The shell pile at North Jetty is fun to look through for unusual specimens. "The accumulations of shells at Nokomis Beach are provided and shaped by the waves, tides, currents, and winds of the Gulf. Beach raking machines are rarely, if ever, used.
Here's why... there is an accumulation of sand, shells, and other "stuff" on that stretch of beach. Tidal currents along Sarasota's coastline move primarily in a north to south direction. The jetties at Venice Inlet slow the near shore currents and lots of materials suspended in the water settle out and wash up onto the beach.
The amazing thing about this process is that it is so unpredictable. The shoreline changes continually, seasonally, monthly, even daily. One day shelling is great, onanother day the beach debris can be few and far between."
-- Bud Doyle
The ruddy turnstone, wintering here in Florida, is sorting through the shell pile for leftover morsels. It nests on islands in the Canadian Arctic. Other "snow birds" (seen below) gather on the pier to fish and walk and socialize.