Ding Darling

Saturday, December 27, 2008. My ninth Sanibel area paddle in 15 days. I was thinking of doing this paddle Friday, and Cayo Costa today. But as I lay in bed Thursday night I recalled that Wildlife Drive is closed on Fridays. It worked out for the best. After packing, locking up the condo, having a locksmith saw the lock off my bike- the key would not work- dropping of the keys, stopping at the bank, joining the excess after Christmas traffic, yikes ! I wasn't in the water until near 11:00. No way would I had made it to Cayo Costa and back before dark.









I searched for spoonbills. they were not in the two places I saw so many my last visit. I did see a few, but far off, binocular range. Very few pictures of any birds.

Perhaps I was not looking deep enough into the mangroves.

The osprey with the big fish is a good one, here's second view.

I spent about 4 hours in the mangrove tunnels, bayous, bays and open water of Pine Island Sound. 4 days of paddling in and near Sanibel Island, nine trips in two weeks. I counted my blessings as I drove back to Winter Park. I guess those blessings were used up as I listened to the Seminoles chop my Badgers in the Champs Sports Bowl.

The Green Wave Forum did not have a Ding Darling report. Until now.

http://www.clubkayak.com/greenwave/treports.asp?trip=314