Sunrise at Opal Beach

I enjoy my early sea turtle patrols, but even if I do not find tracks/nests, I am often treated to beautiful sunrises on the beach. 

This morning I covered the Santa Rosa area of Gulf Islands National Seashore and was treated to this brilliant display just before dawn.

Life if good!

The amazing Green sea turtle crawl!

I was not very excited to wake up at 4:15 this morning to the sound of wind howling across the chimney and sheets of rain hitting the bedroom window.   Luckily the rain had let up by the time I got to Opal Beach and what an awesome patrol it turned out to be!  Not only did I discover my sixth sea turtle nest of the season, but it turned out to be that of a Green!  It's the first Green sea turtle nest I've ever found!

The mama turtle's crawl was 41" wide and what a path she made!  There were two body pits (eggs were found in the second pit), and there were three loops where she became disoriented afterward, as she tried to make her way back into the Gulf of Mexico.  Considering she probably weighed 300 lbs or more, you can imagine how tired this poor mama sea turtle must have been by the time she made her way back into the sea.

By the way, this is the sixth Green sea turtle nest of 2011 season (out of the total 75 nests to date).  So far, all of the Greens have nested in the Santa Rosa area of Gulf Islands National Seashore.

Opal Beach at sunrise

There was a beautiful sunrise at Opal Beach this morning!

Sunrise at Opal Beach

"This day is all that is good and fair. It is too dear, with its hopes and invitations, to waste a moment on yesterdays."

~~ Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803 - 1882)

Bird from paradise!

You have to check out Turtle Girl's blog and see a photo of what is visiting the island! Check it out! It's a stunning pink flamingo!

Kemp's ridley fun

Hmmm...sibling rivalry? One of my blog viewers explained they were playing "leap-turtle"!


A Kemp's ridley hatchling focuses on the waves ahead.


A tiny Kemp's ridley hatchling, the smallest of marine turtles.


Photographer Tony Giberson takes a break from the water where he's been photographing the sea turtles march to the Gulf of Mexico for the Pensacola News Journal.


A WEAR-TV reporter interviews viewers for their reaction to this rare event!


March to the sea!


Tiny hatchlings get swept up in the surf and may be tossed ashore numerous times before they finally make it to the sea.


Swept away!


I'm coming!


Two by two...


Ready for release.


Focused!



Egg casing of Kemp's ridley sea turtles.

Learn more about Kemp's ridley sea turtles by clicking HERE.

A very special day

Saturday was a very special day! I had an opportunity to witness the release of Kemp's ridley hatchlings at Opal Beach.

A small group of Park Rangers, volunteers, their friends and family gathered to help with the release. It was also an exciting time for a few Park visitors who just happened to be in the area and saw their first hatchlings and learned about these magnificent little creatures.


A wide swath of sand was smoothed to make the hatchlings march to the Gulf a bit easier. We also took time to fill in ghost crab holes to prevent them from feasting on the tiny turtles. Then two lines were drawn in the sand behind which observers stood during the release to prevent accidentally stepping on a hatchling.


The Gulf water was clear and calm for the release. It was a picture perfect day.


Ranger Beckie Mims teaches her daughter Gracie how to hold a tiny hatchling.


Lila Cox releases her first hatchling!


And photographs "her" turtle!


Did you know that the endangered Kemp's ridley turtles, the smallest of the marine turtles, frequently hatch during the day, unlike Loggerhead, Greens and Leatherbacks?


Kirsten Dahlen, a marine biologist who works for the National Park Service works hard to educate people on how to help protect our sea turtles.


{{{Am I there yet?}}}



Poor little thing faces some staggering obstacles. Some estimates are that only 1 in every 10,000 hatchling will make it to maturity! I thought it was closer to 1 in 100. Now I see how much they need our help to survive.


Oh no! Small sharks are checking out the action. Go away!


A hatchling scootin' along. To be so small, they can actually move pretty fast when they get a glimpse of the waves.


A volunteer steps in to help out when a hatchling gets overturned.


He made it to the water! YEAAAAA!



Another possible problem... A school of small fish attract sea gulls, which would just love a morsel of tiny turtle.


"Just the two of us,
We can make it if we try
Just the two of us, just the two of us...
Just the two of us
Building castles in the sky
Just the two of us, you and I..."


Lila checks out the hatchling she's getting ready to release. "Can I keep him?"


Kirsten photographs hatchlings as they swim away.


Buh-bye, baby. See you on the beach in my lifetime, I hope! Kemp's ridleys reach maturity faster than other marine turtles and begin may begin nesting between 12 - 15 years of age.

A National Geographic article I discovered online stated there may be as few as 1,000 nesting female Kemp's ridleys world-wide at this point. How proud are we that we've suddenly discovered some of these endangered sea turtles on Santa Rosa Island. We are determined to help them survive!

If you want to learn more about sea turtles and how to increase odds for their survival, be sure to check out Traveling Turtle Girl's blog.

Kemp's ridley release!

We had a great group of folks assisting in the release of nearly 80 Kemp's ridley hatchlings at Opal Beach today. I was working on a more complete posting, but when I saw how adorable some of them look close up, I just couldn't wait to share the initial photos with you.


{{{"Don't get between me and the water, lady!"}}}

I promise, I didn't get in his/her way. It turned toward me and paused for a close-up! I swear! Please click on the photo to see an enlargement of this adorable little turtle.

Stay tuned for more photos from this morning. In the meantime, click HERE for much more information about Kemp's ridley turtles.

Disoriented!

I am so appreciative that our 'Traveling Turtle Girl' (marine biologist, Kirsten Dahlen) shared these photos with me. You can see first-hand one of the magnificent creatures we try so hard to protect.


This beautiful loggerhead turtle was disoriented when Dr. LiMarie Rodriguez discovered her wandering in the Opal Beach area a couple of days ago. Thankfully, she and Kirsten found volunteers to help hoist the tired turtle back to gulf waters. You may read more about the adventure in Kirsten's blog.


Happily, this loggerhead lives to see another day, another nest. Seeing her return to the sea we understand the impact we can have on them/their environment. This is why we try so hard to raise awareness, reduce lights on the beach, pick up our trash, fill in holes dug in the sand, reduce recreational equipment on the beach overnight, eliminate plastic bags/Styrofoam/balloons on the beach.