Spoonbills eat shrimp. Shrimp eat algae and the algae make their own red and yellow pigments, called carotenoids. Some scientists believe that the pink coloration that roseate spoonbills acquire as they mature is due to their diet of carotenoid-rich organisms like shrimp. The more they eat, the pinker they get. Flamingos are close relatives of the roseate spoonbill. They both have pink feathers, but the flamingos are much larger, with a longer neck. From March through October, roseate spoonbills prefer bays, marshes and estuaries along the Gulf Coast. Occasionally they will travel inland through the eastern third of Texas. In winter, most roseate spoonbills migrate to Central and South America, and the West Indies.
The slideshow above has photos taken by my friends, Doris and Hans from Switzerland. Love their island pix! They like roseate spoonbills almost as much as SanibelSusan.
September Realtor® Membership Meeting
Even with the island quiet, we had a good turn-out yesterday at our monthly Sanibel & Captiva Islands Association of Realtors® membership meeting. Ada Shissler, one of our semi-retired members, who started Sanibel Beautification and also is a long-time island boater, gave a presentation on our local canals and the benefits of our area to those who enjoy being on the water. Her pointers on things Realtors® should know when selling waterfront property in Southwest Florida were well received. As a boater myself, it was good to learn a few tidbits from a gal who put herself through college working as a member of the Seamen’s Union on the Great Lakes. I thought I knew Ada pretty well, but sure didn’t know that about her past. The locals call that “learning about a life B.S.” (before Sanibel).
Galloway Captiva Triathlon
Due to this event permitted by Lee County, Sanibel-Captiva Rd will be closed on Sunday, Sep 18, from 6:45 a.m. to 8:45 a.m. for traffic heading on and off of Captiva Island in the area of Blind Pass. Traffic on Sanibel-Captiva Rd at Blind Pass will be routed in a one-way circular pattern around Pine Ave to Coconut Dr and Mangrove Ln back to Sanibel-Captiva Rd area until Captiva Rd is re-opened. Instead of making that loop, you might want to consider stopping for breakfast at Sunset Grill located at the corner of San-Cap and Pine. Their gulf view is terrific and their chow is great!
Future Rental Bookings
Today, I again had lunch with colleague Dave Schuldenfrei who manages VIP’s Rental Divisions. He concurred that the islands are very quiet now, though his company does have a few units booked both this week and next. More importantly, he said that future bookings are well ahead of past years at this time. He thinks we will have a busy winter on the islands. We all hope so! If you know someone looking for a rental have them check out VIP’s offerings at www.VIP-VacationRentals.com
Sanibel & Captiva MLS Activity September 9-16
Sanibel
CONDOS
2 new listings: Colonnades #43 1/1 $169K, Duggers Tropical Cottages #2 1/1 $286K.
2 price change: Lighthouse Point #217 3/2 now $400K, Sunward of Sanibel #101 3/2 now $775K.
1 new sale: Pointe Santo #C7 2/2 listed for $749K.
No closed sales.
HOMES
4 new listings: 1948 Roseate Ln 2/2 $389K, 490 Old Trail Rd 3/2 $459K, 476 Las Tiendas Ln 3/2 $679K, 927 Limpet Dr 3/3 $749K (foreclosure).
5 price changes: 1755 Jewel Box Dr 3/2 now $629K, 618 N Yachtsman Dr 3/2 now $772.5K (short sale), 557 N Yachtsman Dr 4/3 now $789K, 1066 Bailey Rd 3/3 now $1.895M, 4949 Joewood Dr 5/5 now $2.975M.
No new sales.
2 closed sales: 4797 Rue Helene 3/2 $542.5K, 2622 Coconut Dr 3/3 $1.35M.
LOTS
2 new listings: 5321 Punta Caloosa Ct $420K; 2427,41, & 57 (triple parcel) Palm Ridge Rd $950K.
3 price changes: 437 Lake Murex Cir now $249.9K, 513 Sea Walk Ct now $325K, 4954 Joewood Dr now $469K.
No new or closed sales.
Captiva
CONDOS
No new listings.
1 price change: Bayside Villas #5134 1/2 now $285K.
1 new sale: Lands End Village #1639 2/2 listed for $1.225M.
No new or closed sales.
HOMES
1 new listing: 16891 Captiva Dr 3/2 $1.295M.
1 price change: 11514 Andy Rosse Ln 4/4 now $2.395M.
No new or closed sales.
LOTS
Nothing to report.
This representation is based in whole or in part on data supplied by the Sanibel & Captiva Islands Association of Realtors or its Multiple Listing Service. Neither the association nor its MLS guarantees or is in any way responsible for its accuracy. Data maintained by the association or its MLS may not reflect all real estate activity in the market. The information provided represents the general real estate activity in the community and does not imply that SanibelSusan Realty Associates is participating or participated in these transactions. If your property currently is listed with another broker, this is not intended as a solicitation of that listing.