Sanibel

We spent the day on Sanibel Island.

First we visited the J. N. 'Ding' Darling National Wildlife Preserve. The refuge consists of over 6,400 acres of mangrove forest, submerged seagrass beds, cordgrass marshes, and West Indian hardwood hammocks. Approximately 2,800 acres of the refuge are designated by Congress as a Wilderness Area.

We saw white & brown pelicans, Roseate Spoonbills, Egrets, Grebe, Cormorants and many other birds.

This pretty white fellow is a Snowy Egret. These are the feathers that used to be collected for ladies hats.

We saw only one alligator -- he was small and sleepy.

After the preserve, we went to Sanibel Beach to look for shells. The tide was coming in and there were few shells. It was nice to just wade in the waves.