Mistakes

I haven't written in awhile. I plan to change.

Well, the 200th nest was found June 17. This is the Texas state record for nesting Kemp's Ridleys. Sea Turtle Inc. represented by finding the golden nest. This particular clutch was considered an "unknown". On high wind days it becomes extremely difficult to follow the wind blown tracks. If the nest cavity is not found, the GPS coordinates are recorded and it is then logged as a "U" nest. We mark the site with a wooden post and a giant "u"...makes sense right? Well unfortunately beach campers, i'll refer to them as adam henrys, get desperate for wood and decide that our sign is an excellent fuel source. The nest then becomes almost impossible to identify and when the turtle hatch out, we lose valuable information.

Lining up the babies. On your marks, get set, GO!
*Gillis 2012

25 babies makes 1 lb. Tell me that's not adorable
*Gillis 2012

Just had another release this morning. This time we invited the public. Around 130 babies crawled their way into the big bad blue. There were four comrades (not pictured) that seemed a little hesitant to head into the powerful waves. Jefe filled a box with a little water, placed it next to the hatchlings, and popped them into the inch of water. This was a test to see if the turtles were ready. Right away they remembered what they were programmed to do. They were flapping like crazy. So Jefe once again placed them onto the sand. With this new found inspiration the hatchlings slowly made their way into the water. They were the last to go.

Babies imprinting and making itty bitty baby tracks.
*Gillis 2012

The site that gets be the most is the set of tracks the hatchling leaves behind. It's a reminder of how this all starts. Patrolling for 8 hours on the beach looking for those distinct check marks of a nesting mother. Reading that set leads you to 100 new lives that you hope will someday do the same. To see the small indentations left by the babies reminds me that you've got to start somewhere. No matter how over whelming it may be. No matter what the odds are. As I tell all the visitors that come through sea turtle inc. it's a site everyone should see in their lifetime. It beats a cup of coffee anyway. I get energized, humbled, inspired, teary-eyed, and reminded of how beautiful life can be. What else in life can do this...that's legal. I often repeat it doesn't get old. I ask the volunteers that have been in the hatchling release business for years if it does, they tell me no. I wonder if the moment will feel the same at the end of the season...something tells me it will.

After being stupidly ill for the past week or so I've also come to terms with the fact I'm madly in love with Deacon, the dog I'm fostering. He's been such a rock in my hectic schedule. I keep saying I'm only fostering him but I think it's about to change. The only way I can let him leave my life is if I know 100% that he is going to a better home... Sadly my lunch break is over and I'll have to leave in the middle of professing my admiration for this little black rogue. He's sitting on the table with me out of breath and slobbery as hell. My hero. Will write when I get work...

It's been way too long but life happens. I've been having a hell of a 2 week period which includes illness that has kept me from myself for way too long. I missed me. I'm glad I'm back. What I've failed to update is the fact that we have over 60 nests. 63 to be exact. I couldn't be happier... Or could I... We've had over ten nests hat hatch out and including tonights releases we'll have well over 1,000 Aas it's 2am and I need to be up in 4hrs-sleep ahas become a rarity here!

A shot around Andie Bowie Park. I think that's the Hilton near by.

So it’s been near 6 weeks since I’ve been in South Padre. That means I’ve been trailer trash for nearly 6 weeks. Ha ha haaa. I live in Andie Bowie Park found 500 yds north of Sea Turtle Inc. It’s a lovely parking lot with a bunch of RVs. We have all sorts of neighbors that have been extremely generous. Some are weekend campers, some are permanent traveling trailer folk, others make a home in SPI and move from park to park.

The six interns have been divided amongst three RVs. I live with Sarah. She’s a Minnesotan that has had some pretty cool internships. She’s a pretty passionate girl and despite being from a different world that speaks kinda funny, we have a great deal in common. Like Disney songs. We harmonize surprisingly well. So important.

Sarah playing with poi at a neighbors cookout

Sarah making a new friend outside the Sea Life Center

We also have another roomie. Deacon is a little dirty puppy mix that I’m fostering from Island Dog Wash. It’s a grooming shop on the island full of dogs of all stories and sizes. We’ve been playing on the beaches most of the time. He was once terrified of the water, we now play in the waves. He was once so loyal and stayed by my side, now he runs through the sand like Cujo. He was once terrified of men, now he’s getting me boyfriends left and right.

Sarah and I arrived last - so we got the last pick of the trailers. It's quite unsteady. This may be due to the temporary "supports" Jefe and I installed. When someone is shaking a condiment bottle, the whole trailer rocks with it. Any time a big storms comes through we usually vacate and huddle in numbers in one trailer. Anyway, as dumpy as our trailer is, i like it. I've been working on an outdoor set up. Washing line, bike storage, random-stuff-found-on-the-beach storage is found under the trailer and of course room for a mini garden. 

Deacon is pleased that we can hang his beach toys to dry

A proud gardener...he has a very green thumb considering he doesn't have any.

We had a storm rolling in one night so Sarah and I had to do a few routine maintenance fixes. We climbed up to the roof to seal off our bathroom “vent”. During the last storm we must have left the hatch open and it…may…have…blown…off. So we did some tip top repairs. Luckily I had pizza the night before from the Hut so no extra materials were needed. Sarah and I found out that our roof is slowly decomposing. As we clambered around we felt the structure bend under our weight – great! But we managed to seal of the vent with a classy plastic, cardboard, and duct tape design. Pictures will be posted shortly.

For now I'm off to the beach with Sharon the once professional sumo wrestler...

Pretty pretty girl

How to bury 100+ turtle eggs

To start, find a nesting mother turtle. It doesn't have to be a Kemp's Ridley, though they might be the easiest turtle to spot due to their daytime nesting behavior. As I had previously mentioned they also nest in arribadas. To give you an idea of what an arribada once was - in 1947 there was video footage of an arribada in Tamaulipas, Mexico. In one day an estimated 40,000 female Kemp's nested on the Mexican beaches.

Can I just emphasize something here...40,000 turtles in one day

I'm getting off topic. I'll talk more of this another day.

So once if you actually find a nesting mother you're in luck. What a patroller looks for while scouring the beaches is a set of tracks. Where the tracks meet is generally the nesting site. Once the nest is found (a whole different process i won't get into now) the eggs are removed from the environment.

Lauren excavating the nest.
**Nina Nahvi

The styofoam container protects nearly 100 eggs. The natal sand is also transported.
It is believed to have antimicrobial and antifungal mucus. A study that has yet
to be confirmed.
**Lauren Miller

Once the eggs are obtained, they are brought back to the corral. A sea turtle corral is an enclosed area of sand that's primary purpose is to prevent any kind of predation. The animals found feeding on eggs come in all sizes. Coyotes, feral dogs and cats, and crabs all prey upon the turtle eggs, even fire ants! The corral must be positioned in an area of the beach where the sand doesn't get too dry but the sand cannot be subject to high tidal action.

Stoked! Nina and her first nest :)
**Lauren Miller

Apparently the excitement is contagious...Anthony holding the eggs for the drive to the corral.

So the eggs are now at the corral and they need to be reburied. Turtle eggs are leathery as they are dropped from the female so our goal is to transport them while they are soft. 

Jefe letting Anthony and Lauren touch the eggs 

The next step is doing exactly what the momma turtle did a a few hours before. The correct size and shape of the nest is absolutely vital. The nest look shape resembles and upside down light bulb. If the walls of the nest are shaped at an angle, improper gas exchange may occur resulting in a low hatch rate. If the nest isn't bulbed enough not all of the eggs will be incubated at the correct temperature range. The depth should be about the length of a grown man's forearm - or up to my bicep...haha

Jefe ensuring the depth is correct

Jefe scooping the nest...it's all in the wrist. 

So the female is able to dig this entire nest with her rear flippers, a feat that seems impossible. Once the correct shape is dug, the eggs are counted again. This particular nest had 92 eggs (I know I know, not over 100 this time). It's important to get the number correct since successful hatch ratios are recorded for each nest. Halfway through burying the little guys, we plant a data logger that will record the temperature over the incubation period (45-50 days).

The natal sand then fills in the whole and a stake marks the precise location of the nest. The stake is dated and numbered and helps us regulate the amount of sand over the nest. Every Monday we keep general maintenance of the corral by leveling, shoveling and moving sand.

As of May 08 we have 20 nests! Come July I hope to report thousands of babies :)

Hasta la vista

Hot momma!

Saw my first nesting turtle today. Well she was leaving - apparently I was late. But nonetheless the nest had 124 eggs.

I saw her in the Sargassum making a dash (if marine turtles can dash on land...) for the ocean. Unfortunately I did not get to check if she was tagged (just like a microchip for your pets) since she was already on her way. I marked out the tracks and did my best to find the disturbed area without tramping all over the nesting evidence.

Making contact with Jefe was the hardest part. I think it's time for a new phone seeing as my POS doesn't manage to hold 4 hours of battery. I was running up and down and all over the dunes hoping for 30 seconds of service while I tried to text Jefe (the responder) AND praying that my phone didn't die. I managed to run into a couple coming down the beach and shamelessly begged them to send Jefe a text too :D

I then nervously waited for Jefe to pull up in the new nest collecting Chevy Blazer. As you know, the last time I called in a nest - it was a dud...But I was feeling a little better this time seeing as I actually saw the turtle. That's got to count for something

I waited and waited, even tested out the handling capabilities of the ATV (shhhh don't tell). I had to do something to keep me busy. Otherwise I would have surely marked and remarked the tracks 30 times while trampling over everything. I didn't want that.

Jefe arrived and didn't look too pleased. My "disturbed area" (where the mother has laid her eggs) was not a a disturbed area at all. Which means he set to looking for a needle in a haystack. Or a hundred ping pong sized eggs in an infinite amount of sand. ummm goodluck

He sent me off to continue my patrol (I think next time I should like to help count the eggs :P) and he later drove past and signaled a good ol' thumbs up. Sweeeeet!



My first nesting momma heading out to sea

  

Perfect in (L) and out (R) tracks