Friends of Padre

  On Sunday May 20th after the video presentation of "The Life and Times of our founder, Billy Sandifer", Friends of Padre donated the Hi Def 70" TV to the Education Center at the Padre Island National Seashore. Left to right, F.O.P. board member - Troy Adler, Ranger William "Buzz" Botts - P.I.N.S Education Coordinator, F.O.P Vice President -Tyler Thorsen, F.O.P. President - Aaron Baxter, P.I.N.S. Superintendent - Mark Spier, and F.O.P. board member - Cody Moravits.

  Ranger Buzz told Friends of Padre the timing was perfect as their old video monitor "cratered". He added that it will be put to good use for showing educational programs and training videos in the conference room at the Malaquite Visitor's Center.

Courtesy Dr. Donna Shaver

Today, 1 loggerhead nest was found in Texas, on Galveston Island.

KEMP'S RIDLEY TURTLE
So far this year, 148 nests have been confirmed on the Texas coast including (north to south in state):

0 Bolivar Peninsula

0 Galveston Island

0 Brazoria County, N. of Surfside 

3 Surfside Beach 

0 Quintana Beach 

1 Bryan Beach 

1 Brazoria County, N. of Sargent Beach 

0 Sargent Beach 

3 Matagorda Peninsula 

0 Matagorda Island

5 San Jose Island

7 Mustang Island

86 North Padre Island, including 79 at Padre Island National Seashore

39 South Padre Island

3 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 Do not cite or quote without permission.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

Courtesy of Dr. Donna Shaver

Yesterday, 1 Kemp’s ridley nest was found on the Texas coast at Padre Island National Seashore. 

KEMP'S RIDLEY TURTLE
So far this year, 97 nests have been confirmed on the Texas coast including (north to south in state):

0 Bolivar Peninsula

0 Galveston Island

0 Brazoria County, N. of Surfside 

2 Surfside Beach 

0 Quintana Beach 

1 Bryan Beach 

0 Brazoria County, N. of Sargent Beach 

0 Sargent Beach 

1 Matagorda Peninsula 

0 Matagorda Island

3 San Jose Island

5 Mustang Island

53 North Padre Island, including 51 at Padre Island National Seashore

30 South Padre Island

2 Boca Chica Beach 

Courtesy of Dr. Donna Shaver

That one nest North Padre Island was found on the stretch of beach that Friends of Padre adopted near marker 295!

Yesterday, 41 Kemp’s ridley nest was found on the Texas coast, including 22 at Padre Island National Seashore, 13 on South Padre Island, 2 on Boca Chica Beach, 2 on San Jose Island, 1 on North Padre Island north of Padre Island National Seashore, and 1 on Mustang Island.

 
KEMP'S RIDLEY TURTLE
So far this year, 50 nests have been confirmed on the Texas coast including (north to south in state):

0 Bolivar Peninsula

0 Galveston Island

0 Brazoria County, N. of Surfside 

0 Surfside Beach 

0 Quintana Beach 

0 Bryan Beach 

0 Brazoria County, N. of Sargent Beach 

0 Sargent Beach 

0 Matagorda Peninsula 

0 Matagorda Island

2 San Jose Island

1 Mustang Island

26 North Padre Island, including 25 at Padre Island National Seashore

19 South Padre Island

2 Boca Chica Beach 

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

Here's a wonderful overview of this year's 2018 23rd Annual Billy Sandifer Big Shell Cleanup. Thanks to all who helped to make this one the best ever!

Friends of Padre enjoyed participating in this year's Barefoot Mardi Gras on North Padre Island Saturday February 10th. It's an annual event that raises funds for local charities and each year when the schedule allows we participate to publicize our annual Billy Sandifer Big Shell Cleanup. This year it is on Saturday February 24th.

The day started foggy but warm.

Thanks to Jacob Augsberger and his lovely wife, Lauren, for letting stage at his house and to Jacob for doing such a fine job on our cleanup artwork this year.

We passed out hundreds of Friends of Padre stickers and a few vintage t-shirts along the way too!. One thing that did surprise us was that several people asked us why we were cleaning shells from the beach. When we thought about it we do call it the Billy Sandifer "Big Shell" Cleanup. We may need to point out more that this is the name of the section of the beach we clean annually on Padre Island National Seashore - Big Shell. It's normally a four wheel drive only section of beach which runs from the 18 mile mark to about the 30 mile mark some thirty miles from the end of the pavement on Park Rd. 22. We promise we are not removing or cleaning Big Shells! ; )

 We will see you next at the Big Shell Cleanup. Be at the Malaquite Visitor's Parking lot on the Padre Island National Seashore Saturday morning February 24th no later than 8am.

Via Cody Moravits

The water was cold and brown the length of the beach until the last few miles where the water turned nice and green.

Surf was 2-3 feet and no mullet were seen in the surf and fishermen reported slow fishing with whiting and hardheads being the only few species caught. Winds were 5-10 mph out of the SE with air temperatures in the lower 60s. There was a little bit of dead seaweed washing in the 20s but still definitely fishable. Water temperature was 56 degrees and driving was excellent at low tide but not so good once the tide came in, especially between the 18-28mm. There is one large tree that is perpendicular to the surf around the 30mm that is too large for most trucks to drive over, forcing most to drive around it in the water at high tide. No large numbers of birds on the beach but there are still quite a few birds of prey flying around such as Northern Harriers and White Tail Hawks.

Birds observed:

            Herring Gull

            Ring-Billed Gull

            Laughing Gull

            Red Tailed Hawk

            White Tailed Hark

            Northern Harrier

            Sanderling

            Crested Caracara

            Double Crested Cormorant

            Brown Pelican

            Great Blue Heron

            Long Billed Curlew

            Black Bellied Plover

            Ruddy Turnstone

            Royal Tern

            Forster's Tern

            Sandwich Tern

            Caspian Tern

            Snowy Egret

            Turkey Vulture

Friends of Padre Beach Report

via Aaron Baxter

12/02/2017

Padre Island National Seashore

Got on the beach around 0600 and made my way to the 18.5. I was only down for a day trip this time. Driving was excellent at low tide and not too bad at high tide. No 4x4 required to the 18.5. Lots of folks on the beach in the teens and near the blacktop. Water was green/clear. Dead grass/weed in the guts that would eventually be stirred up as the wind increased throughout the day. Winds started calm and built to 10 mph by the time I left the beach at 1530. Fish caught included redfish, whiting, hardheads, small sharks, and pompano.

Birds included:

Great blue heron

Laughing gull

Herring gull

Ring billed gull

Least tern

Royal Tern

Caspian Tern

Ruddy turnstone

Sanderling

Black Bellied plover

Willet

Brown pelican

Cormorant

Ducks flying low and fast off the third bar