Last week, Tropical Strom Fay made landfall across Florida, and we caught a bit of her activity as well. The tides on the beach were unusually high, even forcing the ocean and Mosquito Creek to merge as one. Many loggerhead nests became washed over, and we will continue to monitor how this may affect the nest success. Rainfall was abundant, and helped to replenish the freshwater ponds. A Sooty Tern, normally found far offshore, was seen resting on North Main Beach, exhausted from fighting the excess winds.

Today’s morning tour included a trip to Goose Pond. The level of water has dropped significantly, and all the birds and alligators were concentrated in the center of the pond! There were at least 29 alligators of all sizes, busily feeding and swimming in the muddy water. There was also a large group of Wood Storks and Roseate Spoonbills trailing their bills through the water to feed. Black-necked Stilt, Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs, Killdeer, White Ibis, Glossy Ibis, and a small group of unknown sandpipers were also using the pond. Dragonflies buzzed the surface, eating mosquitoes and showing off their brilliant colors.

On August 2, LSSI guests had a very special treat! That night, we headed out to Main Beach to look for turtle tracks and to check out nests that had already been marked. Of course we are always searching for loggerheads coming up to nest or for hatchlings making their way to the ocean, but we know that our chances are slim. However, last night we actually did see hatchlings! One of our young guests, Emma Dowdle of Tampa, had a keen night eye and spotted the first one. We ventured on to investigate the nest and saw that it was marked on May 31. Right on schedule, we witnessed the hatchlings making their way to their new home. Super exciting!