Summary of second test survey:
Sigh. Sometimes field work can be frustrating. We were on Holiday break , but decided to go out on the weekend to test out our new wading theory [to get a full count of species behind the mangrove islands in the study area].
Tide tables checked. Time confirmed. Meet at the study site....NOT LOW TIDE. Tip of the day. Don't believe everything you read on the internet!! Our tide table schedule was off about 1.5 hours, so there was no low tide.
The survey was cancelled. We did remain on site and enjoy the pelicans and osprey feeding and the tremendous amount of bait in the area. We did see one Great Egret (Ardea alba) foraging along the mangrove tree island.
So back to the lab we went and redid all the tide charts using NOAA/NOS/CO-OPS tide predictions. Hopefully those will be accurate.
We have adjusted our survey times to one hour before actual low tide, in case the charts are off. Staff are awaiting the arrival of their hip waders so we don't get too icky in the mud flats.
Our official designated start to the project begins Jan 8. So stay tuned. In the mean time, enjoy the photo of a pelican!
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