Sometimes The Best Made Plans Actually Work Out

Sanibel, FL (86 degrees, blue skies with puffy clouds)

Rosette Spoonbills

We have tried for years to get a winter volunteer position at J.N. Ding Darling NWR, without any success.  There are five sites available, however, the same group of volunteers return each winter. You cannot blame them!  Sanibel is a very special place and the birding, weather, and shelling is phenomenal.  

Turtle eggs

Baby loggerhead turtles

You might remember that this spring we were getting ready to travel up to Maine and workamp for the spring/summer season with a KOA campground.  Just before we were to leave the manager of the volunteers at Ding Darling offered us a summer volunteer position due to some funding being cut for the refuge. There was a great need especially for maintenance help at the refuge and John really enjoys that type of work  After some consideration and discussion with the campground in Maine we decided to go

ahead and accept it.  We were hoping to get our foot in the door and see if we liked volunteering here.  

We have enjoyed our time tremendously and have learned so much about the birds and sea life from the rangers and volunteers we have worked with each day.  We have also made some great friends. The weather has certainly been a challenge.  August has been especially hot, humid, and buggy. The no-see-ums can be fierce and John has had frequent outbreaks of poison ivy. With three weeks left to our commitment we received a phone call from our manager telling us that one of the volunteer couples  was not returning due to health reason.  Did we want the position?  It did not take us long to give him a resounding "Yes".  

Snowy Egret

Our plan is to take a couple of months off and visit some of our favorite places in Florida.  In November and December we will be working again for Slippermania selling sport memorabilia in Port Charlotte.  Starting in January we will return to Ding Darling until April.  John's duties will remain the same, however, I'll be giving some interpretive talks to visitors about alligators/crocodiles, manatees, plants, and an auto tour of Wildlife Drive. In addition, I'll be answering the phone in the administration office.  In the winter time this is a very busy place. Over 800,000 people visit it each year.  

Killdeer

We are very happy to be returning this winter.  It could not have worked out any better.  If you are in the area, please let us know.  We'd love to show you our back yard.