Two Birds in Paradise on Tigertail Beach!
In every walk with nature, one receives far more than he seeks.
John Muir
Late one afternoon we felt the pull of the beach! Grabbing our hats, water and of course sunscreen we jumped into the car, anxious to arrive before the sun bid farewell for the evening!
The beach, Tigertail!
Located on the northern end of Marco Island, Tigertail beach is an undeveloped barrier island one mile long with pristine white sand, tidal pools and tons of beautiful shells! A birdwatching paradise with sunsets beyond amazing! We love this beach, its rustic beauty and peaceful shoreline.
Did I mention the birds? We were greeted by the Laughing Gulls and Black Skimmers!
The Black Skimmer has a beak which is red with a black tip! They’re amazing, literally skimming the top of the water with their beak! Merely inches above the water, they’re able to snatch their meal right out of the water and fly away without skipping a beat! Truly captivating!
And they’re off! Did someone mention a better spot for dinner?
Watch your step...…
its the female Fiddler crab! Tiny, but mighty! Look at her scurring to and fro.
Twenty years ago Tigertail was merely a sandbar!
In 2011, Hurricane Wilma changed all that by piling sand on the southern end, developing what is known as Sand Dollar Island. Many tourists make a special trip to Tigertail hoping to find the magnificent Sand Dollar! Look what we found!
The Sand Dollar…
is a tiny flattened sea urchin which burrows in the sand. Their skeleton, called a test is made of calcium carbonate. As a living urchin the shell is covered by a velvety brown coat with tiny hairs. Most often we find the sand dollars on the shore, no longer alive and bleached to an off-white color.
The gulf breeze was lovely, we walked quickly, knowing we didn’t have much time to explore!
An egg case for the Lightening Whelk!
Covered with barnacles and shells, we could tell there were no eggs ready to hatch! What is a lightening whelk? It’s a beautiful shell! I shared a post a while ago about this beautiful shell. Feel free to check it out, it’s quite an interesting shell with amazing history!
The birds were gathering, large and small!
Dinner time! Just one more picture!
It was getting late…
we had a couple of miles to walk to get back to our car! Oh but wait! I have just one more to share!
Look! The Calico Scallop…
Resident in tow! These small scallops are found along the coast from Maryland to Florida as well as the Caribbean Sea and Brazil! Calico Scallops live about 18 months, reproducing 3-4 times during their lifetime. The shells are beautiful and plentiful along the shores of Tigertail.
Sunset would soon arrive as nature bids us farewell!
We’re always sad to leave…
walking down the path, sea oats along the way, glittering like gold. The serenity and peace we feel, just walking with nature can’t be beat! Such a blessing.
As we walked back to our car, we turned to see the Pink Muhly waving goodbye!
Don’t worry! We’ll be back soon, ready for another amazing walk with nature! Thanks to my friend @tattoodjay, we have #wednesdaywalk, a perfect opportunity to get out, take a walk and enjoy a moment to refresh and experience nature living all around our homes and communities. I hope you’ll take a moment to step outside today and find a beautiful flower, bird or butterfly. I promise you’ll be glad you did!
So glad you took a moment to walk with the Birds on the beach today! Thanks for stopping by!
And as always, blessings to you all!
What a beautiful beach and absolutely gorgeous shells, your posts are such a blessing @birdsinparadise!
You are so sweet @lizelle, I truly appreciate those kind words. We do love our beaches don't we. Nothing like a good walk with nature to clear the mind and refresh the soul! Thank you!!!
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Wow, thank you so much :) Truly appreciate your support! Love my PHC community!
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Thank you, thank you @theluvbug :) What a sweet surprise. So blessed to be a part of the PHC community!
If I could give this post 10 upvotes I would. I don't know even where to start. The pictures are simply gorgeoous. And, I love the beach and the ocean photos. I don't think I should explain why? Your photos explain it all. No more words needed. 😀
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Wow, you are so kind @awakentolife, thank you , thank you! I am speechless...needless to say. I love sharing the special spots we love, and so glad you enjoyed our walk.
I am glad you shared it with us. It was truly amazing to watch. It is a beautiful place. 😀
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What a lovely beach post, @birdsinparadise. Now I know what a whelk is - I never knew. In South Africa your Sand Dollars are pretty rare, but can be found along the beaches of the Garden Route where they're called "pansy shells".
I love all of the names for Sand dollars! So sweet! I'm so glad you enjoyed our walk, each walk is different. Just depends on what nature wants to share that day, lol :)
What a gorgeous celebration of Mother Earth in her beach-side incarnation. Delightful. Makes me want to kick off my shoes and go for a long and solitary walk. :)
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Thank you, thank you @artemislives :) I too love to just kick off my shoes, in fact as soon as we are touching sand, they're off! Love the walks, there is nothing like it! Appreciate your sweet support!
Such cool shots of your time by the water and so informative, I have seen most of those things but didn't know much about them at all
Thanks for joining Wednesday walk :)
Thank you @tattoodjay:) I'm sure you have seen most of these items with your early morning walks! Although since you're such an early bird you would get first pic of the best shells, lol So glad you enjoyed! Thanks for #wednesdaywalk!
Ohh yes I have seen a few of them I used to pick up cool shells and sea glass on my walks but realized I was just creating a pile and not doing anything with them so gave what I had to a friend on farcebook who does art with them and don’t collect anymore
Have a great day
Oh this is such a lovely post, @birdsinparadise. I love seagulls and shells and water and everything about the ocean! You’ve captured it in all its glory. And what an amazing gift Wilma left behind!
Thank you @jayna :) We certainly enjoyed it too! Every visit is different, we never know how nature will change and reclaim it's beach shoreline. So fun, I'm glad you enjoyed it!!
Amazing place, and shots, and story! Thanks for telling us about sand dollars ;)
Some of the birds in the mass group photo have interesting beaks. The Skimmers :)
Yes, yes the skimmers have an interesting beak you are correct! Even more amazing is the way they are able to fly just above the water at high speed while snatching fish out of the water, then swooping up into the sky. Unbeliveable! So glad you enjoyed, thank you!
Fab post @birdsinparadise. Makes me want to go to the beach and check out all of what nature leaves there.
So glad you enjoyed @redheadpei! You'll have to visit your beach very soon, especially before winter arrives :) Every time we visit, there is something new to see, so fun!