I met Liz at the Lighthouse this morning, she is another friend/admin from the Shellinators facebook page! We started out with only our flashlights, a full moon and the Lighthouse Light to guide us! My camera made it look much lighter than it actually was....that is Liz there, just under the lighthouse....
There were not a lot of shells out there, but we did have a long walk, picking up a few along the way....I found a nice small Pear Whelk
and right next to it was a Shark's Eye Operculum...
and believe it or not a small Alphabet Cone...
worn and tattered, but he went in my shell bag!
Liz found a small False Angel Wing....I found out later that it was actually a pair!
She also found this really cool Albino Apple Murex!
I did manage to find a few other minis.... Like this small Pear Whelk, Baby's ear, sharks eye and Winged oyster pair...
There were so many crabs out there...of all sizes and shapes! Most were small, and alive, if just barely....we tried to save several by taking them back out to the gulf since the tide was so low....The first was this Spider Crab....
Lots of Calico Crabs....small to very large!
...and the starfish (Sea Stars) I don't know how many of them were high and dry....we both were taking them to the nearest water we could find!
My most unusual find was this watch....it was almost under a log in the water....the battery was barely working...
After the sun came up, we were able to find a few smaller minis....like these two Wentletraps...
Liz actually found one first, in the dark!
I actually found quite a few minis!
...Liz took a pic of some of her favorites from today
As you know, I always have to finish off with a Sunrise pic....or two...
These Royal Terns were enjoying the sunset with us!
Although we had big negative low tides this morning, the shelling wasn't great, but as you know, Team Cheri always has an adventure....we saw lots of life out there! As usual we started way too early in the morning for the 'normal' person...that's when the lowest tides are!! There were lots of other abnormal people out there too!!! Dedication....right?! I started out finding an Angel Wing, and thought it was a sign of a great shelling day...
Cheri and I both noticed that there were so many live Scallops!
These little guys are so fun....they sit and open and close their shells, if in a tidal pool, the will squirt water out and shoot around the pool, they are so lively and fun!
A first for me was this live Egg Cockle that Cheri spotted...
and of course, there are always a bunch of live Cockles...These guys are pretty fun too...sometimes they'll squirt you when you walk by...
The Sea Urchins cover themselves frequently, I only assume that is a form of protection...usually it's with small shells....this guy has a whole roof over his head!!! How cool is that?!
This Lighting Whelk must have been the perfect location for these sea Anemones!
There were quite a few Sea Stars out there this morning too...I think these are Small Spine Sea Stars....Love these guys!
There were quite a few Sand Dollars...these guys weren't alive...
But this one was....Cheri rescued this one and took him to deeper water...look how large he is!
We met a lady that was carrying this guy in her pocket....she found him on Monday and her friend made her show him off to us...what a beauty! This is the much sought after Junonia!
They say that a Junonia finds you, you don't find it....I have pieces and one with a couple of Large holes in it...so I am one of the ones waiting for one to find me...this was this ladies third (I believe)!
Cheri did find a nice Alphabet Cone...it's a bit Freaky as it has a 'bevel' around the top, not flat as usual....
and I found a nice Lightning Whelk that I couldn't pass up...
I also found another Albino Fighting Conch...
We didn't find much to carry home, but I always love finding the live stuff and sharing it!
....and of course the sunrises on Sanibel are the best!
The super low tides continue...So Stay Tuned, I'll continue the search and bringing you the results! ::Shelllady Hugs::
We made it back down to our favorite getaway in Ft. Myers on Sunday. Yesterday was spent at Shellcrafters, but today was time for some Beach Therapy! Low tides are EARLY in the morning, so Team Cheri was out there in layers of clothes since it was a tad Chilly....Florida Chilly anyway! As soon as we walked onto the beach Cheri found this huge Alphabet Cone!
How about that to start your day?!! Just up the beach a bit, I found another piece of a Junonia....one day a whole Junonia will find me!;)
This week is to have some pretty good low tides, so tidal pools are beginning to show up...it is my favorite type of shelling! I also found an albino Fighting Conch....
also some favorites....Shark's eye and Horse Conch
Olives and Tulips have been pretty easy to find on my recent trips...
I did finally get an Alphabet Cone....not perfect but I kept it!
....this one is MUCH better!
Cheri found another one also....
that's 4 cones for the day! Pretty Awesome I'd say, for our Debut adventure this time!
Cheri also found a pretty nice chunk of a Lion's Paw....very rare in these parts, especially that size!
She also snagged this neon orange Florida Cone, bouncing around in the surf...
and a nice sized Horse Conch!
Todays strangest find was this vertebrae....not sure what it is from, but interesting all the same!
I was pleased to see many live things out on this morning....
Patrick the seastar Greeted me as soon as I stepped in the tidal pool....
There were several live Sea Urchins....this guy is trying to disguise himself with shells...
Lots and Lots of live Scallops....
I love these guys....they have usually pretty lively, swimming around the tidal pools....Look closely....do you see several eyes along his shell line?!
I thought I had really hit the jackpot when I saw this beauty.....beautiful color!
But he was alive....which is a good thing! Their bright orange body always amazes me!
There must have been billions of larger Coquina out there, had to take a video of them moving around in the tidal pool...
Can't resist snapping a shot of this Great Blue Heron....Beautiful Birds!
We did get to see a colorful sky before we left....
My finds for the morning....
along with some shells to paint, and a few dead sea urchins we collected for the Shellcrafters....
Cheri showed me a beauty that she found on Christmas Eve...out there at the crack of stupid with her Hubby.....a BEAUTIFUL Big Ol' Scotch Bonnet....
...have you ever seen anything so beautiful...see all this searching really Pays off sometimes!!
Happy New Year to you and your Families!!!
Stay tuned we'll have some great adventures to start out the new year!
