We found WHELKS, BABYS EARS, WORMIES, CONCHS and lots of SEA URCHINS on our iLoveShelling cruise to Cayo Costa … but Jeff (from VA) got a head start of everybody else. He started shelling on the low tide mud flat beside the dock at Mccarthy’s Marina before our Captiva Cruises boat even left for the island! He spotted something on the bar then came up with 2 LIGHTNING WHELKS and a PEAR WHELK. Love it!
We arrived on Cayo costa to grey, overcast skies…
But the sun started peaking out just in time to shine on the shells. Amy from Kansas City quickly found 2 SUNRAY VENUS clams with both sides still attached. It was a SUNRAY VENUS kinda day!
Trish and Bill (FL) were having the same luck with FIGHTING CONCHS on the bayside where the boat anchored.
As I walked around to the Gulf side of the island, I saw Elizabeth and her Gramma Linda (Nebraska) working the high tide wrack line where all of the miniatures were hiding.
Elizabeth said she saw a BUBBLE SHELL so then started to focus on finding a WENTLETRAP. Yes! She found one along with a whole host of other sweet minis like this FALSE ANGEL WING, teeny tiny juvie CHESTNUT TURBAN, CERITHS, WHELKS, CONCHS and even tiny dried SEA URCHINS.
Sarah from Fort Lauderdale found a few nice chunks of COQUINA LIMESTONE to use as display for the different shells she found on her trip.
Sasha and Brooks (IL) found a few treasures to fill their shell bucket but I was thrilled for Sasha that she found a beautiful FLORIDA CONE.
I was tickled to see Becky and Wade on the cruise! They are amazing shellers who love everything about the beach and end up sharing most of their shells since they have so many. They are always a delight.
They couldn’t resist keeping the gorgeous double SUNRAY VENUSES. I don’t blame them… look at those colors!
There were some very cool WORM SHELLS that Ellen and Chad (Ohio) found but they found SUNRAY VENUSES as well and the one Ellen is holding up has an incredible color pattern- the color was as magenta as her jacket!
Jeff and Lisa found even more treasures to add to Jeff’s finds at the marina dock and they were also happy to receive $25 gift certificates from Sealife By Congress.
Yes, once again everybody on the iLoveShelling cruise received a $25 gift certificate to trade for a sterling silver charm or to use for anything else in their store. Thank you Sealife By Congress!
It was really fun to see Candace and Ken (MO) again (Candace helped me solve the Texas Longhorn mystery!) in her cutie tee shirt and she had strung a SUNRAY VENUS on a necklace with a silver charm similar to my DOSINIA necklace. Warm and fuzzies, I tell ya.
But hold on, we didn’t just find shells… Sisters Cissy (Asheville, NC), Debbie (Chapel Hill, NC) and Karen (Charleston, SC) had great luck finding shells (the top photo with the BABYS EARS) but they also saw an injured bird that needed rescuing. Carolina Sisters to the rescue!
They hurried back to the boat to tell Captain Skip who grabbed a towel then hurried to the beach to find it. He found a SANDWICH TERN unable to fly because of an injured wing so he gently gathered the bird in the towel to keep her secure then headed back to the boat to call CROW (Clinic for the Rehabilitation Of Wildlife).
As soon as we got back to the dock, CROW volunteers Jaclyn and Ryan were waiting with a carrier to get Miss SANDWICH TERN safely to the clinic for medical help and treated ASAP. I called today to see how she was – she’s gaining weight and healing her wing but she still needs a few more days to recover. Get well quickly, Miss BLT! heehee
Here are the awesome rescuers…
See? Shelling is ALWAYS an adventure. You should join us on one of these exshellent shelling trips with so many other fabshellous shellers. I just announced new dates through May 2015… CLICK HERE for the new dates and more info…
Pam,
Had a great time on this trip and it was really nice to finally meet you. We cant wait to read your updates each week. While shelling at blind pass I met a man who said the reason I didn’t find any tulips is because it wasn’t tulip season. I’ve looked but can’t find anywhere that lists seasons for specific shells. Does something like that exist?
Lisa
We didn’t find any there last week, but tides change & what they bring in varties. We had to get in the water at Gulfside City Park last week to find tulips & they were small. Things could have changed since then.
I do notice in NC that we get certain shell in quantity at certain times. We can find them all year though, you just havecto look a little harder.
Good luck!!!
I hope Miss BLT gets well quickly!
It was great that the cruise happened that day so the bird could be rescued. Love all the great shells everyone found-sunray venus, minis etc. Will your calendar be coming out soon? Hope to see you in February. Pat
Well I’m here on West Gulf Drive; got here about sunset time yesterday. It was pretty chilly and cloudy yesterday afternoon, but the sun is out today and it is warming up quite a bit.
WGD is currently rather low on shells and rather picked-over; there are still waves on the Gulf so maybe more shells will be washing in soon. However, the slope of the beach is rather steep right here at the moment, so unless that flattens out, any shells that are coming in will not be staying on the beach.
Found one valve of a fairly big Pennsylvania lucine just now; that’s about the most interesting shell I found while I was walking the beach here about an hour ago. Now it’s time for a nap! :)
Pam I know you have found Pennsylvania lucine on Sanibel — any idea why it is not on the museum list?
Very happy about the bird rescue; it’s always great to save a life!
Yep, ive def found them in swfl but i think we’ve seen way more on cayo costa than Sanibel.
What a lovely post, Pam. It just goes to show that shellers (and boat captains) are also kind to animals. Yay for saving the injured bird! Great job everyone–especially to the CROW volunteers!
How fun to notice that Miss BLT has a dot of MUSTARD on her beak!!
I had forgotten that cute trait of the SANDWICH TERN :)
Shellotte
wow you keep everyone happy on evrty shelling trip it must mean everyone loves shelling especially myself I’m counting down and will be there soon thanx for another great post sincerely r.g.stein
Love to see the bird rescue. When my family was at Isand Inn with me in Nov. we went to CROW. My granddaughter wants to be able to volunteer there when she is in college. Our family is very concerned about saving wildlife.
Thanks for the rescue story.
My wife and I are visiting Sanibel (from Seattle) for the second time Jan 17th-25th. (We planned the trip around the early morning low tides that week!) We hope to be on the Jan 21st cruise. Do you recommend I call and try to book it now, or do it once we’re there in person on the 17th or 18th?
This was one of the our “best of” displays from our trip to the island last year: http://i.imgur.com/43lg8xR.jpg Can’t wait to see what we find this year!
Joe I suggest booking ASAP! Here’s all the info http://www.iloveshelling.com/blog/iloveshelling-events/. Oh and sweet display!
Thanks, booked it this morning. See you on Jan 21st!
A decent-sized shell heap formed very early yesterday morning right at Mitchell’s Sandcastles on West Gulf Drive. By the time I got to it, it had already been quite well picked over. Today it had shifted position a bit and gotten quite a bit smaller, but there are still people trying to go through what is left of it with rakes and so on.
What sweet Carolina girls for saving that tern! Shellers rock