Coasting: Happening at 5:30 — Amelia Island waterfront!

Sunset, Amelia Island

Sunset on the waterfront, Amelia Island, Florida

After walking the broad Fernandina Beach and touring Fort Clinch, we longed for one last coastal sunset before heading back to Tennessee the following morning.  Ah, yes.  This will do: the waterfront at Amelia Island.

As we arrived, a man standing on a ramp was ending what he later told us was a nightly ritual: pitching fish into the water at sundown.

Feeding the fish at 5:30, Amelia Island, waterfront

Feeding the fish at 5:30, Amelia Island, waterfront

The birds (mostly pelicans) loved it as they flew, swam, darted, and pushed — eager to get in there and get fish at any cost!

Seagulls, brown birds, pelicans, and more.  Didn’t matter — all wanted a piece of the action.  And here they came, flapping wings, splashing water, honking and screeching.  We scrambled to focus our cameras to take it all in.

Perched on a post at Amelia Island waterfront

Perched on a post at Amelia Island waterfront

And just as we started taking pictures, one singular bird — a rather large, pensive pelican — perched atop a green post.  And sat there.  Watching.  Waiting.  Taking us in, or so we thought.  He’s harmless, right? But with that stern look, we weren’t so sure.

He looked left and right.  He stared forward and back.  But he always seemed to have one eye squarely focused on us.  And then, just like that, he was gone.

Taking flight.

Taking flight.

By this time the feeding frenzy had ended, the man was walking back up the ramp, and birds began paddling around, content. We looked past the marina into the sunset once more as we heard the man, now behind us, say softly, It happens every night about 5:30.  Come back tomorrow.  It’s fun every time.  

Looking into the distance at the Amelia Island waterfront

Looking into the distance at the Amelia Island waterfront

And we wished we could, of course.

Sunset, Amelia Island.

Sunset, Amelia Island.

For more information:

Check out this post on Kate Harris’s blog:  “Fifteen Things to Do on Amelia Island in 2015”

And also take a look at the site Welcome to Amelia Island full of suggestions for what to do and what to see on Amelia Island.

Here’s hoping you’ll have more time than we did to see this lovely coastal area!

For more on the Coasting series, click here.

10 thoughts on “Coasting: Happening at 5:30 — Amelia Island waterfront!

    1. Oh, the Places We See

      You are so right about the rich history. And beautiful scenery. We walked around the town and the beaches, but had so little time. This is definitely one place I would return. Thanks for commenting!

  1. Pit

    I really appreciate your articles. They’re ever so helpful since going back to Florida (and more of the southern east coast) is very high on my bucket list.
    Have a good time,
    Pit

    1. Oh, the Places We See

      Thanks so much for the compliment. We had not traveled much in Florida except Key West, so the coast was a welcome sight. For some reason, I thought it would be like Spring Break with all the teens, but it was so very different, at least on the quiet beaches where we were. I would love a return trip!

    1. Oh, the Places We See

      Thanks for taking a look. And that’s what that pelican did. But I’m grateful to him/her. I never would have been that close or that still taking pictures if it were’t for the bird’s patience. And maybe a full tummy!

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