Morning Beach Walk

Another beautiful day on the beach - seeing the sun rising and finding little turtle tracks along the way - makes for a great day! I love my turtle patrol, it brings me a sense of peace and I feel good being part of the Sanibel Captiva Conservation Foundation. This time of the year is when some of the hatchlings are emerging and so far it's been good - the tropical storm didn't do much damage so far.

 After I was done checking for tracks, picking up trash and looking for unusual signs - I checked in and made my way back. I noticed how much activities there was this morning on the beach with the low tide, so i started making notes and counting my species. I enjoy watching the willets and notice their personalities as I go by - other people might think that I've fallen off my rocker because I talk to the birds....oh well.

    Sanderlings, sanderlings - everywhere I went - flying, eating while chasing the waves - or perhaps it was the waves chasing them.

    Pelicans - resting in the Australian Pines - always makes me wonder how such a big bird can stay put on 
     such a small wimpy branches - then again, their size is deceiving since they really don't weigh much.

    Here it is, ready to go in and dive for a meal....awesome!

    Oh yes, the Ruddy Turnstones - this particular bird is special for me because it was the first bird that I 
     really paid attention to. It's a humbling moment to have to say that I've lived in S.W. Florida for 35+ years 
     and all along - went about my working life without paying much attention to the bird life. The retirement
     honeymoon didn't last very long and soon I was looking for something to feed my spirit. First I found
     volunteer work for the turtle patrol but - come October - it was over with....now, what do I do? So, I 
     ventured over to Ding Darling and started volunteering there - this was my 'initiation' in the birding world.
     And, so, I started to pay attention to what I encountered.....looking, studying, making notes and coming 
     home, looking at my books to find what I had seen. That very first bird was the Ruddy Turnstone - how
     interesting to find that it's name matched it's colors and actions! And I was hooked!

There hasn't been a boring day since then - more and more I encounter birds that are as

interesting as the last one I saw. Just like the Frigatebird - it has made me soar to heights

that were unknown to me and I am happily celebrating my very first year of birding and for that I am grateful.

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