NEWSLETTER
NEWSLETTER
ABOUT US
ABOUT US
WHAT IS NESTFEST?
SPLASh, Gulf Coast Bird Observatory, Gulf Center for Sea Turtle Research, Surfside TX, and the Galveston Bay Area Chapter - Texas Master Naturalists teamed up to host NestFest! This large-scale cleanup event will remove marine debris from important coastal habitats that are used by beach nesting bird and sea turtle species. Texas beaches are critical habitats for these animals and we want to make sure they are ready for the incoming females to lay their eggs!
THE BIRDS
Our beaches are important nesting areas for birds that lay their eggs right on the sand. These beach-nesting birds include species like the Wilson’s Plover, Snowy Plover, Least Tern, Black Skimmer, and Willet. They use all sections of the beach, from the water’s edge to the dunes, to lay their eggs and raise their young. This cleanup will help provide a safe, clean beach for the birds and their chicks before the nesting season kicks off.
Snowy Plover and Chick. Photo by Khaled Mahmud
Least Tern and chicks. Photo by Ray Hennessy
Willet. Photo by Tim Zurowski
Snowy Plover and Chick. Photo by Khaled Mahmud
THE SEA TURTLES
Texas is home to 5 out of 7 sea turtle species in the world, several of which nest on Texas beaches. From April through July, the most critically endangered species in the world, and the Texas state sea turtle, the Kemp’s ridley, will come on shore to lay their eggs along our dune line. They will quickly return to the water, leaving the eggs behind. Marine debris on the beach has had significant impacts to our nesting sea turtles, so keeping our shorelines clean is one of the most important things we can do to help this species recover.
NESTFEST LOCATIONS
DOCUMENTS FOR CLEANUP PARTICIPANTS
Already signed up for a cleanup? Great, we can't wait to see you! To save time at check-in on the day of the cleanup, review the safety documents below and fill out a waiver for each person participating in the cleanup. Feel free to bring a hard copy of the signed form(s) to the cleanup, or email them ahead of time to splashtx@abcbirds.org.
SUPPORT
NestFest is made possible thanks to the following organizations.
