Day 5 Guardedly Optimistic

I am happy to say, the water, and the beaches looked better than they have since I've been here. As I have said, it can change quickly and with a change in wind and/or tide, so I am guardedly optimistic. 

Low tide is not very low these days and after dark, so we were there before sunset.  We did detect a little bit of Red Tide, just a cough now and then, but very little! Is it my imagination or does the water appear to have a little more greenish, and less brown?....at least up near the beach....

There were a few shells there too!

We saw more life too...If you look closely, there is a manatee swimming here along the beach! Just where the water starts to darken, right in the center!

We saw a couple of birds! A Snowy Egret, and this guy a Reddish Egret (Thank you Cheri for this amazing pic!)

There were still bones, and dead fish here and there, but much much less than it has been....I didn't see them floating in the current either....

We ran across a couple of Hermits....

Now you see them....

Now you don't!

The backside of the lightning whelk was covered in moss and yuck...

We saw Periwinkles...alive and well...

and look how clear this water is...and more green than brown!

I don't, for a moment think it's all fixed....but it appears to be improving, at least for this day.....

Still not many keeper shells....but I did find a few worm shells...

and this amazing True Tulip....deep maroon!

Cheri had her radar going for the Wentletraps....

This is what she kept....she gave me a bunch of the littlest ones!!

We each found a Brown Banded Wentletrap!!!!

I could've stayed there for hours,  the minis were so plentiful...but after the sun set, the noseeums came out like crazy....they finally chased me in!!! :(

Here are the minis I came home with....I'd say it was a great day!!

Stay tuned...maybe we'll have good luck again! Fingers crossed!

::Shelllady Hugs::