Corpusfishing.com

[Towboat Trash]

Howdy everybody, just wanted to share a few pics of yesterday's trip with Sue Wolfe.

Sue is the 2018 PAIS Artist-in-Residence, and as such, she is documenting an entire year of what she sees on the National Seashore. We've made a few trips together now, and she has quite a few photos she will be releasing as time goes on, in addition to the pics the Park shares on its social media. Her website is http://www.where-2-next.com and her Instagram is Instagram.com/suewolfe4943. Now, I personally think we should do a documentary on the fine lives of the two "one hotdog and two buns" individuals who don't like to wear clothes down at the 10 mile marker, but I suppose no one wants to see all that nasty-nasty.

And with the cold water upwelling continuing, I studied water temps throughout the day, and the blue crab mortality event.




Just hundreds.


Don't recall seeing this before....




And with a quest to photograph in various areas down south over the dune line, we stopped to photograph some quite pretty Long-billed Curlews and I enjoyed watching Sue at work.




And I know she has forgotten more than I'll ever know about photography.


Very cool. It makes me so glad to take her down Island, and I just won't lie-I get goosebumps because I know Billy is on that gotdang Island scowling at me from over the dune...."Cone-Linn one must KNOW birds to show OTHERS the BIRDS!!!!!" And I'd say under my breath, "Man, ain't nobody ask you nuttin" knowing darn well he had ears like a cat, and then just grin...


And while we drove about a mile south....I spotted the coolest guys ever! Black skimmers! Out the truck we went, to get pics!








They use their beak to scoop up the unaware for a meal! And the lower mandible actually can dislocate backwards in case they hit something hard with it, and they won't be harmed!


Beautiful! Do you see the glass minnow in his beak?


What an awesome sight!





And we spent an hour outrunning them, just to get shots as they passed us by. And without any shark heroes to speed by and mess it up, we got quite a few shots!




It makes my heart glad to see someone watch Padre for what it is, and not for what they can take from it.




Roly, gypsy roll.....











And later on....Peregrine falcons!



Awesome!





These guys may mate for life, and as there was two, it was a pretty awesome sight. They are supposed to reach estimated speeds of 150 mph with 60 mph common!


Super cool!


What a place for them to hunt in this old hurricane fan blowout.


And we hit a few more places, but the mosquitoes were unreal, even with 40% DEET spray.


In fact, they started going down my throat so it was time to leave.


Keeled earless lizard!


And on to the jetty to photograph turtles.














And back to the beach to try some shell photography, even shooting through a crystal ball to try out something fun.




And the water even cooler.








Long-billed curlew!







Anyhow, ya'll take care, just wanted to share a few pics. Kathy is due in two weeks with a little boy, so we're just holding down the fort around here. If you get a chance, swing by Sue's website and maybe even go wet a line. But if you wander around down there alone and feel ole Billy's eyes on your back from somewhere out in those hot dunes where the cicadas are singing their mid summer tune, don't be surprised, cuz there hasn't been a trip yet down there in the last month that I haven't felt those eyes and heard that voice in the shimmering distances...


--Colin
_________________
Protect Padre at all costs for future generations to use and enjoy and never forget our freedoms aren't free.

www.padreislandexpeditions.com

[Rxfire]

Someone needs to re-plant some yuccas (that the ranchers did their best to get rid of) for those falcons to hunt off of.

[Central Scrutinizer]

Great report, as always.

Once you got to the jetties, the water really cleaned up nice, but 70.5 F!!! WOW.........

Did you happen to poke around them crabs to see just how many were 'dead', versus how many were recent molts? I've found that the major convergence zone just south of the Port A jetties contain an awful lot of molts, which is common this time of year, especially after a wet spring. The ones on PINS are much larger than the 'molts' up north, but just as numerous.

Just an observation.

[Towboat Trash]

[deputydawg]

Great report as usual! Thats awesome there will be a little towboat around!

Those crabs remind me of the morning we woke up and the beach was covered in starfish! Crazy how that stuff happens. Hope its just a natural occurance and not a sign of something bad!

I must be really getting old and getting into this retirement stuff because the bird stuff is intresting me more and more!

[Rebecca of Sunnybrookfarm]

[HungerBuster]

70 is cold. It's mid-July! If you zoom in on those crab pictures, there are definitely some molts there, but also definitely some full dead crabs as well. Driving looks good-- and the water actually doesn't look all that bad as compared to some of the more recent condition reports. It sure is fun to just work your way up and down the beach and actually LOOK at where you are...pictures say a thousand words as usual Collin. Well done. And her website ROCKS.

HB
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Fish ON!

[ziacatcher]

I remember years ago and had flocks of nesting skimmers along the Causeway by the JFK Bridge. It was fun to watch them. And their lower mandible was razor sharp and they just skim through the water and slice those fish. Pretty neat Birds. But damn 70.5 that's just crazy

[Vern]

We were down there from 5th -7th
I did some research before we left and found that the cold water upwelling can cause the crab die off. It was like that where we were at, at the 7mm.
Water was chocolate. It started clearing Saturday evening and the surf calmed but on Saturday it was clean pretty calm an picturesque.
Here is a report I will post elsewhere also.

Well we got back yesterday after 3 days out.
We stayed right at the 7mm.

Lots of dead crabs, some still coming in.
1st day and most of 2nd day way too much snot weed, starting back up on day 3.
Way to many bugs especially mosquitoes.
Caught some whiting and 2 rays and as always lots of hardheads, at least for my wife. I tease her and say its because they are related (hard head, lol).
Sharks in the 1st and 2nd gut. Evidenced by tails missing from whiting and bites taken out of their backs at times.
Surf calmed on Friday but nothing on artificials.
Even calmer on Saturday morning but still nothing on artificials. Dolphin in 3rd gut and beyond, maybe just outside 3rd hard for me tell.

PEOPLE ARE SO DIRTY.
Spent over an hour picking up other peoples stuff, some of which I will not even describe. Only got a fraction, camp area + 30 feet. 7mm is a very large area, big enough for 2 travel trailers.

I think next month just a day trip and go much further down.
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Whatever your hands find to do, do it with all your might. (Fishing is one of those things )

[BayFly]

As always, I enjoyed the trip Colin, and especially Sue's talent with the camera! Her photo catalog on her website is impressive! I was able to see the beauty of places I've never been to.