On Sanibel, things have not really improved much, the Red Tide seems to be apparent, sometimes worse than others. The water is still Brown/orange from The releases....
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| Lighthouse Beach |
The dead fish continue...
I did go further West, up to Bowman's Beach....the water looked so much better....
But I had to immediately head back to the car because the Red Tide was awful....keep in mind, the Red Tide isn't seen, it's in the air, and affects you by a tickle in the throat to bad cough, runny nose, sneezing etc....
Cheri and I walked the beach about the center of Sanibel, my old favorite place, Gulfside City park...there were dead fish all up the beach
and the Red Tide hit us in places there also...
It's really frustrating and depressing, just trying to understand why this is allowed to continue....So today I decided to try Captiva...reports are that it has been good, so I decided to check it out at low tide this morning....I was in need of a little bit of positive Beach Therapy... The water was very clear....and the color was more like it should be....
I saw birds...! A Snowy Egret....
...I believe this is a Willet...
I got so excited....a Bald Eagle flew over!! (of course I didn't have my camera ready) I loved seeing their feet prints in the sand....
I saw lots of Ghost Crabs....
I did see a few dead fish, but they were from a long time ago....dried out
There was no smell, and no Red Tide! I so enjoyed myself! I took of my shoes, walked the beach barefoot, and even got in the beautiful water! Like a mini-vacation, I need it!
I found a couple of Shiva Shells (The 'door' of a Turban Shell) I love these little guys and have very few!
I found lots of pieces of ZigZag Scallops, we call them Flats....and finally found a perfect one!
Check out the size of this one....it must have been a huge one at one time!
I so enjoyed this!
On the way back home, Cheri and I decided to meet at the Lighthouse, to look for some minis....and check things out....
Lots of Coquina!.....
and there were amazing thunderstorms brewing in the Gulf....
A slight Red Tide around the point, on the sound side..... It chased me off since it was getting closer and lightning nearby....
I did find a couple of minis....and Wentletraps...
I didn't come home with a Bag full of shells, but I did get a mini-vacation...and always love walking the beaches! Trying to just tell it like it is, not be too negative, but it is so tough to see....
Stay Tuned!
::Shelllday Hugs::
I didn't stay in bed under the warm blankets this morning. It was 38 degrees here in Ft. Myers with a 'feels like' temp of 34 because of the winds. I know that is not cold to most of you, but for us Floridians (snicker) it's pretty darn cold to spend a few hours in! When I got to Sanibel it was 43 so that was better! We did a lot of walking this morning, thinking that all these North winds would start bringing in the shells. Not today....maybe tomorrow!? I won't complain though, I love walking the beach, and as I have said many times before, its great therapy!
This was my first find of the day!
An Albino Lightning whelk! It cleaned up very nicely!
The Sunrise was beautiful....Cheri is an amazing photographer, and I took a couple of pointers from her to try some artsy pics....;) Not too bad for a Novice?!
The beach was almost wiped clean which was such a shame since there was a negative low tide....
I did find an awesome Worm Shell though...
and what looks like a petrified Sand Dollar piece....It had such a strange pattern on it!
We managed to stay pretty comfortable and dry, but I noticed a large Horse Conch in the water....just beyond my reach with the scoop....I had to go for it and got hit by a couple of waves, but I got it!
It wasn't worth it though....it was very white with a nice orange inside, but it had lost it's point and had several bad places in it....oh well....
Not far from this one, Cheri spotted 2 more...that were too far for even the scoop, she went into the water after them both, very quickly....but alas they were not good ones either! (sorry forgot to snap a pic!) OH well. The sacrifices we sheller make for shells! Luckily, we were on our way out by this time....
I did find a Shiva Shell!! I have never found one before. It is actually an operculum (door) on a Turban shell, I've heard lots of people find them by the dozens, but haven't found any on Sanibel! I think they are very interesting, and will be looking a little harder for them in the future!
Cheri found this BEAUTIFUL Live Olive....notice the golden stripe down the edge...it was gorgeous!
Nothing else to report....hopefully tomorrow will bring more shells and another awesome adventure....only a couple more days of Negative low tides and the heat will come back starting Sunday, I'm ready for it!!
Stay Tuned!
::Shelllady Hugs::
