A Visit To The Island

Yesterday was GORGEOUS - perfect for a trip down to Dauphin Island to visit with Jan, a fellow club member who is a snowbird from Wisconsin. They stay at the campground on Dauphin Island and it's right next to the Audubon Bird Sanctuary.


One of the trail heads is mere feet from their campsite, so off we went. The trail went deep into tall pines and then to a nice boardwalk over the dunes to the beach.


Coming off the beach we met these ladies with their pack of Labradors, who had been having a marvelous time playing in the chilly surf. This is a wonderful place where responsible dog owners can still take their pets for an enjoyable walk and romp. The campground even has a dog park and convient stations for poop bags!

Palmetto clumps and pines.... very typical of this environment.

The view of a pond from the bird banding tower. There is a big bird banding event held each year in April right here on the island.


Fixer - upper, anyone? An old Osprey nest looks like it could use some sprucing up.

We didn't see or hear many birds - odd for a bird sanctuary, but it was mid-day and the birds were probably off feeding somewhere else. There were several butterflies around though.... like this shy Monarch. I think we spotted at least 3 Monarchs during our walk.

A couple of sulfur butterflies, too. They didn't seem as lively as the summertime ones are.... perhaps because of the chilly temperature?

I don't know what kind of butterfly this small one is... if you know, email me and let me know. The closest thing I found was a Red Admiral.

A delicate, feathery clump of mushrooms on a decaying tree..

Sunshine sparkles on the sanctuary lake...

On the other end of the lake, there is a bench and viewpoint and it has lovely views of the water reflections..

A cluster of water lily pads - a la Monet!

As we started to leave the view point, we spotted a resting Great Blue Heron taking a noon siesta.

We walked back to the campground via the beach... a few shells lined the waves edges.

A flock of seabirds was having a noon time snack... I don't know if these are Plovers or sandpipers.

Whatever they are, they are entertaining.... running along the waves, then stopping to check the wet sand for treats.

A old pine's roots sculpted by Mother Nature...



The Sand Island lighthouse and friend. All that's left of the island is the lighthouse and rocks. Check out the older photos of the lighthouse HERE.

One of Jan's dogs won this chair at a show. The lady who makes them creates them individually for which ever breed of dog wins. Gotta find out her name! Gorgeous!

Jan's husband had gone fishing with some other campers and they caught a mess of sheephead. We had to go over and admire the catch of the day.

Check out the choppers on this fish.

Then we practiced some agility drills and I came home. All in all, it was a great day.