Afternoon at the beach

A peaceful afternoon at the beach

Perfectly themselves

"Love is to let those we love be perfectly themselves, and not to twist them to fit our own image... otherwise we love only the reflection of ourselves we find in them."

~~ Thomas Merton (1919 - 1968)

[Note: My thanks to Lucy Duncan for providing the source for this lovely quote. I was very disappointed when I first posted it, unable to provide the author. It's defintely worth clicking on the link to read his interesting life story.]

Pilfered Pete!

Well this is sad news. Word just went out that Peg Leg Pete's pirate was stolen last night. It would take a lot of work, time, and a large vehicle to get away with the pirate. Surely someone saw something!

The owners want him back, as do we! No questions asked -- just let someone know where he is so he can come home where he belongs!

UPDATE: It was just announced on the 5:00 p.m. news that Peg Leg Pete is home! Woo hoo! It will be interesting to hear the details.

The Dune

Poor lonely dune. It sheltered a re-located nest earlier in the season. Once again wind-cut, wind-swept.

I send thee a shell

"I send thee a shell from the ocean-beach..."

~~ Charles Henry Webb (1834-1905) With a Nantucket Shell

Bird's-eye view

What difference a few weeks can make! Look how big the heron chicks have become. Just imagine the bird's-eye view they must have of the Gulf of Mexico from their nest.

Tropical Storm Claudette

I thought my blog visitors might like to see some of the photos I took around noon today. Ft. Pickens closed at 4:00 p.m. yesterday afternoon, but I discovered they re-opened this morning and hurried out to see how a couple of sea turtle nests fared overnight.


In the Ft. Pickens area of Gulf Islands National Seashore, rain was very heavy at times and the surf had kicked up quite a bit.


I was pleased to see Nest FP 8131 had held up. Though probably a bit washed, the elevation may allow it to drain quickly and hopefully we'll see a good hatch in mid-October.

High winds were sending blasts of sand across the road.

Leaving the park, I saw the lifeguard truck nearby, watching for anyone getting too close to the water. You'd think that would not be a problem today, but you'd be wrong. I actually saw a couple of dozen people out there! Being blasted with sand is uncomfortable at the least, but when winds are this high the beach is a risky place for people who wear contacts or children. Eyes should be carefully protected!

On the other end of Pensacola Beach, Santa Rosa area of the Gulf Islands National Seashore, things were more calm and there were only a few sprinkles of rain off and on.

The Gulf was dramatic, but the roads seemed fine except for a covering of sand in places. Blue skies would even peep through occasionally.

A group of pelicans flew by and I stopped for a shot.

If you click on the photo you can see the towers of Portofino in the distance as I head home for the day.

Welcome to Pensacola Beach!

I have neglected to post a photo on my blog of the new Welcome to Pensacola Beach sign erected on the east end of Pensacola Beach several months ago. Shame on me.

When I contacted the Santa Rosa Island Authority to ask about the sign (which I love), I was told the concept was Buck Lee's and that SRIA carpenter, Paul Harvey, had made it himself. What a great job!

Mr. Harvey and another employee, Michael Chappardi, erected the sign. Other employees - Adel Tomasek, Robbie Gropp and Richard Fuller - were responsible for the landscaping. In the words of Mason Kilgore, Director of Public Works, "In reality, it was team effort."

But it gets even better when you hear about the cost of the new sign. Materials and ornaments for the project were purchased from Lowes and the combined cost of landscaping and materials came to $414.74. The labor was $400.00, so total cost for the sign was only $814.74. Compare that to the welcome sign just past the toll booth, which was purchased in August of 2000 at a cost of $7500.00-- nine times the cost of the new sign! Significant savings, indeed!

So, there you go! When you have good people, great ideas, and team effort, life is good and we all benefit!

Big waves

We have some pretty big waves today after Tropical Storm Claudette came ashore about 40 miles east of us last night, near Ft. Walton Beach. I'm just glad it didn't come any closer.

Island Empress webcam

Don't forget that you can see the Pensacola Beach Fishing Pier and the Gulf of Mexico by visiting the Island Empress webcam. A link is provided on the lower left part of my blog.

Showdown

I loved these photos, but wasn't sure what was going on between the two birds. Something dramatic, for sure.



I'm very happy to have made contact with a bird expert, Lucy Duncan, who can help me out on identification and behavior. The smaller bird is a juvenile Sandwich tern, obviously with something to say to the adult Sandwich Tern! Most of you who have or have had children can pretty much imagine the conversation:

Young bird wants something (in this case, probably for mom to keep feeding it).

Old bird says, "Talk to the hand (wing), tweety. You're on your own now!" :-)

Calm afternoon

It is more calm on the east side of Pensacola Beach this afternoon than the rough surf and high tide I saw at Ft. Pickens this morning.

The last report I heard estimates the storm to come ashore between Panama City and Destin sometime this afternoon or early evening. The good news is that the timing coincides with low tide! That's great news for our turtle nests!

A combination of high surf and a 3' - 5' storm surge at high tide (around 6:00 a.m., depending on the area), could wipe out several of our nests.

Ft. Pickens Road

Water washes near some areas of Ft. Pickens Road within the Park.

Tropical Storm Claudette

I woke up at 4:00 a.m. to the sound of thunder. It was time to get up and get ready for a Ft. Pickens turtle patrol. The first thing I did was head to the computer to check the weather radar and saw storm cells right over Ft. Pickens.

Dragging my feet a bit to give the storm time to pass over, I finally headed toward the Park a little before 5:00 a.m.

While getting the mule loaded with supplies, backpack, and cameras, and catching up with previous logbook entries to see if we'd had any new nests since my last patrol, I could hear the surf pounding. Still, I was surprised when the headlights of the mule allowed me to see how far the waves were washing in. Having neglected to check the tropical forecast after the radar, I was unaware a tropical depression had formed overnight. Now it seemed to be staring right at me.


You can see from the photo above, why I was forced to drive the mule much higher on the beach than normal due to rising water.


The waves are cutting into the beach.


Tidal pools were forming,


and then crumbling into the Gulf as waves claimed more territory.



Unfortunately we may lose this nest tonight as the system now called Tropical Storm Claudette comes ashore. The nest is so new (August 15) it cannot be relocated. The fragile embryos would probably detach from the yolk sac and die.

The storm surge tonight is expected to be 3' to 5' and the waves are already coming within 10 feet of the nest. Still, if the storm is over quickly and the nest drains well, perhaps...perhaps...there's a chance.

The Ft. Pickens area of Gulf Islands National Seashore will be closing at 4:00 p.m. this afternoon and campers are being asked to leave the area, anticipating that the island could be breached (washed over) in certain areas.

Turtle tracks

I forgot to share this photograph with you after my Ft. Pickens patrol yesterday morning. During my patrol I thought I'd found a nest, but it turned out the loggerhead had come ashore the day before. If you click on the photo you can see a portion of the long path the female turtle took.

It takes a huge amount of energy for a 200+ lb. turtle to crawl this far with only her flippers to propel her through the sand. This is one of the reasons we patrol so early in the day. If a turtle is still on land at daylight, she can quickly become dehydrated.

The nest had to be relocated to a higher site. This is another reason for early patrols. Relocation must happen within a few hours after the eggs are laid to prevent damage to the fragile embryos.

Over the rainbow

A rainbow filtered through the clouds this morning.

No bluebirds in sight, but if you click on the photo to enlarge you can see seagulls!

A dream job!

I would say this is my dream job, except that it's all volunteer work. Now if someone would just pay me to drive around the island every morning and every evening to photograph the beauty of the island, I'd be on top of the world. In the meantime I'll concentrate on finding turtle nests and snap a few photos along the way.

But what will I do when the season ends!

Dawn over Navarre Beach

Before dawn I had completed the portion of my patrol from Opal Beach to the edge of Navarre Beach. I could see lightning in the Gulf and beautiful cloud formations like these beginning to fill with color.


About half a mile down the beach, I turn back one more time for a final shot as the sun crept over the horizon. Then I headed on my way to complete my morning patrol which takes me about five miles west of Opal Beach.

Polly's Paris

I've started following another blog: Polly's Paris.

Polly Crongeyer and her husband, John, lived at Portofino about the same time as my husband and I did a few years ago, but I really made her acquaintance during a Florida Trail Association hike this past March.

Polly took an extended absence from blogging, but she has finally picked it up again as she and John travel through Europe, making their way to Paris via Berlin, Dresden, Copenhagen, etc.

Check out her travel blog, Polly's Paris, and spend a few moments living vicariously in Europe. You may also check out her photography website by clicking HERE.

All caught up

When I first spied this heron from a distance I thought he had been tagged. Getting closer it looked like some type of tube attached to his leg.


It wasn't until I got home and enlarged my photos that I saw he had gotten hooked by a fishing lure.

The good news is that he was able to fly away. Hopefully the lure will work its way free and not get tangled on a tree branch. It's very sad when there is nothing you can do.

I've notified the appropriate people at the Park who are on the look-out for him and I'll be doing the same when I go back on Sunday.

Sunrise over Pensacola Beach

There was a beautiful sunrise over Pensacola Beach this morning. Lucky me to see it!

Hatchlings emerge

Below is a twenty-second clip of 109 loggerhead hatchlings which emerged from a nest last week. We cannot use flash photography and it is quite dark out on the beach if there is cloud cover. Consequently the photo is dark and blurred in some places, but you'll see how the little hatchlings emerge all at once.

May I check your ID?

I saw this adorable little bird on my Ft. Pickens patrol this past Sunday and forgot to share the photo with you. Click on the photo to enlarge and you can see his big eyes.


Unfortunately he wasn't carrying any ID, so I've sent out an s.o.s. to friends who work with GINS. I think it may be a Yellow-crowned Night-Heron.

[Confirmation arrived - this is indeed a juvenile Yellow-crowned Night-Heron.]

Afternoon storms

Afternoon storms came rolling in across the island.

Evening stroll

It's fun to take a stroll along the shore in the evening -- or early morning. It's peaceful and relaxing. Sometimes a high surf will even wash up a log so you can sit a spell and commune with Mother Nature.

Dawn on Pensacola Beach

As the sun rises I can see heavy rain out in the Gulf. I'm glad it's staying offshore until I finish my patrol.

Hurricane Week: Extreme Impact

As noted in the Pensacola News Journal this morning, The Weather Channel kicks off Hurricane Week tonight at 7:00 p.m. CDT. One of the segments in tonight's episode shows the Dome Home on Pensacola Beach as owner, Mark Sigler; Kerry Sanders, a correspondent from NBC; and Mike Theiss, a cameraman from The Weather Channel, ride out Hurricane Ivan.

Here is a link to Storm Stories on The Weather Channel. After a 15 second commercial, you will be able scroll down and select the video clip of Storm Stories: Ivan vs. the The Dome Home, but you'll have to tune in tonight to see how they fared during the storm which caused so much destruction on our island.

You may also check out an except from Kerry Sanders 'Reporter's Notebook' by clicking HERE.

Or check out the archives of 'Dome of a Home' by clicking HERE.

Happy me

"Sounds of the wind or sounds of the sea,

Make me happy just to be."

~~ June Polis

Sunday discovery

This was my Sunday discovery as I patroled Ft. Pickens this morning. The owner probably got caught in surf that was too rough for a boat this size.


At least he managed to get it to shore and throw an anchor onto the beach.


Looks like the Pursuit has ended.

Wish you were here

What more can I say to all of my blog followers?


Wish you were here to watch the sun set over Pensacola Beach.

Tucked away

Can you see our sea turtle nest tucked away in the dunes? So far 111 hatchlings have emerged and I'm really hoping a few more come out tonight. The nest, which you may remember from one of my posts in June, was discovered by my friend Melanie and relocated. Consequently we know it has 138 eggs. That means that at least we had an 80% hatching rate at this nest.

Keep your fingers crossed that more emerge. In a later post I'll show you some of the dangers for our sea turtle nests.

Gulf Islands National Seashore

What a fabulous evening on the beach! This photo was taken less than an hour ago within the Santa Rosa area of Gulf Islands National Seashore which borders the east side of Pensacola Beach.

I drove out to set a screen on a sea turtle nest and saw several weddings setting up at walkovers along the way. It's a beautiful, dramatic evening for a wedding on the beach! Cumulonimbus clouds are building high in the west and storms edge the horizon of the Gulf.

Sunsets

Sunsets are so beautiful that they almost seem as if we were looking through the gates of Heaven.

~~ Sir John Lubbock (1834 - 1913)

My first hatchlings of the season!

Tonight I saw my first hatchlings of the season emerge as I helped nest-sit Santa Rosa 6081. The absolute wonder of the experience never changes.

The photo above shows the nest which remained screened until the hatchlings started emerging. Next to it is a section of brown tarp which we used to lay on when listening for activity in the nest. And the beautiful sunset is one of the perks we have as Gulf Island National Seashore park volunteers

One hundred and nine hatchlings began emerging at 8:29 p.m. (yes, the time and conditions are documented, just like with our own babies) and were escorted into the Gulf of Mexico There are 29 that remain in the nest and they have been safely screened in for the night to protect them from ghost crabs and other predators like fox and raccoons. Hopefully tomorrow the stragglers will emerge from the nest and begin their incredible journey.

Life is good!