Walking the south end of Jekyll August the 4th

Twostriped Walking Stick in Cabbage Palm

Every time I walk the south end of Jekyll, there is something new going on.  I enter at the Glory Boardwalk which is located at the soccer field. This boardwalk is named after the 1988 movie Glory which was filmed here. The last part of that movie was a charge down the beach. At the time, my father  and Lorraine Dusenbury worked to ensure that part of Jekyll was protected and reconstructed the correct way.  My father spent some time finding a person who would over see the reconstruction. So this boardwalk is here because of the movie.

Any way I met Meghan Davies, a Americorp intern at the Georgia Sea Turtle Center. She is a birder so it was fun to go out on the walk with her.  The first thing we spot is Twostriped Walking Stick. They come out at this time of year to mate. They seem to like Cabbage Palms.

It is low tide so the birds are spread out. But there was a crowd of people.  As we got closer, it is the Georgia Sea Turtle Center group releasing some baby sea turtles.  It was fun to watch these young turtle make their way to the ocean.

There was some birds around as well. Here a Lesser Black-back Gull.

Diamondback Terrapins get help

Meet a Diamondback Terrapin. Doesn’t she have a sweet face? Why do I say she? Keep reading.

 I have been following the valiant efforts to help these special turtles headed up by our own Georgia Sea Turtle Center (GSTC). We learn a lot more about sea turtles and other turtles because the GSTC is working to save these animals since 2007.

Terrapin laying her eggs

What make Diamondback Terrapin special? They are the only turtle that live in the salt marsh. But Terrapins have a problem. From late April through July, female terrapins are coming out of the marsh to find that high ground to lay their egg. Earlier I ask the question why she, well most of these terrapins we see are female. There is a major problem for these ladies terrapins is the highest places are our roads.

For several years, the GSTC has been studying this problem, and they have made some progress.

Becca and her team showing Jekyll visitor the Terrapins

Meet Becca, you will see her out on the Jekyll Island causeway working on helping these ladies out. GSTC put up caution signs along the causeway. The signs at the beginning and end of the causeway have flashing lights. Those lights flash around high tide when these terrapins are most likely to cross the road. It signals us to slow down and watch for them. Still some terrapins get hurt. Becca is out there to help. The one she can help safely across the road will never know they were in danger. The ones that get run over but are still alive, she takes them to the center where they try and save them. If they cannot be saved, the eggs are taken and put in an incubator. The hatched Terrapins will be released back into the marsh when they are ready. It is a busy time right now for Becca and her team. They are out every day.

Becca also is tracking these terrapins.
She is putting notches or recording the notches, she finds on the Terrapins. We learn so much about these terrapins because of the work of the GSTC.

this Terrapin was run over  but was treated by GSTC and released

Here are two different Terrapins that were helped across the road.  One had already be hit and treated at the Center and the other had been bitten by something and escaped.  But look at how beautifully marked she is.

something bite this terrapin

Thank you Georgia Sea Turtle Center. If you are anywhere on the southeast Atlantic coast, please slow down let all help these fertile turtles on the go.

Nesting Enclosures

Driving over the Jekyll Island causeway you will see these mounds of dirt with a wire enclosure over the top. There is grass planted on these dirt mounds.

What are they you ask?

Well I talked to Stefanie Ouellette the Marine Field Programs Coordinator for the Georgia Sea Turtle Center (GSTC). She told me that these were artificial nesting sites for the Diamond-backed Terrapin. This is special type of turtle that lives in salt and brackish marsh. It is a species of concern. Why? Every year from May through July the females are looking for high ground to lay their eggs. Well guess where the highest place is in our marshes? If you said the causeways and roadways, you would be right. For two years now the GSTC has been watching these turtles. Last year alone 300 turtles were found dead or seriously injured on the Jekyll causeway. The GSTC staff also monitor where the turtle were crossing. They pinpointed these hot spots. This year they are putting up these nesting mounds at these hot spots so the females will crawl up these and lay their eggs. This keeps them from getting on the road. Also just like sea turtles, the nestlings will go down the mound and into the marsh and away from the road. The wire cage over the top is to keep predators like raccoons out. This project is funding by a grant. In this time when funding is short, it is comforting to know that there are projects like this are still funded on the Georgia Coast.

Sea Net update

Today was a beautiful day. Where was I? I was inside in a windowless room. Wait! It was a good thing for I learned more about the Seabird Ecological Assessment Network SEANET for short. This was the second meeting to organize a volunteer force for the Georgia coast. Go back in my blog to February 3rd to find out about our first meeting. http://coastalgeorgiabirding-lydia.blogspot.com/2009/02/seanet-comes-to-coastal-georgia.html. It was good to see Dr. Julie Ellis again. This time Julie went over forms and guideline for the surveys.

Here is Julie point out what to look for on the beach

Here is Rebecca Bell of Little Cumberland Island and Julie Ellis talking about the surveys.

We also talked about who was surveying which island.

Here are Stacia Hendricks and Gene Keferl look at the Google Earth and where he will survey.

Jekyll has plenty of coverage with the GA Sea Turtle Center and Jekyll Island 4-H doing the surveys. But what about St. Simons Island. It has a beach. I could walk that beach in under an hour. St. Simons’ East Beach area is a very popular beach. Lot of dogs running around, people thrown Frisbees or playing on this beach and it also has a lot of birds, it is very different from Jekyll and truly different from the more remote barrier island. I wondered about what I will find. This fits nicely into my year of exploring and discovering.

During the afternoon, I got to talk to Marie Procopio of the Tybee Island Marine Science Center. Here is Marie looking at one of the forms. Also in the picture Theresa of Little St. Simons Island and Stefania of the GA Sea Turtle Center

Tybee beach is much like St. Simons beach. There is a causeway out to Tybee Island. There are lots of beach going people. I think we can learn from each other. This kind of communication is so important.

I want to thank both Stacia Hendricks and Terry Norton for bringing us all together.
By the way we did get outside on the beach.

Happy Earth Day

Time is flying by for me. On Saturday morning, I helped Glynn Art Association with a children’s art project. My station was printmaking. I had the children draw something on a soft plate then we printed it. One child drew a cardinal. A boy drew a great bat picture. It was good to know that there are some children enjoying nature. In the afternoon, I did a bird walk, or as I call it a Bird Amble, for the Mother Nature Day Festival on Jekyll Island. This was the second year the Georgia Sea Turtle Center put this festival together. This year the Jekyll Island Authority helped.

Larissa Harris is the Assistant Director of Marketing for JIA. She is on the left. She helped me get started blogging. Beth Burnsed is the event coordinator for Jekyll Island Authority. She is going to help with the Georgia Colonial Coast Birding and Nature Festival in October.

The date for the festival is October 8-12, 2009

There were families out all over Jekyll. I took a small group over to the Amphitheater. This is one of those magical places. It is an old outdoor theater. Behind the theater is a freshwater lake. The lake is a favor hangout for all kinds of egrets and herons.

Did I mention that the Wood Storks are nesting there? These birds are fascinating to watch. I enjoy watching as folks discover them for the first time. The wonder on their faces is worth a million bucks.

Learning about birds

For the last week I have been preparing for the Bird Education Network gathering on Jekyll. This is an amazing conference where I am learning so much from so many folks who are out there making a difference.

In the meantime I thought I would follow up on the shrike banding. Jonathan did band another shrike. What I did not know was this was a lifer event for Teddy Ivey who joined us on this adventure. Teddy is an educator at the Georgia Sea Turtle Center (GSTC). If you have not visited the GSTC take the time to visit. They are doing amazing work.