I found a sweet small SCOTCH BONNET yesterday morning at Blind Pass! After I let out a little shellebratory squeal, Michael and Kurry (NJ) came over to see what caused all my fuss.
Kurry showed me she found a SCOTCH BONNET too!
After I we talked and compared SCOTCH BONNETS, I took a photo of the newly formed beach on the pass side of the jetty rocks of Blind Pass Captiva to show where I found my shell. It doesn’t look like too much there, right? I found it high on the beach in a very thin tide line. You can see the small shell lines on the beach I combed through…but notice Kurry shelling in the surf line on the left.
She reached in the water right there and pulled out another SCOTCH BONNET! She came running back to show me… Shellzam! Two of them!
This is not exactly how I found my SCOTCH BONNET because I snatched it up so quickly, I didn’t have time to take a photo. But… this is the area that I found it in and I almost missed it. It may look obvious now, but if I was walking fast, I think I would have missed it. Wanna do some CYBERSHELLING? Click on this next photo to enlarge it…
Oh but wait… There’s so much more being found! Since the beach renourishment last month on Sanibel and Captiva, I’ve never seen so many JUNONIAS being found in one week at Blind Pass. My friend Dave found a JUNONIA on the Sanibel side!
Mary from New York found a JUNONIA too in the same area…
Carolyn (Manatoba) found a JUNONIA at Blind Pass too! Wow! Congrats to y’all!
I have even more exciting news for all of you!
We now have dates for our next Shelling Adventure … Shellabaloo!
Join us for
Shellabaloo 5 at Island Inn Resort
April 24 – 27th, 2014
***
CLICK HERE for detailed information for the event
or call Island Inn to reserve your space now at 800-851-5088. Space is Limited!
As Sarah (The ShellAnimal) said about Shellabaloo 4 ” “I have to say this was one of the best times of my life! William surprised me with it for my birthday, and it was epic! These memories and friends I made will last forever!!”
To see all of the fun we’ve had on other Shellabaloo events.. CLICK HERE
oh man I love cybershelling!!! it’s like zero degrees here and I SO want to be on Sanibel! I think I found a little wentletrap (maybe, possibly) in the upper left corner of the cybershelling pick! thanks Pam! cybershelling gets me through between my trips to Sanibel :)
on second thought, I think what I thought was a wentletrap is a cerith – I’d still take it lol!
I think you are right…its still good! and soooo many kittens paws!
I would love to find a scotch bonnet(and a junonia too). The cold weather is continueing here on LI for another week. We will be there soon-hopefully the snow will stay away so we can leave. See you soon. Pat
Great Scotch Bonnet Pam! Missing Shellabaloo and Sanibel already! Keep those Junonias rolling in!
Some very nice shells!
Nasty weather up here in the frozen NE — I think we would all rather be in Sanibel… :)
So many kitten’s/cat’s paws!! And is that a tiny lion’s paw on the very left, about 60% up the side, or is that a dark kitten/cat paw too?
Also, I totally thought that last picture was a SUPER MASSIVE JUNONIA until I realized it was just in the foreground! Still! Nice shells all around :)
Oh! And there’s a screwdriver hiding vertically in the top left-hand quadrant, just to the left and up of that pretty red-and-white shell…..(sorry I don’t know all the names, yet!)
What’s that super shiny, slightly brownish one just to the bottom left of that same red-and-white shell? It looks sorta like a pebble, sorta like a toenail shell.
Also, is that an angel’s wing (is that the name?) on the bottom left just to the right of the footprint?? :)
Okay, I’ll stop now……………. LOL
hahahah- you are cracking me up! Yes! i think thats an angel wing peaking out- I so didn’t see that when I was there! Im sure you are akin about the slipper shell but I don’t know what the ‘SCREWDRIVER” is hahaha
Oh, sorry!! That’s what I’ve always called “augers”!!
GREAT SHELLS !!! I have not found a scotch bonnet or a junonia, but have high hopes I will one day. Congrats to all who have found the jackpot. I am counting the days until we are back on the island (June 22nd) As the the second round of polar jet streaming is racing through my back yard the -45 degrees is just a bit much. SOOOOOOO Pam please give us snow birds, well maybe northern popscicles more cybershelling to warm us up a bit. thanks L-O-R-E-E
Pam,
I will be in Sanibel that week, can I join the shell cruise (Only if it is Friday the 27th – I leave the next day)? If not I still plan to take that cruise sometime that week, will be staying at Sanibel Arms West so I plan to see Blind Pass and of course the lighthouse beach.
Thanks
Karen, Dang it! Our cruise is Saturday April 26. Hmmmm wait… are you sure you have the dates right?
is that a flat scallop in the third photo down? or is there another name for it? I found one last week when we were there and I wasn’t sure what it’s called.
I’ve been back only four days and I’m missing Sanibel already . . .
Yes, that’s a flat scallop, also called a zigzag scallop. Always a nice find.
Thanks for the cybershelling! What fun!
For those who love the tiny shells like I do……If the scotch bonnet in the picture was the center of a clock, at about 1:00 position there is a tiny circular shell (or sand dollar) and a tiny broken whelk. Could the little round shell with a tiny knob on the top be one I’ve read about called a “china man’s hat”? (Sorry if that name isn’t politically correct, it’s the only one I know.) I’ve found one or two on San/Cap before, but don’t recall one ever being identified here on the blog. (They are really tiny!)
I think I see them!! The whelk being white, right?
The tiny circular shell reminds me of the Mermaid’s Coins you folks posted about a little while ago (that we ended up finding TONS of at Honeymoon Island when we went!)….. but seeing as it’s alone, I don’t know…… :)
I can’t see the little shell you are talking about in the photo, but I know which species you mean:
http://shellmuseum.org/shells/shelldetails.cfm?id=46
Most of the ones I find are extremely tiny, no more than a quarter of an inch, but I have found quite a few of them on West Gulf Drive.
Hi Susan,
Thanks for your comment. That’s it! I’m glad to hear you have found them too! Hope you are staying warm this winter!
Love watching everything you guys do and find! I also found a scotch bonnet the day before yesterday here on the East Coast by Sebastian Inlet. It’s fun to see what I have found here as compared to over in Sanibel. I have been fortunate because I have found Scotch Bonnets, cowries, Hawkwings, Lions Paws (red and orange) a reticulated helmet and even a couple of hairy tritons-minus the hair of course :). Still searching for an East Coast Juniona!! Can’t wait to visit Sanibel and I always play I-SPY when I watch your videos and look at yours pics!!!
It is really fun to see all the great shells that are washing up right now. Congratulations to everyone. I hope it continues (although the stronger winds right now help too, I’m sure).
Thank you for the cyber shelling. Like the others have said, those of us in the north dealing with all of the cold and snow really enjoy looking at your photographs of sun, sand and shells.
I just signed up for your Captiva Cruises shelling charter to Cayo Casta on March 3rd. It will be the last full day of our trip. What a way to end our time on Sanibel. So looking forward to seeing you again and spending time with fellow shellers. 30 days and counting…..
p.s. They said the cruise is almost sold out!!!
Oh man, Shellabaloo sounds so fun! What’s the latest date we can register for it?
Claire, until it sells out!
Pam, I think it would be neat if next year’s calendar was a cyber-shelling calendar! Hubby and I were at Blind Pass Sanibel over the weekend, and I’m kicking myself that I didn’t go explore the Captiva side! I saw some sand exposed, and thought it was because of the negative tide. Wowee on the renourishment! I’m going to have to check it out!
Great idea! When I read your note, all kinds of ideas came to me to make it fun. (Oh gosh, I hope I remember this in august:/)
Pam, sorry to communicate this way but don’t know how else to do it. I am a subscriber to the blog, but stopped getting e-mail notices of your posts as of January 6. Just tried to subscribe again and it said I’m already a subscriber. what can I do? thanks!
I’m so glad you wrote me- I’m thrilled that it means that much to you to get the email updates! I’ve had some other problems with the email subscribe service too. I’ve looked into changing services but honestly…. I am just so nervous of losing all the info!!! That will be the first thing on my agenda next week- work in a better way for email. THANK YOU MARY JANET for hanging out with me and letting me know. Xoxo
I’m almost there!! Waiting in Atlanta to was that way! Please…. Save a few junonia for me!!!! Mother Earth Marilyn will be here soon, if not already there!!!!!
Hi Pam, Here’s a hugh thank you for the directions to Harns Marsh. We spent about three hours out there and had it almost to ourselves. It’s such a beautiful and peaceful place. Found a few apple snails–no blue ones :( but I’m still thrilled. Saw pink egg clusters so there will be more.
The only shells we found were just at the water’s edge and I wondered if the grass has been mowed since you were there in November. Do they usually look like the racoons left their breakfst take-out containers on the pond edges?
Thanks so much for your inspiring posts.
You are most welcome… Its a fun outing isn’t it! They mow on a regular basis but…. Ive heard from lots of folks who have found LOTS the shells there so they may have just cleared it out right before you. I’ve heard the shells are on both sides of the parking lot though. When I was there, we found them all on the right where my pics show but they are on the left too. For those of you who read this… we are referring to http://www.iloveshelling.com/blog/2013/11/19/filling-the-apple-snail-cart-at-harns-marsh-preserve/
I will be there in a week and can hardly wait to walk on the beach and find some beautiful shells!
Thanks for the post of my picture Pam! Was out yesterday at the Lighthouse and found 1 nickernut/sea pearl and a baby’s ear on the bay side. But nothing else. Hoping to find a wentletrap one day! Then went back to Turner Beach and shelled in the water again and found a Queen’s Helmut! I didn’t squeal that time because I thought it was a funny looking fighting conch until I thought more about it and I remembered reading about it on your blog. Today taking a break to use the internet at the beautiful library you have on Sanibel!
Congrats on your Queen helmet… post a pic on Facebook!
Isn’t that an angel wing down at the bottom left corner of your photo with the scotch bonnet?
It sure looks like it! I missed it!