We spent the 4th of July weekend at Padre Island National Seashore in South Texas (map) to watch newly hatched sea turtles get released into the wild. This park protects 70 miles of coastline, dunes, prairies and a very rich wildlife. It is one of the nesting grounds of the Kemp’s ridley sea turtle (Lepidochelys kempii). Kemp’s ridley is the rarest species of sea turtle and is critically endangered. Each year, wildlife officials try to find the nests and move them to an incubation facility to increase the number of eggs that hatch. Once the baby turtles emerged from the egg, hatchlings are released to the wild.

Gear: Canon EOS 7D, Canon 300mm F/4, Canon 1.4x Extender, Manfrotto tripod