While in Florida during Super Bowl week, I spent more time on the beach than I had in a number of years. And the beaches of St. Petersburg are beautiful with soft sand to dig your feet into. What’s the most popular thing to do at the beach? Most people seem to be out there during the day taking in the suns rays. As the daylight begins to soften people tend to return to their abode having enjoyed the sandy shoreline. Just before the sun reaches the horizon, the beach once again becomes a popular place in hopes of witnessing a scenic sunset over the ocean. That was my most popular activity – watching the sunset.
Close behind was time shelling – or searching for beautiful, empty shells. There were a number of pristine shells, however, it’s occupants were still using them so I tossed them back into the ocean. This area of Florida seems to have an abundance of fun shells and a nice diversity of them to collect for showing those that haven’t been there. Some mornings I would get up before sunrise to scour the beach for something unique before others combing the same areas found them. Occasionally this was successful and other days it was just fun to be out enjoying the morning light and listening to the ocean. One of the nice things about St. Petersburg is if you don’t find the shells you’re looking for, going to another area along the coast may provide them. Or possibly ones you weren’t even looking for. It would seem with the popularity of this activity, finding intact shells no longer in use would be a challenge but it really wasn’t. There were large quantities washed up on the sand on a daily basis. You just have to spend the time searching.
Walking up and down the beach also brought a few other pieces I enjoy. Watching the birds as they dart in and out of the incoming waves and listening to the waves crash on the sandy beach. There are a mix of birds here, especially during this time of year as birds from the north spend their winters here. The most common to see tend to be the shore birds constantly pecking their long beaks into the sand grasping tiny morsels for nourishment. Great Blue Herons, Great Egrets, and Snowy Egrets were often sighted, especially near people fishing as they were looking for a meal to be thrown their way or possibly snagging some of the bait. Flying over the water were Pelicans, Cormorants, and an occasional Eagle adding to the variety of birds to identify while listening to the sounds of waves near my feet. The constant, almost rhythmic sounds of waves washing up on the sandy beach is relaxing most of the time. Big storms can change these sounds from relaxing to concerning. Fortunately, most of the time the water is more gentle as each wave rises from the water and runs into the sand ending in a foamy finish before retreating back into the ocean. I could get use to starting and ending my day on the beach for more than a week.
