Bird-Nerding at Bunche

 Team Cheri decided to go to the Mud Flats at Bunche Beach for morning low tide....Cheri brought her camera and of course I had to bring a shell bag or two! One of the first things we saw was a live Lightning Whelk, which is fairly unusual in these parts...But a pleasure to see anywhere!!

As usual there was lots of live stuff out there! Live Cockles....

...and these HUGE live Fighting Conchs....we are not sure they are actually Florida Fighting Conchs since they are so much larger....

There were enthusiastic stone crabs...

I believe this is a tiny Purse crab...

There were a few Live Kings Crowns...

These Crowns were having a convention!!

I'm not sure if this was live or not, but it was very interesting!!! 

Something else that was interesting was the patterns in the water, I'm not sure if this is the natural Tannin that caused this or what, but this pattern was all over the place, it would change as you walked through it...it was very unusual.

...and the birds...so many different ones...There were Pelicans and Sanderlings...

Ibis, Egrets, & Herons...

The Majestic Great Blue Heron watched over them all!

One of the highlights of the day for me was my first Rosette Spoonbill in person!! The color was just beautiful, the picture doesn't do it justice!

and the bird prints were everywhere...so cool!! Big ones....

Little ones....

by the billions!!! ;)

and who wouldn't enjoy the Reddish Egret Dance?!! I love watching these guys!

In the middle of all of this I did pick up a few treasures also!!!

Sunray Venus, and Angel Wing, 2 Pear Whelks, Lots of Kings Crowns and Rose Tellins and a few Worm shells and Melampus!

Bunche Beach is always an adventure!!! Stay tuned!!

::Shelllady Hugs::

It's About the Little Things!

I went back to the Lighthouse on Sanibel this early morning, solo this time. As usual it was a beautiful morning....there were a lot fewer people out as early as I went which is always a plus. I saw lots of life there, the dolphins were playing again as the sun was coming up, but I wasn't close enough to get a picture :( But I got to see them which is always fun.  One of my favorite birds here is a Skimmer....it's beautiful and has an uneven beak, the bottom is longer than the top because they fly just a few inches above the water with the bottom of his beak actually in the water! 

(These are obviously Googled pictures)

I love these guys and don't see them very often, this morning there must have been 2 dozen of them out there, all gracefully flying inches off the Gulf! I must have taken 20 pictures trying to catch them in action, and could not get one in good focus because they are SOOO fast....so here are the best I got, you can get the idea from them I think....

I found a couple of different kinds crabs out there this morning, 2 I think (hope) I saved by putting them back in the water...

a Purse Crab

This Common Spider Crab, I rescued from a bird!

He was being pecked so I moved him into the water, and I think I ran across him walking around out there on my way back by....we're gonna go with that anyway!! ;)

I also found these Calico Crabs getting acquainted with each other...They didn't need saving as they were right on the water line...;)

I found so many of these Burrowing Brittle Stars way up on the sand....took a few pics and videos as I was taking them back down to the water... I love these guys!

Why they are called Brittle stars, I have no idea, they are anything but brittle!!!

I saw a few more live Lightning Whelks...

The shelling was so interesting, there were minis and micro minis all over the place...That requires doing the Sanibel stoop, if you're not a squatter! I did a LOT of Stooping this morning!

I found Wentles!!

and lots of other micro minis!!

Another Crested Tellin....bigger than I've seen before....

a BEAUTIFUL Gaudy Nautica...

and of course a nice Sharks eye!

....and several more smaller shells...

As I have said many times....the therapy was awesome!!!

Enjoy your day! Stay tuned!

::Hugs::