FoP Beach Report 3/28/2015

March 28, 2015 Padre Island National Seashore Friends of Padre Beach Report   Air temperature: low to mid 70’s SE at 10 mph building to 20 mph w/ gusts to 25 mph Water clear from 0 to 35, sandy from 35-45, clear from 45 to the jetty Driving 2WD on low road, but bumpy Mid road 2WD w/ some 4HI   Numerous schools of sheepshead present in the surf Pony mullet the length of the beach Finger mullet on the south end of the beach Large trees/wood debris in the water and IN THE ROAD the entire stretch of the beach Helped tag an 83” sandbar shark at the Mansfield Jetty Reports of reds, black drum, and small sharks Lots of camps until the 30’s The Mansfield cleanup appeared to be a success with orange trash bags seen for several miles south of the Mansfield jetty. Bird notes: Least Tern Sandwich Tern Royal Tern Willet Sanderling Black Bellied Plover Brown Pelican Horned Lark Ring Billed Gull Herring Gull Laughing Gull Cormorant Wilson’s Plover Northern Herrier Ruddy Turnstone Caspian Tern Long Billed Curlew Mourning Dove Green Winged Teal Common Tern Semi-palmated Plover Crested Caracara Turkey Vulture Black Vulture Great Blue Heron