Feathered friends

Sunday, February 19, 2012 FORT MYERS, FL – The mocking bird was trilling at full force this morning from its lamppost across from our site. Val looked up “mocking bird” on the internet and we learned that they can imitate hundreds of bird songs, as well as animal sounds and even machinery. He even found a video of a mocking bird mimicking a car alarm! As we stood outside listening to the bird’s virtuoso performance, our neighbour, Dick, told us it comes back every year to the same lamppost. He also gave us a good tip when we told him we were going to Sanibel Island today. He said there was an interesting collection of birds on the island that would be worth a visit, and he told us where to find it. It was a very warm and humid day, so we were glad to be heading for the water and the sea breezes. As we drove over the causeway, we saw beautiful white sandy beaches on either side, with turquoise waves lapping at the shore and seabirds soaring overhead. Lots of people were out with beach chairs, picnic lunches, and fishing rods. As we got closer to the island, there were more and more cars. After a short stop for some brochures about things to do on the island, we found the Periwinkle RV Park that our neighbour had mentioned and turned in. Just a few blocks in, we saw a row of cages with exotic birds of all kinds – parrots, cockatiels, and lovebirds – with wonderful plumage in bright greens, yellow, orange, turquoise and red. As we strolled past, admiring them, one of the birds chirped “hello!”, while others rasped and squawked. We also heard “back off!”, and a pair of birds chanting “hah!” “haw!”, “hah!” “haw!” back and forth in a most comical conversation. Beyond the cages, there was a lovely waterway with dozens of birds, natural to Florida, but some unlike any we had seen anywhere before. Beautiful caramel-coloured ducks with brown heads, and mergansers with round crests on their heads, mingled with a flock of white ibis, a pair of black swans, egrets and herons. The founders of the RV park, Dick and Jerry Meunch, had been developing this bird sanctuary for 30 years, and clearly the feathered population appreciated their efforts. So did a pair of lemurs with ringed tails, in another cage near the water. We drove out the back entrance of the RV park and found ourselves heading for a beach area, but unfortunately we couldn’t get out and have a look, because it was part of an exclusive neighbourhood that did not provide public parking. So we continued back to the main drag only to find ourselves in very heavy traffic in both directions. It turns out, since this is a holiday weekend (Presidents’ Day is Monday), everyone and their dog decided to visit Sanibel Island today! The thickest traffic was next to a huge craft fair, with tents displaying paintings, stained glass, bird and alligator lawn ornaments made of metal and other knick-knacks. We turned away from the throngs to have a look at the nature reserve on the island, but thought it would probably be better to come back on a weekday when there were fewer people! With kayaks and bicycles for rent and tour boat rides to take, it gives us plenty to choose from.