Sunday, August 9 - Good News and Sad News

Good morning Waties Island

 Today the Sunday team walked the island to determine if the few secondary piles in the dunes could be used to mark our best sites.  We were successful in marking Nests #6, #7 and #11.  White poles we put in place with nest number and date.  Hopefully, the nests are still there under the sand.  These posts will be our guides to check this area as the date draws close for emergence.

Sharon by Nest #6

We started digging where we think Next #4 is located.  This nest emerged before the storm, we are hoping to find eggs, so we can do the inventory.

Unfortunately, we found Nest #8 dug up by a predator, not sure if a Coyote, Bobcat, or Fox, but the Ghost Crabs took advantage of the exposed nest.  We dug the few eggs out of the dunes and did a count, we lost 72 eggs.  My first time to record a nest list to predators.

Tracks of whom we think dug up our nest

We lost the entire Nest - 72 Eggs

Sharon finally walked the long end.  You have to jump or walk through the new channel to do this.  She reported additional erosion and placed the ocean pushed through the dunes.

Sharon's pictures of the long end of the island, same devastation, dune break-throughs and dunes sheared.

Leslie, Paulette and Sharon

Pictures by Leslie & Sharon