Sanibel Beach Day

Our good friend Mo from the Arctic Tundra (Denver) is here visiting for a week so we have been showing him the sun and sights of our little piece of paradise here in Fort Myers. On Thursday we headed over the $6 causeway to visit Sanibel, Ding Darling and the beautiful sandy beaches.

The most interesting thing we saw at Ding Darling was a Snowy Egret feeding frenzy. There were dozens of pairs of bright yellow feet flashing in the morning sunlight and jumping into the shallow water looking for small fish. An occasional Ibis and two or three Great Egrets joined them. Other than that, we didn't see anything special - a couple of Roseate Spoonbills way off in the distance - but not even one White Pelican. The earlier cold snap and hard freeze has had an effect on the Florida wildlife.

The beaches of Sanibel are wonderful. We set up our chairs, sat in the sun, waded in the surf and took a long walk up the shell-laden beach. This Willet watched as we walked in the bright sun.

Even this Snowy Egret was enjoying the day.

An industrious Ruddy Turnstone was busy turning over shells looking for any tasty morsels left behind.

Bill worked for quite some time trying to get a good picture of this beautiful Roseate Turn as he flew back and forth over the water looking for small fish.

When he spotted what looked like lunch, he dove into the water.

I wish we had a better picture showing his long forked tail and streaming feathers that were almost as long as his body. Roseate Terns are endangered in Canada and most of their range in the Northeast - but not here in Florida.

This shot leaves little question as to how the Ringed-bill Gull got his name.

One would think it is easy to identify a gull when he poses so nicely - but I find it very difficult because of the different seasonal plumages. I've decided this is a Laughing Gull with his winter coat. In the summer, his head will be all black.

The White Ibis are just starting to show their breeding colors. His bill and legs will get bright red over the next couple of months.

I had to check in all of my books to tentatively identify this bird as a Black-bellied Plover, again with his dull winter plumage.

Usually birds of a feather flock together but this Sandal-toed Plover was all by herself - soaking up the warm sun and enjoying the day. We did too.

Mike and Mel

Bill and I are having a great visit with our friends Mike and Mel. They arrived Friday and stayed with us until Monday when their condo in Naples was ready. They are just 17 miles south of here so we will see them a lot over the next couple of weeks.

This is Mike and Mel on the beach at Sanibel. We crossed the $6 causeway and toured Sanibel and Captiva, stopping for drinks and appetizers along the way. Mike likes lighthouses and fishing piers so we stopped at Lighthouse Beach to walk and take pictures.

This Royal Tern was sitting on the pier.

There were loads of Brown Pelicans diving for fish. I think they were having better luck than the fishermen. This guy had just caught dinner.

Over the side of the pier we watched the Snowy Egrets run and play. This bucket had bait in it and one Snowy decided it was his and did not want to share. He chased off anyone who came close.

Click on this picture for the larger version and you will see a dolphin following the "Sanibel Thriller." I think the passengers were feeding the dolphin and it followed the boat for sometime.

Today we went to Bunche Beach to walk. It's a strange beach with mudflats to the right and left of the short sandy area. This large group of Black Skimmers and Royal Terns were enjoying the calm waters. We found oyster shells of every size and shape and saw lots of live Crown Conch crawling around the flats.

These Red Knots and Sanderlings were sitting on some driftwood that was covered with barnacles. I love the browns and blues in this picture and will have to make a print with the new photo printer Bill gave me for Christmas.

A New Year in Paradise

Bill and I headed over to Sanibel and the Ding Darling Nature Preserve this afternoon while the "kids" prepared dinner for us.

We were surprised to see Wood Storks as we read that they had returned to Corkscrew Swamp to nest. They need to find a place with enough fish to support a growing family. Bill read that each offspring requires 400 pounds of fish before they go out on their own.

There were Roseate Spoonbills - but not in the numbers we had seen on earlier visits.

The White Pelicans were still there.

The estuaries are really quite beautiful. This is what I call "Pelican Island."

Another Ahinga (or Piano Bird) airing his wings. These birds are also called
"snake birds" because when they are in the water with just their heads poking out they look like snakes.

I thought these fish were interesting. They were digging a hole in the sandy bottom of the canal - I assume to lay their eggs.

I took this picture of a turtle - but I think the reflection looks pretty cool.

I tried to take a picture of a spider web and spider - but got my own reflection.
This family found a baby horseshoe crab and the parents were giving the kids a mini-lesson in nature - encouraging them to find other things.

Bill sauntering back to the car.