Night and Day Sea Turtle Patrols — 8/9 November 2003 
Temperatures dipped and winds pick up on Saturday. So, after a nice interlude of two weeks, we were back on sea turtle patrol, starting an hour before midnight. A glorious night with crystalline skies and not a cloud to obscure the lunar eclipse. Full moon, driving winds, and pounding surf. Life on sea turtle patrol doesn't get much better. Two hours leap-frogging from Paine Creek, Brewster, to the Eastham beaches yielded no turtles. The only rescue last night proved to be an Atlantic saury that got tossed onto the beach near Linnell Landing. When I picked it up, the fish snapped to life. Then, one photograph later, the saury was back in the bay and zipping into deeper water.
This morning saw more sustained winds from the north and really cold temperatures. Water in the tidal flats registered 34°F. Puddles left over from last night’s high tide froze solid. Yet, we are still early in this wind event and only a single sea turtle washed up with the pre-noon high tide. The sixth Kemp’s ridley of the stranding season was found rolling in the surf off Breakwater in Brewster. With the water so cold and air temperature of only 38°, it was little surprise that this turtle’s core temperature had dropped to 36.6° Fahrenheit! A probable two-year-old juvenile, it measured 12 inches long and weighed 8½ pounds. 
Cleaned up, eyes flushed, and prepared for transport to the New England Aquarium for a more complete medical examination and treatment, this ridley provided a nice backdrop for impromptu learning experiences about endangered sea turtles and the benefits of collaborative global action to save animals and habitat alike. Kim, a curious four-year-old visitor to the Sanctuary, took advantage of this opportunity to learn about turtles up close & personal. I suspect it is a moment and a lesson she won’t soon forget.
But as soon as transport could be arranged, our newly rescued Kemp’s ridley, still quite active for a turtle with a body temperature within a couple of degrees of freezing, was headed off to Boston and the waiting arms of the exceptional medical staff at the New England Aquarium — the first stop back to the wild and a chance to aid in restoration of this critically endangered species. | |||||||
