Day 25 Captiva

 We left around 9am to go to Ft Myers to visit Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve which is  over 3,500 acres of wetland ecosystem with a Boardwalk trail and Interpretive Center. The cypress slough catches and slowly filters rainwater on its way towards Estero Bay. 

Map of the Trail

At the amphitheater area we spotted a Great Egret nest across Gator Lake.

There appeared to be some young in the nest and there were 3 or more adults in the area.

 

There were turtles and cormorants on the platforms in the lake.

No sign of any alligators.

Several  herons were in this area.

And anhinga...

On the way to the Wood Duck Pond, we saw some wild pigs running beneath the boardwalk.

One Little Black Pig

 One Little Brown Pig

Captured more of the pigs on video.
To view videos, go to blog by clicking link at bottom of email.  Click arrows on video:

We did not see much at Wood Duck Pond but we saw some interesting turtles and a green heron at Otter Pond.   We had been told that there was a Limpkin with 2 baby Limpkins by Otter Pond but we did not see anything of them.  I just happened to photograph the Green Heron below when I was looking for the family.

 

Other views of the slough:

We made another stop at the observation deck at the amphitheater on the way back and lucked out to see a Limpkin who was eating apple snails and partly hidden by reeds.

 After seeing the Limpkin eating snails,  we ate our picnic lunch at the area near the parking lot.

We then shopped at Publix for groceries and stopped at the Polo Shop at Sanibel Outlets and bought  5 items -2 shirts, sleep shorts, socks, and after shave. 

The drive back to Captiva was smooth going our way but traffic was backed up bumper to bumper across the Causeway with cars and trucks leaving Sanibel.

For dinner, we had salmon broiled with mustard sauce served with green beans and broiled tomatoes with parmesan cheese.  Nice finish to a busy and active day.