Bradenton Beach

Made it to our hotel in Bradenton Beach, just south of Anna Maria.  All is well.  We are staying in a small motel reminiscent of the 1960's.  Clean and lots of room.  Can't say the locale is all that hot.  Triangle lot.  One side is a trailer park and one side is the back of a US Post Office.  I'm going to have to take some pics!

Very windy today, partly cloudy and warm.  Lots of flooding here when we arrived.  Apparently, they have received heavy rain in the last couple of days.

Leaving Sanibel today

Packing up to go to Anna Maria island this morning.  Big rainstorm last night with lots of thunder and lightening. Much cooler.  Our travel French press broke.  Using a Mr. Coffee.  Haven't done that in years!  Going to have to stop by a kitchen store to pick up a Bodum press.

Sanibel Island

We had a great second day on Sanibel Island today.  We started off the day with shelling on Bownman's Beach on the north end of the island at low tide around 8:30 am after a quick breakfast and one cup of coffee.  It was breezy, almost windy.  Lots of shells, but not a lot that we haven't seen before.  Still, Pam carried on and brought back a bunch of shells.  While she shelled, I photographed.

A shot of some of the shells piled up on the beach.  There were lots to sift through.  But we weren't alone on the beach.  There were probably about a dozen other folks looking as well.

One of the wading birds that I found having breakfast.

After shelling, we came back to the cottage for a quick second cup of coffee and off we went to Ding Darling Wildlife Refuge.  We took the wildlife drive through the park.  It is about 6 miles.  Lots of places to pull over.  We stopped several times.  Jumped out, set up my tripod, and shot the scene.  Pam was shooting as well.  We ran into several birders and other photographers who had much nicer lenses.  I will get there someday!

After Ding Darling, we came home to shower before heading to Port Charlotte to meet my Aunt Grace for lunch.  The last time I saw her was when we were living in Groton, MA back in the early 1970's.  Her husband passed away just a few months after moving to Port Charlotte, a victim of cancer.  However, she decided she was going to carry on with her life and is doing well.

After lunch, I set up my aunt's new cable box to save her the aggravation and cost of having Comcast install it.  They told her it would only take 5 minutes.  NOT!

When I was done with the install, we said our goodbyes and headed to Pine Island.  Lovely place!  Not built up at all.  Agriculture based.  Lots of palm nurseries and forestry.  But two very nice small towns on each end of the island.  Some good restaurants.  Basic necessities.  Looks like a good place to vacation for peace, quiet and the beauty.

Tomorrow, we leave for Anna Maria Island north of here on the other side of Port Charlotte.

You can see all of my Sanibel Island photos at the following links in Flickr:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/pauldiming/sets/72157629764134022/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/pauldiming/sets/72157629775293672/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/pauldiming/sets/72157629825883144/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/pauldiming/sets/72157629870163112/

Anhinga @ Circle B Bar Preserve

We found this Anhinga at Circle B preserve.  Never seen one before!  Very colorful.

This is our second day on Sanibel Island.  Just got back from shelling at low tide and a drive through scenic Ding Darling Wildlife Refuge.  Took the driving tour through.  Stopped many times to shoot birds with my camera and tripod.  Saw many we have not seen before.

The weather today is breezy.  A rain storm is not far away.  We'll be leaving soon to meet my Aunt Grace for lunch in Port Charlotte.  Hopefully, we can see Pine Island on the way back to Sanibel this afternoon.  I'm hoping the rain will hold off.

You can see all my Circle B Bar Preserve photos at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/pauldiming/sets/72157629735850224/

Cormorant @ Circle B Bar Preserve

I caught this Cormorant at Circle B.  It was seriously backlit making it difficult to capture much detail in the shadows.

You can find all of my Circle B Bar Preserve photos at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/pauldiming/sets/72157629735850224/

Circle B Bar Preserve

Had a great day today!  Stopped at the Circle B Bar Preserve on our way between Jacksonville and Sanibel.  Even though it rained on us, and often sprinkled, we saw a ton of terrific birds.  I believe this is my first shot of an Osprey!

We ended up at Sanibel in the early evening.  By the time we got home, I just didn't have the energy to edit many photos to share with you. tonight.  I will try some more tomorrow.

Got to get some sleep... Until later!

See all my Circle B Bar Preserve photos here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/pauldiming/sets/72157629735850224/

Our route for today takes us to Sanibel Island on the Gulf Coast.  To get there, we will cut through central Florida.  With luck, we will stop by the Circle B Bar Preserve near Lakeland where large numbers of water birds are attracted to the lakes and marsh area.  It will be a nice break if we can pull it off.

Warm and humid right now, but the sun just came out.  Should be a good travel day!