The Traveling Turtle Girl Kirsten Dahlen

Gulf Island National Seashore

2009-12-09T11:31:00.000-08:00

Thank you to DJ for letting us know when she saw Kirsten on t.v. a few months ago. WSRE in Pensacola produced a documentary: Gulf Islands National Seashore: The Treasure of the Gulf Coast that includes footage of Kirsten. I haven't yet seen the documentary but according to the producer, the documentary was dedicated to Kirsten's memory. The dvd should be available through the WSRE website by December 15th.

The remembrances we still receive a year later are a testament to Kirsten's great fortune in both friends and followers. Thank you for carrying on her work and helping to protect these beautiful creatures that she loved so well.

memories on kd's birthday

2009-01-31T19:12:00.001-08:00

yesterday, we attended a mass in memory of kirsten on what would have been her birthday. it seems there are still loads of people just learning of her death, and coming here to find out more. that said, we'll continue to add things from time to time. for now, here's a link to a news report on turtle projects on pensacola beach, florida. kirsten was totally unprepared for this interview from summer 2008, but i think she did a marvelous job, and reached a broad audience. click here

also, kirsten had almost 900 friends on the social networking site 'facebook'. the description she wrote of herself reflects so many qualities that i admired in her... thought i'd share. (in her own words)

For those who are interested, this is who I am:

I am a sea turtle girl. My passion in life is to protect these animals and their habitats which, in turn, protects all life as we know it. We rely on the same resources -- the sun to heat the earth, the rain for fresh water, the ocean to evaporate and create rain, the seasons, the seas, the coral reefs and rain forests, the beaches and rivers and streams -- we are all truly interconnected.

I can be a serious girl. I can study, learn and grow.

More often, I am a silly girl.

I carry bubbles in my car.

I chase butterflies.

I believe there is a pot of gold at the rainbow's end.

I believe I can see myself reflected in the eyes of everyone I meet -- that there truly is no 'other' -- we're all too connected by similarities to be divided by any detail.

I believe there is goodness and light in everyone. Yes, EVERYONE.

I wish on falling stars and dropped eyelashes.

I believe it IS possible to have peace in our time.

I am happily naive... and will continue to be so.

I read children's books.

I make sand angels at work some days.

I find faeries, butterflies and birds in a cloud-ridden sky.

I wish to be a dolphin while watching a pod frolic in the waves.

I throw my arms back on a warm afternoon and try to embrace the sunshine.

I have been known to actually hug a tree. Really.

I build sand castles.

I twirl on a lonely beach when my favorite song comes on my ipod.

I twirl on a polished oak floor just because I can.

I'll skate on that same floor in socks. No one ever sees me do these things...

I giggle when watching plover chicks somersault after tripping on their newly hatched feet.

I drink hot chocolate with mini-marshmallows and eat popcorn at the movies.

I love my friends and family fiercely, no matter what. They may not always know that, or see it evident in my words and actions.

I am lonely in a crowded room, and crowded alone with my own thoughts.

I am loyal, kind, independent, compassionate, eccentric, intelligent and very often, scared.

I love and trust too easily and hurt far too deeply.

I love sunrise, a cup of chamomile tea (it's sunshine and honey in a mug!), fresh cilantro, music, and my nephews.

The sounds of shushing waves, the wind scratching the palms and a chuck-will-widow calling let me know I am home.

My greatest joy comes from sharing the things I love most with someone else. There's nothing quite like introducing someone to their first sea turtle hatchlings, their first ocean, their first coral reef. The gift really is more mine than theirs, and I am ever grateful.

I know I have found my place in this world -- I am a voice for the wordless sea. I am a champion of the under water world. I am a siren on an earth island, singing my song of the deep blue beyond.

I am inspired by light, laughter & love.

I am happy, joyous and free :)

I believe dreams do come true -- every single day..

I Would Rather Be Ashes Than Dust...A Eulogy

2008-12-14T15:22:00.001-08:00

By request, here is the full text of the eulogy delivered by Sean at Kirsten's funeral. Please feel free to share it with anyone who may have missed the service. The family has endured this past week through support from so many friends and relatives. Your intentions, and your efforts are appreciated more than we could express. Thank you all.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I would rather be ashes than dust!
I would rather that my spark should burn out in a brilliant blaze than it should be stifled by dry-rot.
I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet.
The function of man is to live, not to exist.
I shall not waste my days trying to prolong them.
I shall use my time.

I found this quote from Jack London on Kirsten’s website. It speaks to a place in all of us – a place of real strength and passion. It calls us to be present, and to act! It reminds us to keep the spark of life burning brightly. My sister, like my father before her, shined so brightly. They both possessed a powerful intellect that is unmatched in my experience. Kirsten’s burned with such intensity that it reached around the globe. But the flame that burns twice as bright burns half as long.

There is a natural period of grief we all must endure as we let go of a daughter, a sister, a friend. I personally have been crushed by waves of emotion all week as I sort through all she left behind. I appreciate the tears. They remind me how much Kirsten means to me. They keep me present, and force me to evaluate what is truly important in life. I do feel a sense of loss, but I’m not willing to indulge despair. Kirsten has already found peace. Now I must surrender to what is, and just let her go to find my own. I am not here to mourn the loss of Kirsten. I’m here to celebrate the blessing of her presence in of our lives.

I had the unique opportunity to join Kirsten at work one day on the beach in Florida. We had coffee, breakfast, and arrived on the beach well before dawn. We spent the day scouring a 10-mile beach of white sand looking for white eggs the size of a quarter. She could spot them from a moving ATV, while I could hardly see the small birds who gathered nearby, indicating their location. She was incredibly sensitive to her surroundings which allowed her to be of great service in her work.

More than any other animal, Kirsten fought to protect the turtle. To her, it represented the bridge between land and sea, relying on both for its survival. This sensitive creature, vulnerable to forces on both land and sea, was, to Kirsten, the canary in the global coal mine. Kirsten studied, traveled, educated the public, accepted awkward living conditions, and even broke laws to ensure this majestic creature’s survival.

Like the turtle, Kirsten was timid and fragile beneath her thick protective shell. The same sensitivity that helped her excel in her work also created much pain in her personal life. If there is any tragedy to be found in her life, it is this: she often failed to give herself the same unconditional love that so easily flowed through her work.

It seems to me that Kirsten was at home out in the world, easily thriving outside her shell. While away, she developed a power that she rarely displayed at home. In her travels, she seemed to grow larger. Through service she found her power. She simply shined when her work inspired her. Anyone that saw her at work saw the selfless efforts of a true custodian to Mother Earth. Her conservation work kept her spark burning, and when it was lit, she was immense. Peter witnessed this on a visit to Jekyll Island, GA. Mom saw it on Antigua. And I saw it full-force on our travels through Malaysia. When she was in her element, she attracted to her all kinds of unique life experiences. For example, she told me once that she received 6 marriage proposals in one day while working in Barbados. This is hard to believe at first, but having glimpsed her world once or twice, I’d believe almost anything.

Still, at home, she did come down to earth from time to time, and had a spontaneous, wacky sense of humor. She had a wonderfully endearing soft side that was perhaps best known by my sister Megh, and her family, Tom and Gabriel. When she wasn’t eating movie popcorn, she also made some world-class southwestern food. Before this week, I knew her mostly through family. As the responses come in from friends near and far, I’m delighted to see she had such far-reaching positive influence.

Just two weeks ago, we gathered to welcome my beautiful nephew, Sebastian to the family. Now here we are to bid farewell to Kirsten. Although the tone of these two events is vastly different, the circle of life is now complete. Birth and death are but two ends to a life, equal in value, and equal in joy. They cannot exist without each other. Death is the one certainty that we all face. We deny it at our own peril. Better to embrace the truth of our mortality, allow peace to find us here and now, and live without fear. For fear and worry only waste what life we are given.

Who’s to say that Kirsten’s was an untimely death? We are but players on the stage, and we lack the director’s broad perspective. Sure there are some questions left unanswered, but there are forces at work that exist beyond our control. Who knows what will unfold in time?

I believe every morning you wake up, you’ve been blessed with a gift. What you do with that gift is entirely in your hands. The fruits of our labors may never be seen. But that’s no reason to stop believing our highest ideal, and working to make it real. Whatever you feed will grow. Kirsten’s work in raising awareness planted so many seeds, which even now are nurtured through people reading her work, and contributions aimed at continuing it. Now, the torch, it seems, has been passed…

“You must be the change you wish to see in the world.” These words from Mahatma Gandhi were written at the end of every email I ever received from my sister. More than anyone I know, she embodied this message. At a young age, she found her passion, and had the courage to allow it to direct her life, often sacrificing personal comforts and worldly success to win small battles on a beach you never heard of. She will always remain to me an example of living your truth, and being the change you wish to see.

Kirsten squeezed a lot of life into her short years.
She will be missed.

Thank you all for coming to celebrate her memory.

memorial contributions for Kirsten

2008-12-12T12:20:00.000-08:00

while we have mentioned various foundations and websites regarding memorial contributions in Kirsten's name, we would like to suggest a specific conservation fund that has just been established by the Department of Interior's Gulf Islands National Seashore. this is the conservation group that Kirsten has worked with most recently and was very close to her heart.

please follow the link below to get specific information regarding the newly established foundation.

http://barrierislandgirl.blogspot.com/2008/12/memorial-being-established-for-kirsten.html

thank you all for your support. let's send this link around the world and let it have the impact that Kirsten was making herself.

special thanks to DJ and Mark for getting this together so quickly and publishing the information.

-dahlen family

kirsten's memorial service update

2008-12-11T18:44:00.000-08:00

the funeral will be held saturday, december 13 at st. catherine of siena church. doors will open to visit family at 10am, followed by mass at 11:00. burial will be private.

St. Catherine of Siena
2501 Centerville Rd
Wilmington, DE 19808
(302) 633-4901

thank you all for reaching out and sharing how kirsten has touched your lives. your support in this is much appreciated. contacting such a large number of people is a colossal task. please spread the word to anyone you think may have been missed.

farewell to my sister, the turtlegirl

2008-12-10T20:02:00.000-08:00

kirsten touched the lives of so many people. through her teaching, her writing, and her life, she made friends worldwide. by posting here, i hope to get the word out to as many of you as possible in a timely manner. as the drama of her death unfolds, and the arrangements are made, i will keep this page up to date. please be patient. i know there are loads of questions, and i'll try to address as many as i can.

first, the facts:
kirsten dahlen was found dead in our mother's home in delaware on the afternoon of tuesday, december 9. she had been in the area about 2 weeks, originally coming to attend my nephew, sebastian's, baptism. she had been in her usual spirits and health during most of this visit, not complaining of any disease apart from insomnia in her last 2 nights. she spent the last day of her life asleep, which we all assumed was the rest she needed. when i came to wake her, she had passed away. the cause of her death remains somewhat unclear, but is apparent that she died in her sleep, and i believe in peace. there is a general agreement that her history of eating disorders may have caused a weakening, and eventual failure in her heart. what actually triggered her death is still a mystery right now, and perhaps will stay so. time may reveal more, but this won't change the reality of her passing.

the target date for funeral services is saturday, december 13. the location will be saint catherine of siena church in wilmington, delaware.

kirsten carried such a bright torch in her environmental conservation work. she worked tirelessly to protect animals and habitats threatened by change. for this, she was my hero. to anyone interested in honoring her memory, i suggest supporting local environmental efforts, teaching a child about the treasures of nature, or simply going outdoors and celebrating the moment in whatever way you see fit. be the change. i hope to have something more complete to post, including ways to donate and contribute in her memory, in the coming week as the dust settles.

again, please be patient. i'll post details as they arrive.
our family is doing as well as we can given the situation, and we are humbled and grateful for the love and caring we've received already from those who knew kirsten.

so many emotions move during such a time... so many questions. in the end i find solace in the fact that kirsten is now resting in peace.

-sean

One More Family Photo

2008-11-30T13:35:00.001-08:00

I promise the next post will be about turtles, but I had to post one from Sebastian's baptism for my family to see... It may be a long time before all the aunts and uncles are in the same country again!

Meeting Sebastian

2008-11-26T14:42:00.000-08:00

I don't normally post family stuff on this blog, but I have to post some photos of my newest nephew, Sebastian. I finally met him on Tuesday, and he's already seven months old. The fact that he lives in Sweden makes it harder to stop in for a visit!

Isn't he adorable? I'll have to get a photo of him in his turtle clothes :)

He seems pretty enamored with his Uncle Gustav (Helene's brother), who will soon be his godfather as well.

Gabe is enjoying the visit as well -- check out the wild rastafari hat he got at Disney last month.

And, of course, the four siblings. We're all actually in the same country! We'll get better pictures on Saturday when we're all not sleep deprived from our various journeys.

Clam Creek, Jekyll Island

2008-11-24T16:07:00.000-08:00

As you may have heard, the traveling turtle girl is traveling these days :)

I had a long drive back to Delaware, and made it even longer by driving to the Georgia coast before heading north. I wanted to see the new Georgia Sea Turtle Center, and visit one of my favorite spots in the USA -- Clam Creek.

It's not at all like Pensacola, but it's still gorgeous.

The entrance, with the graceful Spanish moss-draped live oaks is enchanting.

The pictures don't do it justice; it's like driving through a deeply-shaded tunnel, which is incredibly welcome in the heat of a summers day!

There are egret models here as well.

Some beach-combers commented on how co-operative the birds were as they watched me snap away. Of course, the abscence of an ATV may have helped!

Of course, eventually s/he had enough and flew to a nearby marsh.

Maybe it was just lunchtime!

You know you're in Georgia when the shrimp boats stack up, arriving from a bountiful trip to sea. Georgia is fantastic shrimp territory, and the captains are great about using TEDS and rescuing turtles!

We call the beach here either boneyard, graveyard or driftwood beach. Driftwood isn't really appropriate as most of these trees have fallen from the maritime forest as the island erodes at the north end.

The trees initially die from salt water flooding, then fall once the underlaying beach erodes beneath their roots. It's an amazing place to play at low tide -- at high tide, they are nearly covered with water!

You can see some of the tiny drainage/erosion channels here, though it's likely just a few sand grains traveling down this path.

I'll post more on the Georgia Turtle Center in a separate post.

Farewell to Gulf Islands National Seashore, Florida

2008-11-22T17:22:00.000-08:00

It was my final day on the beaches of Gulf Islands National Seashore. I was disappointed that it was so windy and cold - it made the birds rather shy as they sought warmth in the frigid weather.

I did get a few shots, but I had to work for them! This crawl isn't a turtle crawl - it's a turtle girl crawl... It was the only way to get a photo with the skittish birds.

They seemed to fly at the drop of a hat today. They really needed some warm sunshine.

I have so enjoyed my time here, and will miss the gorgeous gulf greatly, but I know there are fantastic adventures ahead. Thanks so much for following my blog to see how the beach is doing.

Things will change drastically in the next year as road work continues -- the road to Fort Pickens should be finished by April!

Glaucous Gull at Fort Pickens

2008-11-20T18:11:00.000-08:00

It was a gorgeous day for a bird survey at Fort Pickens today, though the birds are very skittish with all the road equipment!

There was one unusual gull on the north shore that Bob and Lucy Duncan have confirmed for me -- I never trust my own identification...

It's coloring is so unusual compared to our more prevalent laughing, ring billed and herring gulls. I'm still waiting for the flocks of Bonapartes to arrive!

It's Freezing on the Beach!!!

2008-11-18T13:10:00.000-08:00

I know I've been bad about posting lately, but that's because it's been too cold for photos and I want to save the text posts for my trip to Delaware next week...

I did get out to the beach today at Perdido and it was COLD! I let Cathy take a photo of me in my three jackets, sweatshirt and three pairs of pants. I could hardly move, but it was still too cold for my taste. And yes, Mom, I wore a hat (well two hoods and a balaclava and ear muffs). Delaware will be tough!

There were very few birds, and I didn't take any photos of them, though I did catch Cathy, a park VIP who finally admits it was 'a bit chilly'. Check out her chilly outfit -- I'd hate to see what she wears when she thinks it's cold!

The wind was the real culprit on the beach, so we stopped from time to time to catch our breath, and Cathy searched for shells.

There were great contrasts in size,

of both shells and crab claws,

and color.

It may not have been on my 'to do' list, but it was still fun! Now I just need to thaw out a bit :)

Seasonal Birds

2008-11-13T15:10:00.000-08:00

People say there are no seasons in Florida. I think it's that the seasonal cues are a little different from what people are used to.

All the osprey have fledged and fly around,

chasing fish...

Great blue herons, young and old, spend more time in the sunlight,

Redheads, mergansers, scaups, scoters, Canada geese, and other fowl join the fun.

The unmistakable buffleheads fly in.

The flocks of dunlin join the fray. See, there are seasons -- the chicks are grown, the turtles are all hatched, the wind blows a little more briskly and fall IS here!

Fog, Light and Mirrors

2008-11-13T14:43:00.000-08:00

The day started out shrouded in heavy fog. It felt as if I were walking in the clouds as I walked around Perdido Key (that's another story... I got the ATV very stuck in the mud).

The sun came out in fits and starts, promising a sunny day then dipping back behind it's gauzy veil.

Around 10 am, the sun finally took a firm stand, lighting the water, the beach and the sky.

It was worth waiting for! After our wintery October, it was nice to be warm again!

PB8201 Assessment

2008-11-11T15:47:00.000-08:00

Sally and I met with VIP DJ early this morning to assess the last nest of the season, Pensacola Beach 8201. The lone hatchling I released on Saturday is still the only one swimming in the Gulf. That's the bad news...

The good news is that there are three hatchlings, and about 40 eggs, in the office. We finished assessing the nest as it was 72 hours post hatch, but there were some eggs that still looked viable. Rather than open them at the assessment, we're retaining them for a few days to see if the warmer weather in the office may allow them time to hatch.

They've already shown a little progress... The bottom pipped hatchling in this photo was so sluggish on the beach that we weren't even sure it was alive, until it had warmed up a bit in the morning sun. It can be a dangerous thing for these little guys to be so cold in the nest!

It may not work. Sometimes, it does, as in the case of the lone hatchling from SR 8061. Often, it doesn't. This nest is pretty sketchy anyway. It was interesting this morning to see how the nest stopped developing. There were several eggs that stopped in the first two weeks, at stage 1, 2 or 3, and several that stopped developing around three to four weeks, at stage 4 or 5. (Don't worry - I'll spare you those photos!) These dates correspond well with flooding events associated with Hurricanes Gustav and Ike. The earliest failed eggs likely died during Tropical Depression Fay, which was just about three days after this nest was laid. It's interesting, in a sad and clinical way, to see that unfold in the nest, and it's a good lesson about relocation sites for next year. Clearly, the eggs need to be a little further north!

It's great to see we still have a few determined hatchlings in the nest though...

They may be trapped in their eggs 22 days longer than expected, but they still show a lot of spunk!

This guy looks very determined to go for a swim. I wouldn't get between him and the sea as he makes his final dash for the waves!

Lonely Little Loggerhead

2008-11-10T08:55:00.000-08:00

We still haven't seen a lot of activity from our last nest, but it is scratching around down there! I am so worried that the cold is getting to them. In the water, sea turtles will wash ashore 'cold stunned' at temps below 45 degrees. I'm not sure what the threshold is for hatchlings in the nest as sand holds the suns heat and keeps them a bit warmer than the air, but it's still been pretty chilly at night. That makes hatchlings sluggish!

This one little guy was hanging out at the sand surface when I arrived the other morning. He wasn't crawling around under the screen though -- there was a front flipper and half of his head above the sand, the rest of him was still buried underneath. After I removed the screen and waited a few minutes, he started to emerge fully. I did give him a little boost on his trip to the water since this was a relocated nest.

He was still a bit sluggish, even after warming in the rising sun. I gave him a quick dunk in the Gulf to see if that perked him up. As soon as he felt the water, he dashed for the sea. He just needed a reminder that that's his real home.

I feel pretty safe calling this hatchling a 'he'. We didn't measure the temperature of the eggs during development, but it's been pretty chilly since this nest was laid. Lower incubation temperatures yield more male hatchlings, so it's fairly reasonable to believe he's a he.

In addition to the cool temps, this particular nest was well washed in both Gustav and Ike. Frequent washings for several days can increase the humidity, remove or add extra sand (on this nest, it was added), change the incubation temperature and can, if it's washed enough, drown developing embryos or hatchlings in the nest. It's great to see this didn't happen with this nest. We don't know yet what the hatch percentage is, and it's likely to be low, but that's how mother nature works. If we'd left it in place, about 50 feet south of it's current location, it would have eroded out about three days after it was laid in the first of our tropical weather this year.

If you look in the above nest photo, you can see how much sand we had to dig out to get the nest back to it's natural depth. We had to do this three separate times -- after Gustav, after Ike and after a strange low pressure system about two weeks ago. Now I do know why I always have sand in my ears, between my toes and in my belly button. I'm sure going to miss this life!

There are Hatchlings in August 20th Nest!!!!

2008-11-07T05:10:00.000-08:00

Today is a grey day here in NW Florida, and usually that dampens my spirits a bit. Not today. I heard the best thing ever this morning -- tiny hatchling scratching in our last loggerhead nest, PB8201.

People often look at me with confused expressions when I say that. What exactly do I mean when I say "I hear the hatchlings?" No, they don't talk to me, though I do sometimes talk to them! What happens is that I hear the turtles poke holes in their shells with their egg teeth, crawl out, straighten carapaces that have been curled inside round eggs for two months, and crawl through the sand above their heads to the surface of the beach. Once they're crawling towards the surface, you can hear the sound their tiny flippers make as they sweep sand past their small bodies. It's kind of like crawling through a sandy sea , and it can be noisy!

So, what makes me so excited to hear the wee turtles crawling around beneath the sand? After all, we have already escorted over 3600 hatchlings to the Gulf this year. The end of the season has been sketchy thanks to Fay, Gustav, Ike and an unnamed low pressure system about two weeks ago. These storm systems eroded the beaches, flooded nests and generally made a mess, though none of them hit us directly. This particular nest was flooded, buried under two extra feet of sand, nearly eroded out of the dune system, buried again, washed by waves and subject to very cool weather in the October cold snap. All of these things can be fatal for sea turtle nests. After 80 days of incubation time, we were all about ready to give up on finding any hatchlings in this last nest.

That's why I am so happy today. I don't think the hatchlings will emerge tonight, but they might, so I've loaded up a nest screen and will either screen it myself tonight or see if DJ or Cathy can screen the nest. Since today will be gray and rainy, it will likely slow them down as they sounded pretty deep still and not close enough to the surface to emerge during the darkness of a passing storm. Maybe tomorrow morning though.

I am so excited. I am such a turtle geek!

There were other great things about today too though, like the sea oats in the clouds,

and a pod of dolphin between Perdido Key and Fort Pickens. Looks like a fun life!

Training a New Birder

2008-11-05T14:52:00.000-08:00

Bird Watching is tough stuff, and not for the faint of heart, which is why I was both happy and surprised to learn a friend of mine really wanted to learn...

We have lots of volunteer opportunities in the Park, and Cathy already works on our turtle project, so this required even more of her time. But, she's a trooper, and she spent the last two days with me, freezing in the wind at Perido yesterday and enjoying a long day at Fort Pickens today.

I'm a bit of a task master, always asking too much of people, but I'm working on that. I hope Cathy had at least a little fun away from her other concerns.

She did great identifying birds! We only had one PIPL (piping plover) both days, but she was able to spot it right away.

We had lots of snowy egrets down by the old fort.

They seemed to enjoy playing follow the leader.

The little blue herons played a different game.

You can almost hear this one saying "I AM a tree."

It is great camouflage,

til they can't stand it anymore and just take off.

These two lesser yellowlegs (LEYE) seemed to agree with me that it was rather cold, as they huddled together on the beach,

rising in unison when we approached too closely on our mule.

There were literally hundreds of brown pelicans (BRPE), many choosing to roost on the roof of the boat lift at the Ranger Station. They were hard to count accurately!

In all, it was a gorgeous, if somewhat tiring, bird survey... but Cathy did a fantastic job!

Please Vote Today!

2008-11-04T15:27:00.000-08:00

Regardless of your political affiliation, if you are eligible to vote in the US Presidential election today, PLEASE VOTE!!! It's more than a civic duty -- it's a privilege, and part of what makes this country a great place to call home.

So, Why Sea Turtles?

2008-11-03T09:53:00.000-08:00

This is a question I get nearly every day... why would an obviously intelligent, well-traveled, cultured young woman choose to dedicate her life to such an esoteric topic, studying and protecting sea turtles? It's a good question, but not the easiest one to answer.

I started out in pre-med, and switched to ecology and marine biology after being inspired by a very tough professor in undergrad. He was impossible to please, and demanding to the utmost, but he pushed me to find the very best within myself. I'm lucky I found such a great mentor early on. After school, I spent a year working with nesting common and roseate terns on Great Gull Island, New York, then a year teaching, then a summer with nesting piping plovers and terns on Cape Cod.

I loved all of it, but have been called by the sea since I was very young. My mother will tell you that I ran away when we were at the beach when I was two years old. It seems I thought the beach was far more fun than nap time! She said my head was always in the sand... I've posted earlier about my grandmother, my mom's mom, who was also a lifelong inspiration. She taught so much about responsibility, respect and integrity, by example, though I didn't always appreciate it at the time!

I never really stopped searching for the sea ever since my toddler escapades. Though I'd seen many turtles at aquariums throughout my childhood, I 'met' my first wild adult sea turtle when visiting Holden Beach, North Carolina, with a friend in grade school, and I was fascinated. At first, I just loved watching the huge turtle lumber up and down the dunes, and the tiny turtles we later found emerging from another nest on the island. How did these baby turtles navigate the waves, avoid being eaten, grow to the size of their mother, and return to this same beach to nest? I was hooked by the magic and myth of it all. Turtles seem to do a great job capturing our attention!

After several years of volunteer work, I finally started working with nesting sea turtles in an official capacity with Dr. Jim Richardson on his remarkable Little Cumberland Island Loggerhead Project in coastal Georgia. At that point, he'd already spent 34 years of his life on the study -- now it's about 45 years old! Working with the turtles there, I got my first taste of the mysteries surrounding them. Jim was a pioneer in sea turtle science, having trained at the side of Archie Carr (the father of sea turtle biology), but it was apparent we'd been trying to learn about sea turtles by studying their maternity ward, and had seen little else.

After working with Jim, I spent some time working with foraging turtles on sea grass beds and corals, trying to understand a little more about their life history and their role in the environment. I worked with satellite tracking projects to see where the adults roamed after leaving the beaches, and I worked with a consortium of scientists to find mtDNA markers unique to each nesting beach in the Caribbean. From personal observation, fantastic colleagues, and research, it became apparent to this neophyte turtle girl that turtles play a much larger role in overall ecosystem health than we realize.... And the Traveling Turtle Girl was born...

Sea turtles are an umbrella species, kind of like canaries in the global coal mine. Turtles rely on healthy rivers to bring clean water to near shore communities, supporting healthy grass beds, coral reefs, and nurseries for pelagic and neritic species. They rely on healthy reefs and sea grass beds and nurseries themselves as well. Greens need the grass beds, hawksbills feed on sponges growing on coral reefs, loggerheads, ridleys and flatbacks depend on near shore nurseries to provide a continuing supply of food for them, and leatherbacks rely on the jellies. Love those leatherbacks keeping the jellies in check!

I know, it still doesn't sound like much, but it seemed to me that turtles rely on almost everything related to the beach, in the water and out. They need strong dune systems to shelter developing eggs. They need low light levels to allow nesting to continue. They need beaches where their natural predators are not over-populated and decimating eggs and nesting adults alike. They needed reduced and/or controlled human exploitation. They need healthy ecosystems to allow them to feed, grow and thrive. Turtles bridge the gap between land and sea, relying on both and indicating overall environmental health. They are affected by so much, from ENSO (El Nino/Southern Oscillation) to the apparent acidification of the sea, to rising sea levels, to pollution in rivers and streams, to plastic bags and balloons, to high rises and road traffic on the beaches. And they are so lovable. What better animal to use to teach people about their impact on the world?

Everyone who sees a hatching nest seems to fall in love with the tiny turtles, and wants to know how to help them survive. I've seen people literally chase sea gulls hundreds of yards down a sandy beach to keep the birds from feasting on hatchlings. I've watched life-long turtle fishermen turn in to dedicated, enthusiastic environmental educators. I've watched people from every walk of life look on in awe as they meet these amazing animals for the first time. And all of them want to do more to help.

It's so easy to make a difference, once you understand how to do so. That's why I'm still here, still struggling, still trying to change my little corner of the world. If we can each take baby steps to increase our understanding of these magnificent ocean navigators, we really can change the future.

In the next several weeks, I'll talk a little about each turtle species, what makes them unique, and ways we can both learn about them and improve their survival odds.

Thanks for reading my little stream of consciousness... And thanks for caring... Please leave me a note and let me know what you would like to learn!

Plenty of Pelicans

2008-11-01T13:27:00.000-07:00

Today, I recorded changes in the north shore tideline along Fort Pickens. Once I was finished, I was able to take time for a bird survey on the south shore. It's so much fun to watch the birdies!

I ran into another park employee walking down by the fort, trying not to disturb the flock of pelicans resting on a sand bar. They were everywhere today!

I did cause them to fly after I counted them and drove by. I try to give them space, but the sound of the ATV always seems to spook them.

That may not be the worst thing on a cold day as the activity warms them, and their sandwich tern (SATE), laughing gull (LAGU) and herring gull (HERG) friends!

Watching them float en masse on the wind, I wondered about the parallel behaviors between schools of fish and bird flocks. The impressive synchronized behavior can help protect them from predators, leaving the vulnerable, weak or slow more exposed to attack than the strong. Did the behavior evolve separately in these two divergent vertebrate groups?

Of course, there were other birds about as well, like this pair of wading willets (WILL). They sound like squeaky wheels when startled.

My favorite RUTUs (ruddy turnstones) were active as well.

This lucky one found a clam washed out by a passing wave. It looks like hard work to get at the tiny meal!

The pre-Ivan road is much more visible on the south shore these days as well. It's interesting to see how it's becoming part of the habitat, supporting algal growth and who knows what else... I may have to go tidepooling a bit next time I'm out there!

Road Crew at Fort Pickens!!!

2008-11-01T13:24:00.000-07:00

The Park issued a press release regarding the road work at Fort Pickens, so I'm not telling any secrets here. Plus, all this huge yellow equipment at the gate is really hard to misinterpret. Road work is scheduled to begin Monday morning!

Sunlight on Perdido Key

2008-10-31T13:11:00.000-07:00

I was fascinated by the light on the water today.

I struggled to capture what I was seeing, but failed utterly. I think I need more practice! Of course, I try to limit photos to about 5 to ten minutes our of my nine hour day, so I don't have all that much time to play with except on my days off.

The way the light shone through the crashing waves was just stunning!

I was really at Perdido for a bird survey... again, they were hiding from the cold. I had to look twice at this rock (from about 100 yards away) before I realized it was a gull! He blends in pretty well from a distance!

I ended the day, as usual, at PB8201. This is getting to be a marathon nest, but since sea turtles are reptiles, this cold snap could slow down their development. We'll likely wait til at least 80 days of incubation time before we try to assess the nest. Of course, all this cool weather means the hatchlings that do emerge will most likely be male.

Shorebirds and Shades of Blue

2008-10-30T12:58:00.000-07:00

Today was a shorebird survey day near Opal Beach. As usual, the water was just this side of paradise -- it almost made me want to go for a swim!

The pavilions are battered by hurricanes over the past several years, but they are doing remarkably well!

Not many birds were about today though -- it seems they were smarter than I am, and they sought shelter from the chill wind. There were some trusty SNPLs (snowy plovers) on the north shore...

along with a DUNL (dunlin) or two, but it was fairly quiet.

The good thing about this cold weather is that it's preventing the fall red tide bloom from getting out of control, and it should keep any late season storms at bay. See, there is a silver lining in everything!

Pensacola Drifts

2008-10-29T11:49:00.000-07:00

It's been rather windy and chilly on Pensacola Beach this week.

There's sand blowing everywhere, making huge drifts that mimic snow. This one reminds me of the Sahara!

In other places, the weight of windblown sand cause mini-sand slides, leaving tiny berms behind.

Of course, our last nest has these issues as well. It's hard to keep ahead of the sand piling on top of PB8201, but it's necessary. Sand is good for insulation on these cold days, but it's also important to keep the eggs from growing too humid, and keep the distance to the surface optimal for the tiny hatchlings who are relying on stored energy from their yolk sacs until the reach offshore waters... We do still hope to see hatchlings here soon!

Shore Birds Seek Shelter!

2008-10-28T13:51:00.000-07:00

Today was a very cold day for North West Florida in late October... It was only 41 degrees when I arrived at the fire cache, and there's a freeze warning tonight for inland counties. Unheard of!

I had to really search for the birdies today. They were all seeking whatever windbreak they could from the harsh north wind, like this juvenile ring-billed gull.

These gulls and terns liked the jetty.

The snowy egret did as well...

There were others hiding from the wind over the berm, but I didn't get many photos - my hands were too numb. I did catch this juvenile Herring gull eating a lunch left by a kind fisherman.

I am definitely a warm weather girl... I know, I went overboard with the snowy egret. I couldn't decide on the best photo, and it was nearly all I took pics of today. It was that cold.

It was still beautiful at Pensacola Pass, and it might have been a tad toastier were I in the water instead of driving an ATV!

Fort Pickens, A Different View

2008-10-25T14:37:00.000-07:00

After a very cold two hour survey, I needed to get off my ATV and get some exercise so I didn't freeze before heading back east on seven miles of open beach. You may think I'm kidding, but I have a serious issue with temperatures below 80 degrees!

Warming up gave me time to take a look at Fort Pickens...

up close, from many different views...

I love the old brick arches,

that are used both inside and out...

The red brick with green trim is striking...

even in the brilliant sunshine...

and the arches persist throughout.

I have to wonder who built all of them...

And if they have some super-resistance to hurricanes. They sure have stood the test of time! (I know, these look like the same photo, but it's not if you look at the arches in the background. It's just the same window.)

I know the sea wall helps protect the buildings when storms threaten!

This reflection has to be one of my favorite shots. I wish I had captured it better, but with two sets of windows, lots of angles and limited lens options, it was the best I could do!

Piping Plover Surveys at Fort Pickens

2008-10-25T14:23:00.000-07:00

Today was a much better day for bird surveys, though it was still a little chilly.

The birds like to point that out as they hide behind whatever windbreak there is on the mudflats. The birds, like this snowy plover (SNPL) have the right idea!

There was one banded piping plover (PIPL) near the asphalt pile,

who seemed to be quite thirsty!

Another was fighting with a sanderling (SAND). Just look at those bright orange legs.

A young eagle (BAEA) hid in the woods,

Brown pelicans (BRPE) floated on the updrafts,

and a sandwich tern (SATE) kept flying away from me. We can't officially count a bird in our survey until we pass it or it flies in the opposite direction. I followed this little guy for nearly two miles as I tried to complete my survey. I keep telling myself it's good for them to fly on cold days - it warms up their chilly muscles!

By the time I headed back east on the south shore of the island, I was running with the wind behind me and the sun was high in the sky. It was a beautiful day indeed!

Storm Weather, Erosion and the Last Nest

2008-10-24T13:01:00.000-07:00

It still was not a good day to go count piping plovers in the park, but it was a fine time to check our last loggerhead (Caretta caretta) nest near Park East.

When I was there yesterday, there was roughly 20 feet between the nest sign and the surf. This morning, the egg chamber itself was only six or seven feet from the water!

There was a lot of sand piled on the nest again as well. The sign in the middle is about 4 feet tall!

This poor nest has been through so much, with wind, waves and rain from Faye, Gustav and Ike, and now the weather this week.

It's been chilly and damp as well. All we can do is hope that some of the tiny turtle embryos are strong enough to weather the storms. That should make them great candidates for survival in the wild ocean as well.

It wasn't a good day to drive on the sand either. With so much of it shifting and washed by the waves, it's easy to sink!

Even on a stormy day, Pensacola Beach is simply stunning!

Too Wet and Windy for the Shorebirds Today

2008-10-23T18:09:00.000-07:00

Starting today, the 23rd, we're in the 5-day window for PIPL (piping plover) surveys on the north shores of the Perdido Key, Santa Rosa and Fort Pickens areas.

Though the day started with brilliant blue and white skies, it just wasn't fit weather for our feathered friends.

Normally, we'd start at one end of the beach, and count all the shore birds, like this semi-palmated plover, between the first sand bar and the vegetation line on the north shore.

I really tried hard to do that this morning, and had a good time counting birds in the first two miles of Fort Pickens. It was hard to find them though as they all hid from the wind! The photo is a little fuzzy as the birds continually tried to smooth their ruffled feathers.

Once I reached the asphalt pile, it was time to turn back. Though the tide was receding, there was standing water in the road corridor...

And the surf was kicking in the Gulf. I wouldn't mind getting stuck out at the west end of the beach, but I was pretty sure my boss had other tasks in mind before the end of the day. That just gives me a great excuse to head back out to the beach in the morning, as long as it stops raining by then!

(* No, I don't avoid the beach in the rain. That said, it is hard to use binoculars to id shorebirds in a downpour!)

Sanderlings, Yellowlegs and Dunlins, oh my!

2008-10-22T13:42:00.000-07:00

Since it's fall, it's time for yet another bird survey. Today I visited the south shore of Fort Pickens, which was overrun with hundreds of sanderlings (SAND)...

There were several yellowlegs (LEYE) hanging around the north shore ponds. Can you tell how they got their name?

From time to time, a dunlin (DUNL) ran about with the sanderlings as well. They're down curved beak and darker coloring are quick cues to their presence in a mass of feeding, or warming, sanderlings and plovers.

There were egrets and herons running around as well...

Most of the day, however, was dedicated to the feeding sanderlings.

They're the little sewing machines of the beach, tearing up the sand as they hunt for tiny crustaceans underneath...

They must swallow lots of sand as well -- just look at that beak! (If you click on the image to enlarge, it's easier to see.)

They pause from time to time when they are rudely interrupted by an approaching wave...

or taking time out for a nap, but these breaks are rare.

Ever industrious, they keep us busy as we try to remember which individuals we've already counted, and which simply won't stay still. Imagine a flock of 70 or so, running back and forth as the waves wash the beach, like little perpetual motion machines. Sometimes the best count we can get is an educated guess!

Shades of Blue, or Just Another Day in Paradise

2008-10-22T13:32:00.000-07:00

Fall has definitely brought some beautiful weather to the Gulf Coast.

It's a little chilly in the morning for me, but who can really complain when this is the office?

Just check out all the shades of blue!

There is a little erosion in places, but that's normal this time of year... The gently sloping summer beach will return in time.

Can you see our last turtle nest by the sand fence? We hope it will hatch any day now.

The Blue Angels seem to be enjoying the fall as well.

What a thrill is must be to pilot those planes!

Angels, both Blue and White

2008-10-21T13:28:00.000-07:00

The Blue Angels were out this morning during my bird survey, which was good in a way. They kept startling a snowy egret that was feeding near the end of the boardwalks. I've been trying to get a good photo of a SNEG for years, so I took a few shots today. They're pretty awkward when they feed!

There was a landing pose...

a photo-op with the egret finding a fish,

being vigilant,

chasing lunch,

ruffling feathers in the wind,

simply flying (from the scary Blue Angels -- they are loud on Perdido!)

taking off...

trying to walk through the waves (those are large waves for such a slight bird!)

balancing...

posing elegantly mid-flight,

feeding, again..

stalking prey,

hunting even more persistently... ad infinitum. This was one hungry, and co-operative, bird. All these shots were within less than 5 minutes!

A Quiet Day on the Beach

2008-10-20T10:22:00.000-07:00

My weekends at the Park are Sunday and Monday, so today is a day off. I took advantage of the free time to actually visit the beach instead of just working on it :)

The post-Ike tide pools were full of water...

Sea oats struggled to regain ground after being wind-whipped, and subject to salt water flooding in recent storms,

new driftwood persists on the beaches

and old forests erode out of the front beach (and serve as great substrate for new marine communities -- check out that algae!)

and help build new primary dunes by trapping sand in their roots.

I can't believe I only have one month left here, on to new adventures yet unknown... I'm really going to miss this gorgeous island!

Crawling Lessons, or .74% Really Can Make A Difference

2008-10-18T17:17:00.000-07:00

I think my boss was a little amused when Sally and I brought back just two eggs from the assessment of Santa Rosa 8061 the other day. After candling the eggs, we knew one had stopped developing very early, but one had a rather large turtle in it. We weren't too sure about the little embryo, but kept it safe and warm in the fire cache to give it a chance at survival.

When I returned from a morning bird survey today, I was thrilled to see one little loggerhead crawling around in his cooler full of sand! S/he must be rather lonely without all those siblings. You might be able to see just a tiny bit of his sand covered egg in the photo above.

This little turtle represents 0.74% of the total eggs in the nest -- that's our hatch percentage for this nest. We usually have hatch rates of about 90% or better in relocated nests, so this was strangely low. The tiny loggerhead seemed fine though; in a short time, s/he was trekking around the cooler, dragging a little bit of yolk sac with him.

In a natural nest, it would likely take a day or two for the hatchlings to crawl through the several inches of sand above the egg chamber. These yolk remnants would be absorbed or rubbed off in the rush of tiny turtles attempting to reach the surface. With a hundred hatchlings tripping on each others flippers and stepping on each others heads, there's no way s/he would have emerged with this bit of egg left.

I was inspired while watching this lone ranger wander in his cooler... Normally, s/he would have a hundred more hatchlings crawling around with him. It's a good thing we dug this egg out of the nest on assessment - s/he would have died trying to crawl out of the natural nest on his own, exhausting the energy reserves in his yolk sac, and leaving him/her lacking in resources for the swim through the waves.

We're not sure why 134 of 136 eggs showed no development at all. Perhaps they were infertile. Maybe something happened on day one that stopped all development. Maybe it was too cold or too wet or too dry. There's so much we still don't know about turtles! All we do know is that one hatched, and s/he has no obvious anomalies :)

With just one tiny turtle in the cooler, I was able to get some great shots of s/him learning how to crawl... They're a bit out of focus as I couldn't get in the cooler with my camera, so I had to trust auto focus while the camera was suspended (with the flash off) just above the sand.

First, you reach, stretching as far as your tiny flippers will allow...

then grab a flipper full of sand, (I love how his/her little flipper curls under the layer of sand)

push the sand back while reaching forward with your head and neck,

then repeat! There, now that's easy, isn't it?

One turtle may not seem like much, but who's to say this little loggerhead, representing 0.74% of his nest, might just be the far less than 0.1 to 0.01 percent that survives to maturity? S/he's beaten the odds so far!

Last Nest of the Season

2008-10-18T13:43:00.000-07:00

Gulf Islands National Seashore turtle program is down to one final nest, Pensacola Beach 8201. Park VIP Melanie Waite located the nest the morning of August 20th, while doing a very thorough job on the Santa Rosa patrol, overlapping my morning patrol on Pensacola Beach. Melanie does such a great job! I arrived about three minutes after she found the nest, so she didn't even have to call for help assessing whether or not the nest needed to be moved.

Melanie headed off to fill in the data sheet while I searched for the egg chamber. Melanie did take a few minutes to get some great photos of our nest relocation protocol.

Just look at those eggs, nestled snugly in their sandy cradle. Momma didn't crawl very far from the water, but she hit a berm and thought she was on safe, dry ground. In reality, she was only about 5 feet from the previous night's high tide line, so the eggs would not have stayed dry for long if we'd left them in place (in situ).

After documenting how close the nest was to the Gulf of Mexico, all the eggs were gingerly placed in a cooler lined with several inches of sand. It's necessary to be even more gentle with developing sea turtle eggs than you would with a dozen eggs from the grocery store. While they have leathery shells, as opposed to the brittle shells of chicken eggs, a minor jolt could kill a sea turtle embryo in the very delicate first stages of development. That's why only highly trained sea turtle biologists move the eggs, VERY carefully, one at a time...

Then, a new nest location was prepared. I dug an 18-inch deep hole in the sand, shaped like an upside-down light bulb, near the base of the sand fence.

Each egg was then placed in the new egg chamber, in the same position they held in the original nest. Once all 106 eggs were back in the sand, they were covered with several inches of firmly packed sand, and the area was signed to keep beach visitors from disturbing the developing sea turtles. We've waited two months now, and expect hatchlings within the next week or two -- they sometimes develop more slowly when the weather turns chilly!

It's a good thing we moved the nest as Tropical Storm Faye removed that section of the beach just 5 days later. With Gustav and Ike hot on Fayes heels, we were triply happy we moved the nest!

Gustav and Ike deposited an extra two feet of sand on top of the nest, which we carefully swept back to return the nest to more normal conditions. The extra sand could have changed the temperature and/or humidity that the eggs were exposed to, and could have effected their development or survival rate. The nest was also subject to much wave overwash in both storms (though neither hit Pensacola Beach, their effects were widespread!). We don't know how the nest will fare given all the trauma it's been through, but I'm optimistic!

This is the nest today. It's high and dry, but that sand cliff is over 5 feet high... That's quite a drop for the tiny turtles, so we'll be certain to have park staff or an experienced volunteer on hand to help the hatchlings to a safer section of the beach.

There will still be one more sea turtle nest in the neighborhood once this nest hatches. Our good friend Gigi in Navarre Beach still has a nest - from September 7th. Let's hear it for the late loggerheads!

Foggy Morning

2008-10-17T13:30:00.000-07:00

The day started gray and dreary, shrouded in mist. Once the sun rose though, the scene changed completely - it was a stunning warm fall day.

I was happy to have some company on the beach this morning from the park. Our program assistant, Rhonda, joined me at Perdido Key for a bird survey. I'm not sure if I bored her to tears or not, but it was nice to have someone to talk to other than the birds. Though they are pretty to look at, they aren't very good conversationalists!

The light early today wasn't very good, so I didn't take many photos, but I still took a few tests shots, just looking for a good image in poor light, or shooting a species we don't have good images of in our files.

This snowy egret almost fades into the sea behind it in the gray morning.

Just a few minutes later, the sun peeked out from behind it's shroud so we could capture some images of dunlin (DUNL) feeding south of Spanish Cove.

An obstinate brown pelican (BRPE) kept trying to balance on the edge of a metal sign. How crazy is that? He wasn't getting a nice nap like his friends on the wood pilings.

Once we reached the east end, the fog and clouds had completely burned away in the midday sun, leaving a perfect view of the Pensacola lighthouse... Just another day in paradise :)

Birds Again!

2008-10-16T14:04:00.000-07:00

Winter means birding at the beach, and there are lots of interesting species visiting.

Gulls, like this young Herring gull (HERG), grow more numerous as the chilly weather sets in. Several times a week, we do surveys divided between the south and north shores. Today was time for south shore surveys.

The south shore often has more common species here, though they can be quite beautiful, like this stalking little blue heron (LBHE).

The black bellied plovers (BBPL) were uncharacteristically bold while feeding today -- they must know the weather is predicted to cool down considerably tomorrow.

I never get tired of my RUTUs! Here, a RUTU seems to rule a roost of sanderlings. Not bad work for such a regal looking shorebird!

Nest Assessments and Kemp's ID

2008-10-15T11:08:00.000-07:00

Sally and I assessed the next to last loggerhead nest, Santa Rosa 8061, this morning. One hundred thirty-four out of 136 eggs showed no signs of development... That's a lot of hard work for a momma turtle with little discernible result.

Normally, I post lots of photos of my day at work, but that assessment was just no fun. I had to dig 136 eggs out of a two foot deep hole (Gustav and Ike had deposited lots of extra sand on the beach there) and open each egg to determine what happened. The eggs just looked infertile, but it was a depressing, messy job. I don't think I'll ever eat scrambled eggs again!

We do still have one loggerhead egg in a cooler. It still looked viable at the assessment, so we took it back to the office. Sally and I 'candled' the egg -- holding a bright flashlight under it while in a dark room -- to see the embryo inside. It looks a little small, but the shadow of the tiny turtle head was unmistakable. Hope the little guy will hatch in a few more days.

The state also asked us to mail samples from each of our reported Kemp's ridley nests from this season. They seem to think we can't identify the species! Luckily, when we assess nests, we do save at least one hatchling or embryo from each nest (if there's one that didn't survive) for a variety of reasons. They're stored in the freezer until we need them, and today we did. So, I had to find dry ice in Gulf Breeze, which is not an easy task. Eventually, I found some at Winn Dixie and packaged the little critters up for FedEx. It seems strange to me to be able to do that -- in the Caribbean, that would require all kinds of CITES permits and other red tape. Secretly though, I can't wait for the state to call us back and tell us we were right all along!

That leaves just one more nest for this season, Pensacola Beach 8201, which should hatch very soon. After that, my time here will be almost done! Hard to believe a year and a half could fly by so quickly. I'll miss the park tremendously, but I have much more to look forward to back home...

The last nest is another loggerhead... Can you see the difference between the two species (Kemp's are the last three images, the first two images are loggerheads)? I don't know why the state thinks we can't tell.

* update - We didn't have a sample from one of our Kemp's nests as there were no dead hatchlings or unhatched embryos, so we emailed the state photos of those hathclings instead (if you know me, you know I take way too many pictures!). We had an almost immediate species confirmation from the state... After they see the five hatchlings Mark and I mailed, maybe they'll be less skeptical next year!

Shore Birds on the Sea Turtle Maternity Ward

2008-10-14T14:50:00.000-07:00

We're still waiting on SR8061, a loggerhead nest with 136 eggs, to hatch. It's not even making noise yet, and it's almost 70 days since it was laid, which is not a good sign. It seems many of our nests got a little more flooding than we thought during Hurricanes Gustav and Ike!

We just want to see about 200 more of these little guys from this nest and the last Pensacola Beach nest...

That said, being out on the beach in the wee hours gives me a great opportunity to catch the sea oats in the light of the full moon...

the full moon as it dips behind a cloud,

and sea oats against the rising sun.

Yes, I know, I should have been out on a bird survey already since the nest was quiet, but I needed better light to tell all the plovers apart!

Today, we added some SEPLs (semi-palmated plovers)

and BBPLs (black bellied plovers) to the mix.

You'll notice many of the birds, including some sanderlings and piping plovers, appear to be one-legged... They're really just fine, but working to conserve a little heat. The flocks of mixed plovers, sanderlings and sand pipers help keep them warm in the cool east wind as well!

Even the Canada geese look lovely in the early morning sun,

though ever they are weary of the noisy ATV. Wish we could do a bird survey from a floating blind!

Fort Pickens is Gorgeous in Fall!

2008-10-11T11:07:00.000-07:00

The last Santa Rosa Area loggerhead nest still hasn't hatched, but I could hear the hatchlings this morning. The cool fall weather must be slowing them down a little, but it certainly is making the other animals happy!

This SNPL (snowy plover) seems to find people's footprints a cozy place to hide from the brisk morning breeze. You can even see the toe marks!

The egrets were everywhere this morning, which makes me happy when my camera is ready. This one reminds me of an angel, corny I know, but that's me sometimes.

I really needed a pick-me-up today. Somehow getting out in the field, working with sea turtles and watching shore birds run in the waves takes me away from myself. It's a good thing!

If you've read this blog before, you know I love RUTUs (ruddy turnstones). This little guy is looking for snacks in the pre-Ivan road ruins that were unearthed again when Ike passed by.

It's amazing how much the island can change overnight!

The west end of the island is really shaping up...

The fort looks great...

Some of the buildings even have park staff living in them again, though they need generators for power.

Even the marsh is healthy and full.

It's such a great place to call an 'office'. I'll really miss it here!

PIPLs, SNPLs, WIPLs, et al.

2008-10-10T14:14:00.000-07:00

Yes, it was another bird survey day. We have a lot of those in the winter, and yes, for a sea turtle girl, this is officially winter. Once that thermometer hits 80 degrees, it's time for a parka (if you don't believe me, just ask my co-workers...)

A lot of these will seem redundant, but it's time for 'peep' lessons. For today, it's just the following:

SAND (sanderlings)

WIPL (Wilson's plover)

PIPL (piping plover)

SNPL (snowy plover)

with some WILL (willets)

BRPE (brown pelicans)

and GBHE (great blue herons), thrown in for good measure....

Now let's try that again...

Can you tell what's in here? There are just two species...

Here, we have three... It helps to click to see them better, and pay close attention to leg color and their beaks!

I'll try to photograph a north shore survey soon so we can add some to the cast of characters in the park :)

A Distinguished Park Visitor

2008-10-10T14:08:00.000-07:00

I was back at Opal Beach today, checking on the same nest from yesterday (still no hatchlings) and doing a bird survey. Can you tell what bird this is that was visiting the park today?

I need a better lens to capture this guy, but I'll work on it. Right now, all I have is a 300 mm, so this is as close as I could get. He kind of belongs in a National Park, doesn't he?

It May Not Look Like Much...

2008-10-09T13:29:00.000-07:00

But the damage to this POD door reflects a second ATV theft and a third break-in for the turtle patrol in the Pensacola Beach area this season. How utterly cruel that someone would choose to further jeopardize the survival of already endangered species by interfering with our efforts to protect them...

Our intern, Sally, called me at 0530 this morning to ask if I could bring an ATV to the beach for her. At first, that seemed a little odd as she was calling from a location where we store an ATV to assist with turtle patrol work. Sally hadn't opened the storage unit (in case there were prints) but the lock was obviously gone...

Sally and I waited for park police to arrive to take over the break-in investigation, then we left on a NPS mule to check on a sea turtle nest that still had a screen on it from the night before. The screens keep hatchlings that emerge unattended from wandering north, east or west towards lights from neighboring towns while also keeping ghost crabs, gulls and other predators from reaching the tiny hatchlings. Normally, a nest is only left screened while an intern, volunteer or staff member is away from one nest while checking on others. As this nest was in the middle of the Santa Rosa area, and the road is still inaccessible after new damage from Gustav and Ike, there was no way to get to this nest without an ATV, mule or four-wheel drive. Sally and I were not able to leave the break-in to check on the nest until nearly 7am, which is pretty late for hatchlings!

While en route to the nest, our day got even better... The new mule (with only 210 hours on it) broke a belt, leaving us stranded west of the Opal Beach pavilions, about three miles from the nest and maybe 6 from Portofino. We called Mark to come rescue us with his 4wd, and wandered to the north shore to search for the flamingo while we waited. No flamingo sighting today. Mark drove down to the nest before coming back to help us to be sure no hatchlings were trapped under the screen. None had emerged yet, so we were relieved to know we hadn't caused any tiny turtles undue stress.

Once Mark met us west of Opal, he chained his huge truck to our little mule and tried to pull it out... No such luck. Sally, Michelle (who came along with an ATV to help us get unstuck) and I all tried to push the mule while Mark pulled with his truck. Still no luck. Guess the mule was being as stubborn as, well, a mule...

Happily for us, the road crews have started back to work in the Santa Rosa area. At the moment, they're mostly moving sand and debris from this seasons storms in order to reach the road slated for repairs before Gustav hit. Their big bulldozer was just what we needed -- those huge tires are no match for even the softest sand.

The road crew soon had the mule back on the road, and we chained it to Mark's truck again. He towed us back to the Park East parking lot where Mark, Michelle and I pushed it at a run to get it loaded back on a trailer while Sally steered (no easy task with a trailer about two inches wider than the dead mule), and it was off to Kileys for repairs... All before 9am.

The rest of the day was pretty routine... Bird surveys, funding meetings, and Star awards for Mark, Gary (in the MS district) and yours truly. Want to read what the Chief of Science and Resource Management had to say? It might read well if you double click it, but I just took the photo with my phone, so it's a little fuzzy, and the hatchling numbers are off -- we now have nearly 3800 in the water!

* update: the ATV was found by a visitor on the beach later in the day. Apparently, someone took it for a ride, jumped an erosion bluff and immersed it in the Gulf. It has a lot of salt water damage, but the good guys at Kiley's are fixing it, and the mule...

Perdido Key Saturday

2008-10-04T11:22:00.000-07:00

Yes, I've spent a lot of time at Perdido Key this week, often waiting on the sun.

Today, I had to finish the Kemp's stranding from Friday, check on a hatching sea turtle nest and do a quick bird survey.

RUTUs were involved...

There were SNEGs as well (snowy egrets)

and the ubiquitous models, the great blue heron. I never get tired of their statuesque poses.

There was another stranding today as well -- a stunning juvenile green sea turtle over on the Pensacola Naval Air Station that had been sliced by a boat propeller. I always hate those calls, but it's important to learn what we can from an animal, even though it's sad to have such a learning opportunity.

I almost bought a 500mm lens last night, but decided to wait til I know if I have a job in December. I'm just anxious to take better pictures!

Sunrise in the Sea Oats

2008-10-03T11:14:00.000-07:00

Again with the sunrise, I know. The only thing missing in my morning ritual lately is a steaming mug of green tea. If only I could figure out how to keep some hot til I drove all the way to PK. With the chill in the air, it would definitely make sunrise a perfect moment.

I never know if I should include disturbing photos like I took today of a stranded Kemp's ridley, so I'm leaving it out for now. It was a sad sight on the east tip of the island, but it's a part of life. It's really sad to lose an adult, knowing how many obstacles they have overcome to reach maturity. To lose an adult Kemp's is sadder still as the species huddles on the brink of extinction. It makes me very happy to know we were able to release over 500 Kemp's hatchlings this summer!

The ruddy turnstones seem to follow my every turn lately. I'm not quite sure what that means, but it's lovely to see them!

Of course, the semi-palmated plovers are back in town as well. Both birds make me think of men in tuxedos for some reason. They just look all dressed up!

A Perdido Key Morning

2008-10-02T11:02:00.000-07:00

I often arrive in the park, even at the distant Perdido Key area, well before dawn, and I ride the beach, searching for turtle tracks or hatchlings while waiting for the sun.

The snowy egrets wait with me.

When the sun arrives, it's always the start of a beautiful day!

Even if there are masses of jellies on the beach.

Just how often do you have time, or opportunity, to watch a great blue heron stalk his own shadow?

Opal Beach Birds -- There's More than Just a Flamingo!

2008-10-01T13:09:00.000-07:00

The day dawned bright, clear and chilly for the biologists of Gulf Islands National Seashore. It was time for a bird survey on the south shore of the Santa Rosa area today.

There were the usual suspects -- sanderlings, willets, laughing gulls, and brown pelicans.

I had to peek at the north shore as well, to see how morning was going on the marsh.

The little blue herons and reddish egrets were together in one large flock,

though they did separate out.

Check out this feeding posture!

There were lots of piping plovers as well, hanging out about a mile east of Opal Beach. Yes, the flamingo was still there as well.

This is winter habitat for them, and the marshes are a great food source.

Sometimes, I think they come with just a little too much jewelry though.

That yellow flag has to hurt!

Another Gorgeous Day on Santa Rosa Island

2008-09-30T13:24:00.000-07:00

How can you complain with a job like mine? The day started bright and early with a stunning Perdido Key sunrise.

The surf was calm and soothing.

Then, it was off for a bird survey, with a few Willets (WILL) escorting me down the length of the island as I kept spooking them with the ATV -- a necessary evil. Sorry!

The sanderlings (SAND) had a few ruffled feathers as well, but not from me. Maybe the flies were annoying them too.

There were not many species on the south shore today, but one Ruddy Turnstone (rutu in bird lingo) made my day.

I parked the ATV, and he kept creeping closer and closer.

Maybe the bird confused me for one of the new large pieces of driftwood that floated in after Ike.

How's this for size?

As beautifully aged, hollowed, and weathered as it is, I don't think anyone will be carting it home as a souvenir, which means it will stay on the beach for all to enjoy.

Flamingo Update

2008-09-30T13:19:00.000-07:00

For those of you following the Opal Beach flamingo that I first sighted on September 17th, I'm happy to report the bird was seen on Saturday and Sunday by park visitors and on Tuesday (by me). We still don't know if the flamingo will find it's way home, but we're consulting experts to determine what, if anything, needs to be done to help ensure its continued health.

Greens and Loggerheads

2008-09-26T13:51:00.000-07:00

When I assessed the green (SR7201) and loggerhead (SR7241) nests last night, there were stragglers in each nest that still had belly folds and needed a day or two in an artificial nest (a cooler) before they were ready to swim.

We keep each nest in a separate cooler to prevent contamination, but having both on hand does present a good opportunity to see the difference between the two. Just look at those bellies... Obviously, neither likes to be on their backs!

Green sea turtle heads are slightly rounded, though many of them still have egg teeth, which makes their true profile hard to see.

If we could get a close look at their jaws, we'd see that greens have a serrated covering on their lower jaws to help them chew through sea grass!

Greens only have four costal scutes, compared to the five on loggerheads. Some of our greens had five, but they were obvious anomalies... Sometimes the pattern of the scutes is a little off!

After releasing just one last night, I did take seven more green hatchlings to the Gulfarium, where they have been placed with their siblings from Monday, who are all either in the Gulf or doing well.

While there, I had a chance to check on Kujo as well. One of our park volunteers found her (or him) in another nesting area and brought it to the Gulfarium after noticing that it had lost a flipper! Despite that, or because of it, this little one is a fighter, biting at Gulfarium staff so much s/he earned the name Kujo!

I couldn't resist including this picture... It looks like s/he's afraid of heights.

Little Loggerheads at Perdido

2008-09-25T13:08:00.000-07:00

At sunrise today, it was time to assess PK7201, a loggerhead nest that has been hatching over the last several days. We had to count eggshells, live hatchlings and embryos that didn't hatch, for one reason or another. There were three stragglers in the nest, ready to greet the world.

Since this was a nest we relocated about 100 feet north of where it was laid, we gave the turtles a lift to the approximate site of the original nest (though the area was reclaimed by the sea about 5 weeks ago... talk about erosion!), and set them out for their first swim.

Two of the three seemed to stick together...

one crawled in circles because it had sand in it's eyes!

Eventually, they all greeted the huge sea (which came complete with it's own shadow),

and took their first swim. How overwhelming that must be for a one ounce turtle-ette!

Birding at Perdido

2008-09-25T12:58:00.000-07:00

Today was another Piping plover survey day, with the north shore of Perdido Key our destination. Perdido has not attracted many PIPLs in recent years, but it's still fun to see what's out there!

There were night herons,

tri-colored herons

and osprey, among other gulls, terns, peeps and pelicans.

There were lots of jellies too, including this one with it's little heart on the medusa!

Green Sea Turtle Hatchlings!

2008-09-24T11:15:00.000-07:00

Our lone green sea turtle nest was overdue for assessment last night, so I headed to the beach in the early evening for the tortuous count.

I knew there were 165 eggs and only about 50 hatchlings so far -- I didn't want to find a bunch of embryos that didn't make it.

I ended up stopping the assessment almost immediately after digging into the nest, as this little live pipped turtle lifted it's head to greet the fading sunlight.

This little guy was just under the surface of the sand as well, and raring to go for a swim.

You can still see his egg-tooth, that he, or she, used to help break out of the shell. Other than that, he seemed completely ready to go!

He, or she, just needed some directions to the sea. I don't know why he's looking to me for advice - I can get lost in a paper bag!

Sometimes, nests don't hatch the way we expect, all in one giant wave. This nest seems to have small groups emerging every few days.

When we do find just one or two on an assessment (or an attempted assessment) we may let them go while there is still some light, so I was able to get a few good photos.

Check out the size of this hatchlings shadow... It's overwhelming next to the toddling turtle!

Here comes the watery world!

Watch that power stroke into the mighty Gulf of Mexico...

They are even more beautiful after being washed by their first wave (you have to click on the photo to enlarge it to really appreciate how stunning they are).

Aren't they just adorable?

Fall in Florida

2008-09-24T10:56:00.000-07:00

When I awoke for my early morning patrol on Pensacola Beach, it was evident fall had arrived in the Florida panhandle.

There isn't much fall foliage here, but the signs are everywhere...

In the brilliant yellow wildflowers,

the fields of purple,

the red of this dragon's mouth flower (well, at least that's what it looks like to me - anyone know what it is?)

and the butterflies starting their migration.

Even the bees are buzzing about the change in the weather. It may be a bit cool for my taste, but it sure makes Florida beautiful!

The Seven Dwarfs and Gracie

2008-09-22T15:46:00.000-07:00

The green (Chelonia mydas) nest is finally hatching, but it's been a little odd as hatchlings emerge in small waves.

The greens are easily distinguished from our loggerheads and Kemp's by their smooth-nosed profiles...

and brilliant white bellies.

This group seems to have emerged a little early, perhaps pushed out by more rambunctious siblings.

Three still have distinct belly folds...

and one is just a little bit pale.

One little guy, Doc, does seem ready to go,

though he can't find his way out! How's that for a traffic jam?

I took six of the dwarfs to turtle rehab at the Gulfarium, where they will receive care for the next 24 hours, and will be encouraged to swim tomorrow.

For now, Dopey, Sleepy, Sneezy, Happy, Bashful, and Grumpy are all separated,

in coolers of damp sand,

tucked in with sand blankets from their original nest,

and resting until they seem more active.

Derrick, Amanda, Rachel and Marcy at the Gulfarium will provide water and other nutrients if necessary, until they're ready to go, like Doc (photo above).

It's good to know they are in capable hands...

Clover, our rescued green from last year, is still living with the folks at the Gulfarium as well, and she's gotten so big.

Maybe she'll swim free soon as well!

Flamingo Update

2008-09-22T10:20:00.000-07:00

For those interested in finding the Escamabia County Flamingo, the most recent sighting was this morning in the Fort Pickens area of the park. Guess he's headed west for a spell :)

Still Enjoying the Florida Sun

2008-09-19T06:06:00.001-07:00

The flamingo is still hanging out a little east of Opal Beach on the north shore... S/he seems to like our mudflats!

I had a chance to check the area again this morning after nest sitting with PK7181 and SR7201.

There were no sea turtle hatchlings today, but there were some great birds!

It looks like a rainy day, and maybe a rainy weekend, so it may be hard for folks to get down to Opal. It's definitely worth the trip to see this animal outside it's natural range. I do hope the flock finds its way back home!

Wild Flamingo on Pensacola Beach

2008-09-17T13:22:00.000-07:00

I'm more of a sea turtle girl than a bird expert, but I was still really excited to see a Flamingo at Opal Beach this morning! I was just searching for Piping Plovers in Gulf Islands National Seashore when I came across this unmistakable bird near the pavilions.

Our local bird experts, Bob and Lucy Duncan, tell me this bird is one of three that have been sighted in Mississippi and Destin since the recent spate of tropical activity. The Destin link has video of the recent post-Gustav sighting.

Apparently, experts can tell different stocks apart by examining feathers near their face, and other distinguishing marks. Isn't that cool? They think this one, and the two that were hanging out in Mississippi, are from the flock in Inagua, Bahamas. According to this article, the birds seem to have left Inagua in advance of Hurricane Hanna on September 1st.

Piping Plover Surveys

2008-09-17T13:01:00.000-07:00

Today was a Piping Plover survey day at Gulf Islands National Seashore. We're been trying to get them completed for days, but between hatchling sea turtles and stranded adults, it's been a bit busy!

The same banded PIPL that's been hanging out at Little Sabine for the last month was hanging out still... Guess the mudflats there have some great treats!

Of course, there was also the infamous Flamingo at Opal Beach, hanging out with a Great Blue Heron that may, or may not, be a close relative. Flamingos may just be in a bird branch all of their own, though they look a lot like storks to me!

The peeps were out in great numbers, fighting amongst themselves,

and hiding from me...

I just love watching the antics of Reddish Egrets...

With their spooky yellow eyes and comical behavior, I don't understand why no one has used them as cartoon characters yet!

The First Santa Rosa Breach

2008-09-14T06:06:00.000-07:00

If you've read recent posts, you may remember my unpleasant ride out of the park Wednesday night as the waters rose during the three hours I was checking nests and releasing emerging hatchlings.

I only had a chance to look at one of the breaches as I was focused on getting nests screened and assessed last night. I didn't want to be late meeting VIPs at Park East for a hatchling release.

This was the first breach I crossed, and mild in comparison to the ones further west.

Imagine this ditch, at 3am, full of water passing from the Gulf to the Bay, while you're driving down the road and beach on an ATV. Rogue waves crash on the asphalt, rushing across the island, as you're trying to find a safe path out, and there's no route, east or west, tide will rise for four more hours, and calling someone for help means putting them in danger too. Even last night, when walking over to take this photo, 100 pound little me was sinking ankle deep in the soft sand -- surely my ATV would have been mired as well.

I'd be mad at myself for being out there at all if I could have predicted how fast the water would rise, but I didn't expect this. I don't think any of us did, or we would have suspended nest sitting for the night!

I lead a very charmed life.

Chomper, the Little Loggerhead

2008-09-13T20:11:00.000-07:00

Tonight, Mark asked me to invite park turtle volunteers to a hatchling release from SR7111. Before we were to release the 91 hatchlings from last night, I headed to the Santa Rosa area to assess nest SR7081.

Monica and I found this nest on night patrol on July 8. It was borderline, at just 38 feet from the high tide line, but it was on a slight elevation so we left it in place. After repeated washings in Dolly, Eduoard and Fay, we decided to move it before Gustav came ashore. The nest already had 38 eggs that were clearly ruined by sitting water, but the other 90 looked viable. The nest finally hatched on September 10, which means the 72 hour post-hatch assessment was due this evening. We usually assess nests just before sundown so we can more easily see what stage embryos stopped developing, and so we can release any live hatchlings as soon as it gets dark.

I was really happy to find 19 more hatchlings in the nest! Added to the 62 from a few days ago, that's 81 that we know made it to the Gulf of Mexico. A few more may have escaped during the stormy weather when it wasn't possible to have nest sitters on the beach.

Among the 19 hatchlings in the nest was one straggler, a late hatcher that still had a bend to his carapace and was not ready for a swim. The photos of him aren't so wonderful as they're from the beach after sunset, but they give a good idea of why he wasn't ready to swim yet!

I set this little guy in a safe place where sea gulls and ghost crabs couldn't get him while I released his nestmates and opened the remaining eggs. There were a lot of plain yellow yolks!

Meanwhile, Chomper struggled on his back, flipping over even when I tried to let him crawl on his belly. He was just too curved from being cramped in that ping pong ball-sized egg for two months.

I don't know that the turtle was a he -- I just call it that because it's easier, and because he's so stubborn, and a fighter. All good things when you're a one ounce hatchling facing the mighty predator obstacle course in the Gulf of Mexico!

I already had one cooler full of hatchlings on my ATV, so I didn't have any cooler available for this little guy. We don't mix hatchlings from different nests in the same vessel due to contamination concerns. I had no choice but to hold the little loggerhead for the five mile beach drive down to the Santa Rosa POD.

This little guy must have been rather freaked out. This odd, two-legged, 5 foot three thing had just dug into his nest, yanked him out into the sunlight, and set him upside down in the sand. That must have been quite strange. After a short while, I picked him up, cradled him in the palm of my hand, and started driving the jiggly ATV down the beach. Not many sea turtles are adapted to this sort of experience, and the little guy responded appropriately. He reached out his little leathery neck, found the soft fold of skin between my thumb and forefinger, and bit... and held tight. It didn't hurt, but it I did feel it!

This created a strange predicament for me. I gently removed him from my skin after a few seconds, and thought about a tiny turtle lecture. I realize turtles neither understand nor speak English, but I talk to them from time to time anyway. This was one of those times.

Normally, we tell our pets, livestock or other animals we encounter not to bite. That wasn't the message I wanted to pass on to the newly hatched loggerhead. I was happy he bit me. That meant he wasn't afraid to fight off a predator and he stands a good chance in the crazy ocean environment, so I told him to keep on biting. Bite the ghost crabs, the blue crabs, the speckled crabs, the sea gulls, heck, bite the sharks! Fight, and swim hard little dude...

That's the second time in my life that I've been bitten by a hatchling -- the first was just a few weeks ago. How strange is that? At any rate, I'm happy little Chomper has that sort of spirit. He's a survivor!

Fort Pickens as Hurricane Ike Flood Water Recedes

2008-09-13T12:41:00.000-07:00

It was much easier to see Fort Pickens today, though it still wasn't possible to get down to the fort without a boat.

The Santa Rosa Island Authority parking lots will both need some repair!

The flood waters had greatly receded, leaving interesting patterns in the sand...

and dune erosion

and missing sand from the pedestrian walkway

and the new dry gully from the hike with Mark the other night.

The asphalt pile lost the bank of sand Gustav desposited on it last week...

Even the nest signs and screen were missing from FP7111, but the eggs were still there when I went to assess the nest!

That said, the visitors seemed to enjoy slogging through all the standing water,

and the birds were having a blast as well!

We're lucky the storm stayed so far away, but Ike still left a mark we won't soon forget... Pensacola Beach is a barrier island, and it will breach at will -- it's no place to stay during a hurricane!

Sunrise on Perdido Key

2008-09-13T12:21:00.000-07:00

Today was a day to assess damage, at least as much as possible. It started with a gorgeous sunrise on Perdido Key, where I filled in for a turtle volunteer on the morning nesting patrol.

There was still a lot of water on the east end of the island (that's almost a river flowing from the Gulf to the Bay)!

And the sand fence had blown away on the west.

I stopped mid-patrol to assess nest PK7121, which had some very strange eggs with pink yolks!

There wasn't much damage on Perdido, just lots of shifted sand and standing water, though there was still a lot of sheeting water at Spanish Cove (pictured above). it's still amazing though as we were never closer that 300 miles from Ike!

I love my Perdido mornings... Somehow, even the name of the island just fits my frame of mind -- lost wandering on the sand!

Hurricane Ike Flooded Sea Turtle Nest Hatches!!!

2008-09-12T19:07:00.000-07:00

I'll have to wait til tomorrow to post photos as my new work day will start in just a few hours but I had to post good turtle/Ike news... The photos aren't that great as i didn't have my tripod to help with low light. I did take a flash photo of the nest area, but well before hatchlings emerged!

I had just returned from a full day at work, trying to assess the damage to some parts of the island and check on nests when Mark called from Opal Beach. He waited until after noon to try to access the beach by ATV -- I wasn't able to early this morning as the tide was still too high.

Mark had stopped by Santa Rosa nest 7111 (we had three nests that day -- Santa Rosa, Fort Pickens and Pensacola Beach). He heard hatchlings, though the nest was wave washed. He asked me to come back in around sunset to see if they were ready to go.

When I arrived at the nest at 1930, I laid down my raincoat on the sand so I could listen to the nest without getting a face full of quartz fragments... It sounded like a waterfall just beneath the surface. That's the sound of sand sifting through the hatchlings as they all wiggle and step on each others flippers and heads -- talk about sibling rivalry! Their movement displaces so much sand that it lifts the ball of hatchlings gradually towards the surface of the sand, from an original depth of about 18 inches. It's neat to see, and fun to learn to predict! They sounded like one of them was about to crawl into my ear, so I knew the nest was just about to hatch... It's so good to see (or hear) that happen, especially in a nest that had a little issue with water.

This turtle mama had some trouble when she laid the 101 eggs back on July 11th. LiMarie found her wandering around the Opal Beach pavilions when she was doing her Saturday turtle patrol! It's just another example of the deleterious effect of artificial lighting on sea turtles. If we hadn't found her and returned her to the sea, she would likely have died in the heat of the July sun...

It's great to see such positive results -- the turtle got back in the water, Fay, Gustav and Ike spared the nest, and now the hatchlings are ready for their first swim. I often wonder if they'd take that step if they knew they'd be swimming for decades!

They'll swim free Saturday, with the light of a nearly full moon to guide them...

Pensacola Beach After Ike

2008-09-12T12:47:00.000-07:00

Before heading out to the Santa Rosa area this morning, I stopped in Pensacola Beach to pick up the salty ATV, and check on conditions in the Gulf, and any nests I could easily access.

The nest DJ and I released the other morning was still getting washed regularly. I'm happy we were able to help those little loggerheads make their way to the sea.

PB nest 8201 fared better. Though wave washed, the water had piled sand on top of the nest and it appeared to drain very quickly. Once the surf has calmed a bit, we'll remove the excess sand so incubation temperatures are not artificially altered, and the hatchlings don't have those added 24 inches of sand to crawl through!

The area in Park East near the nest was smoothed by constant wave action. The beach was beautiful, if a little wet!

The sea oats the Santa Rosa Island Authority planted did their job well, holding the dunes together. The next batch are on their way, taking root in well-planned rows just north of the sand fencing. Their roots do such a great job holding sand in place!

Occasional waves were still washing the walkovers, but this is nothing compared to what folks are now facing in Texas. We're happy we didn't see Ike hit the panhandle, but sad to see anyone in its path...

First Look at Santa Rosa in Daylight...

2008-09-12T12:29:00.000-07:00

I headed out to Santa Rosa today in an attempt to check on the island, and nests SR7081 and SR 7111. No one had been out there since my water-soaked journey the other night.

Mark and I had tried to get to the Santa Rosa are Thursday, and found the road flooded and covered with sand, so I drove to Navarre Beach to access the park from the east gate.

I was happy to see Navarre Beach had their double red flags out, which makes it illegal to swim in the Gulf. It's a great idea as it protects visitors, and lifeguards alike! It's so easy to underestimate the power of the surf, or think you're invincible. Believe me, none of us is!

Even though the surf was much calmer than yesterday, Navarre Beach was flooded. That didn't bode well for the park!

As the surf continued to flow over the berm at intervals, it was apparent the water would be there for a while longer. It's a good thing the rebuilt houses are all up so high!

The entrance to the Park was a bit flooded as well, so I parked my truck and ATV outside the gate and prepared to walk through the water, hopefully far enough to check the nests I'd left the other night.

With the decreasing tide and surf, and sunlight, it was easier to see the road. It's there, just a bit buried under sand and water.

I didn't make it all the way to Opal Beach as it would have taken hours, and there were still other areas to check. I'll be out there tomorrow though -- hope to see some of you back out on the beach, even if it's still too rough for a swim!

Ike Introduces the Gulf of Mexico to the Bay

2008-09-11T22:18:00.000-07:00

Mark asked me to join him this evening to assess a nest on Fort Pickens. After all that had happened with Ike over the last two days, I wasn't sure I wanted to, but I'll go to extremes for the sea turtles!

Once we arrived at the Fort Pickens area, we unlocked the gate and attempted to drive down the Fort road on the sand covered pavement. For the last few years, the road has only extended about a mile and a half past the closure area, where a large breach has persisted since Hurricane Ivan.

About 50 feet from the gate, it was evident that even a 4-wheel drive was no match for this road. All the sand that had piled up on the beaches after Hurricane Gustav was now on the road, leaving soft, boggy sand. We backed the truck out of the park, and started to hike to the nest, about two miles west of the gate.

On the way to the nest area, we passed through several areas where water rushed over the road, others where small waves occasionally crashed on the asphalt, 100 yards north of the current tide line. Gusts helped us walk faster, but we knew they'd make the return trip arduous! At one point, we walked through a deep gully, turning back to watch as a huge stacked wave rushed through just behind us, knocking down a visitor heading in the opposite direction. Mark stopped to talk with her as she held her ground against the long rush of water. I know how scared she must have been -- I was there last night! It had knocked her to her knees, but she was lucky. It was very apparent that she could have been swept to the Bay, which was a sobering thought as we continued west, on a quest to assess a nest.

A few hundred yards later, we reached the end of the known road (though I think we'll find the road now ends in that gully once the water clears!). There was a solid sea from the Gulf to Pensacola, with the island representing a submerged sand bar in the middle. We debated slogging through the water to get to the nest, but the lesson we had just learned in the gully gave us pause. Mark and I could both wash out to sea, but Mark was a Marine, and, like me, doesn't like to give up on getting a job done.

I'm not sure if Mark would have attempted to reach the nest alone - he may have. Perhaps having a tiny turtle girl along made him more cautious and he decided we should leave the nest for another day. Seeing the water rush over the island, we had no way of knowing if the nest was still there anyway!

The walk back was a little more difficult. At times, the wind blew steadily over 25mph, though a more consistent 15 to 20. After a very long and stressful day, it was taxing, and a great relief to get back to the trucks, now determined to check on the rest of the nests on Pensacola Beach.

Pensacola 7111 had already hatched, 7081 (at Starboard Village) had already washed away (sad) and 8201 was doing well. In retrospect, I wish 7081 was higher on the dunes to begin with -- it's always a challenge to pick a good spot, trying to allow for both storm tides and sea oat roots. This time, my judgement was wrong -- the nest should have been higher, even though that means the hatchlings may have to struggle with the roots that grow over the two month incubation period. It's a lesson learned for next year...

We did attept to access the Santa Rosa area as well, but we quickly turned back. Even the road near Park East was a river! As DJ referred to in her article, I am clearly crazy.

Hurricane Ike Irks Island Waters

2008-09-11T08:12:00.000-07:00

Hurricane Ike is passing well to our south, headed west to visit Texas or Louisiana, but we can still feel the strength of the storm here, especially as we watch over our turtles nests! Mark, park VIP DJ and I watched over PB7111 for a bit in the late evening, with Mark eventually determining it was most likely safe, and it was, at least until about 0200.

I left the Pensacola Beach nest to check on Santa Rosa nests 7081 and 7111. One nest had 62 hatchlings a little past midnight, that all went for a very harrowing first swim. They all seemed to do very well though! After chatting with Mark, I stayed a while longer to listen to both nests, then planned to head home, checking on the Pensacola Beach nest on the way.

Leaving was not such an easy prospect. At first, the tide was just high in the Opal Beach area, but it wasn't that significant.

Once I got about a mile west on my little Honda ATV, water was covering the road.

By the time I had traveled another half-mile, there was water running across the island, with the occasional wave crashing across it. Water surrounded me on all sides, though most of it was only a few inches deep.

Since it was 0230, it was hard to see the extent and depth of the flooding, especially in the distance. I started to panic a little. Do I risk the few inches of water on the road, knowing there's a huge breach in the road that I may not be able to see? Should I head for the few inches of running water on sand that could be lik driving through quick sand? Or just find a high dune and park? It was clear that water was rushing across the island, from the Gulf of Mexico to the Bay, and high tide was still almost 5 hours away. Standing still didn't seem like a very good option!

I could feel myself losing control, and knew that would be even more dangerous. I had no choice but to talk myself through, or wait like a sitting duck as the water rose around me. Not my idea of a fun activity in the wee hours of the morning.

As you may imagine, it took longer than normal to exit the park, so my work plans were a little delayed, and the combination of fatigue and supressed fear was overwhelming. Once I finally got back to the main road, things were still flooded. My nerves sure had a workout, and did not appreciate the water that knew no boundaries -- not the gulf, the dunes,the nests, the roads, nothing was safe!

The nest on Pensacola Beach that had been ten feet from the water when DJ left at midnight now had waves washing as far as 20 feet north of the hatchling chamber (we knew the eggs had hatched as we'd heard them crawling towards the surface for a few days). I called Mark for a little advice, and Monica and DJ for a little help.

DJ, Monica and I helped a nest full of hatchlings get to the water by about 0500 this morning. We were completely drenched in the process, planting our feet firmly in the sand when the largest waves came in so we wouldn't accidentally step on hatchlings tossed in the surf. I think the tiny turtles did better than we did!

Once all 70 loggerheads were in the water, several washed back on the higher-than-normal surf.

Thirteen made their way north, towards a Gulf Power streetlamp. Happily, we found their tracks and recaptured and released the wayward turtles. Disorientation can have a lethal result if they're not found in time...

After that, I tried to check on a nest at Fort Pickens, but my little work truck didn't seem like a match for the flooded road...

in either direction...

After getting hopelessly lost in the Santa Rosa area earlier, looking for a safe way out of the very flooded park, my frazzled nerves couldn't handle any more flood water!

Even the Beach Patrol seemed to think we should stay out of the water, with red flags flying high.

Some of the waves crashed over the long Pensacola Beach pier. A pier employee said there's already damage along the end, and we're not even within 400 miles of Ike!

Quiet Water Beach is flooded as well.

Weather forecasts indicate tonight's tides will be higher. I'm not so sure I'm up for another night nest sitting like last night! I feel bad for the people who will really bear the brunt of this storm -- we're hundreds of miles away and still seeing much impact!

Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants

2008-09-09T08:05:00.000-07:00

These jeans were randomly placed to dry north of the new runnel on Perdido this morning.

Wonder what their story is...

Santa Rosa After the Storm

2008-09-03T13:28:00.000-07:00

Well, the new road has a few minor issues, but it doesn't look too bad. Other than that, there's just sand in new places... like over the same road :)

The animals all seemed to be thriving though! A heron took flight almost as soon as I arrived on the beach - it must have known I was trying to count the birds!

American Avocets hung out in the marshes...

Some visiting with avian friends.

Piping plovers visited at Big Sabine, Opal and the Navarre gate. One had quite an attitude!

And the dowitchers were everywhere. In all, it was a gorgeous day!

Pensacola Beach Turtle Run, After the Storm

2008-09-03T13:12:00.000-07:00

The beach was well wind and sea swept this morning, with nary a track in sight, which made turtle patrol very easy!

The lovely blue-green color had returned to the Gulf as the tossed sand and sediments settled out in the calming waters.

A great blue heron stalked fish along the shore.

There was a new color in the sea oats, burnt by the salt spray and winds over the last few days.

And PB nest 7111 was spared crushing with this giant piling...

I replaced the sign this morning, still amazed that the actual egg chamber was not impacted by the large wooden post. That's luck!

Fort Pickens, Post-Gustav

2008-09-02T14:27:00.001-07:00

We were very lucky to avoid most of Hurricane Gustav this past week, but he did leave a few signs of his passage in his wake...

For those of you familiar with our bird nesting areas, you know these signs stand about 5 feet high. With all the sand Gustav pushed around, this is now less than 2 feet off the ground. That's quite a few sand grains re-arranged!

There were breaches in three areas that I could identify, but the water has receded enough that I had no trouble accessing the western point of the island on ATV.

The two remaining turtle nests on Fort Pickens are doing well...

The dunes around them were a little worse for wear. It looks as if there was a breach just west of nest 7111 (the nest in photo above).

The pre-Ivan road was very evident for about a mile-and-a-half.

Drainage ditches were appearing randomly at the west end as well -- the island has to shed the water somewhere!

The marsh looks really good though! The buildings fared well also. Can't wait to have them back in business for visitors sometime soon!

Gustav at Perdido Key

2008-09-02T14:05:00.000-07:00

Gustav definitely left a mark on the National Seashore, though we are about 200 miles west of where the eye came ashore.

Some of our nests were just wind eroded or washed.

One was completely missing... Though the sand is still there, pushed under the adjacent boardwalk and up on the Perdido Key road.

We're hoping the eggs are still down there, and that at least some are viable. They can survive a little washing, but standing water can drown the eggs, developing embryos and hatchlings in the nest. It's just a fact of nature, but it's hard to take when they're endangered species babies dying in the flood... Each one is so important!

Remember the early June nest on this gorgeous dune? The dune is almost non-existent now. How sad!

Pensacola Beach and Gustav

2008-09-01T11:44:00.000-07:00

I didn't spend much time on the beach today. Somehow, my five foot three, hundred pound frame doesn't stand up well in the TS force winds...

I did, however, check on all of our Pensacola Beach nests. The above, PB 7111, was moved to the sand fence yesterday. The sand fence didn't do too well, but we're hopeful the nest will survive it's early introduction to the Gulf.

All were well washed.

Some had several feet of sand over them...

I was unable to check nests on Santa Rosa and Fort Pickens as the roads were impassable and Fort Pickens has breached. That's probably a good thing as there are still rainbands and tornado warnings...

Can you tell I'm a little over-protective of my turtles? My future kids are going to hate me!

Pre-Gustav at Perdido Key

2008-09-01T11:12:00.000-07:00

We had one nest that coned Sunday morning on Perdido Key. I was worried that the turtles emerge in the tropical storm conditions we expected to arrive overnight. or drown in their nest, so I was happy to see them ready to go just before sunset. Sometimes they don't wait for darkness in rainy, cloudy weather, and we certainly had that with Gustav's outer rainbands passing through all day!

All 88 were ready to go! They even seemed to be hugging each other goodbye as they prepared to part ways in the Gulf of Mexico.

This white spider was in the egg chamber -- I've never seen that before! I would remember since I have a pathological fear of the critters...

The surf was a little high, but no where near as bad as it is today, so we decided the allow the turtles to try to swim...

At first, they seemed a bit reluctant...

Til a trail blazer lead the way

and they joined in a game of follow-the-leader...

You can almost hear the cadence: left, left, left, right, left.

Some of them were flipped upside down,

'til a kind volunteer set them right-side-up.

That first wave introduces them to an entire new world.

They sure seemed determined!

It must be quite a first day for the tiny tottering turtles!

Eventually, I had to put my camera away as rain bands started to run through the area.

It was probably for the best -- the weather was giving me a kind hint to move inside! It was pretty calm still, but the radar was impressively red!

Loggerheads Everywhere

2008-09-01T11:07:00.000-07:00

I've been remiss in posting the last few days as we got ready for Gustav. We had many nests to move, meetings to attend and all that jazz. We still had tiny turtles too!

These loggerheads are from two different nests, with this photo just taken for comparison. The larger of the two is from Santa Rosa 6241, the smaller from Fort Pickens 6241. The variability within the species in terms of color, size, etc. is so amazing! This isn't the best comparison, but it's what I saw that day.

We had to release stragglers on two separate beaches, but the turtles did well playing follow the leader!

Turtle Swimming Lessons!

2008-08-28T09:36:00.000-07:00

Six more little loggerheads went for a long swim this morning.

This nest full of brothers and sisters hatched this weekend, but the stragglers are still not all ready - the last two will head for the sea tonight.

I can understand why they may pause after being washed by their first wave.

You can see where this little one was sitting still in the sand when a wave washed him a few minutes earlier -- it's like a turtle snow angel in the sand!

These two seem to be having a chat, strategizing their route through the wild ocean.

Can you imagine their journey, from hole in the ground to open sandy beach to gulf surf in just an hour's time? That's one rough first step!

I wonder if he's picked his head up to smell the salty air, to see the Gulf, or to practice his breathing technique -- they have to pick up their heads for air once they start swimming.

Plus, they will have to swim for 20 to 35 years before reaching maturity and taking another walk on land (if they're female). That's quite a commitment!

I would rest for a minute before that swim too!

Time for Turtle Tracks!

2008-08-27T12:20:00.000-07:00

A new group of tiny loggerheads crawled down Opal Beach yesterday.

The nest had been threatened by TS Fay, but did well, so we were happy to see the little guys healthy and ready to go...

They almost crawled out of their temporary tranport on their own! Click on the image to see the cutest turtle ever; you can almost hear the turtle crying "let me out!!!"

Nicole had a chance to help out with her first hatch this season, though she has already found us several nests this year.

One of hers is due to hatch on Fort Pickens this weekend... Can't wait to see them swim away!

PIPL Survey at Fort Pickens

2008-08-27T11:53:00.000-07:00

Three times a month, we have to do north shore bird surveys on each of our three beaches. Yesterday, I worked on Perdido Key. This morning, after my turtle patrol, I surveyed Fort Pickens... It's such a rough life!

Today, there were feeding egrets

Black skimmers, alternately feeding

and just standing around...

Lesser yellowlegs

Short-billed dowitchers

Long-billed dowitchers

Baird's sand pipers (the one on the right),

some taking flight... they must not like amateur photographers!

It was an all-around gorgeous day at the Gulf Islands National Seashore. Even the Blue Angels seem to agree!

A Pensacola Beach Morning...

2008-08-27T11:44:00.000-07:00

Here's the view from my turtle patrol this morning on Pensacola Beach...

Who wouldn't want my job?

Perdido Key Bird Survey

2008-08-26T11:44:00.000-07:00

The morning started beautifully with Mark's turtle run on PK, though there were no new nests today. Hope he'll be back from the fires next week so he can do the run for himself!

I have to admit, I'll miss his runs. Early morning on the beach is my favorite time -- what a great way to greet the day.

For some reason, this cloud arrangement reminded me of Van Gogh -- probably more so before the horizontal cloud crowded the sun...

Once the turtle survey was done, and the high tides were behind me, it was time for a north shore bird survey.

There were Black-bellied plovers

Brown Pelicans (check out the little ones in there!)

Great Blue Herons

Osprey

and lots of terns...

even hungry fledges that still think they should be fed!

Nothing unusual today, but it was still stunning. I love Perdido Key!

TD Fay

2008-08-25T10:11:00.000-07:00

Luckily, Fay is spinning out as a Tropical Depression, though she is kicking up quite a fuss in the Gulf of Mexico this morning.

A few of our nests that were left in situ were under threat this morning, and had been flooded last night. We've moved several over the last few weeks as Dolly, Eduoard and a fierce South Wester blew by, but a few were still in place.... that's no longer the case as they've now been moved to higher dunes much farther from the coast.

Thankfully, the new dunes that Gulf Islands National Seashore and the Santa Rosa Island Authority have been developing are doing well. They provide good habitat for our remaining nests, and help the barrier island, and the mainland, withstand the pounding surf when a storm swings through the area. Sea oats are awesome landbuilders!

It's just an active year for erosion and flooding events -- you can see above just how high the tide was last night, and tonight's may be even higher... Eggs and hatchlings can drown in a nest, and we don't like that! Our tiny endangered species need a little help this year, and we're happy to provide it whenever possible.

Hatchlings Swim in the Lake of Mexico

2008-08-24T11:51:00.000-07:00

VIP Valerie was out on her turtle run at dawn Saturday morning, while I was still letting hatchlings go from SR6221. I shocked her a bit -- she wasn't sure who would walk in the 25 mph winds before sunrise, so she drove around til she saw my government truck...

I didn't think the hatchlings and I looked that dangerous!

Though, the beach with these big footprints was pretty hazardous for the tiny turtles. They struggled to crawl out!

I usually do a much better job smoothing things out, but that north wind and the free microdermabrasion treatment were making it hard to be on the beach at all...

I just wanted the hatchlings to be free in the gulf before the winds clocked around from the south and kicked up the surf.

The turtles seemed to agree.

Valerie and I had to laugh at how determined they were...

Even when meeting comb jellies that were bigger than they are.

In time, these jellies and sea nettles (Chrysaora quinquecirrha) will be among their favorite foods!

Every single one of them toddled on down the berm, hit the water without pausing and took off into the still blue-green Gulf of Mexico. It's hard to tell in the image above, but the hatchling is just about to get wet!

There were no waves to toss them back, or direct them...

But they all seemed just fine!

What a great way to start the day! I'm so glad that flat Gulf was just about it for Fay here...