Ding Darling, Sanibel

Starting at the end of the day, we went to the Lighthouse area of Sanibel, hoping to find some shells reputed to be there.  Well, things were different: no shells, more people on the beach than we've seen before.  More people in the water also, strange since we've seen bull sharks along the coast... 

Don't forget you can click on any picture to see them all larger.

Ding Darling preserve on Sanibel is a great place to see shore birds. Every Wednesday, around 9 am, a group of volunteers starts out on the road around the different coastal shore tidal lakes. These volunteers include a few new friends who are serious birders and know more about birding than I can ever remember; but it's fun learning from them.

Ding Darling is a large preserve where there is a road that circles the tidal lakes, so viewing the birds means driving slowly around the area with stops where the birds are. It's a very pleasant experience, especially when you know the docents who are most knowledgeable and very friendly.

This first shot is of a Cormorant getting ready to dry his wings.

Here's another Cormorant drying his wings with a White Pelican watching. The White Pelican is the largest bird in the area: I think it has a 9 foot wingspan...

Remember when you see a flock of birds flying together as if they had a co-ordinated mind?  Here we have such a scene.

And another.  In this next scene, they seem to be performing for a judging team, in this case, four White Pelicans and a Cormorant, or maybe it's an Anhinga.  Whatever, these are the same birds performing, twisting and turning for the pleasures of onlookers.  Actually, they were likely distressed and exiting stage right.

Every now and again, the photo opportunity is not of birds, but something else in the area. The next two pictures are of sand crabs.  The next one shows the single big left claw being waved about for some reason or other: likely for reproduction...

This next picture is of a seriously handicapped crab: he [or she] doesn't have a large right claw. Pity.

All in all, we've had quite a few very pleasant adventures on Sanibel, and we've barely scratched the surface.  If you're ever out this way, make a point of learning all you can about Sanibel, and try to experience its very best.