Valentine’s Day is coming.  And our minds turn to all those romantic images of love: hearts, roses, cupid, maybe a dove or two.  But I don’t see doves very often.  And when I do, they are usually mixed within the huge flock of pigeons that are scrabbling for birdseed under someone’s feeder.  Not very romantic.

When I think of romance, I think of the hard work that comes with a relationship.  And these two have it. Foraging in frigid waters for a mussel or a limpet.  Scrambling over rocks to stick together.  Braving the waves to teach their youngster how to survive.  That’s the real thing.

The Cornell Lab of Ornithology describes these birds as “A large, conspicuous, and noisy bird of the Pacific Coast, the Black Oystercatcher can be found along rocky shores …”

I think the same has been said about me.