The weekend started off a little slow for finding shells since the wind was coming in from the east. On Friday evening, we checked out the lighthouse beach and the first thing I saw was a SEA HARE (or also called a NUDIBRANCH) washed up on the beach caught in a line of sea grass. So I picked he/she (literally because they are hermaphrodites) up since I thought it was still alive to put it back in the water and held it for a few minutes submerged. It started to move its wings so I released and it swam away. Yippee!
I met a family on the beach…. they asked me “Where should we go to find some shells?”. They didn’t know what they were in for, did they? LOL They had no idea that Clark and I could talk for hours about shells. heehee
We had a nice time talking to Venkataratnam and Hansaveni from New Jersey along with her parents Pavani and Anupam who were visiting Sanibel for the first time …. from India! The shelling wasn’t fantastic since it was high tide and those darn east winds but we were happy to help them find a few WENTLTRAPS, a nice NUTMEG, SHARK’S EYE, 2 TURBANS, a LIMPET and a few more goodies.
I saw a bird on the beach that I normally don’t see so I sent my friend Bonnie this photo and she said, “That is a Black-crowned Night-Heron. He is a large-headed heron that rarely extends it’s neck. You usually see them at the water’s edge crouched down waiting quietly for a fish to go by. You got his picture with his neck extended so he was probably very aware of you or about to fly off.”
The winds changed a little from the west so shelling was much better at Blind Pass this weekend but I still haven’t gotten those photos into my computer so I will post again ASAP. In the mean time, the shelling should be really good on the sand bars at Blind Pass this afternoon at a negative low tide of -0.4 around 5:30 pm.
Only another day to enter into the drawing for some iLoveShelling gear! I am loooving all of your comments!
iLoveShelling GiveAway
Pam , I just ordered 3 of the lighted hats . I hope I did it right , it said something about “PayPal ” . I dont have a Pay Pal account any more , lol … nothing in it !!! Please let me know if my order doesn’t go through . Thanks , sure hope it did , will be needing them in 35 days … LOL !! Thanks
Carla- I got the order and everything came through fine and ……THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!! I am packing it up right now and it will go out today so you should receive it in 3 days. I unhooked the batteries to the lights for shipping so just plug the cords together (so easy) and Voila – there will be light! Thank you again- every order I get helps me afford to keep this blog running and posts coming! xo
I saw a nudibranch at the docks at Grandma Dots yesterday. I took a few pics with my cell phone, for the sole purpose of showing them to you so you could tell me what it was, but they didn’t turn out very well so I deleted them. So imagine my surprise when I check in on your blog today, and there’s Mr. Nudi! Your so awesome! You can read my mind!
Just read about the Sea Hare in one of my Florida sealife books and you find one on the beach! Are you in my head Pam? Glad to see he/she swam off and continued its life. Thanks, Pam for the great photos and raising the awareness of the importance of protecting the live animals.
Another good deed done, Pam. Mr. Nudi looks like a snail without a shell! Awesome. Thanks! Again, I must say I love coming home to see you’ve posted another wonder from Sanibel. LOVE YOUR BLOG! Happy hunting.
Great rescue on the sea hair! New member here on your blog… love it!
Once again you never cease to amaze us at having something wonderfully refreshing and new to make us feel if we had been right on the beach with you!… Such treasures awaiting discovery!… how sweet this family from India… they couldnt have met better people to advise them… and happily so!… How can I say thank you? Honestly… following your blog is so fun… your blog is very organic and raw… no frills… just the earthiness of the sea and the beach and its habitats and discoverers… in that there is great beauty! Loved the Night heron.. I had not seen one yet here in FL. Looking forward to one day have the energy and strength to get out of this bed and make it over to your side of Florida and have a blast treasure hunting and enjoying the salt air together! Can’t wait!… PS… any nice sea glass finds lately????
Cathy B
Nudibranchs are very interesting creatures.
Last summer, my husband, and my 13 yr old son and I took a trip to Newfoundland. We visited the aquarium in Bonne Bay, in Gros Morne National Park. My son–who was making a film for an audition piece to get into a high school screen arts program (he got in!!!) interviewed a young woman who was working there. This gal, who was studying Marine Biology at Memorial University, NFLD, was decked out in tie-dyed clothes, and she had rainbow coloured long hair, and extremely colourful/glittery eyeshadow. She told us she is crazy about–you guessed it– Nudibranchs, and that there are unusual types in the deep, deep, cold waters of Newfoundland. Then, she lifted up her pant leg, to reveal an amazing, rainbow coloured tatoo on her foot and part of her shin of– you guessed it again–a NUDIBRANCH. Turns out that the Nudibranchs living in that part of the ocean there are–you get to guess one more time–RAINBOW coloured. Who knew? Hence her rainbow clothing, hair, and makeup.
I’d never heard of the nudibranch before–let alone the glamorous Newfoundland species. Apparently, according to our rainbow ‘mermaid’ (she certainly looked like one!) nudibranchs are fascinating, and she is planning to make them the focal point of her life’s work.
Glad to here they are also alive and well on beautiful Sanibel and that you were able to help one in distress.
I’m going back to NFLD this summer and then back to Sanibel in December, March and April. Can’t wait for all four trips. I’ll let you know if I find any interesting shells in NFLD–apparently there are sanddollars galore.
Susan in Toronto–where alas–we have no nudibranchs–but I do have huge snails–with lovely shells–in my garden. Alas, however, they are munching away on my newly popped hostas. Such is life!
SBinT- Fantastic story! I love Miss Rainbow NudiCrazy! I did some research the first time I learned about Nudibranches and saw those rainbow colored ones too. Beautiful. I think junonias are fascinating so maybe I should get brown spots tattooed all over my body. ;)
CB- No sea glass lately- darn!
J,JH,CK- Cause we have some kinship for sure
NS- Welcome!
You had me at the word NUDI! haha… Really interesting post Pam – thanks!
Seems I’m not the only one who had never heard of a nudibranch. Thanks, Pam, for enlightening me…..again! Joy
Our familiy loves your website. It helps our time in Sanibel Island to be so much more enjoyable. And wondering what type of camera you use to capture such spectacular photos! Keep up the great work!
I know that this does not have to do with your last blog, but I wanted to know how far north sharp ribbed drills can live. I found one all of the way up here in CT that looked exactly like the ones in Sanibel, but muckier. SSSTTTRRRAAANNNGGGEEE…..
I think we just found one of these. We were shelling at sunset and my daughter found it on the beach. I remembered this post and scooped it up. It never opened up all the way, (but was moving), so we can’t be sure. We did take it from the dryer part of the beach and into the water. It just kind of sank…. I’m hoping it will make it….