Just passing through!

I am amazed at these beautiful creatures.

I am also a little shocked at how few survive hatching.

They have many predators because they make a tasty snack.

Sharks, big fish, seagulls, and probably pelicans will eat them if given a chance.

I used to walk the beach for turtles at dawn.

We would look for a crawl, then try to find if there was a nest.

In 10 years of walking, I only found one crawl with Chris.

It was a false crawl, meaning the turtle came in and out without leaving a nest.

They can be disturbed as they are coming in, or something doesn't feel right.

We also found a nest one time, but the team on the other section claimed it as their person found it first.

The sections overlap somewhat.

Anyway a sea turtle nest averages about 100 babies in it.

With predators, plastic pollution, and boat accidents only one from each nest 

will typically make it to adulthood.

Adulthood and nesting age, about 35 years for a loggerhead.

Then they can lay eggs typically 4-5 nests per season.

They lay clutches typically every couple of weeks during the warmer part of the year.

I do remember a nest hatching during the National Shrimp Festival.

They usually finish laying nests around the end of August.

If you've never seen a boil in person, Google it.

A sea turtle boil is the most beautiful thing to watch.

It's called a boil, because they look like they're boiling up out of the sand.

They scramble over each other in a mad dash for the water, usually at night.

Night is when they hatch, usually during a moonlit night because they go towards the light.

We had a hatch try to go toward the condos one evening at sunset. 

We ended up holding beach towels along the route to corral them into the water.

We were also down at a concert when we got the alert that a nest was hatching.

We ran from the concert at the wharf, only to find we missed it!

I've also had a sea turtle peek at me while paddleboarding Mobile Bay.

Once, from a distance on a beautiful sunlit morning just under the pier.

The next time I was paddling several months later and actually had one come up right by the board.

It took a breath, then disappeared into the water.

I guess it was just curious.

I was thanking God for the encounter!

I'm also drafting the pattern for the octopus for the mural.

It is very hard to draft a ten foot x six foot pattern even in my studio!

I first had to tape paper together for the pattern.

Fortunately I was able to find bulletin board paper that is four feet wide.

So I'm drafting a ten foot octopus after drawing a grid on the paper!

Such is my artist life here at the Raccoon Retreat Studio in beautiful Fairhope, Alabama!

Just passing through!, Acrylic on wood, 12 inches

Day 54 of the 100 days~100 paintings 2025