Editing Padre Island National Seashore (section)

==Biology==
===Kemp's ridley sea turtles===
[[File:2010 Kemp's ridley sea turtle project at Padre Island National Seashore (for NRC) (f1b41723-09a4-4933-8312-14fedb1c1b81).jpg|thumb|A Kemp's ridley sea turtle laying eggs on PINS (10 May 2010)]]

A program to re-establish a nesting beach for [[Kemp's ridley]] [[sea turtle]]s on Padre Island was begun in 1978. In 1992, the first two turtles from the program returned to Padre Island beach to lay their eggs. The number of Kemp's ridley sea turtle nests on Padre Island has increased ever since with 28 being found in 2005. Park rangers at PAIS are involved in an effort to help this [[endangered species]]. In the summer, visitors can witness the release of newborn turtles.

In September 2007, [[Corpus Christi, Texas]]  [[wildlife]] officials found a record of 128 Kemp's ridley sea turtle [[nest]]s on Texas [[beaches]], including 81 on North [[Padre Island]] (Padre Island National Seashore) and 4 on [[Mustang Island]]. Wildlife officials released 10,594 Kemp's ridleys hatchlings along the Texas [[coast]] this year. The turtles are endangered due to shrimpers' nets and they are popular in [[Mexico]] as [[boot]] material and [[food]].<ref>[https://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070904/ap_on_sc/sea_turtles;_ylt=Ak.pVxCLmzdjQ40F4rfkowes0NUE  Yahoo.com, Endangered turtle nests found in Texas]</ref>

===Birdwatching===
Due to the location of Padre Island National Seashore on the [[Central Flyway]], a major [[Bird migration|migratory]] route for birds, about 380 species of birds have been documented within the park, which represents approximately 45% of all bird species documented within North America. The park was designated as a "Globally Important Bird Area" by the [[American Bird Conservancy]] in 1998 for providing an "important habitat for globally significant numbers of [[Brown pelican|Brown Pelicans]], [[Redhead (duck)|Redheads]] (5% of the world's population), [[Least tern|Least Terns]] (8% of the North American population), [[Piping plover|Piping Plovers]] (10% of the world's population), [[Reddish egret|Reddish Egrets]] (7% of the biogeographic population) and [[Peregrine falcon|Peregrine Falcons]] (7% of the North American population)."<ref>[http://www.cr.nps.gov/history/online_books/pais/adhiad.htm Padre Island Administrative History, Addendum: Events Since 1994] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061014212056/http://www.cr.nps.gov/history/online_books/pais/adhiad.htm |date=2006-10-14 }}, National Park Service, Retrieved February 1, 2015</ref><ref name="Birdwatching">{{cite web |url=http://www.nps.gov/pais/planyourvisit/birdwatching.htm |title=Birdwatching |work=Padre Island National Seashore |publisher=National Park Service |access-date=2009-09-01}}</ref>

The best time to see the multitude of the park's bird migrants is during either early spring or fall and winter, when thousands of birds spend the winter there or migrate through the area.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nps.gov/pais/learn/nature/birds.htm|title=Padre Island National Seashore birds|work=National Park Service|access-date=2019-07-25}}</ref> During the summer the most common birds are [[Shorebirds|shore]] and [[marshbird]]s as well as some [[Bird of prey|raptors]] and [[songbird]]s. The most common birds on the Gulf beach of the park during the year are the [[willet]], [[sanderling]], [[black skimmer]], [[great blue heron]], [[double-crested cormorant]], [[cattle egret]], [[grey plover]], [[laughing gull]], [[brown pelican]], [[reddish egret]], and five species of [[tern]]s, including the [[least tern]], [[Caspian tern]], [[black tern]], [[Sandwich tern]], and [[royal tern]]. The two periodically appearing birds nesting on the park's shores are the least tern and [[piping plover]].<ref name="Birdwatching"/>

Bird Island Basin, on the [[Laguna Madre]] side of the park, may be periodically dry during the summer or during periods of extended drought. It is home to a wide variety of birds when wet, including [[black-necked stilt]]s, [[roseate spoonbill]]s, [[great egret]]s, [[American white ibis]], and many others.<ref name="Birdwatching"/>

<gallery mode="packed" heights="150px">
File:Scaphiopus hurterii, Padre Island National Seashore, Kleberg Co. TX; 2 Nov 2022.jpg|Hurter's Spadefoot Toad (''[[Hurter's spadefoot toad|Scaphiopus hurterii]]'') Padre Island NS (Nov 2022)
File:Kemp's ridley release.JPG|A public release of [[Kemp's ridley|Kemp's ridley sea turtle]] hatchlings at Padre Island NS
File:Caspian terns and royal tern, Padre Island National Seashore (November 2022.jpg|Caspian terns (''[[Caspian tern|Hydroprogne caspia]]'') left, royal tern (''[[Royal tern|Thalasseus maximus]]'') right, Padre Island NS (Nov 2022)
File:Brown Pelicans, Padre Island National Seashore, Kleberg Co, TX; 2 Nov.jpg|Brown Pelican (''[[Brown pelican|Pelecanus occidentalis]]''), Padre Island NS (Nov 2022)
File:Padre Island Coyote (4032086363).jpg|Coyote (''[[Canis latrans]]''), Padre Island NS (Oct 2009)
</gallery>