Friends of Padre Beach Report 9/2/2015
By Tyler Thorsen
Via Captain Billy Sandifer In the morning the surf was choppy and the water off colored North of the 40 mile beachfront. In the afternoon the water cleared. 
Water temperatures were warm from one end of the beach to the other. Finger Mullet and Pony Mullet were observed from the 28 mi. beach to the 38 mile. Squalls passed to the North and the South of us and the forecast SE winds were actually out of the due East. Occasional small Whiting and lots of Hardhead catfish were the only fish encountered; although fisherman at the jetty said they had caught one small Blacktipped shark. Pelicans were observed feeding offshore in the Little Shell and the North end of the Big Shell. No anchovies were encountered and the numbers of Black Terns were dramatically decreased from the thousands of a few days ago. Those Black Terns are with the anchovies; wherever that may be. We have had extremely high tides and more are forecast for this week. Driving is 2 wheel drive all the way to the jetties as long as you avoid the high tide phases. There is a large washout around the 50 mile and we were told it must be crossed “out front” on low level tides as going high towards the dunes is undoable. Overall bird numbers were noticeably down but the first birds of the season were observed for several species. These include 22 Red Knots, 1 Wimbrel, 2 Tri-colored Herons, Semi-palmated Plover, 7 Ring-billed Gulls and 6 Common Terns. Other species observed included 14 Long-billed Curlews, 3 Spotted Sandpipers, 4 White-tailed Hawks, 8, bobwhite quail, 2 Yellow-crowned Night Herons, 2 American Oystercatchers, 1 Caracara, 1 Blue-winged Teal and one Black Skimmer. Other species observed included 700 Brown Pelicans, 500 Black Terns, numerous Piping Plover, Ruddy Turnstones, Wilsons Plover, Sanderling, Caspian Terns, Royal Terns, Sandwich Terns, Least Terns and Laughing Gulls. Have a good and a safe holiday. Billy
Water temperatures were warm from one end of the beach to the other. Finger Mullet and Pony Mullet were observed from the 28 mi. beach to the 38 mile. Squalls passed to the North and the South of us and the forecast SE winds were actually out of the due East. Occasional small Whiting and lots of Hardhead catfish were the only fish encountered; although fisherman at the jetty said they had caught one small Blacktipped shark. Pelicans were observed feeding offshore in the Little Shell and the North end of the Big Shell. No anchovies were encountered and the numbers of Black Terns were dramatically decreased from the thousands of a few days ago. Those Black Terns are with the anchovies; wherever that may be. We have had extremely high tides and more are forecast for this week. Driving is 2 wheel drive all the way to the jetties as long as you avoid the high tide phases. There is a large washout around the 50 mile and we were told it must be crossed “out front” on low level tides as going high towards the dunes is undoable. Overall bird numbers were noticeably down but the first birds of the season were observed for several species. These include 22 Red Knots, 1 Wimbrel, 2 Tri-colored Herons, Semi-palmated Plover, 7 Ring-billed Gulls and 6 Common Terns. Other species observed included 14 Long-billed Curlews, 3 Spotted Sandpipers, 4 White-tailed Hawks, 8, bobwhite quail, 2 Yellow-crowned Night Herons, 2 American Oystercatchers, 1 Caracara, 1 Blue-winged Teal and one Black Skimmer. Other species observed included 700 Brown Pelicans, 500 Black Terns, numerous Piping Plover, Ruddy Turnstones, Wilsons Plover, Sanderling, Caspian Terns, Royal Terns, Sandwich Terns, Least Terns and Laughing Gulls. Have a good and a safe holiday. Billy
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