This beach, near the mouth of a small river in Tanzania, is formed of a mixture of mineral sands, silts and clays brought down from inland. The resulting muddy sand isn't a beach for bathers, its brackish waters often harbouring a swimmer's less welcome companions such as crocodiles and sharks, but this is a sure indication that it also hosts an abundance of life. The tree stump formed a fine fish-spotting perch for a pied kingfisher while nearby....
....one of the turtles which had come home from her oceanic wanderings to bury her precious eggs in the sands of the upper beach had stranded and died.
The sandy soil at the back of the beach contains enough nutrients for hardy trees like coconut palm and casuarina to thrive while the upper beach, formed of coarse coral sand, has been invaded by mangroves....
....whose shoots are spreading under the surface. Given the chance, these saplings will grow to form a dense and ecologically important barrier between land and sea.
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