NMB Nest #4

                                                          World Sea Turtle Day.....

Sea Turtle Patrol Volunteer, Steve was taking a late evening stroll on the beach when he noticed a set of sea turtle tracks coming out of the water and up the beach.  He followed the tracks up to the dunes where a man was standing in the dark shadows.  This man had been fishing from the shore when he noticed the sea turtle coming out of the ocean and slowly crawling up the beach, stopping at the bottom of a steep eroded dune, she then turn slightly to the south and then crawl up another dune.   He watched as she dug out a shallow body pit, then dug her egg cavity and then laid her eggs.  At one point, he had to tell a group of teenagers to back off, turn off their lights and not to take flash pictures.  These kids rewarded him by throwing his shoes down the beach and walking away with his fishing pole.  Steve and this fisherman watched quietly as she finished the nesting process.  Several other NMB STP Volunteers were called to the scene and watched in awe as this big, beautiful turtle finished laying eggs, threw sand around to cover the egg cavity and then crawled quickly back to the ocean, quickly disappearing into the water.

Quick picture as the momma was returning to the ocean.  Big beautiful turtle.......

 Turtle crawled up to the base of the dunes, hit a steep wall so turned and went South to the
adjacent dune

Original nest quickly roped to protect during the night until

the nest could be worked in the daylight

Steve digging for the eggs

Fairly shallow nests, turtle had to dig into roots of the dollar weed

Relocating the eggs

Jackson, on a Make A Wish visit from Newfoundland

helps Benton 

Helping Rob put up the final touches on the nest

NMB Nest #4

NMB Nest #4

136 eggs, 135 relocated above the Spring High Tide Line

1 egg used for DNA