Pier on Sanibel NOT Your Father's Pier: A Lot More than Fishing Going On

With all the things to do on Sanibel Island, many people do not get to see our lighthouse and the nearby pier.

The lighthouse has historic significance for the island but we are finding that the pier is just as fascinating.

And while you would expect the pier to be filled with those fishing, there are some other very nice surprises that come with pier time.

The pier faces the causeway and offers a unique and pleasant perspective on getting on to the island.  Far enough away not to be heard, close enough to be observed, the causeway view from that angle makes one feel a million miles from the mainland.

But the biggest joy for some who come to the pier are the myriad opportunities to observe a nice variety of birds who have figured out that the pier is the best deal in town.

For nothing more than their presence, they are given the free lunch that is often claimed as non-existent.  Actually, if they time it well, they can have free breakfast, free dinner and free lunch.  The fishermen arrive early and leave late, tossing the appreciative feathered audience pieces of their bait and their take.  And the birds are well aware of these daily gifts.

They gather by the dozens, often right on the pier, waiting for the bounty to come their way.  They have been observed poking around the bait buckets and getting so close to the active fishing, it is worrisome that they might get impaled on a fishing hook.

There are Little Snowy Egrets, Great Egrets, Reddish Egrets, Little Blue Herons and Great Blue Herons.  And dozens of shore birds line the water as well.  Willets, Sandpipers, Ruddy Turnstones and Dowitchers are just a few of the birds that scamper about the water's edge.  And if that is not enough for the bird sighter or bird photographer, then just look skyward and it is highly likely that you will spot an osprey a-top a tree or pole with a great big fish.

And , of course, there are also the opportunities to swim, sit and read or bring a picnic on the beach surrounding the pier.

Best yet, the pier is just a five minute drive from Gramma Dot's, a perennial favorite on Sanibel.  Great food, good service and lovely views of boats and tropical houses makes Gramma's a stand out and a wonderful way to end  a day at the Sanibel pier.

There are so many elements that make Sanibel a special place, and clearly the pier is one of them.