Volunteering to survey a beach for sea turtle tracks and nests is a great excuse to get out to a beach early in the morning once a week. Even if I don’t see turtle tracks, I inevitably see something. Yesterday it was this osprey. It’s not unusual to see them, particularly during the winter, but they aren’t common, either. I’m still waiting to see one swoop down to the water and grab a fish. The local name for this bird is Fish Hawk.
If you are interested in participating in sea turtle nesting research, the season has started on the North side, and you can talk to the Réserve Naturelle (http://www.reservenaturelle-saint-martin.com/). South side, I believe the monitoring starts in April, but the Nature Foundation can give you more info (http://www.naturefoundationsxm.org/).
