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Lightning Never Strikes Twice at the Same Turtle Nesting Spot!

Posted Wednesday, July 24, 2019Saturday, July 6, 2019 Jess Yarnell2 CommentsPosted in Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge

Rich and I headed to Archie Carr in mid-June to look for nesting sea turtles. We arrived well before sunrise. There was a storm off-shore with fairly frequent lightning. The moon also shone, illuminating the beach.

The light from the storm and the moon illuminated the beach. We walked down the stairs to the beach and immediately noted the sand being tossed from under the steps. Yep, we found a turtle not 10 feet from the entrance! She was in the middle of nesting, so I took some lightning photos while we waited for her to finish.

Green Sea Turtle Nesting Under Beach Steps

After she finished covering her eggs, she slowly crawled out of her nest and onto the beach. That walk down the sand is an exhausting one for the poor mom. She’s not used to being on land at all, as she only comes up on the beach to nest. Then she has to dig a hole, lay her eggs, bury them, and then crawl back to the ocean. You could hear her labored breathing as she dragged herself along.

Green Sea Turtle Returning to Ocean After Nesting

Finally she reached the waves. The first splash washed off some of the sand from her digging adventure. She pulled herself those final few yards until the waves overtook her, allowing her to swim away.

It’s amazing how big the nests are. The turtle’s flippers are good for more than just swimming! You can distinguish the Green turtle nests from Loggerhead nests because the Green turtles throw the sand around a lot more as they dig. They also tend to nest higher on the beach, closer to the dunes.

After we said goodbye to our turtle, Rich and I enjoyed a nice walk on the beach. Rich patiently waited as I stopped to photograph the rising sun. I used HDR to combine multiple exposures for most of the shots in this post, and I loved how the waves turned out in this last photo. It was such a beautiful morning!

Black Skimmer Babies!

Posted Sunday, July 21, 2019Saturday, July 6, 2019 Jess Yarnell3 CommentsPosted in Black Skimmer Colonies

Rich and I spent a pleasant evening at a Black Skimmer colony in mid-June. I tried to time the visit with the hatching of the babies, but I was off by about a week. The colony was full of blond fuzzballs running around, begging for fish. I sprawled on the sand and enjoyed every minute with them! :)

The baby above was one of the youngest that I saw at the colony that evening. He was so cute! All evening I watched for little guys of this size. Most of the other chicks were a few days older. Older chicks are more active, but a little less cute….

This slightly older chick was happy to accept a needlefish from Dad. Dad stood watching for a few seconds as the baby maneuvered the fish into his mouth. It didn’t take long for the fish to disappear in a single gulp!

Nearby, another adult handed off a needlefish. But the second baby wasn’t so adept at swallowing. The baby kept dropping the fish, and the adult kept picking it back up and handing it back the baby. At times it looked like they were playing tug-of-war. The baby finally won.

Feeding time is a big part of living in a skimmer colony. Babies who are hungry will bite at Mom’s beak to beg for food. The parents are very patient.

The adults sometimes forget their target audience. They bring in adult-size fish and wonder why the babies won’t eat them. The perplexed look on their faces is priceless.

Black Skimmer Chick with Fish in his Mouth

This juvenile accepted a big fish and then struggled to swallow it. He paraded it right in front of my lens!

This particular nest was my favorite one of the evening. There were four chicks that kept Mom very busy. The biggest chick bulled the younger ones, especially the baby. Mom patiently sat on them when they got too rowdy.

As the sun crept low on the horizon, the colony was bathed in golden light. The babies were most active as the breeze picked up and the parents brought in the last meals of the evening. This mom sat quietly with her two chicks. It was a great end to a great evening!

Summer Morning Walk on the Beach

Posted Thursday, July 18, 2019Saturday, July 6, 2019 Jess Yarnell1 CommentPosted in Black Skimmer Colonies

It was a beautiful morning in mid-June. I headed to the beach for some breeze, some exercise, and a chance to photograph some summer beach birds.

It was a good morning to find pelicans fishing in the surf. Some were quite close to the beach. I enjoy capturing the “incoming” shots as they put on the brakes and land. Look at those feet!

This Black-bellied Plover apparently missed the memo about migrating to Alaska to breed. He certainly looks spiffy in his dark black breeding colors!

This Laughing Gull had caught a prize. I think it was a piece of a crab’s shell. The gull paraded at the edge of the surf with his prize in his beak. It caught the attention of other gulls who tried to steal it. I bet this guy would be less hungry if his mom had taught him not to flaunt his food!

A pair of American Oystercatchers slept lazily in the shade of a nearby building. They later awoke and started to call. I love their voices and their bright orange beaks. Then they settled back down on the sand to nap again.

I went home and took a nap, too! :)