that reflect the beauty and fun that is Southern California, and that show off your unique talents.

Email photo submissions to miranda.ceja@patch.com.