Unlike some of the coastal areas in Florida, Sanibel Island was fortunate to have town fathers and mothers who had a bit of foresight. And a major mosquito problem that delayed development, now under much better control due to better plumbing. The ridges and valleys that form the island were perfect for catching stagnant mosquito-breeding water, and without connection, impossible for larvae eating fish to get to. I only got a couple of potentially Zika-carrying bites.
After the causeway that connected the island to the mainland was built in 1963, it became apparent that the locals would soon be overrun by the developers and tourists if they didn't take steps to prevent that dilemma. So the regulations were changed to limit all new construction to 2 stories or less, not counting the stilts all intelligent builders provide in hurricane country.
Additionally, starting in the 1930's, portions of the island were designated as wildlife refuge. Due to that beginning and continued conservation efforts, upwards of 3/4 of the island is national, state or local refuge. Does a great job of keeping the density of the human population down.
And where humans are limited, birds are plentiful.
After the causeway that connected the island to the mainland was built in 1963, it became apparent that the locals would soon be overrun by the developers and tourists if they didn't take steps to prevent that dilemma. So the regulations were changed to limit all new construction to 2 stories or less, not counting the stilts all intelligent builders provide in hurricane country.
Additionally, starting in the 1930's, portions of the island were designated as wildlife refuge. Due to that beginning and continued conservation efforts, upwards of 3/4 of the island is national, state or local refuge. Does a great job of keeping the density of the human population down.
And where humans are limited, birds are plentiful.
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| Can you hear him warble? |
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| Blackbirds not singing during the life of day. |
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| Some birds just do not cooperate. Not easy to capture this pileated woodpecker in the shadows. With the moving head, no less. |
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| A hairy bird. |
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| Can you hear him warble now? |
These guys were all at a small refuge in the interior of the island. I fully intended to go back to see more, and maybe get a better look at the woodpecker, but that didn't happen. There were lots of other birds on the periphery of the island.
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| Stepping lightly over the shells. This may be a Ruddy Turnstone. |
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| "I love crab legs, don't you?" |
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| "But they're just so hard to eat." |
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| The sandpiper is unafraid of the onrushing surf, confident in his ability to scurry away just before the crushing wave arrives. They should be called Waveteasers. Or maybe this is a Godwit, or a Curlew, or a Snipe. |
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| Maybe THIS is the Ruddy Turnstone. Or a Red Knot. Or a Plover. Who cares? Isn't it beautiful? |
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| Here's a nice shot of a tern. |
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| And here's another tern. Why? Because one good tern deserves another, of course. |
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| These are the coolest guys on the beach. They usually stand in groups, beaks into the wind, unperturbed by the humans ambling by, only a few feet away. |
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| And they have the best haircuts. |
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| You get a little idea of the pace by watching the trailing splash. All these shorebirds move quickly when they want to. |
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| "Why yes, I love the beach. Doesn't everyone?" |
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| Longer legs make scurrying from the waves unnecessary. |
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| Some are MUCH better at posing than others. |
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| Do you really think you're going to catch anything with that curved beak? |
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| "Yum! Periwinkle!" |
These birds frequent the wave washed southern shore of the island, where the waters of the Gulf of Mexico wash shells and an abundance of food up onto the beach. But that is not the only place where aquatic life attracts feathers. Next time, I'll show you a few of the inhabitants of the mangrove swamps on the northern shore.
