March 15, 1984 - Short Spell on SanibelPhoto by Paul Stoutenburgh
BROWN PELICAN- -Only once have 1 ever seen pelicans this far north,
and that was many years ago. These graceful fliers are common in
Florida and one never tires of suing them.
Short Spell on Sanibel
By PAUL STOUTENBURGH
Barbara and I slipped away for a short
vacation last week to Sanibel Island on
the west coast of Florida. Friends invited
us down to stay at their place and enjoy
the sun. Needless to say, we did just that.
But besides the sun, we enjoyed the
nearby "Ding" Darling Wildlife Refuge.
"Ding" Darling was a nationally known
cartoonist and conservationist. Through
his foresight large tracts of land on
Sanibel were set aside as a wildlife
sanctuary.
Here you can ride, walk or bike along
great lagoons and waterways to see just
about every bird Florida has to offer --
from the noisy boat- tailed grackle to the
flashy roseate spoonbills that are drawn
to this unique area. There are even
sleepy alligators gliding almost without
motion right in front of your eyes in the
dark - colored waters alongside the road.
We visited the refuge many different
times, and at different hours of the day.
No matter when we went, whether it was
just after sunrise or at high noon, there
would always be cars and people moving
about with binoculars in hand. Some I'm
sure were just curious to see what was
there; others were more serious. Some
had simple instamatic cameras to catch
the sleeping alligators, while others were
loaded with the latest in cameras,
telephoto lenses and high - powered
binoculars.
What was particularly rewarding to
see was the range of ages of the people
who used the area. We saw schoolbuses
and kids following behind their teachers
like baby chicks. Up the way two young
couples were eating a quiet lunch while
watching a spectacle of cormorants
feeding in the shallows below. Being a
typical "snowbird" area, there were
Art Work on Display
SOUTHOLD- -The art of Joanne Taylor
will be shown at the Southold Free
Library during the month of March. Mrs.
Taylor resides in Mattituck and is a
native of the area. She has participated
in several local art shows and is a
member of the Old Town Arts & Crafts
Guild.
The library also has announced that
through the generosity of the "Friends of
the Southold Free Library" there is a
new copy machine on the premises for
the convenience of its patrons.
The winners of the first place gift
certificate in the Reading Buddy Club
were the brother and sister team of Evan
and Cathleen Smith. The Peter Grattan,
Staler and Larsen families received
honorable mention.
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many retired folks walking and riding,
stopping and checking as they looked
over a handsome great white heron or
marveled at a pair of white ibis feeding
in the mud along the shore.
Area Enjoyed But Kept Clean
There was also an information center
where exhibits and programs could be
seen. Leaflets could be picked up to help
the traveler with information along the
way at numbered stations throughout the
sanctuary. I was amazed how clean the
area was. There was no litter of any sort
and being mostly open with nothing but
bare roads and paths there was no
vandalism.
We were in Sanibel during the annual
shell fair and exhibit which, of course, we
had to attend. It was absolutely fabulous.
Never before had I seen such a collection
of seashells from all over the world.
Sanibel has been a mecca for shell
collectors because of its rich source of
shell beaches and productive waters
nearby.
Being closely involved in the natural
world, I have always been amazed by the
variety of shapes and colors that nature
provides -- whether it be in a flower, a
bird, an insect, a crystal or a grain of
sand. But now I had to open my mind to a
whole new array of shapes and colors.
One had to see it to believe it.
We did our share of shelling along the
hard coral -sand beaches. There we found
shore birds that had wintered in the
Americas to the south now on their way
north. We'd be seeing them soon up our
way, passing through. Ospreys at Sanibel
were resident ospreys and some already
had eggs and could be seen sitting tight
on their nests. Our transient ospreys will
be coming back to us in the next two to
three weeks and I'll be looking for my
one particular pair out on Meadow Beach
about the 21st of March.
We left the airport in shirt sleeves; the
temperature was 83 degrees. We arrived
home at Kennedy with the temperature
at 25 degrees and snowing. Howling
winds and driving snow escorted us home
on a ride that took longer than our flight
from Florida to New York. You all know
the rest... but hold on. It can't last
forever.
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