Friends of Padre

Friends of Padre Beach Report 7/24/2018

By Tyler Thorsen

Friends of Padre Beach Report 7/24/2018

FoP Report 7/24/2018

Cody Moravits

Waves: 2 foot in the morning calming to 1 foot or less in the afternoon

Water temp: 81 degrees F

Wind: 10-12 mph SW switching to light SE winds after 12pm

Driving: 6/10 Even though the beach is nice and wide there are a few soft spots above the ledges that have been forming around the water's edge which requires 4x4 on heavier trucks. Fishing was extremely slow with only whiting, hardheads, and bonnethead sharks caught and reported by other beachgoers.

Water was clear and cool the length of the beach but cleaner north of the 30.

           

Birds observed:

Great Blue Heron

Tricolor Heron

Little Blue Heron

Turkey Vulture

Black Skimmer

Long-Billed Curlew

Sanderling

Ruddy Turnstone

Brown Pelican

Laughing Gull

Sandwich Tern

Black Tern

Caspian Tern

Royal Tern

Forster's Tern

Least  Tern

Willet

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Texas Turtle Nest Update 7/20/2018

By Tyler Thorsen

Via Dr. Donna Shaver

 

Today, 1 green turtle nest was recorded in Texas, at Padre Island National Seashore.

 

KEMP'S RIDLEY TURTLE
So far this year, 249 nests have been confirmed on the Texas coast including (north to south in state):

0 Bolivar Peninsula

2 Galveston Island

1 Brazoria County, N. of Surfside 

9 Surfside Beach (area record)

1 Quintana Beach 

1 Bryan Beach 

1 Brazoria County, N. of Sargent Beach 

0 Sargent Beach 

7 Matagorda Peninsula 

0 Matagorda Island

12 San Jose Island

14 Mustang Island

136 North Padre Island, including 123 at Padre Island National Seashore

58 South Padre Island

7 Boca Chica Beach 

 

LOGGERHEAD TURTLE
So far this year, 4 nests have been confirmed on the Texas coast including (north to south in state):

1 Galveston Island

1 Matagorda Peninsula

2 Padre Island National Seashore

 

GREEN TURTLE
So far this year, 5 nests have been confirmed on the Texas coast including (north to south in state):

1 North Padre Island north of Padre Island National Seashore

3 Padre Island National Seashore

1 South Padre Island


Data presented here are preliminary. Do not cite or quote without permission. Contact Donna Shaver for further information.

 

Updates regarding nesting are also posted at the Padre Island National Seashore website: www.nps.gov/pais

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Ridley Rendezvous 7/14/2018

By Tyler Thorsen

Friends of Padre participated in the first Ridley Rendezvous this past Saturday at the Malaquite Beach Visitor's Center to celebrate 40 years of sea turtle conservation.

 We gave information about conservation and the importance of keeping trash out of our oceans and our beaches.

Also featured was our shadowbox memorial to our founder Captain Billy Sandifer. We commissioned the Frame Up shop in Corpus Christi to do the work and Theresa did a wonderful job! Friends of Padre Secretary, Cody Moravits (R) and our friend and P.I.N.S. Education Coordinator William Buzz Botts (L) taking the memorial into the building where it will soon be on display.

 

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Padre Island National Seashore to Celebrate 40 years of Turtle Conservation

By Aaron Baxter

Staff from the National Seashore will host the first Ridley Rendezvous festival.

 

(Corpus Christi, Texas) - Superintendent Mark Spier announced today the staff at Padre Island National Seashore will host the first ever “Ridley Rendezvous” on  July 14, 2018.  The event celebrates the 40th year of successful collaboration of the bi-national, multiagency Kemp’s Ridley Sea Turtle Restoration & Enhancement Project at Padre Island National Seashore.  Developed in the 1970’s, this pioneering conservation program worked to restore the critically endangered Kemp’s ridley sea turtle when it was feared that it would go extinct within a few years unless immediate steps were taken. Four decades of work by both the U.S. and Mexico, helped to increase the Kemp’s ridley population although more work remains to be done. This milestone year celebrates the progress made towards recovery of this species. Dr. Donna Shaver, Chief of the Division of Sea Turtle Science and Recovery states: “I am thrilled to celebrate this anniversary with representatives from the various agencies who have helped with these conservation efforts for decades. This progress could not have been made without all of these agencies working together to help study, protect, and restore the species.”

Friends of Padre and other conservation groups will also be on hand. We will be passing out Friends of Padre Bumper stickers and debuting a memorial display in honor of our late founder, Captain Billy Sandifer.

See you there!

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Texas Turtle Nest Update 6/28/2018

By Tyler Thorsen

Via Dr. Donna Shaver

Today, 1 green turtle nest was found in Texas, at Padre Island National Seashore.

 

KEMP'S RIDLEY TURTLE
So far this year, 248 nests have been confirmed on the Texas coast including (north to south in state):

0 Bolivar Peninsula

2 Galveston Island

1 Brazoria County, N. of Surfside 

8 Surfside Beach (area record)

1 Quintana Beach 

1 Bryan Beach 

1 Brazoria County, N. of Sargent Beach 

0 Sargent Beach 

7 Matagorda Peninsula 

0 Matagorda Island

12 San Jose Island

14 Mustang Island

136 North Padre Island, including 123 at Padre Island National Seashore

58 South Padre Island

7 Boca Chica Beach 

 

LOGGERHEAD TURTLE
So far this year, 2 nests have been confirmed on the Texas coast including (north to south in state):

1 Galveston Island

1 Padre Island National Seashore

 

GREEN TURTLE
So far this year, 2 nests have been confirmed on the Texas coast including (north to south in state):

1 North Padre Island north of Padre Island National Seashore

1 Padre Island National Seashore


Data presented here are preliminary. Do not cite or quote without permission. Contact Donna Shaver for further information.

 

Updates regarding nesting are also posted at the Padre Island National Seashore website: www.nps.gov/pais

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Texas Turtle Nest Update 6/19/2018

By Tyler Thorsen

Via Dr. Donna Shaver

 

Today, 1 loggerhead and 5 Kemp’s ridley nests were found in Texas, all at Padre Island National Seashore.

 

KEMP'S RIDLEY TURTLE
So far this year, 242 nests have been confirmed on the Texas coast including (north to south in state):

0 Bolivar Peninsula

2 Galveston Island

1 Brazoria County, N. of Surfside 

8 Surfside Beach (area record)

1 Quintana Beach 

1 Bryan Beach 

1 Brazoria County, N. of Sargent Beach 

0 Sargent Beach 

7 Matagorda Peninsula 

0 Matagorda Island

11 San Jose Island

14 Mustang Island

132 North Padre Island, including 119 at Padre Island National Seashore

57 South Padre Island

7 Boca Chica Beach 

 

LOGGERHEAD TURTLE
So far this year, 2 nests have been confirmed on the Texas coast including (north to south in state):

1 Galveston Island

1 Padre Island National Seashore

 

GREEN TURTLE
So far this year, 1 nest has been confirmed on the Texas coast including (north to south in state):

1 North Padre Island north of Padre Island National Seashore


Data presented here are preliminary. Do not cite or quote without permission. Contact Donna Shaver for further information.

 

Updates regarding nesting are also posted at the Padre Island National Seashore website: www.nps.gov/pais

Read more


Texas Turtle Nest Update 6/05/2018

By Tyler Thorsen

Via Dr. Donna Shaver

 

Today, 14 Kemp’s ridley nest were found in Texas, including 7 at Padre Island National Seashore, 5 on South Padre Island, 1 on North Padre Island north of Padre Island National Seashore, and 1 on Boca Chica Beach.

 

KEMP'S RIDLEY TURTLE
So far this year, 220 nests have been confirmed on the Texas coast including (north to south in state):

0 Bolivar Peninsula

1 Galveston Island

1 Brazoria County, N. of Surfside 

8 Surfside Beach (area record)

1 Quintana Beach 

1 Bryan Beach 

1 Brazoria County, N. of Sargent Beach 

0 Sargent Beach 

6 Matagorda Peninsula 

0 Matagorda Island

11 San Jose Island

10 Mustang Island

120 North Padre Island, including 108 at Padre Island National Seashore

49 South Padre Island

5 Boca Chica Beach 

 

LOGGERHEAD TURTLE
So far this year, 1 nest has been confirmed on the Texas coast including (north to south in state):

1 Galveston Island

 


Data presented here are preliminary. Do not cite or quote without permission. Contact Donna Shaver for further information.

 

Updates regarding nesting are also posted at the Padre Island National Seashore website: www.nps.gov/pais

 

 

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Texas Turtle Nest Update 5/31/2018

By Tyler Thorsen

Via Dr. Donna Shaver

 

Yesterday, 28 Kemp’s ridley nests were found in Texas, including 11 found at Padre Island National Seashore, 4 on South Padre Island, 3 on North Padre Island north of Padre Island National Seashore, 3 on Surfside Beach, 3 on Brazoria County north of Surfside, 2 on Mustang Island, 1 on Boca Chica Beach, and 1 on Quintana Beach.

 

KEMP'S RIDLEY TURTLE
So far this year, 193 nests have been confirmed on the Texas coast including (north to south in state):

0 Bolivar Peninsula

0 Galveston Island

3 Brazoria County, N. of Surfside 

6 Surfside Beach 

1 Quintana Beach 

1 Bryan Beach 

1 Brazoria County, N. of Sargent Beach 

0 Sargent Beach 

5 Matagorda Peninsula 

0 Matagorda Island

5 San Jose Island

10 Mustang Island

110 North Padre Island, including 99 at Padre Island National Seashore

47 South Padre Island

4 Boca Chica Beach 

 

LOGGERHEAD TURTLE
So far this year, 1 nest has been confirmed on the Texas coast including (north to south in state):

1 Galveston Island

 


Data presented here are preliminary. Do not cite or quote without permission. Contact Donna Shaver for further information.

 

Updates regarding nesting are also posted at the Padre Island National Seashore website: www.nps.gov/pais

Read more