noontime walk to west island, Indian River Lagoon

Palm Beach (FL) TV station last night showed a 500-lb swordfish hauled in after hours of rod-'n'-reel action.

While walking to west island, a red minivan passed by on A1A bearing a 'taxi' ad/designation representative among all other red cars in the region with drivers perhaps spoofing the resident hermit crab in red seashell. Two alive and well white and gray shorebirds duo alert on north shoreline, as contrast to the dead gray juvenile and white adult bird dead along SE Ocean Boulevard/A1A near Menninger Gazebo minipark last week (where an Oktoberfest celebration was scheduled this past weekend). One dark orange baby-over-a-bucket container was observed on shoreline sand just past the entry/exitway to the south walkway on Evans Crary Sr. Bridge, the same type observed on the west island weeks ago (then a pair, filled with small rocks).

Small apricot-type fruits litter the ground near the St. Lucie Boulevard end of Kcc; a handful was scooped up and some tossed into grassy area at bridge walkway entrance (near popped-palm stumps), along shoreline below bridge near orange container, into the St. Lucie River mid-stream, onto Sewall's Point shoreline river's east side, into office building yard, and into landscaped area near lagoon-side retention pond at east end of Lyons Bridge southside. Small purple berries that fall each year from a Kcc tree were removed from asphalt condo-complex entrance/exit and tossed into water from west island walkway and onto shoreline, where small fish gathered as usual.

No shiny fishhook awaited the casual pedestrian this day on the west island entry/exit walkway, as has been encountered numerous times during past walks onto the island. Some recently-emptied Miller long-neck glass bottles were removed from the shoreline rocks together with one green-glass shortneck bottle and some aged fishing line. A mid-sized adult-type horseshoe crab shed-carapace sits upon the sandy northern island shore, lacking all but the horned midsection. No hermit crabs were visible at short range during the high-tide time-period. Shoreline vines with large green hanging pods adorned the southside sand-and-grass.

Three dead skates, filleted, lay about three feet from the water upon piled rocks at the far eastern end of the west island. Many small lizards, some red-headed, scrambled throughout the island together with crows, ospreys, pelicans and various shorebirds. One-half of a good-sized stone crab lay in northside shoreline water, with one claw. A bed-sized castor-wheel also lay at the southside waterline. A handful of glass pieces -- clear, brown and green -- were removed from the sand and placed in trash receptacle.

One live honeybee and one shed honeybee casting lay on northside walkway, Evans Crary Sr. Bridge during return walk to Kcc.