Disorientation is so my bag

First things first... Here's Mr. Hawk who landed on the swing. How bad ass is that? Nature is SO COOL! He was spotted through my side window and I took a picture through the screen just in case he wasn't as willing to have me in his personal space as the little Barrel Owl. I was so right, he was so not into it and flew off as soon as I rounded the building and came into view. Bastard.



Speaking of cool, the moon was low in the sky when we headed out to look for baby turtles.



Here's the tracks of a female who came up to lay her eggs but got scared back into the water...



And here comes the super duper spectacular part! Baby loggerhead turtles. Yes, I used a flash. Yes, I am going to hell for it. Yes, I forgive me. I mean COME ON, what would you have done? Considering that we guarded the nests and saved three from wandering into a baby turtle death trap, I feel as though I might have made up for it. I'm ignoring the fact that they were probably consumed by something as soon as they got into deep waters.

This is the little dude SD tracked across the beach for about 50'. Commence passing back and forth, screaming and flash photography. It was so very intrusive and so very worth it.

WE ARE TURTLE PATROL!



I would also like to point out that the real turtle patrol never even surfaced that evening. So yeah, whatever. I think I am going to start carrying a clipboard so I look more "official" than they do and when they approach me about the camera I'm going to start asking questions. Name? Rank? Under who's authority are you out here patrolling turtles? Phone numbers? Lots of scribbling mixed with mmm I'm sures and a firm yet suspicious you are clearly the fox infiltrating the hen house look. Let's see who gets nervous then shall we?

Here they are coming out of the sand. It started with two little noses s l o w l y working their way up. Then there were faces and body parts everywhere. I am bummed I didn't get a picture of them bursting forth from the sand but I had been going back and forth from picture to video and put it on the video mode by mistake. Doh. If I come across another nest that bursts you know I am getting all the little critters pouring forth from the earth like a magic turtle fountain.






The long arduous trek down the sand towards the shoreline using only awkward flippers and encouraging screams of ecstasy to get you there...





Can we take a moment to notice the sand in their eyes from minute one until minute swallowed by the ocean? That in itself would have me all whiny and Ah! No! This kills! I'm not going! Ah! I need something to get this Ah! this fucking sand out of my eye. Ah! It's burns! But not these little dudes. Not a chance. They just haul their asses out of the sand pit they once called home, sand in the eyes and all, and take part in that massive journey called life. Talk about no guts no glory eh?

This entry wouldn't be complete without a shot of a tiny helpless turtle swimming off into the great vast ocean. Now I don't know if you have any idea how exceedingly difficult it is to take a decent picture at night, but once they are in the shore it seems downright impossible. The dark paired with the surf throwing them up and down the shore makes focusing on them instead of nothing AND getting a nice clean shot pretty difficult. But you know I'm the type to stick with it. As much as this shot isn't my dream shot, I'll keep it and love it until the day I die.



Next photo op is the Everglades at sunset so I can get one of those awesome shots of the reds and oranges through the cypress trees. Today was the day until a storm started brewing right over the location of choice. This might be tough as it's the rainy season and the Glades are all about making rain right now, but hello, this is the girl who got a midnight shot of a tiny turtle in the surf...

It is so going to happen...