Yesterday was our final kayaking outing for the season. We launched at the Sewell Point Park beach and headed down the shoreline. We intended to cut over to Boy Scout Island and have a picnic lunch, but first we had to pass by Bird Island, which is a protected bird sanctuary and nesting area. Last time we paddled by there earlier this year, only a few pelicans were in the trees. Today was totally different since it is nesting season. The sights, sounds...and smell (!) were something we had never experienced before. The trees were loaded with adult and juvenile roseate spoonbills, wood storks, cormorants, pelicans, herons, egrets, and even frigate birds. The beautiful pink spoonbills were what really caught our eye...
Frigate aka Man-O-War birds...the males have red throats and the females and juveniles have white throats.
We even saw an oyster catcher hunting for lunch on the rocks.
After we observed from a safe distance, so we didn't disturb all the birds (there are signs on pilings in the water surrounding the island for no public access), we continued on to Boy Scout Island. We decided to skip landing there since there were other boaters, and went to the islands to the south. The tide was low and the only footprints for the day were ours.
Hard to believe in the above photo that we had just paddled through the cut between the islands, where Dave was now walking with water only up to his ankles. This tri-colored heron below, was in the mangroves and unafraid. I don't think I even had to zoom in for this photo...
Although the day was grey with rain predicted, we beat the odds. We are really "going out on a high note" with this, our final Florida paddling adventure. Now it's time to start packing up, storing boats, and heading back north early next week.
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