Turtle Rescue and Three Nests!

I knew Blue Angels Weekend would be great, but I had no idea it would be so good for turtles. I was a bit stressed today, with the most excellent fact that I couldn't get to every nest at the same time.



VIP LiMarie found this lovely loggerhead (Caretta caretta) lost on Opal Beach in the Santa Rosa area of Gulf Islands National Seashore.



I borrowed a bright blue tarp from the Santa Rosa Island Authority and I asked a few early morning beach walkers to help LiMarie and I return the lost turtle to the sea. Amy, Adam and Cindy each grabbed part of the tarp and gave the turtle a ride back to the Gulf of Mexico.



She seemed very happy to reach the water!



Just look at her go!



LiMarie and I found her eggs about a foot from last nights high tide line.



Sea turtle eggs can drown, so we made a conservation-based decision to move the nest.



One of her eggs was a little odd... Most look like leathery ping pong balls, but this one was oval. Maybe it's a double yolk?



We found Sea Oats (Uniola paniculata) dancing on a dune about 150 feet north. The eggs in LiMarie's first nest of the season are now safe and sound on the dune.



We had to move Cathy's nest on Fort Pickens too, but both are safe as long as the tropical weather stays away. In two months time, this nest and the two other new nests on Calle Hermosa and Fort Pickens should yield about 100 hatchlings each. Can't wait to see them safely in the sea!



For now, we still have the baby birds! While patrolling the A-C tern colony on Fort Pickens during the Blue Angels practice, I found this little Least Tern (Sternula antillarum). Isn't s/he adorable?

Turtle Rescue

It takes a village to save a turtle, like this little loggerhead (Caretta caretta). First, Liza called to report this little guy rolling in the surf. Then Rhonda called, and stayed with the turtle until Mark, his family, and I arrived. Then Pensacola Beach lifeguard Dave helped me get him to my government truck for the long ride to Destin.



Now, he's safe and sound at the Gulfarium, waiting to regain a little strength and be set free again. His tag indicates his name is YYN 568. Marcie at the Gulfarium thinks he should be called "Loco" instead. The name just might stick!



Thanks, everyone, for helping us get this turtle the assistance it needs to continue to grow strong!

Turtle Rescue!

My day at Perdido Key was just about perfect. I'd found two new snowy plover nests, a field of wildflowers and finally got the south shore high tide line GPSd. The only thing that could have made it better was a Kemp's ridley (Lepidochelys kempi) nest.



We didn't have a nest, but these two gentlemen, Captain Dave Mucci and Jeremy Brown from Blue Water Adventures found this Kemp's ridley floating near Pensacola Pass. Jeremy jumped in to rescue the turtle, who was tangled in fishing line and had a new boat strike.



Left in the wild, this turtle may not have survived. The cuts from the entanglement were pretty deep, and the propeller wounds will need some attention to prevent infection, but the turtle should do well. She's at Gulf World now in Panama City. In a few months, we hope to see her or him, back in the sea. S/he almost looks like s/he's crying here, but it's really just a means of excreting excess salt. Crying sounds more poetic!



Kemp's ridleys are one of the most critically endangered species in our oceans. They are recovering, thanks to years of effort from a variety of groups, including Texas A&M, Padre Islands National Seashore and Sea Turtles, Inc. just to name a few. Twenty years ago, there were an estimated 700 adult females, the current estimate is closer to 3,000. It's still no where near the historic populations that used to nest in giant arribadas in Rancho Neuvo, but it's an improvement... Every little bit helps!



An action such as today's rescue may seem small, but it's incredibly important for the survival of these critically endangered animals. Thank you, Dave and Jeremy!!!