Wildlife And Shells

 

It was a wonderful day with veteran wildlife explorers and shellers Pat, Jen and her three lovely kids, Ben, Izzy and Ursula. Many dolphin were spotted on our way to the beach. The frigate birds were all over the place swooping to catch fish. The beach was full of treasures. Ben found a nice piece of junonia. Izzy found a large shark eye, a beautiful alphabet cone, olives and a tulip. Ursula the youngest explorer was content picking up coquinas. Jen found two small horse conchs. On the return trip we took advantage of the clear water and waded around the flats looking at small fish and live shells. It was a wonderful day on the water with a wonderful family. I look forward to our next adventure.  Capt Brian

Katie The Marine Life Explorer

Katie is an excellent observer of marine life and has a keen knowledge of shells. Her parents, Penny and Mark, enjoy fostering her love of both. I am always excited to be a part of this learning process. On this trip we explored the backcountry, stopped by a sandbar in the Gulf and walked a beautiful stretch of beach. Favorite finds were a small and large horseshoe crab, and the coolest worm shell ever. I look forward to our next time of learning. Thank you Mark, Penny and Katie. See ya soon!  Capt. Brian

Turtles With Kathy

Kathy has traveled and explored with me many times. Her enthusiasm for the natural world is contagious. She wanted to do a trip that was focused on turtles and hopefully see one. Well we did just that and a side visit to some pre-columbian shell mounds. We started our trip by walking the beaches of the out islands observing turtle tracks and nests and then stopped by the Tarpon Lodge for a delicious lunch. Next it was off to the Randell Research center where we visited the pre-Columbian shells mounds. We had a most pleasant walk and talk on the mounds. The next part of the trip we spent drifting with the tide. We drifted the outgoing tide between two islands with the engine off, nothing around but the sound of the water and frigates overhead. We drifted for 3 hours. Kathy was extremely patience and her patience paid off. We saw 9 turtles breach the surface and one large loggerhead close to the boat. It was a wonderful day on the water and Kathy witnessed a sea turtle in the wild for the first time. Patience pays off! Thank you Kathy for another fun day of exploring.

Literature, Writers And A Beautiful Beach

I spent the afternoon exploring the out islands with Ed and Barbara.  The bird life on this afternoon was amazing and the colors of the water's edge was equally pleasing to the eyes. Ed and I enjoy some of the same writers and it is always a pleasure talking literature with Ed. Ed has been an island traveler for decades who has many stories to tell. Thank you Ed and Barbara for a beautiful day on the water and great conversation. Capt. Brian