It’s True! It really is the small things in life that are most precious. This is such a sweet little LIONS PAW! But I actually think this one might be called “The Trekkie Paw”… or “The Vulcan Paw”. He’s got a Vulcan Salute for all of you Spock Star Trek fans out there. LOL
My friend Lizbeth found this awesome gem while taking a long walk off West Gulf Drive. I know it looks similar to the KITTENS PAW, but this is clearly defined by that shoulder piece (Spock’s thumb). Good eye, Lizbeth!
Last evening by the Sanibel pier, I saw Ron from Atlanta snorkeling for quite a while…
When he finally came out of the water, he showed me this gorgeous live LIGHTNING WHELK he found then he placed back in the water. He also had that big yellow shell bag filled with FIGHTING CONCHS, COCKLES and a few emPty WHELKS.
Lori and Katelyn from Alabama were going for the minis.
Most of these were found just at the water’s edge. I havent seen one of the TINTED CANTHARUS shells in a while so it was fun to see that. It’s the one in her hand that almost has a purplish tint to it. And I wish I had gotten a better shot of the huge WENTLETRAP they found. It’s hiding behind that cute pink-nosed LACE MUREX. The one just above the juvie LIGHTNING WHELK is a nice TOP SHELL.
I always get the CORMORANT and the ANHINGA birds mixed up. They look so much alike! My friend Susan told me this one was the CORMORANT because he has the hook on the end of his beak. The ANHINGAS have the long straight beak. Okay, and I said “he” but I have no idea if this is a male or female but I’m sure there is a way to tell by the plumage. I’m much better at shell ID than bird ID…. but I’m going to try to remember… this one is the CORMORANT!
Those shells are so cute, I spent most of my day yesterday at Blind Pass yesterday hoping to see you but sadly I see you weren’t there, I love reading your blog everyday and am so jealous of all your rare finds!
Can’t wait till next month. So looking forward to shell for a week.
What a cute Lion’s Paw. I was an original trekkie back in the 60’s so I understood “Vulcan” right away. :)
I’ll try to remember your tip for keeping these two birds straight. Like you Pam, I am better at shells than birds, but I sure enjoy watching them.
Very cool! Hard to find not broken!
I am hearing about the Supermoon on June 22-23. “they” say it will bring very high tides and maybe low ones too. Are you looking forward to next weeks goodies? Maybe I should think about booking a flight!
Love the Lions paw…
What a sweet baby Lion’s Paw. :-)
I was hoping to see Lizbeth on your blog!! Looks like she is enjoying her stay.
Great find Lizbeth!
May the rest of your stay be just as good!
Thanks Pam.
I sit here looking at the fine pictures, the water and I wonder why I do this to myself? I’m jealous!
I love those minis! Man I need another trip to SW FL!
On a great side note, i won of the grab bags from the Fort Myers giveaway! I’m so excited I can’t wait to sport my ILS gear!
Congrats Alicia!!
Beautiful!
Love the lion’s paw and all the minis. Courtnie-when I was there in February Pam was always at another beach or had left earlier. We need a tracking device on her(LOL) Hope you find her! Pat
I’m allergic to time schedules. Heehee I run to the beach when I have a free minute and I never know when that will be. I’d wear out the batteries in a tracking device faster than a New York minute! :)
lol yeah we do, sadly tomorrow is my last day. I’ll be back in September though and can hardly wait, shelling was beautiful this past week!
That is hysterical! GPS on Pam! I don’t think it would ever keep up :)
Hi Pam,
Any shelling trips with you from July 17th to the 31st? I’m coming back with my friend,Sarah, and her two girls, Madalyn & Brooke! Two whole weeks! I cannot wait!!! Sherri from MN
Join us July 17! We r doing a 1-4 pm trip to Cayo costa!
I love kitten’s paws. Once I did I bit more research, I realized I had some spiny jewelboxes mixed in. I put the paws in a basket, with the jewel boxes on top for the icing on the cake :)
Oh, this is so much fun :) Lizbeth’s LIONS PAW is wonderful sign of SYNCHRONICITY right there on SANIBEL, and to my dear friend Diane on the beach…. May the TIDAL FORCE be with You !!
Just curious, Pam, do your trips to Cayo Costa coincide with low tide? I know you took down the Blind Pass tides because they were incorrect, but I haven’t been able to get into the Cayo Costa tides.
Hi Bonnie, I’m so sorry! I think I’ve confused the tide situation by adding that one link… which IMHO I think they station went a little haywire. Anyway, I wouldn’t worry about the tide time changes too much from the lighthouse station. I think I will do a whole post on tides but here is the jist of it… from the lighthouse to the north tip of Captiva, there is only a slight difference in time changes for the low tide so just go with the lighthouse tides for Blind Pass- just maybe subtract a little from that tide if you want. Remember, tides charts are just a prediction. Its like the weather… sometimes they say its going to rain and it doesn’t. Some times the tides say its going to be a medium tide but the wind picks up and it pushes it out even more… it turns out theres a lower tide than precicted. From Little Hickory in Bonita all the way to Boca Grand there is less than an hour change so dont worry too much about it. You should be out there at least an hour before low and an hour after so you will catch the change. Yes, I book the iLoveShelling cruises around the tides but I dont get too worried if it isnt exactly at the low because I dont want to make shelling too complicated. You can find something interesting any time of day! I hope this helps make your plan a little easier.
Thanks, Pam, for being so wonderfully humble in your bird ID! And I love it that you say you don’t know if it’s a he or a she. It always amazes me that, no matter whether it’s a dolphin or a heron or a fighting conch, almost everyone refers to it as “he.” I make up for it by referring to all animals as she unless I can tell for sure which it is!
My way of distinguishing cormorants from anhingas is that cormorants are just stouter all over–their bodies, neck, bills, everything. Also, the cormorant flies straight, and the anhinga flaps its wings rapidly for a few strokes, then glides, then flaps. It’s not so easy to tell the male and female cormorant apart, but with anhingas, the male is a glossy black and the female is a duller brown.
Love your blog, can’t wait to come back to Sanibel.
Pam, thanks for all your helpful info – shells, tides, birds and everything!!!
Hey Pam, we are flying in on Sunday. I do hate that we will miss the shelling trip with you! I am so ready to replenish my shell collection to share with the kiddos at school. Of course I will be looking for treasures for my shell jars as well. I have two lion paws but would love to find a “Vulcan”! Maybe we will see you on the beach!
“Coffee cup” Carol