COOLPIX

Our stay on Sanibel continues to be fun, and we have explored new places daily.  We’ve learned that the best way to get around is on a bicycle.  Parking is at a premium and traffic is always dense.  There are no stop lights and few stop signs, but motorists are alert to cyclists and pedestrians, and we always feel safe.  We may have to refer this visit as our ‘get close to nature trip.’  None of the NFL teams we follow were on TV Sunday afternoon, so that freed us for some more exploration.  We took the bikes to the Bailey Tract of the “Ding” Darling NWR.  This was land privately held and had been dammed to create a fresh water catchment for the purpose of attracting wildlife.  It was a pleasant ride, but only yielded a turtle and an alligator.  We were hoping to see more birds than we had the other day at the main facility, but it was not to be.

Monday found us off island running shopping errands to Costco, Camping World, and Publix.  Costco had a Nikon Coolpix camera on sale, one that Susan had been wanting for some time, so we decided that since ole St. Nick would probably not be bringing it to us, we would treat ourselves.  When one gets a new camera it is necessary to try the thing out; hence, we hit the aviary here at Periwinkle Trailer Park and the beach to see how well the camera worked.  The camera worked fine, but the operators need some OJT to sharpen their skills.  However, we managed to get a few pretty good shots which we will share with you.  The Periwinkle aviary contains some very exotic birds that are bred by the owner.  Two birds that we met and got to know pretty well are Piper and Peaches, Moluccan Cockatoos from Australia.  These are colored differently than the Sulfur Crested Cockatoos we were familiar with in Canberra, but just as noisy.

Still chomping at the bit, Susan talked me into taking her to a fresh water catchment operated by the City of Sanibel to control storm water.  The evening drinking crew at Periwinkle had told us about the catchment and that it usually had quite a few birds and an alligator or two.  There were no alligators that we could see, but we did see some Wood Storks, Egrets, and Anhingas.  It is amazing that this little wild place is located right in the heart of the main business section of Sanibel and few people know about it or go there.

Rain has come to Southwest Florida--an event much welcomed by the denizens of the region.  It has been drier than usual in this the dry season.  For example, November was the driest November in many moons…they only go 29 inches of rain.  Egads, Colorado would float away with that much rain in a year.  Temperatures remain in the low 80s during the day and low 60s overnight.  Some slightly cooler, but drier weather will show up  tomorrow with the passage of a frontal system…this is the same one that has dropped temperature into the teens in Texas and brought snow to Colorado and New Mexico earlier in the week.  The best thing about rain is you don’t have to shovel it.