Braircliffe Nest #4-----Relocated MB Nest #2-Dunes Club

Busy morning..  Calls started coming in at 4AM.....Horry County Sanitation....turtle on beach near the swash...appears to be nesting, she is high in the dunes.  Where?   Maybe near Sea Watch Condo, No, might be the Briarcliffe Beach....

5AM...Call from Ann, MB State Park, turtle on the beach, north of the swash, Dune Club, MB.   

Same turtle, separate turtle....I was confused...Horry County Sanitation seemed confused.....First caller mentioned a swash but also said there are other nests roped off on this beach so I was pretty sure it was the Braircliife Beach.  I notified Larry and he soon confirmed nesting activity on Briarcliffe, close to the swash separating NMB from Briarcliffe.

 Another crawl up the steep, eroded dune

Body pit

 Turtle tried once to climb up the dune, did not make it, 

Walked a little to the North, success on second try

DNA Egg

Nest is moved, way to close to the activity of the swash

Briarcliffe Nest #4   Thank you Larry and his family for responding to the early morning call!!

Still some confusion over second report.  Ann said the nest had been marked with orange cones.  So I called MB Sanitation, was told to go to 82nd Ave N in MB, head north, cross a small swash, walk about 1/2 mile North.   I called Lee who was walking No Mans Land, she confirmed no nest near the swash at the southern end of No Mans Land so several of us headed down to 82nd Ave N in MB.  

Hot walk north up the beach from 82nd N, soon found the small swash, then found the well defined crawl and body pit marked with the cones.  And yes, In front of the Dunes Club.  A very private section of the beach....

People started gathering around as we probed and then dug up the egg chamber.  108 eggs, 1 egg taken for DNA, 

 107 eggs taken to where several of the Saturday Walkers were waiting.

 

 

A huge thanks to Don, Kim, Paulette, Lee and Barbara for going down to MB with me.  Long walk up the beach, but so worth it.

Thanks to all of the Saturday walkers who stayed around to help relocate and protect this nest.  Long, hot morning.  I loved having the kids....