Day Four...We can Always Wentle!

We decided to head up to Blind Pass, as most of you know, it's where Sanibel and Captiva Island connect. It was a NW wind and let me tell you....the Red Tide was so bad there that Cheri and I couldn't take it! It normally doesn't bother either of us too bad, but this was unbearable! We did walk down the beach, and the erosion was crazy....much of the beach was gone, and it has all changed in the month since I was last there! 

We were there about 30 minutes and had to leave....the wind was blowing toward the shore and the Red Tide was choking us both!....and there was still a lot of death on the beach so the smell was bad too...

I did pick up a piece of Sea Glass, which is very unusual on Sanibel!

Back to the Lighthouse....

Neither of us noticed any Red tide here, it was very calm, though the dark water and dead wildlife is a constant reminder....We did see a pelican there that actually landed on the beach....not in the water.

We went searching for minis....In case you don't know this, Cheri, in our little group, is known as the Wentle whisperer or Queen....she has constant radar running for them and can really find those little guys....see what I mean?

I can find them if they're like this....

But that is rarely the case....you have to be diligent and look very closely! I ended up with these for the evening....not too bad!

With the current state, with so many dead and dying fish....you have to be so careful.....so many tiny bones....(click on the pic to make it larger, then click the x to return) It becomes very difficult to pick up the tiny Wentletraps and Rice Olives.....see the bones in there? By the Billions!

Wentling is one of my favorite things to do....and it is very therapeutic! Cheri and I do it very often!

I was rewarded on the way back to the car with a BEAUTIFUL, Huge Shark's eye! Sadly half of him was still in there, another reminder....

I left a little bit early....but did manage to snap a picture on my way back home! Always gotta have a little sunshine!

Stay Tuned!

::Shelllady Hugs::

The Eyes Have it!

As usual, time has flown by and Jess and Joseph have gone home, leaving an empty spot here. We had a great time and Joseph loved the beach, pool, sand and wildlife....he got to see so many things!

A Brittle Sea Star....

An Alligator!

And he loved playing in the sand!

So I was solo on my beach walk last night, Beach Therapy, the best medicine....

My first find was in a tidal pool, a small Lace Murex with a pink tip caught my eye....

I noticed the Sand Dollars were all over the beach, just barely covered by the sand....

Unfortunately I saw many families on this busy Saturday picking these guys up and throwing them like frisbees into the Gulf! These are live creatures and should be handled carefully, if at all! Please folks spread the word to protect the life on the beaches so it will be here for a long time to come! (OK, off my soap box now!)

This guy was a hoot! He was running all around the tidal pool!

He was bright red and took up residency in a Lightning Whelk....and was fast as Lightning!! ;)

The highlight of tonight's therapy were the live Shark's eyes! I have seen very few of these guys live, but tonight there were many of them, of all sizes!

<<Back on my Soap Box!! >> I had to make some folks aware on my walk last night that the taking of live shells on Sanibel is illegal and that it can be a $500 fine, for taking live shells.....If people won't think about the conservation of wildlife, they will think about their wallets!! Sometimes they just aren't informed of the rules, so we need to find a way to get the word out!! <<2nd rant over>>

*The only reason I picked this big guy up was because he got washed ashore by a wave so I took him out, dug a hole for him to go into, and set him in it, he immediately latched on to the sand.

I found a few dead Sand dollars to take home, they are so fragile at this stage, I only ended up with one by the time I got home, the other 2 broke into bits!

I found a Tellin also, for some reason I really like these and have found very few...

 There were a few of these Jellyfish out there tonight too, in the past, I have only seen these guys after a storm...This guy is a little larger than a dinner plate...

Then I found a few minis, I love these and need to build up my supply in preparation for making my Sailors Valentine!

From left: Wentletrap, Tusk Shells, tiny Shark's eye, I believe the shell just above is a type of Dove shell, and below is a Mitre, another Wentletrap, tusks, and a Rice Olive

These guys are so small! If you notice in the pic below, they all look like Tusk Shells but the one at the top center is some sort of an Auger....could not find an exact match in my book, but it is similar to the shape of a Turret shell....any ideas?

Tiny Oyster Drill, Juvenile Fighting Conch and Tusk shell...

It was a beautiful evening for a walk, only a few days until we head back to real life, stay tuned!!

::Shelllady Hugs::

Pieces of Spots and MicroMinis!

The shelling lately has been pretty slow, but today we found some Micromini's to go through...some so small, we didn't even try to get them!! We were greeted to the beach first thing by this guy...a Ghost Crab, he came up and just sat there so we could snap his picture....then very quickly scooted on down the beach, in fact he moved so quickly he went between Cheri's feet as she was taking a step! I love these guys!

I found a mini scallop that nearly glowed in the dark....

Then nothing for a long time....but we had a sunrise that never disappoints!

I did find a perfect Banded Tulip...

I had a little heart palpitation as I saw this peeking through the sand....

 But alas....only a piece of an Alphabet Cone!

Cheri and I always say "Look for Spots" hoping it will make us find and Alphabet Cone or a Junonia....one can always hope! Well for the second time today, I saw spots, but only pieces!  There is also a small Jasper cone (bottom) a Rice Olive (or dwarf olive) and a teeny little Lightning Whelk Micro Mini, a Tusk Shell and a Well-Ribbed Dove shell.

We did see a Manatee on the beach!! :)

Then we started finding micro-minis...another Waxy Polygyra on the head of a Penny!

 Dwarf Olives, (Rice Olives)....

And I believe this is a Micro-mini True Tulip and Lightning Whelk...must be newly 'hatched'!

 From the left, 2 Coffee Melampus, and a Green Erato! (Never found one before, and it was recognized by someone who read this!...Not in my books!)

Cheri found a Scotch Bonnet!! Not perfect, but he went home with her anyway!

She found this Live Lightning Whelk also, aren't they beautiful?

Here is the mini's I found today....One day I'll collect enough to try a sailors Valentine!! That's one of my dreams, and I will need many more days like today to have enough! Nice group though, don't you think?

As slow as the shelling is, I'm going to keep checking things out and reporting back to you, so Stay Tuned!!

::Shelllady Hugs::