Inventory, NMB Nest #5

NMB Nest #5, 15th Ave N.....Laid on June 27.....tracks of mother were first reported by NMB Sanitation at 5:15AM.....Check on the tracks,  a huge mound of sand was quickly seen,  mound turned out to be the nesting female turtle, just starting to dig and lay her eggs.  Mother was watched for over an hour an half....a special treat ...........

Nest depressed on Sunday, Aug 16th  around 10PM and hatchlings boiled out just before 11PM.

Withing 10 minutes all that remained was a nice classic depression

All  seemed to run straight to the ocean and disappear into the waves

but a nest check the next morning, Mary, Stan and Connie found one set of tracks

around the walkway at 15th and then found one, lost hatchling close to the dunes.  

They took the hatchling closer to the water and watched as it revived and swam away

Inventory is scheduled 4 days later, on Thursday.  Storms start to roll through the area just before inventory is scheduled to start.  

A special group, the students from Current Transitions, s a non-profit program providing ongoing life skills classes for individuals with cognitive disorders and intellectual disabilities, arrive just as storm does.

Quick look at the nest, then rain starts

Pause in activity, students go back to bus but rain soon stops

A big rainbow comes out as the students come back to the nest

Stan, Rob and Ingrid start to dig up the egg chamber

A huge thanks to the NMB STP Volunteers who worked with he students, explaining what

we were doing and why

Results of the inventory

Nest was laid the morning of June 27th

Nest was left in situ or natural with one egg taken for DNA

Nest emerged on August 16, 50th day of incubation

Inventory on August 20th, despite the stormy beginning

128 eggs laid, 1 egg taken for DNA

106 empty or hatched shells

21 unhatched, all collapsed

no live or dead hatchlings

127 eggs 

83.46% hatching success rate

A huge thansk to the Current Transition Students for coming to watch

A big Thank you to all of the NMB STP Volunteers who came and helped

A special thanks to Mary and Corrina for your pictures!