Day 37 on Captiva

Today I began with an early walk to the beach and on the street near where we are staying and made some photos of the quiet morning beach.

 Beach ready for People

Passing Boat

 View of a Beautiful Day

 

 Walk to the Beach

 

Spotted this Early Bird

I returned and made breakfast of poached eggs, toast, grapefruit with orange juice.   We then made a short visit to the bay to find only a few Brown Pelicans but no White Pelicans today.

Off to the beach for a couple hours sunning and reading.   Al also listened to the radio with his Bluetooth earpiece.  

Since it was such a beautiful day, I decided we should take in the sunset at Ding Darling with the White Pelicans and the Roseate Spoonbills.   I was a bit disappointed there were only 2 Spoonbills present as we usually see a large gathering of Spoonbills at sunset.   But we are always thrilled at the sight of these colorful birds and enjoy taking their photograph.

 

 

 

 

As we approached the end of the drive, we spotted a Yellow-Crowned Night Heron feeding and I got these photos:

 His red eye seems to glow.

 

We had a late dinner of a casserole of Ground Beef, Tomatoes, Garlic, Onions, and Noodles with green salad and hot roll.

Day 24 on Captiva

Sunrise on the Bay

This morning began with a sunrise watch from the dock.  Armed with coffee and cameras we went to the dock before 7AM to capture the glorious sunrise and what a lovely one we had with a sky of clouds  and the sea of  water reflecting the rays.

What a beautiful way to begin the day!

I then headed down to the beach and collected a few shells.

 

We then decided to check out what was happening at Ding Darling and found the White Pelicans congregating  at the usual  places on the mud flats but first we spotted this Roseate Spoonbill.

 

 

Al was able to capture the pelicans flying in to join the group. 

 

 

 

A Wood Stork was feeding in front of the second group of pelicans.

 

 

 We saw a lot of Cormorants along with the pelicans.

 

 

We had a late breakfast of Bacon and Eggs with toast and juice.  Then we went to the pool for awhile but moved to the beach where the cool breeze was more enjoyable that the heat of the pool.

 

For dinner,  Al grilled Pompano to perfection and served simply with Lime Slices.  This went nicely with French Fries and a Green Salad.  Along with glasses of wine.

 

 

Day 2 0n Captiva

This is our home for the next six weeks on Captiva Island.  

 

Today was a late start to our day...no getting up at 5:30.   After coffee and muffins, we went to the Farmer's Market in Sanibel for fresh produce and fresh Mozzarella cheese.  It was pretty much the same vendors and layout as last year.   We also purchased cut flowers, a basil plant and some bear claws in addition to produce.

 

We headed to the Sanibel Café for brunch and  were ahead of the Sunday crowd and did not have to wait for a table.    As usual,  Al had Smoked salmon and bagel with cream cheese, served with tomatoes, red onions and capers. I had the Shrimp Salad served over Romaine lettuce with  melon, fruit, and a  walnut muffin.  Very good food and service.  By the time we left,  there was a line of  customers waiting for tables.

We decided to take a drive through Ding Darling even though it is now about noon.   The highlight of the drive was seeing a Dunlin up close as he walked along the shore line .

"The Dunlin is a familiar shorebird around the world. The winter dunlin is basically grey above and white below.  Medium-sized sandpiper. Moderately short neck. Moderately long, drooping bill. Moderately long, blackish legs. Slightly hunched appearance."

Other sights on the drive:

White Pelicans

 Roseate Spoonbills

 

Island of White Pelicans

 

We spent a restful afternoon doing not much of anything.  It was too cool to sit on the beach,

 Al made us a new drink for happy hour made with Vodka and muddled Blueberries, calling it Kim's Berry Delight.  Very Refreshing! 

 

For dinner, Al was to grill steaks but the outdoor grill would not heat up enough, so he cooked inside with potato wedges and we served with Arugula Salad.   It was not one of our better meals as the steak was a bit overdone for our liking.   Glasses of wine did make it better! 

 

Day 4 on Captiva

Wed, Feb 5, 2014

We began our day early with coffee in order to be at Ding Darling Wildlife Drive around 8:00 to check out the birds.  It was not low tide so not many birds were feeding along the drive but we were happy to find some great photo moments.  At the first pool there was only one white pelican and a few shore birds.  At the next pool we saw more white pelicans, a  reddish egret, green heron, cormorants, mergansers, several shore birds. and a yellow crown night heron. There was also an alligator swimming here.

As we drove the drive, we saw a Great Egret and several Ibis up close on the side of the road.  At the Cross Dike there were several Wood Storks feeding along with the herons and egrets and one beautiful Roseate Spoonbill.  Beyond this point were a lot more White Pelicans and several shore birds including a lot of Willets and gulls.

After our drive, we went to Jerry's for breakfast/lunch and then shopped for some more groceries. We were going to the beach for the afternoon but it was a little overcast so we hung around the house instead.
I served shrimp cocktails with drinks made  by Al at 5:00.  Tonight, Al grilled a steak and I made a fresh portabello  mushroom and wine sauce.  We enjoyed this with a mixed green salad with red onions and tomatoes and baked potatoes loaded with butter and sour cream.

I hope who ever reads this blog enjoys being part of our Captiva stay.