Watery Wednesday: No Oil

This white ibis was hunting in the early evening along the pristine shore of Sarasota Bay at South Lido Park.  Not only is its beak impressive, so is its claw.  What a goofy looking bird, yet so photogenic!  Still no oil sightings in Sarasota, thank goodness.  Visit Watery Wednesday to see more images from around the world.

Beach Combers

Beach combers leaning against a lifeguard tower on Lido Key beach, along the Gulf of Mexico.  No signs of the riders.  Whoever rode them here in this heat probably jumped in the water immediately to try to cool off.

Still No Oil Here!

I'm pleased to report there still is NO OIL on any of the beaches here in the Sunshine State.  News reports of tar balls from the Deepwater Horizon spill in the Gulf of Mexico washing ashore in Key West were wrong.  There are thousands of miles of pristine beaches in Florida, including Lido Beach, where this photo was taken.  The seagulls are swooping so close to these beachgoers because the family was feeding them Cheetos (of all things).  I would discourage you from feeding birds on the beach.  They're not used to being hand fed by people and they can become quite pesky.  

NO Oil Here!

There is NO oil on the beaches in Sarasota!  None.  Zip.  Zero.  Zilch.  In fact, there's no oil on any beaches anywhere in Florida.  Unfortunately, all the attention with the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is giving some tourists the wrong idea.  I took this photo early this evening on Lido Beach.  People were having a great time sunbathing, wading along the shoreline and collecting seashells  -- with no oil in the water.   I sure enjoyed the evening getting my toes wet!  To keep tabs on the daily beach conditions in the Sarasota area, check out Mote Marine Laboratory's online beach report  -- it's great.