Independence Day Turtle Walk

Posted Jess YarnellPosted in Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge

Rich and I arrived at Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge about 45 minutes before sunrise on July 4. It was an incredible morning. As soon as we stepped onto the sand, Rich said, “hey! Babies!!” The day just got better from there…

It’s pretty dark 45 minutes before sunrise. The dawn was pink on the horizon. There were 5-10 babies moving silently through the sand on their way to the ocean. We had to be very careful not to step on them. It was so dark that it was almost impossible to take pictures (you can’t use flash around turtles as the light disorients them). I dialed up the ISO to the maximum value and laid down at the edge of the waves, trying to capture the hatchling’s first introduction to the great ocean.

Turtle Hatchling at Sunrise
Turtle Hatchling at Sunrise

After seeing the last hatchling enter the water safely, we did a happy dance and started our walk down the beach. We only walked a little way before we saw sand being tossed in the dunes. A Green Sea turtle mom was nesting. We stood waiting for her to finish — Rich later dubbed her “Slowpoke Turtle” — but it was well worth the wait. Why? We found more babies! Several more hatchlings crept down the beach, and this time, there was enough light to photograph them.

Loggerhead Turtle Hatchling
Loggerhead Turtle Hatchling

One of the hatchlings moved in the tracks that the nesting mother had made as she moved up the beach. The baby turtles will never meet their own mom. They make their way to the sea and then seek refuge in the sargassum as they grow up. Eventually the females will make their way back to the same beach where they themselves were born. Pretty cool, huh?

Loggerhead Turtle Hatchling
Loggerhead Turtle Hatchling Walking in Adult Turtle Tracks

Finally Slowpoke Turtle finished covering her nest and started the slow crawl back to the ocean. I got a few close-ups and a short video. Still pictures just don’t capture the labor of the heavy turtle as she drags herself along the beach.

Green Sea Turtle Returning to Ocean after Nesting
Green Sea Turtle Nesting Mother
Green Sea Turtle Crawls back to Ocean

I moved to the waves to capture her entrance to the water. The tide was coming in and the waves pounded on the back of my legs. I imagined that the the cool water felt amazing to the tired turtle. I was careful to stay out of her way, not wanting to make her go out of her way to avoid the photographer.

Green Sea Turtle Returning to Ocean after Nesting
Green Sea Turtle Returning to Ocean after Nesting

It was an incredible morning. We resumed our walk on the beach, finding another hatchling. But the best part was yet to come. More on that in the next post! :)

Loggerhead Turtle Hatchling
Loggerhead Turtle Hatchling

Least Bitterns and Growing Babies at Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive

Posted Jess YarnellPosted in Lake Apopka

A partly cloudy morning in late June was a perfect day to find Least Bitterns at the Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive. Everywhere I looked, I found one of these secretive birds. Plus a few other bird along the drive…

Lake Apopka is a great place to go to photograph these small Least Bitterns, who generally stick to the reeds and don’t show themselves much in the wetlands. At Lake Apopka, the birds venture out onto sticks sticking up from the water. They use the sticks to perch and watch for fish to catch for breakfast. This little guy didn’t care that my car was just a few feet away. I had to remove my teleconverter to fit him in the frame…

Least Bittern
Least Bittern

…and then I put the teleconverter back on to photograph another Least Bittern. This one was posed a little farther away, and his feathers glowed in the beautiful golden morning light.

Least Bittern
Least Bittern

Common Gallinules are growing up all over the wildlife drive. The first generation of juveniles is all over the marsh. The parents are working on their next broods. Common Gallinules are one of the few species of birds where the older kids help to take care of the younger kids. On this particular morning, the parents were ensuring the surival of the species…

Mating Common Gallinules
Mating Common Gallinules

Purple Gallinules are also active along the drive these days. You have to be careful as both types of gallinules will dart out in front of you at a moment’s notice. This visit was the first time I’d seen Purple Gallinule babies this year. They look nothing like the parents, and they are so cute with their black feathers and orange beaks!

Purple Gallinule Mother and Baby
Purple Gallinule Mother and Baby

There’s always a branch in the way! And have you ever seen such big feet? ;-)

Baby Purple Gallinule
Baby Purple Gallinule

The Black-necked Stilt chicks have grown up and turned into slightly smaller versions of their parents. They were fairly self-sufficient as they wandered in the marsh, but their parents were still close nearby. Soon they will migrate to their wintering grounds. It’s sometimes hard to believe how fast birds grow up!

Juvenile Black-necked Stilt
Juvenile Black-necked Stilt

Nearby, a pair of Black-bellied Whisting-ducks was hanging out close to the trail. I see Fulvous Whistling-ducks on the drive all the time, but it’s not every day that I get close-ups of the Black-bellieds. The only thing better would have been some yellow-and-black babies!

Black-bellied Whistling-ducks
Black-bellied Whistling-ducks

The Barn Swallows were active near their nesting site. A line of three juveniles waited on a branch, hoping that Mom would fly by with food. A different juvenile sat on a branch and sang. It was the first time I’d seen a juvie singing. After getting some still shots of the bird with its mouth open, I switched into video mode to capture the song. It was a great way to end my visit!

Juvenile Barn Swallow
Juvenile Barn Swallow

Black Skimmer Chick Learns to Swallow a Fish

Posted Jess Yarnell1 CommentPosted in Black Skimmer Colonies

Watching baby Black Skimmers learn how to eat is one of the best parts of visiting a skimmer colony. The parents work hard to catch small fish suitable for their small chicks. Even so, the fish are almost as big as the chicks. It can take a while for the chick to get the meal down…

The parents tend to hover as the chick takes the fish and maneuvers it into his mouth.

Black Skimmer Baby Learns how to Eat a Fish

It’s important to swallow the first head-first to keep the fish from choking the bird. The chick often throws his head back as he makes a valiant effort to swallow.

Black Skimmer Baby Learns how to Eat a Fish

Sometimes the effort is too much and the chick collapses exhausted on the beach. He sits there panting for a few seconds, with the fish still sticking out of his beak.

Black Skimmer Baby Learns how to Eat a Fish

Then he throws his head back to try again. It must be uncomfortable to sit there with a fish-tail sticking out of your mouth.

Black Skimmer Baby Learns how to Eat a Fish

The chick does a little wiggle-dance as he forces the fish down. It’s funny how the once-attentive parents have usually moved on by this point, leaving the chick to struggle by himself.

Black Skimmer Baby Learns how to Eat a Fish

It’s so hard to swallow! At times the chick topples to the ground. He lies there panting, then tries again…and again…until he eventually gets it down.

Black Skimmer Baby Learns how to Eat a Fish

It’s hard to believe that in a few short days, the chick will be twice as big and capable of swallowing much bigger fish in just a second or two. :)