Sunday, May 26, 2013

Sanibel Island 2013 Day 5

You know, we may not have hit a shelling bonanza this trip, but I did feel we found the jackpot when it came to wildlife.  On Day 5 we decided to try Blind Pass again, this time opting for the Captiva side.  There was a small shell pile near the rocks, so I sat down and started sifting through it, hoping to find some winners.  10 minutes later, a guy who was standing and fishing off the rocks shouted over that 2 manatees had come by.




It was such a thrill to see them so close.  Except for a sighting a couple of years ago on Cayo Costa, this was the nearest I'd ever gotten to one.  I could have sat and watched them swim and feed all day.


 



In this shot, one was laying with his snout on the back of the other one.  It was so cute!


After they left, I went back to my non-producing shell pile and this guy came by.  He just sat there for the longest time and posed, letting me snap picture after picture of him....


Love these yellow feet!

Chablis trying to get into my shot....






I'm always reading other people's blogs where they talk about how they dug in the shell piles and found tons of great shells.  Or how the shells were just rolling up to their feet.  We were having none  of that.  I found about 6 small shells of interest and I'll tell ya, I was getting pretty discouraged shell wise.  We packed up our stuff around noon and headed down to Lighthouse Beach, hoping for one last shot at the good shells since it was almost low tide.



We were greeted with a nice low tide, but no shells.  I picked up one small tulip and then found this beautiful, live starfish.  Somebody educate me please....  I've read and heard many times about the no live shelling rule.  Does that apply to starfish as well?  While we were standing there taking pictures of it, a woman came up to us and said she wanted the starfish to take home.  I told her no, because you can't take live creatures home.  She stood and argued with me, insisting that I give it to her to take home for her fish tank.  She was practically stamping her foot, she was so mad at me.  Frankly, her manner pissed me off and I told her there was no way in hell I was giving her that starfish.  I told Chablis to take it out to deep water and cover it with sand, which she did.  So, what's the rule?  Could the woman have legally taken that starfish?


We did see a bunch of dolphins swimming and playing near shore...


But the one thing we didn't see were any keeper shells...


For dinner our final night Chablis chose The Fish House one more time.  She ordered the shrimp and scallop alfredo again and I ordered a basket of fried lobster chunks, which was very good.  They redeemed themselves from the other night, so I can now recommend them and we will definitely go back there again.
 
Come back tomorrow to hear about The Edison Museum.  Happy Memorial Day and remember those who have served our country!

13 comments:

  1. You were definitely right about the starfish -- I think so, and the starfish absolutely agrees! I have had plenty of not-great-shelling trips, but I've never seen a manatee at Blind Pass, so you scored a big win on this trip in my mind! :)

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    1. I don't know if I was more surprised at the woman wanting to take the starfish or the fact that she was actually arguing with me about it. She was SO rude! The manatees were awesome to see.

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  2. Seeing the manatees in the wild is a marvelous siting! And you got great photos! I'm so sorry you didn't find more shells. It can sure change from one day to the next! The starfish is gorgeous! NO WAY should you EVER take a live creature from the beach. I'm so glad you rescued it and took it out into the ocean. How sad that someone would risk it's life by removing it! I'm glad you didn't have to get physical...I would bet on YOU! heehee!!! HUGS!

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    1. Thanks Diane, I was really hoping someone would let me know what the rule of thumb was on that. And yeah, I would have bet on me too. I may be small, but I'm scrappy. LOL! xo

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  3. Here you are not allowed to take anything from the beaches. We still collect rocks but I would never disturb anything that is alive. It looks to beautiful. What state is this in?

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    1. Hi Elaine - this is on Sanibel Island off the coast of Florida.

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  4. First the horshoe crab (and dolphins and birds etc.), now MANATEES?!?!?! Ok, I'm definitely a very dark shade of green... :p
    That was so lucky!!! I've only seen them once, in the Miami Seaquarium. Would go nuts if I got the chance to see them in the wild!!!

    And that women was horrible! NO live creatures from the beach, period! :o(

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  5. How cool to see those manatees up close! Sorry about the lack of shells. I don't know about the FL coast but here on the Oregon coast, I don't think you are allowed to take any living creature home.

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  6. Awesome manatee pics, Kim. I've never been that close to one.

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  7. I think your blog dislikes my kindel. I have the worst time commenting lol. I had this loon comment typed up... bu i will get to my point... we enjoyed and had more luck with hunting for shark teeth :-)

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    1. I have a terrible time leaving comments on other blogs when I use my iPad for some reason. It's very aggravating sometimes. Wen were you hunting for sharks teeth and where?

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    2. Huh... I have trouble leaving comments with my iPhone! To the point I've never been able to leave one! :o( It's annoying!

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