Getting Ready for Sea Turtle Nesting Season

I was lucky to have help in the park yesterday when our most dedicated volunteer, Jeremy, showed up for the day. He must have started very early in order to bike all the way to the fire cache in time for my 0530 sea turtle patrol on Pensacola Beach... After the turtle patrol on Pensacola Beach, we SNPLed (another biologist verb, meaning to check the 7 mile stretch of barrier island in the Santa Rosa area of the park for snowy plovers and their chicks/nests) Santa Rosa and got the the SR turtle pod ready.



For some reason, there's a huge influx of WIPLs (Wilson's plovers) this year at Santa Rosa. When you're accustomed to snowy plovers, the birds and their eggs look huge!



This mother was carrying on, trying to distract us when we approached her eggs. The photo isn't the best, but that's my fault. I really need to get a more powerful lens.



Turtle PODS were delivered Friday. They've been our solution for ATV and turtle nest supplies since Hurricane Ivan destroyed the Ranger Station and roads at Santa Rosa and Fort Pickens. They're great temporary garages, but I'm sure we'll all be happy when the roads and park buildings are replaced or restored and we can get back to business as usual.



We stocked this one with an ATV, gas (it's going to be an expensive season) and enough signs and paperwork to get us through the beginning of sea turtle nesting patrols on May 15th. We've already had our first nests, and our patrols have started on the city beach, but patrols in the park don't officially begin until then. It makes me happy just to see everything in place -- these turtles are the closest things I have to kids!