By Rachael Grove
Update on the Loggerhead turtles at Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina: I am assuming they hatched on Tuesday, August 4, as the volunteers were not out on Wednesday monitoring the nest site. Also, there was evidence of a hole in the middle of the site. Unfortunately, they don’t post the news on Facebook but the volunteers I had spoken with on Tuesday said it was imminent and they would be there until the big event. Since they hatch at night, I was not able to observe it. A few days later, a local news station reported that they were releasing two loggerheads back to the ocean after being in a rehabilitation center for a year.
They removed the ropes around the area of the Oystercatcher nesting site at the north end of the island for the year. One of the women I spoke with told me that the season ended earlier this year. I didn’t realize they dismantled it after breeding season because it has always been up in previous years when I have been down here in early August. She suggested I try the south end of the island at the Black Skimmer nesting site as reports of chicks were spotted there.
The next day, I ventured to the other end of the island and was greated by hundreds of adult Black Simmers flying overhead on the way to the nesting site. The area was roped off and there were multiple signs along the way sponsered by Audubon North Carolina and several hand designed posters from kids with original artwork (see photo). When I finally arrived, I noticed about a dozen volunteers who I spoke with and said I could observe them as they collected vitals on the 25 chicks that they netted and were holding in a staging area. They weighed, measured, determined the sex, banded and took fecal samples (to determine their diet) of each one. They even let me pet one. They were dismantling the roped off area because they said all the eggs were hatched. I was able to spot two other chicks that were smaller and still with their parents.
Back at my resort room, I was finally able to get a video of the pelicans flying overhead from the balcony. With a wingspan of 6.5 to 7.5 feet, they are quite impressive. According to Audubon, pelicans, seagulls and other shore birds are able to drink seawater when freshwater is not available. They have a pair of saltwater glands above their eyes that act like a miniature set of kidneys. The glands absorb excess salt from the bloodstream and discharge it through ducts running down the beak and forehead. The salt, along with other excess minerals, then drips out of the bird’s nostrils as a gooey brine down the beak. Then, the gull will shake it’s head to release the salt. I’m sure that comes in handy when no freshwater from puddles is available.
Some other interesting critters I’ve seen at the beach are ghost crabs and fiddler crabs. Ghost crabs are named for their pale color and nocturnal habits but I did spot one during the day. Many tourists can be seen with their flashlights at night walking along the shoreline looking for them. Fiddler crabs, which are small semi-terrestrial crustaceans, are commonly found in salt marshes, where I found one. Males have one larger claw that can make up more than half of their weight while the female’s claws are equal. Males use the large claw in a “fiddling” motion to attract a mate during a unique mating ritual.
Also in the salt marshes, I found a periwinkle snail, also called a whelk, which has a banded shell and an average length of 5/8 to 1.5 inches. I found it quite interesting that as small as they are, the females lay 10,000 to 100,000 eggs. Their lifespan is typically 5-10 years. In coastal areas in Scotland, Wales and England, they are commonly referred to as winkles or wrinkles. They are picked off the rocks by hand and gathered to be eaten and sold in paper bags near the beaches. After boiling in the local seawater, they are often eaten with toothpicks.
Speaking of toothpicks, I also found a rather large (2.5 inch long) grasshopper that was well camouflaged among the sand and grass called a cattail toothpick grasshopper or slender locust. They have noticeable spurs on their legs and a very pointed head with sword-shaped antennae. They are usually brownish with a white, yellow or brown stripe from the eye down to the base of their front legs. In addition, the front wings are sharply pointed. They feed on cattails, grasses and sedges. While I didn’t spot any cattail in the marsh, I did see marsh fimbry which is a type of sedge native to the coastal Americas that grow up to three feet in height. I find their tight brown seed clusters intriguing which remind me of a cross between a pussy willow and a slender pinecone.
Some of the other plants I found in the marsh included frogfruit, a low-growing creeping perennial ground cover with small tight clustered white and purple centered flower clusters; sand burs, a low growing grass that has spur-like protrusions that can be painful if stepped on; Indian blanket, a beautiful daisy-like flower with red petals tipped with yellow around the edges and center that grow in clusters; dwarf spurge, an aggressive growing broadleaf weed with tight clustered seed heads; marsh pennywort, a semi-succulant with whorls of slender-pedicellate flowers; sea ox-eye daisy, a stubby yellow daisy-like flower considered a perennial herb or shrub; and white sweetclover, considered a valuable honey plant and source of nectar, that has a light green stem with small floppy white flowers about 1/3 inch long.
Back at the beach, I found three different types of seaweed including Irish red moss, dead man’s fingers and sugar kelp. I thought I stumbled upon a jellyfish, but it was actually an onch snail, a small shell-less marine slug that breathes air.
It’s always good to get back home and soon I will be back to the hills insSouthern Ohio, but I sure will miss my daily walks on the beach.