Also of the Venice Rookery and Corkscrew Swamp, if anyone happened to visit
these two as well.

I reside in Ft Myers and visit the refuge frequently. Sanibel/Captiva suffered significant vegetative structural damage as a result of Charley. Most of the larger non-native trees along Periwinkle Drive were significantly damaged(no more tropical canopy along road). Ding Darling due to its primarily littoral vegetaion suffered some damage but not significant from a photographic standpoint. The stands of red and white mangroves were stripped of there leaves but have come back nicely. At the north end of the refuge a large area of mangrove can be observed that was flattened out by hurricane force winds.On a recent visit, white pelicans, roseate spoonbills,ibis, many shorebirds and a large alligator were observed at the lagoon directly north of road 1/2 mile from entrance. To the casual non-scientific observer the area does not look much different.