Day 20 Captiva

This morning, we had toast, juice, and coffee and headed out to Ding Darling for the low tide which makes for great birding.  We saw many of the wading birds in numbers. There were many roseates, blue herons, tri-colored herons, reddish egrets and several  great blues in additon to brown and white pelicans. Not many ibis were here which we also usually see in numbers.

Anhinga

Reddish Egret

Brown Pelican

Roseate Spoonbills

White Pelicans in Flight Formation

 The highlight of the drive was spotting the mangrove cuckoo in a clump of Mangroves near the dike entrance. This bird created quite a stir as everyone was trying to capture a sighting ( probably a life sighting) or take a  picture. Even one of the wildlife employees stopped her truck ( a no no)  in the road backing up traffic. She had stopped to get people out of the middle of the road and she herself got caught up in the excitement of seeing the bird. We had seen the mangrove cuckoo before several years ago near the entrance to the drive, but it was exciting to see again.  This is not a rare bird but it is rare to see so much in the open sitting for such a long time. Pictures below:

Mangrove Cuckoo

Back to the house for lunch on the porch and then out to the beach. We saw a big black snake run across the path as we approached the beach.  Beautiful day at the beach....in the hi 70's.

We decided to go  to dinner at Sunshine Seafood which used to be Sunshine Cafe and that was a big mistake....one of the worst dinners ever on the Island.  This used to be a great restaurant but has changed ownership....still has the high prices but not the quality, quantity, or great service of the former place. Our waiter was not attentive....should have known we were  in for a bad experience when he showed a lack of attention while taking our order. He was looking all around as if his mind was somewhere but with us. We ordered wine and for the price they charged by the glass it was very skimpy.....all wine prices were a bit exorbitant. We had a long wait for our salad....the place was not that busy.  We shared Pecan Crusted Goat Cheese Salad of mixed Baby Greens tossed with a Mango Vinaigrette, Vine Ripe Tomatoes, Red Onions, Carrots and Apple Slices topped with a Piece of Warm Pecan Crusted Goat Cheese. It was good, not great, but the waitress tried to take mine away before I finished.   Al ordered Shrimp and Scallop Scampi-Linguine tossed with Scampi Butter, Snow Peas, Asparagus, Jumbo Shrimp and Dry Sea Scallops sprinkled with Fresh Parmesan Cheese and Fresh Herbs. It was not served with linguine but spaghetti and was bland...no sign of garlic or cheese. When Al complained to our waiter ( who we had to motion over since he never checked if our dinners were satisfactory) that he had ordered a dish with linguine, the waiter replied...well, it is pasta, isn't it? And then walked away.  I had ordered the salmon blackened and grilled served with risotto. I had said I did not want it spicy but was it ever so spicy.  The waiter had said it could be done without the spice. The risotto was just rice cooked with mushrooms...no creaminess or cheese...would not call it risotto.  When our bill came, the waiter had charged for a vintage of wine other the one  that Al ordered...of course a more expensive one. At least he responded by removing the charge for Al's wine. We have moved this restaurant to our "List of Never to Eat or Recommend Places".  One of our worst dining experiences in Captiva. To make  it even worse, we think it was the manager who was our server based on the bad reviews we have since read.