NEST #6!!!!

Last evening, Faith, Laura, Stephen, Lindsey, Shane and Sarah were coming out of their beach house to play flashlight tag on the beach. As they walked the path over the dunes, they saw what appeared to be a discarded beach towel laying on the sand in the middle of the V of the sand fence in front of them. All of a sudden, this "towel" moved! The towel was actually a nesting Sea Turtle. The kids stopped and watched as she dug her nest, layed her eggs and turned to head back to the water. The turtle then rested for a few minutes before continuing down the beach. The kids notified the passing Beach Patrol who in turn called the NMB Sea Turtle Patrol. Rob and I went out to the site around 11PM, just missing the turtle. We taped off the nesting area and came back at sunrise to confirm and protect the nest.

Tuesday Segment A walkers, Steve Huggins and Rose met us on the beach. The track measured 29-30 inches so I'm confident this was the same turtle who false crawled on Saturday and again twice yesterday. She finally found her perfect "spot." Steve is becoming an expert at probing and was able to find the egg cavity very quickly.

Faith, Laura, Stephen, Lindsey and Sarah got up at 6AM to watch how we search for the eggs. They saw the eggs in the nest and held the egg taken for DNA Research.

Great job Faith and Laura Elliott, Stephen Estes, Lindsey and Shane Weese and Sarah Johnson.
(Double click to enlarge pictures)

This nest is at 4208 North Ocean Blvd. It is very close to Nest 4.

Linda

Two false crawls this morning!

Lots of activity today in Segment B. A crawl was reported at 17th Ave. North. This was a very short crawl, coming out of the ocean and going right back in. The width of the crawl was 29 inches.

A second crawl was found around 24th Ave. North. Anne came upon it while on her Monday morning patrol. This crawl came up the beach all the way to the dunes.

The turtle spent some time on the beach and had started to dig a nest. But either she was interrupted or for some other reason, she decided she didn't like the location so the nest cavity was abandoned. Rob and I probed the area but didn't find a second cavity or any eggs. The width of this crawl was again 29 inches so we are confident that it was the same turtle coming ashore twice last night. The width is also the same as the width of the false crawl at 9th Ave. South on Saturday. Lets hope she comes back tonight and is finally able to nest!

The crawls have been recorded as False Crawls 6 and 7.

Thank you Anne for your help this morning. The NMB Sanitation was also helpful in reporting and protecting the two crawls until we could get to the scene. Linda

NEST #5!!!!

While walking segment B early this morning, Gail came across a crawl at 13th Ave. N.

It was a short crawl ending just above the high tide line, in the middle of the beach. People had already walked through the body pit and the crawl.

It was thought that probing would be difficult but Valerie was able to find the egg cavity. Once the eggs were found, the decision was made to relocate the nest from the center of the beach to a new site closer to the dunes.






The eggs were carefully removed from the nest and placed in a bucket to be transported to the new nesting site.






Rob and Steve dug a new hole in front of the dunes. The eggs were carefully taken from the bucket, one by one and placed into the hole.






97 eggs less the one taken for DNA Research!!














The relocation of the nest was a joint effort with the Sunday Walkers from Waties Island. Thank you Steve, Nancy, Will and Jenny Mann as well as guest walkers Gus and Ginny for helping us after walking on Waties.

Thank you Valerie, Nancy and Jim for your photos.

A big thank you to Gail for finding the crawl. Linda

FALSE CRAWLS #4 and #5

Beautiful moon over the ocean last night and early this morning.




Jennifer and Frank came across a crawl around 9th Ave. S. This turtle came up the beach just a short distance before turning around and going back into the ocean. Track width measured around 29 inches. Labeled False Crawl #4















Gary Genser came across a crawl around 45th. Ave S. This turtle crawled quite a ways parallel to the water line, did a "loop-the-loop" and then continued up the beach, stopped to dig a little and then continued up to the dunes.

She turned at the sand fence and crawled a long ways back into the water.

The width of this turtle's crawl was around 33 inches.

A large beach hole was found between her incoming and outgoing crawls.

Although her body pit was very shallow, we probed a long time before declaring it False Crawl #5

Interesting, it was reported that the turtle was seen on the beach at 5:00 AM.

Thank you Jennifer, Frank, Ginny, Gary and Carole for your help. One or both of these turtles may be back tonight! Linda

Checking on Nest #3

Hot out there this morning!

Welcome to our two newest volunteers, Ginny and Teressa, who are checking on Nest #3 at 8th Avenue N. The nest looks fine and well protected.

Lots of people on the beach this morning but no new crawls to report.

You can click on the photo to see more details.

Barb D.

John and Betty Sakers, proud parents of Nest #4.

Turtle Nest #4 at 42nd Ave.

John Sakers finds nest #4 at 42nd Ave. He had a premonition this morning that he would find this nest in memory of his dad's passing on May 24th.

Linda and John measured the turtle tracks at 32". Just maybe this was the same turtle that false crawled earlier this week.

Steve and Barbara show John how to probe for the nest.

After finding the nest with the probe, he hand dug and found the eggs.

Two visitors to NMB came up to watch the dig.

Great picture of False Crawl #3

This is a great picture of the X formed by the 3 intersecting tracks the turtle made as she went up the beach, abandoned a spot near the stairs, came back down, then up again to the other side of the stairs and then back to the water. She was one busy turtle. Thank you Barbara.

FALSE CRAWL #3

Storms coming through between 5 and 6AM this morning delayed the start of most of the beach walks.



























Steve Demusz did come across a crawl in front of the Sea Brook Plantation Beach House, just south of Sea Mountain Hwy. This turtle came up the beach, dug a deep hole, left it and crawled further up the beach to the dune line just to the left of the stairs going to the beach house.















She dug another hole in the dunes grass along side the stairs, abandoned this hole, started back down the beach and then came back up on the right side of the stairs. She crawled into a small depression by the side of the stairs,















came back out and then went back down the beach, into the ocean. There was no evidence of a body pit or actual nest. This has been recorded as False Crawl #3. Please watch out tomorrow morning, she may be back somewhere on the beach!

Barbara used this opportunity to teach Dave Way, Keela and Jingle Wells about probing.

Thanks Steve, Barbara, Valerie, Dave, Keela and Jingle for your help this morning. Linda