Life on an Island from a Turtle Lady's Viewpoint

Life on an Island from a Turtle Lady's Viewpoint

An adult Ibis at a place in St. Augustine called the Alligator Farm. In the Spring the birds have decided it is a safe haven from predators like raccoons. There is a mutual aid society with the alligators in the pool below protecting them and at the same time the birds will occasionally provide the alligators with a feathery treat. It at least gives them excercise as they try mostly in vain to catch one. It is a wonderful place to photograph with hundreds of our marsh birds all around. A beautiful elevated walkway through the trees and over the pond provides photographer a rare unobstructed view of the mating rituals and the nest sites from which they can try to get far enough back to make use of their very expensive long distant lens. 

Loggerhead Launching

A Loggerhead hatchling heads out to sea on the first day of a life long adventure beginning on the beaches of Amelia Island, Florida. Florida is the largest nesting area in the Western Hemisphere for Loggerhead Turtles. The only other large nesting area is in the Middle East on an island there.

My job is to watch for turtle nest laying starting in May and to monitor the hatching success of the nests throughout the turtle season which can extend into October.

This was a hatchling recovered from an already hatched nest as I excavated to evaluate the egg and hatching statics. This is done 3 days after the initial emergence of the hatchlings.

This little guy will face incredible odds as he strives to achieve adulthood. It is believed only one in a hundred survive.