Pensacola Drifts

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!

Storm Weather, Erosion and the Last Nest

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!

Flamingo Update

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.

Pensacola Beach After Ike

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...

Hurricane Ike Irks Island Waters

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!

Santa Rosa After the Storm

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

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!

Pensacola Beach and Gustav

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!

A Pensacola Beach Morning...

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



Who wouldn't want my job?

TD Fay

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.