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 | Sanibel Island J.N. Ding Darling Refuge Reviews | Tips 1 - 10 of 22 |  |
He and his cohorts managed to make an arrangement with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service to lease 2200 acres of mangrove wetlands longterm, forming the Sanibel Island National Wildlife Refuge. Upon his death in 1962, trustees of the conservation foundation that had been formed in his name move to solidify their tenuous grip on these precious wetlands. Finally in 1967, the lands were placed under federal ownership, and thus was formed the J. N. "Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge. Leave a Comment
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Today the refuge on Sanibel is over 5200 acres in size, and still supported by the volunteer organization, "Ding" Darling Wildlife Society. It receives over 1 million visitors per year, and is one of the most popular wildlife refuges in North America. Leave a Comment
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It's wonderfully accessible to all, no matter whether you can hike around or not. For those who are too tired or unable to hike it due to disabilites, you can ride the tramway and get a narrated tour. For the more audacious, you can rent a canoe or kayak from Tarpon Bay Explorers to paddle around the mangrove swamps. Drive the famous 5 mile Wildlife Drive, or bicycle it, or walk it, and take any number of side trail hikes if you wish. Search for the one resident American Crocodile (she has no mate, but comes here every year to lay her eggs). Leave a Comment
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Now this was our Mystery Bird for the day, since all we saw of it was the silhouette on a branch you are viewing here. Too big for a crow, tail too stubby for anything else we could think of. But finally we figured out that it's a Green Heron. What a relief! Leave a Comment
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Has anyone ever seen a Great Blue Heron in this pose before, for all the world like a flasher with his coat open? He stood this way for quite a while, and none of our little group had ever seen one in that pose before. Leave a Comment
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Small wonder, when you see the fantastic array of birds, from Roseate Spoonbills to Anhingas to Blue-Winged Teals to Ospreys, and all manner of Little Brown Birds besides! This shot captured an Immature Little Blue Heron, a Double-Crested Cormorant, a Willet & a Gull wading the mudflats in search of breakfast. Leave a Comment
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This lovely Reddish Egret was just a little too far away for me to get a clear picture. It was doing the typical "canopy feeding" behavior for the most part, moving too quickly darting after the fish for me to capture it with the ever-annoying digital lag issue. Leave a Comment
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J. N. "Ding" Darling was a Pullitzer Prize winning editorial cartoonist from Iowa. But his most famous and lasting legacy was begun in the early 1940's, when he became the champion of Sanibel Island's natural treasures. Darling spearheaded the efforts of conservationists to save the fragile mangrove and estuarial habitats on the island from development. (Link for Ding Darling Refuge: http://www.ding-darling.org/wildlife.html) Leave a Comment
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I was trying out the digital zoom feature on my camera - something I've never used before & will never use again! So darned if this didn't come out too blurry, and it should've been a beautiful shot. Wanted to re-shoot it, but the Spoonbill got tired of waiting for me to fumble around, and it flew off to parts unknown. The Double-Crested Cormorant was a bit more obliging, but not quite so photogenic without his friend. Leave a Comment
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The name of this place is a mouthful isn't it? The locals must have a shorter one...
Way, WAY too hot to walk the trail here in the summer. Take Wildlife Drive instead. You'll go past tidal mudflats, mangrove forests, and a small tropical forest. You'll see a ton of birds! Sadly, there were very few pelicans about. We were told it is because of the red tide that came and killed off so many fish, the pelicans food source. So most of them went elsewhere.
Didn't see any alligators either. They say winter is a better time to spot them.
The gate to the wildlife center generally opens one half hour after sunrise and closes one half hour before sunset. (I don't think you want to get locked in this place at night!)
The entrance fee is $5.00 per car, or $1.00 if you're hiking or biking in.
The education center is open 9-5 Nov. through April and 9-4 in the simmering summer. Leave a Comment
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on June 9, 2004
on July 24, 2003
