Shelling and Bird Nerding

Can you believe it? Two posts in two days! I wanted to update as our trip is growing to a close and it might be a while before I post again....at least about Shelling in Florida!

The shelling has improved quite a bit in the last few days...or at least I've been lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time! These are some of the best...

and These are my favorites from the group! (Cheri found that Huge Shark's eye!)

From the left, Shark's eye, Alphabet cone with two orange scallops above, Lace Murex, Gaudy Nautica above the lace, then a Tiny Bright orange True Tulip, and another perfect Horse Conch! 

The color on that Lace Murex is beautiful, They are usually white with a little pink tip!

A trip to the mud flats at Bunche Beach scored me some Sunray Venus, a beautiful Pear Whelk and 3 Kings Crowns (center)

Not only did I pick up shells, I am learning from the 'Bird Nerd' Cheri...so many different types of birds, many on their Migration journey and are 

stopping by here for a visit! Cheri gets pictures of their tags and can see where they are coming from. Some are even from near my other home in Virginia!

This is an Oyster Catcher (I'm counting on Cheri to keep me straight with this info!) ;)

The lighting is a bit better in this pic...

This is a Marbled Godwit

...a Little Blue Heron...

and these adorable little guys are Sanderlings...(That's a Willet in the back and a Rudy Turnstone in the front with the dark wings.)

We see so many cool things on the beaches we visit....this is a Moon Jelly...it's very large...look closely...

These tiny little Dog Whelks seem to be having him for lunch!!!

These 3 Kings Crowns are having a Sunray Venus for lunch!!

I love to see the live shells almost as much as the empty ones.....I snap a pic and we put them back...Here is a Live Lightning Whelk....

and a live King's Crown....

While shelling & watching the birds...we keep an eye on the sky....

Check out this perfect 'hole' in the center of this thunderstorm!!! 

Another trip has almost come to an end, I've packed up shells to take back to paint and hopefully will bring them back in a month or so to hide them on the island...it looks like I've got my work cut out for me!! 

These days, we don't leave the house much so this keeps me sane!! Stay Safe! ...Until the next post!

::Shelllady Hugs::

 

A Little Larger Mini adventure--"Shopping for Sea Whips!"

We all need empty hours in our lives or we will have no time to create or dream.  ~Robert Coles

The workers finished at the house around 3:00 so Hubby and I decided to grab the chance to go to Sanibel to do a little shelling, but first to the Sanibel Fish House for an early dinner. The service was slow and by the time we got to the beach it was after 4:30. The wind was still really blowing, and the water was very churned up.

We could tell that it had been blowing quite a bit by the 'beach bling' on the beach, pen shells, egg cases, sea whips and all kinds of interesting things.

They are Horse Conch egg cases! I hope they all got out there and will grow up!! :)

There must have been hundreds of these Ponderous Arks with sea whips attached!

Twins!!

How about this for Saddle bags!!

This was all perfect for me because I was actually looking for Sea Whips for an idea I have for a project! How many people that you know can just go out and 'shop' the beach for what they want? I think it is just awesome, and it felt like shopping.  I was looking specifically for minis of all kinds and sea whips! We only stayed a little less than 2 hours, but it was so nice to finally get to the beach.  We only have a couple of days left. 

....back to the adventure...

Hubby actually stumbled across several of these huge horse conchs when we first got out there....aren't they beautiful in an old crusty sort of way?

When we were heading back in, I ran across this little guy, he is called a pygmy octopus, he is a little smaller than the palm of your hand. He was well out of the water and obviously not at all happy about it.  I took the opportunity to snap a couple of quick pictures and then picked him up in a large shell and took him out a little deeper so maybe he could make it.  I wish I could have videoed him while I was carrying him, he was very active, it was so cool!

I have only found one skate case, or 'mermaids purse' in all the years we have been coming to Sanibel, and that was many years ago! Today I found 2 of them and they were quite large! I couldn't tell if they were still in there, but I put them back in the gulf just in case.

Here is a pic for you to do some cybershelling should you have the urge!

We didn't get a lot of shells, but we did still find some minis and a few other goodies...

I have some idea for these pen shells as well, they are very colorful! 

A tiny painted egg cockle (found 3 of them)and even tinier murex! 

if you look closely you will see a baby's ear! and dog whelks I believe

...and I did a good job "shopping" for sea whips!

I have always been fascinated by the sea whips and there must have been thousands of them on the beach, most were attached to live shells, but I did find many that weren't. I hope they keep their beautiful maroon color, I cleaned them well and tried to seal them, we'll see how they do.  Stay tuned, I have plans!

We decided to go out this afternoon instead of first thing this morning....Hubby is telecommuting....how about this for an office!!

::Hugs::

Cheri