There seems to be a pattern developing here. Whenever I have a day off, it rains. Grr. I did chores like laundry and grocery shopping yesterday, and we had just short of an inch of rain. So far today, it’s been steady rain almost all day with 2” so far. I’d much rather work rainy days, and have sunny days off, but that’s not how it’s worked out so far.
Haven’t been able to take any photos for the last two days, so tonight’s pics are from when I was here back in 2007. (young brown pelicans)
Being trapped inside because of the weather makes me a little cranky I guess. If I didn’t have to work four days a week, a day or two of rain wouldn’t bother me so much.
This is the time of the year that the loggerhead turtles hatch. When I was on turtle patrol in 2007, we set up this runway for the young turtles to follow down to the sea. It’s not like they couldn’t find their own way to the water, but they have to run the gauntlet of ghost crabs to get there. Since they’re endangered, we provide a runway for them so that volunteers can knock the crabs out of the way with a stick. The crabs try to rush in and pinch the flipper muscles so the turtles can’t get to the water. They later come back to eat them.
When the nests are close to hatching, volunteers come out each night from 7:00 pm until midnight to set up the runway and hope for a hatch. The young turtles always ‘boil’ out of the nest at night. They use the moonlight reflection on the water to find their way to the ocean. My job on the first turtle night I went on was to count the number of youngsters coming up through the sand. 47 hatched that night, and all made it to the sea. We do not pick them up to help them so the location of their birth will be imprinted in their brains. Those females that survive all the perils of growing up, will come back to the same beach to lay their eggs.
What an exciting night that was for me. I was on nest watching patrol several more times, but this was the only hatch I witnessed. I could hardly believe my luck. The other nights involved sitting on the beach fully clothed and hooded against the mosquitoes and leaning back to enjoy the Perseid Meteor Shower. It was a mystical time, and it didn’t rain once!
I took Emma out in between downpours, but they were few and far between.
The forecast for tomorrow is similar to today. Wouldn’t you know it? Oh well, I’ve still got plenty of time to see the places I want to see before I move on. That of course assumes that the new schedule maker doesn’t put me in the visitor centers four days a week.
I’ve been checking the tide charts, and there should be a low tide on early Thursday morning. That fits perfectly with my plans to scour the beach for shells and such to replenish the hands-on display at the Pea Island VC, and a new display at the Gateway VC. Of course, the other volunteers here told me that was not necessary. They’ve taken care of that. They’re a little pushy and all knowing. This sometimes happens when people return to the same place. I simply told them I didn’t hear what they just said. 
Thanks for stopping by… talk to you later, Judy
