January 08

The numbers of species of birds being seen regularly on the beach of PINS as of mid Jan. Are among the lowest of the year. Laughing, Ring Billed and Herring Gulls, Caspian, Royal and Forrester¹s Terns, Willets, Long Billed Curlews and Black Bellied Plover are the most commonly seen species. N.
Harrier and White tailed Hawks are seen daily as are 2 Peregrine Falcons. I regularly see what I believe is an Aplomado Falcon between the 40 and 48 mi.
beach but have been unable to conclusively identify it as such. Eared Grebes are present in good numbers. Brown Pelicans are present as are low numbers of sub adult N. Gannets and an occasional Common Loon. N. Gannets are at the lowest level I ever remember for this time of year. American Pipits, Horned Larks and Savannah Sparrows are occasionally encountered as are an occasional Reddish Egret, Great Blue Heron and various small Plover.

More and more species will appear as we move into the Spring and although the Spring migration starts in late March; April and the first part of May will provide the greatest variety and numbers of both species and numbers of birds seen during the year. The below list is indicative of

a very good neo-tropical fall out last year and pretty much shows what can be expected.
 

The following birding list was compiled by me between 7 a.m. and 12 noon on April 9, 07. All birds were seen from or on the beach in the first 18 miles South of the pavement’s end on PINS. Almost all sightings were made while seated in my vehicle without having to leave it. I was alone, the tide was extremely high and driving was tedious. Most of the morning was covered in a heavy blanket of fog with lite winds. With limited driving room it was a real problem attempting to get positive diagnostics as per species prior to the birds being frightened by my vehicle. Throughout the entire trip my vehicle was absolutely surrounded by birds of many types and sizes. As an honest man and a realist to boot I have no doubt there were easily another 20+ species that were present but that I missed or could not get a positive id on. Passerine species flirted along the shoreline and among the fore dune line constantly for miles with 15 individuals often being seen scattered across the area at any given point. Impossible to check every one. Flights of medium sized Sandpipers crossed the sky from South to North throughout the morning without id. I don’t think most folks realize the numbers of bird species or individual birds that utilize the barrier islands. This is actually a modest sighting report for this time of year and the conditions. Birding will remain extremely productive throughout the remainder of April.
As always, I humbly stand in awe of the Wonder of the Natural World.

Turtle Nesting Counts so far in 08 :

So far this year, 53 Kemp's ridley nests have been confirmed on the Texas
coast including (north to south in state):
Bolivar Peninsula 1
Galveston Island 1
Surfside Beach 0
Bryan Beach 0
Matagorda Peninsula 0
Matagorda Island 1
Mustang Island 2
North Padre Island 31, including 25 at Padre Island National Seashore
South Padre Island 14
Boca Chica Beach 3

May 08 2008: 5 Kemp's ridley nests were found on the Texas coast including 2
at Padre Island National Seashore (one of which was from a set of tracks
that was located the day before), 1 on North Padre Island north of Padre
Island National Seashore, 1 on South Padre Island, and 1 on Matagorda
Island.

April 30 2008: 10 Kemp's ridley sea turtle nests were found on the Texas coast
including 6 at Padre Island National Seashore, 2 on South Padre Island, 1
on Mustang Island, and 1 on North Padre Island north of Padre Island
National Seashore.

Although nesting of the Kemp's Ridley Sea Turtle starts in March in Mexico; on PINS its typically expected to begin in mid April. As crazy as the weather has been many things in the Natural World are a bit off schedule and it's advisable to keep an eye out starting in March. Also juvenile Green Turtles become "cold stunned" in late Winter during extremely cold weather and unless they are rescued they will die.

  If you see a turtle on the beach check to see if it is alive even though it may look dead. Call 1-866-887-8535 and report stranded turtles so that biologists can rescue them. Do not transport turtles yourself as a Federal and State Turtle Handling Permit is required to move them. To learn more about the Turtle Recovery Program at PINS visit their web site at:
http://www.nps.gov/pais/naturescience/stsr-index.htm

For some reason there has been no great abundance of shells on the beaches so far this Winter and those seeking shells would do well to travel all the way to the Port Mansfield jetty as what is available is mostly located there.