A pelican arrived by the swimming pool this morning with some fishing line and a hook in his beak. Normally we would phone the pelican man, but in this instance it was very weak so we removed the hook and gave him some fish for lunch. He stayed around for a few hours and then having recovered his strength, flew off.

The birds here on the Island are many and various and occasionally we get a real treat like the red woodpecker who arrived to make a hole in the palm tree right outside my laundry - we watched him through the window just a few feet away up on the upper floor. He worked really hard but I don't know if it did the tree much good.

I am just off to stroll down the island to Coquina Beach, a long stretch of sand on the southern tip of Anna Maria Island. I am also going to stop off to see what is going on at Leffis Key, a small nature reserve with boardwalks through the wetlands nestled on the edge of the Bay.