J.N. "Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge - Wildlife Drive

The J.N. "Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge is located on Sanibel Island in Florida.  It is named  after the cartoonist Jay Norwood "Ding" Darling, who worked for Walt Disney during part of his career.   He was an avid conservationist and served as director of the US Biological Survey, the predecessor of the US Fish and Wildlife Service.

The Wildlife Drive is a small part of the attractions at the Wildlife Refuge and, due to limited time, is what we choose to do during our visit to Sanibel.  The Drive is about 4 miles long and there are several hiking trails that can be accessed from the Drive.   Here is a link to the brochure you get when entering the Drive. Brochure

The drive costs $5.00 per car, $1.00 per bicyclists and $1.00 per pedestrian and is open every day of the year except Fridays.   There are areas we you can park your car and launch your kayak or paddle board.

We saw many kinds of seabirds and shorebirds.  

At one point there was a tower to climb to get a better view.

We even encountered some tiny reptiles on one of the trails that was entirely made up of boardwalk, so it was easily accessible.

What we enjoyed the most, however, were the jumping fish.  The scientific community is divided about why mullet jump out of the water - some jump to escape predators.  Others may jump during spawning season.  But it seems to me that these fellows were jumping because they enjoyed it!

We enjoyed our drive and all the things we saw.  Check it out next time you are on Sanibel Island.