09/04/2006 – Dauphin Island

Launch: Southeast end of the island by the rock jetties. Launch Cost: Free. Route: West to the northern end of Sand Island, then southeast along the north side of the Sand Island to the end, then north back to the launch site. Distance: 10.6 miles. Average Speed: 3.5 mph. Time: Approx 3 hrs. Pace: Moderate. Weather: Partly clouds, waves about a foot and current minimal. I went through one quick rainstorm that produced some nice waves for surfing.

(1) Above left. So, you think you’ve had a bad day, eh? Just past the Jemison’s Bridge on the way to Dauphin Island, when I passed by this green truck was sunk to about mid-windshield with a boat sticking oddly out of the water behind it. By the time I stopped and got the camera out, they had pulled the truck partly out of the water before the tow line snapped. Can you imagine what his wife is going to say? Yikes! (2) Above right. Since it was the labor day weekend, there was considerable more boat traffic than usual. This was shot from Sand Island showing Dauphin Island in the background.

(3) Above left. These little birds, sanderlings I believe, walk along the sand at a fast pace. (4) Above right. There were pockets of natural foam along some of the edges of the inner pools of water. This particular pocket of foam had feathers sticking out of it. There were lots of feathers on the sand and in the water.

(5)(6) Above left and right. This bird looked a little like the sanderlings, about the same size, but the color of its legs are orange. None of the books I looked in had a photo like this one in it. Anyone know what kind of bird it is?

(7) Above left. This poor pelican could not fly which allowed me to get close enough for a nice photo. It looked like it had a broken wing. After watching these big pelicans dive into the water, it is amazing that more of them don’t break their wings or necks. (8) Above right. Looks like a sandpiper to me, but, there are a whole lot of birds that look like a sandpiper.

(9) Above left. There were plenty of crabs at water’s edge in the interior water pools, along with a lot of dead ones. A Jubilee? The water did not look very healthy. (10) Above right. This crustacean got crabby and went defensive when the lens got too close for its comfort.