Tuesday Morning on Sanibel (Sanibel Saga #7)

On Tuesday morning I went out to the beach behind our apartment on Middle Gulf Drive

 

 

On Tuesday morning, I got up early (7 am) and went out to the beach.

There's the sand and the waves.... in the morning light.

I got to witness dawn!!!!!!!!

And here's an "Ocean Dawn", beautiful......

See what a beautiful name  I gave my house? Ocean Dawn....

My first find was a live Lettered Olive. It was low tide and there were a bunch of these guys burying in the wet sand.

 

Here's another one!!!!!!!!

A Horse Conch operculum, the trapdoor of a mollusk. This definitely went into my shelling bag.

Here's some cybershelling for you guys!

I spy with my little eye an AUGER!

Do you see an Auger? ;)

 

There was this shell line in the middle of the shore, but I didn't really look closely.

However, on one of the Pen Shells, I found this Chestnut Latirus!

At first, I thought that it was a baby Horse Conch, but the shape is just not right. So I looked it up and found out that it was a Chestnut Latirus.

These guys are MUCH smaller than a Horse Conch ( max. length being 2.2 in.) They live in the water, but prefer the reefs, whereas Horse Conch prefer the sand.

They also feed on barnacles and worms.

Here's a Skate Egg, or Mermaid's Purse in the wrack line.

Here's the wrack line itself...lots of egg casings and pen shells.

Horse Conch Egg Casings, Lightning Conch Egg Casings, Skate Egg...

A Sea Urchin!!!!!!!! This guy joined the Horse Conch operculum in my shelling bag, because he was obviously dead and, I just like Sea Urchins.

A Fig Egg Casing.... These are so cool! Or maybe, I'm just used to the other types of egg casings, but I don't see this type as often. :)

The morning was perfect!!!!!!!!!!

 

See ya soon,

Lava of Ocean Dawn!!!!!!!!! :D

 

P.S. See, it doesn't always take me long to write a new post ;P

 

Let's Get Back to Bowman's Beach!! (Sanibel Island #6)

 

I decided to do another post today after making my post on shark teeth. Please enjoy this burst of diligence, because I don't know when I'll do another post... :P

So here is Sanibel Island part 6.

 

I left all of you guys with a small hook as I got to Bowman's Beach.

I came in time for the evening low tide.

 

There was a shell line on the shore...

....but I found most of my shells in the water, in the surf.

There were a few shellers there already.  I headed to the south of the island first.

My first find was this live juvie Florida Fighting Conch who I left alone, safely in the water.

Then... I hit TREASURE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A big Gaudy Nautica!!!!!!!! It's every bit and even more beautifuller than this picture!!!!!!

About 1.5 inches long- I was ecstatic!!!!!!!!!

I stayed at the beach for about an hour and half to two hours.

Here's the inside of my shelling bag.

Do you see that Florida Cone???????? That was another treasure!!!!!!

I also found a lot of Calico Crabs- I really like those guys and for some reason I find most of mine on Bowman's.

 

Well that's it for today. My diligence is wearing of....

 

See ya sometime (hopefully) soon........

Yaroshelllava :D 

Searching for Shark Teeth

For this one post, I'm going to take a break from my Sanibel Island Saga and tell you guys about how my family and some friends went searching for shark teeth yesterday.
We went to Flag Pond Nature Park on the Chesapeake Bay. The Park is just north of Calvert Cliffs and gets its fossils from the eroding cliffs.
The walk to the beach is just one half of a mile long and the beach is alright. But what we came in search of was SHARK TEETH!!!!!!!!!

 

So here's the beach.

 

 

I found a few Stingray Dental Plates.

 

And some fossilized seashells!!!!!!!!!!!! (Yes! There are seashells everywhere!) :D

And here are my smaller shark teeth! Some were so tiny!!!! Barely an eighth of an inch long. I found some of the smaller ones by using a sieve- you pile some sand and stuff into it than shake it in some water so that all the sand falls through and only stones and shells and fossils are left. Then you search through them until you find something, or you don't. And then you pick up another "sieveful" ( like "bucketful") and start over.

Here are my larger teeth, these were around 1/2 of an inch long.

 

And finally, drumroll please....... My largest shark tooth!!!! This guy was probably just about 3/4 of an inch wide and 3/4 of an inch long. I found him buried in the sand so that just the very top was visible.

 

And my last fossil is this fossilized Crab Claw. I really like these guys.

 

And this is all the fossils I found on my blanker!

See ya soon and have a great Memorial Day,

Lava of Ocean Dawn :D

Biking around the Island ( Sanibel #5)

On Monday, after going to the Lighthouse and back I went to get a bike- I LOOOOOOOVE biking around Sanibel.

Along the way I saw some flowers.

 

Hibiscus.....

 

And these guys. Not sure what they are, I'm better at my Shell ID than at Flower ID.

Here's another pic of them. If anyone knows what they are, please message me. :D

The road goes on and on and on....

 

Middle Gulf Drive!!!!!!!! I stayed on Middle Gulf Drive in the Coquina Suites I think! I really liked it!

Another biking path....

Junonia Street. I wish I had found a Junonia, but... there's always a next time!

Are there any alligators in there?

And then, in the evening, my family and I decided to go to Bowman's Beach!!!!!!! Crossing the bridge.

Forward! To the beach!!!!!!

And here's dear Bowman's Beach.

We came in time for the evening low tide around 7 pm and I found quite a few treasures.

But that's all for the next post!

See ya soon,

Yaroshelllava :D

 

Relaxing on my Way to the Lighthouse ( Sanibel Island Part #4)

I left you guys off, in the middle of my walk to the Lighthouse!

Well, now I came back to pick you up.

 

 

I found more goodies rolling in the waves, the tide was incoming.

My second baby Horse Conch and my FIRST (AHHHH!!!!!!!!!) full Nutmeg.

I was sooooo happy, but these shellcesses didn't prevent me from continuing on.

The beach stretched out in front of me......

Hmmmmmm... what else might I find?

This guy was a Sea Cucumber, lying in the wrack line. I think that he was dead and dried out.

Next, a live Ponderous Ark with some seaweed attached to it. I liked this guy a lot because of the yellowish coloring of his shell.

Usually they are more white, but I found a few of these yellow colored once during my week on Sanibel this year.

Keep on walking....

There are more shells to be found....

And even more shells....

I think that you can see the Lighthouse in the distance here in this photo....

Here's a Dosinia shell. I left it for someone else to find because I have a lot of these already :D

Some houses on the island. It's heaven!!!!!!

And the ocean- even better....

That day the waves brought me in a lot of treasures, take a look:

All my finds in my first day at Sanibel.

I know it's now the best photo, but I had to stretch my arms way up high to take a picture encompassing the whole table!!!!!!

And my favorite finds for that walk to the Lighhouse and back:

my first baby Horse Conchs, fancy Wentletraps, the Wormie and some Sea Urchins!!!

Sweet Shellcess!!!!!!!!!

 

Be back in a while,

Lava of Ocean Dawn :D