2013 Turtle Season

September 29, 2013

We had two hatchings last night. Nest #54 had 58 turtles and #55 had 93 turtles. As we only have #56 left and that will be 56 days on October 13, I will only send out emails if there is something to report.

September 28, 2013

Nothing to Report

September 27, 2013

Nest #53 was inventoried with 105 shells, 2 unhatched and 1 dead. There are three nests left – #54 at 56 days, #55 at 55 days and #56 at 39 days.

September 26, 2013

Nothing to Report

September 25, 2013

#51 was inventoried with 109 shells, 6 unhatched, 1 dead and 2 live hatchlings. Nest #52 was inventoried with 116 shells, 4 unhatched and 4 live hatchlings. There was one track out of Nest #55. Nest #54 had a hole this morning.

September 24, 2013

Nest #53 hatched last night after the volunteers had left – seems to be a pattern this year.

September 23, 2013

Nest #52 hatched around 8:30 last night with 120 turtles. Nest #50 inventory had 90 shells, 2 unhatched eggs and 2 live hatchlings.

September 22, 2013

By 1:00 am one turtle had come out of Nest #51. It didn’t look like it had hatched during the night but was hard to tell because of the wind and rain. There was a crab hole at the back of the nest. I followed an alligator’s tracks from the Beach Villas to the Baptists. We now have five unhatched nests at 50 plus days and #56 which is at 34 days.

September 21, 2013

Nothing to report

September 20, 2013

Nothing to Report

September 19, 2013

Nest #49 was inventoried with 85 shells and 9 unhatched or pipped eggs. Again the tide came in very high.

September 18, 2013

Extreme high tide this AM and will continue for the next couple of days. Green will have to be let out and pulled in as needed. Green has been delivered to 54 and 55. Looks like one more hatchling came out of 49 and made it to the ocean.  Nest #47 was inventoried with 100 shells, 10 unhatched eggs and 3 live hatchlings. Nest #48 was inventoried with 98 shells, 10 unhatched, 5 dead and 8 live hatchlings.

September 17, 2013

Nothing to Report

September 16, 2013

Nest #49 hatched last night around 11 pm with 75 turtles. This nest again hatched early at 51 days.

September 15, 2013

Nest #47 hatched around 9 pm last night at 54 days. 98 turtles made it to the water. A couple more came out overnight. Nest #48 also hatched overnight when no one was there but the tracks led to the water. This was only at 52 days.

September 14, 2013

Just as I arrived home from patrol there was a call for a dead turtle at the Baptists pier. It was a loggerhead with a carapace width of 18”. It had fishing line around the right front and left back flippers. Staff from the Baptists Assembly were good enough to help and the turtle was buried on the beach. Nest #44 was inventoried with 128 shells, 2 unhatched eggs and 1 live turtle. Nest #47 and #49 both have dimples this morning.

September 13, 2013

Nothing to report

September 12, 2013

Nest #57 hatched and was inventoried with 53 live hatchlings and 7 unhatched eggs. This was the found nest where 21 were dead and 60 eggs moved. We were pleasantly surprised at the number of hatchlings from a nest that had been dug up by animals and washed over many times.

September 11, 2013

Nest #44 hatched around 9:30 last night at 56 days. There were 112 hatchlings. There was one dead hatchling at the nest this morning – looked like a crab had brought it to the surface. Nest #43 was inventoried with 93 shells, 6 unhatched eggs and 3 live hatchlings.

September 10, 2013

Nest #46 was inventoried last night with 112 shells, 14 unhatched or pipped and 93 live hatchlings. Obviously when the nest hatched on Friday night only a small number emerged.

September 9, 2013

Nest #35 inventory had 50 unhatched and pipped eggs, 96 shells and 5 live hatchlings. Nest #37 inventory had 56 shells and 4 unhatched eggs.

September 8, 2013

Nest #43 hatched last evening with 78 turtles. There were four inventories: Nest #40 had 120 shells and 6 unhatched; Nest #41 had 46 shells and 76 unhatched – a disappointing result for a moved nest; Nest #42 had 94 shells, 9 unhatched, 2 dead and 20 live hatchlings; and Nest #45 had 102 shells, 12 unhatched or pipped and 32 live hatchlings. We now have 11 nests still incubating.

September 7, 2013

Nest #46 had a few tracks out this morning. Nests #42, 45 and 41 all had more turtles out.

September 6, 2013

The thunder and lightning kept volunteers and tourists away but the turtles love that weather. Nest #37 hatched just after 7 with 55 turtles. It only had 60 eggs in the nest. Nest #35 hatched overnight. Nest #45 had a large hole this morning so more turtles must have come out overnight.

September 5, 2013

Four nests had a small number of turtles emerge last night – #40 at 54 days, #41 at 53 days, #42 at 51 days, and #45 at 49 days. Nest #34 inventory had 120 shells and 6 unhatched eggs. Nest #38 inventory had 72 shells, 32 unhatched and 1 dead. Nest #39 had 108 shells, 13 unhatched, 2 dead and 5 live hatchlings. Egg shells and 22 dead turtles were found on the beach at Marker 73.9. These had been dug up by ghost crabs and a dog. There were still 59 unhatched eggs which were relocated to Marker 66. This is now Nest #57. The nest was probably laid during the high tides and the tracks were washed out before morning patrol.

September 4, 2013

Green was delivered to Nest #45. Nothing else to report.

September 3, 2013

Nest #33 inventory produced 138 shells and 2 unhatched eggs. Nest #36 inventory produced 128 shells, 4 unhatched, 2 dead and 8 live hatchlings. Green has been delivered up to and including #44.

September 2, 2013

Nest #34 hatched at 57 days with 108 turtles observed. Several more came out overnight. Nests #38 and #39 both hatched overnight at 53 days

September 1, 2013

Nothing to Report

August 31, 2013

Nest 33 hatched overnight at 56 days. Nest 36 hatched also at 52 days. Both these nests had been closely watched by volunteers and tourists but no one saw them hatch, however the tracks led straight to the water.

August 30, 2013

Nest #27 was inventoried with 47 shells, 12 unhatched, 1 dead and 1 live hatchling.

August 29, 2013

We had two inventories last night. Nest #31 had 7 unhatched, 7 live and 95 egg shells. Nest #29 had 106 egg shells. Congratulations Team 3!!!!!!

August 28, 2013

Nest #27 hatched last night with 51 Hatchings. Nest #32 was inventoried last night. We had 35 dead hatchlings, 5 unhatched, 2 alive and 90 egg shells. Nest #30 was inventoried last night. We had 100 egg shells and 13 unhatched.

August 27, 2013

Nest #25 was inventoried last night, it had 90 egg shells and 22 unhatched eggs.

August 26, 2013

Nest #29 hatched 104 turtles at 56 days. Nest #31 hatched 83 turtles at 52 days. Nest #24 inventory produced 113 shells, 2 unhatched, 2 dead and 11 live hatchlings.

August 25, 2013

Some time overnight Nest #30 hatched at 53 days. Looks like very few made it to the water. Turtles started coming out of Nest #32 at 5:30 pm and only 18 had come out by late evening. One straggler was waiting for morning patrol. This nest was at 49 days. Nest #23 was inventoried with 94 shells, 60 unhatched eggs and 1 live turtle. Nest #28 was inventoried with 106 shells and 1 unhatched egg – an excellent hatch rate from a moved nest.

August 24, 2013

Nest #25 hatched last night with 88 turtles. Four inventories took place last night. Nest #13 – 37 shells, 22 unhatched. Nest #19 – 94 shells, 7 unhatched. Nest #21 – 115 shells, 21 unhatched, 1 live hatchling. Nest #26 – 134 shells, 7 unhatched, 1 dead and 3 live hatchlings. Nest #31 has a slight depression but is only at 52 days. Green has been delivered up to Nest #35.

August 23, 2013

Nest #24 hatched last night with 99 hatchlings.

August 22, 2013

Nest #23 hatched last night at 56 days with 68 hatchlings and one was found this morning with a missing flipper. Nest #28 hatched last night at 53 days with 100 plus hatchlings. Nest #22 was inventoried having 10 unhatched eggs and 1 dead hatchling. Green has been delivered to all nests up to and including #32 and should be wrapped at 50 days.

August 21, 2013

A busy night last night, 4 nests hatched. Nest #13 had 25 hatchlings after 66 days and 3 w/o. Nest #19 had 94 hatchlings after 60 days and 2 w/o. Nest #21 had 114 hatchlings after 58 days and 2 w/o. Nest #26 had 130 hatchlings after 54 days. Nests # 23 and 28 had large indentations but no emergence.

August 20, 2013

Nest #35 and 34 were washed over. Nothing else to report.

August 19, 2013

We had nest #56 from a 30” crawl at Marker 68.5 (Public Parking Lot). At 3:15 am we got a call from vacationers who saw her come ashore. By the time Lynda got there she was laying eggs. She took a long time to cover the eggs and throw sand, which was a shame as this morning we had to move them back from the tide line. She went back in the water at 4:30 am. Nest #22 hatched at 55 days with 93 hatchlings. This was the nest that was moved from the river at Southport.

August 18, 2013

Although nest #20 was not seen to boil, several turtles had come out so it was inventoried last night. It had 124 shells, 5 pipped eggs and 12 live hatchlings. The heavy rains continue to make it difficult to see tracks.

August 17, 2013

We had three inventories last night. Nest #11 had 57 shells, 91 unhatched and 1 Live hatchling. Nest #17 had 75 shells and 39 unhatched. Nest #18 had 85 shells, 4 unhatched, 2 pipped and 20 live hatchlings. At least one hatchling came out of #20. Green has been delivered to all nests up to and including #30.

August 16, 2013

Despite the rain three nests were inventoried last night. Nest #12 had 93 shells, 18 unhatched and 1 live hatchling. Nest #15 had 74 shells, 24 unhatched and 1 live hatchling. Nest #16 had 79 shells, 4 unhatched and 1 live hatchling. Green has been delivered to #25, #26 and #28

August 15, 2013

Nest # 14 inventory had 116 ES, 2UH and 2DH.A Great Yield!!!!!!!!!!  Nest #18 had a large  crab hole, filled it in. Nest #17 had a large crab hole and a egg shell on top, filled in the hole and buried the egg shell.  Could not tell if any more hatchlings came out of any nest because of the rain and high tide. Delivered green to #24. Managed to get off the beach b/4 the skies really opened up.  Greens are in good shape, not as much wind last night.

August 14, 2013

Nest #11 hatched at 8:15 last night with 45 turtles crawling out. Nest #15 had at least 24 more come out. Nest #17 had at least 1 come out that had a crab bite on its neck, it was put in the water by the morning patrol. It also had a large cavity in the nest that was filled in. Nest #18 had at least 1 come out. All the nest listed above could have had more turtles come out and their tracks erased by the rain and high tide. Nest #15 is already set for inventory on Thursday. Nest #11,17 and 18 we are going to call last night first emergence and the team leaders should plan to inventory on Friday night. All nest that have green out need attention because of the high tide and wind last night.

August 13, 2013

Nest #15 had at least 28 more turtles out last night. Nest #16 hatched out 68 hatchlings around 8:pm. Nest #12 hatched out 77 hatchlings at 9:40. Nest #18 had another depression.

August 12, 2013

Nest #14 hatched during the night. There were many tracks all the way to the high tide line. Nest #7 was inventoried with 112 shells, 26 unhatched and 13 live turtles. Nest #10 was inventoried with 120 shells and 23 unhatched. 2 turtles came out of Nest #15 but there is no indentation this morning. Nest #18 has a large crack

August 11, 2013

We had two 26” false crawls today around Marker 73. Nest #15 has an indentation.

August 10, 2013

15 hatchlings came out of #4 around 9:00 pm last night and another 4 overnight. This is a “trickle” nest and will be inventoried on Monday. Nest #6 was inventoried with 85 shells, 75 unhatched and 20 live hatchlings. It’s been our experience that large nests like this (160 eggs) do not have a very good hatch rate. Nest #18 has a definite crack at 51 days.

August 9, 2013

Last night was busy with three nests hatching. Nest #7 hatched with 87 turtles. Nest #10 hatched around 11:30 with tourists watching 116 turtles go into the water. Turtle tracks were found at the location of #9, which we had thought was poached. Some number made it to the water. The hole was not obvious so an inventory may not be possible. We’ll keep an eye on the area. Nest #8 was inventoried with 125 shells, 6 unhatched or pipped and 19 live hatchlings.

Remember there is no parking on Caswell Beach Road or on private property.

August 8, 2013

One hatchling emerged from nest #4. Several hatchlings emerged from #8. Green has been delivered to nest 17,18 and 19.

August 7, 2013

Nest #6 hatched last night at 61 days. Lots of tracks to the ocean.

August 6, 2013

91 hatchlings emerged from nest #8 last night at around 9:30 on day 56. Inventory will be Thursday night. Green has been delivered to nest #13.

August 5, 2013

Nest #2 was inventoried with 81 shells, 27 unhatched and 2 live hatchlings. Although 3 hatchlings and a few tracks were seen on Thursday, the nest must have hatched during the heavy rains.

Nest #3 was inventoried with 111 shells, 37 unhatched and 10 live hatchlings.

Nest #8 has a dimple.

Nest #6 has had a dimple for two days but still not hatched.

I want to clarify what a “stranding” means. Any turtle that washes up on the beach is termed a stranding, whether it’s alive or dead. We have only ever had one live stranding on Caswell and she died at the Turtle Hospital. All stranded turtles are measured, checked for tags and cause of death if obvious. This information is reported to the State. Dead turtles are painted red and buried on the beach.

August 4, 2013

Nest #6 has a dimple. Nothing else this morning. Yesterday we had a stranding at the Lighthouse area. This was another turtle with a 30” wide carapace which was missing its left front flipper, probably from a shark bite.

August 3, 2013

A 46” crawl gave us nest #55 at marker 62.7.

August 2, 2013

We had Nest #54 from a 32” crawl at McGlamery Street. 96 eggs were moved back from the high tide line. Nest #3 hatched last night around 9:30. Our neighbors and some vacationers watched a large number of hatchlings go into the water. Apparently a large hole suddenly appeared and there was a boil. Lucky people.

August 1, 2013

Patrol was late today due to the heavy rain. Nest #2 had one hatchling in the runway and several tracks leading to the water. It will be monitored closely and let’s hope for a boil tonight. Today will be the first emergence date. Green has been delivered to Nest #10

July 31, 2013

A 30” false crawl at marker 65. Green has been delivered to nest 7 & 8.

July 30, 2013

We had a stranding (dead turtle) this morning at the Baptists.  The carapace measured about 30” across and there was no apparent cause of death.   Nest #1 was inventoried with 125 shells, 18 unhatched eggs, 2 dead and 5 live hatchlings.

July 29, 2013

We just missed seeing the turtle that laid Nest #53 with a 36” crawl at Marker 54.  A lucky couple at the Baptists saw her finish the nest and go back into the ocean.

July 28, 2013

We had Nest #52 from a 42” crawl at Marker 62.4.  Also three 36” false crawls.

July 27, 2013

A 36” crawl gave us nest #51 At marker 61.5. Nest #1 hatched out 114 hatchlings around 9:00 pm.  Green has been delivered to nest #6

July 26, 2013

We had nest #49 from a 36” crawl at Marker 60.  99 eggs were moved back from the high tide line. We had a 35”false crawl  at Marker 55.1 and Nest #50 with a 35” crawl at Marker 67.7. No activity at Nests 1-4.

July 25, 2013

One 31” false crawl at marker 76

July 24, 2013

One 42” false crawl at marker 63.6.  One 42” crawl at marker 65.3 gave us nest #48. We had 21 nests over washed,  #2, 13, 43, 21, 17, 3, 34, 25, 39, 16, 33, 11, 30, 35, 12, 27, 24, 15, 31, 19, and 4.

July 23, 2013

2 false crawls, a 36” at marker 62 and a 32” at marker 62.4. Nests 2, 17, 21, 34, 16, 30, 35, 12, 27, 19, and 4 were over washed.

July 22, 2013

Two false crawls, one of 34” at Marker 65.5, one of 36” that went high into the dunes but didn’t lay.  Nest #47 from a 36” crawl at Marker 65.2.  Several nests were over washed by the tide or the foam that is covering the beach.

July 21, 2013

We had one false crawl of 36” at marker 52.5. There was a lot of erosion due to winds and high tide last night and Nest #5 was washed out.  We found a few eggs on the beach and they had not started to develop so the nest may not have been viable.  It had been washed over before.

July 20, 2013

Nothing new to report. Nest 1 & 2 have green down. Nest 3 & 4 had green delivered this morning.

July 19, 2013

We had a false crawl of 37” at the Baptists and nest #46 from a 30” crawl also at the Baptists.  We moved 126 eggs to Marker 55.3. Nests 1 and 2 have the green out and the teams are checking them.

July 18, 2013

One 33” false crawl at marker 51.5

July 17, 2014

One alligator about 5 foot long (Pat wanted me to actually measure it, but I refused) at marker 80. Two 35” false crawls at the Baptists Assembly.

July 16, 2013

Two nest this morning, one 47” crawl at marker 60.3 and a 37” crawl at marker 76 that we moved 114 eggs above the HTL.

July 15, 2013

We had nest #43 from a 38” crawl just west of Sellers Street in Yaupon.

July 14, 2013

We had Nest #42 from a 34” crawl at Marker 77.9 in front of the Beach Villas.  We moved 103 eggs back from the high tide line.

July 13, 2013

Nothing to Report

July 12, 2013

Another wet ride!  We had a 36” false crawl at Marker 56.8 and Nest #41 from a 36” crawl at marker 52.  She laid in the escarpment at the Baptists and took out our marker sign on her way back to the ocean.  We moved 122 eggs to Marker 55.3.

July 11, 2013

A 33” false crawl at marker 68.5.  A 40” crawl gave us nest #40 at marker 74

July 10, 2013

A 40” false crawl at marker 50.  A 36” crawl gave us nest #38 at marker #53.5. 104 eggs were relocated to marker 55.3 above the HTL.  A 42” crawl gave us nest #39 at marker 65.2. The turtle tangled with two cabanas  and still managed to lay her eggs. It was a good thing she was such a large turtle, I don’t think a smaller one would have made it.

July 9, 2013

A 42” false crawl at marker # 57.9. A 39” crawl approx. 200 yards east of oak island pier in Yaupon  gave us nest # 37. We relocated 60 eggs and some spacers above the HTL.

July 8, 2013

We had a false crawl of 34” at Marker 67 and Nest #36 with a 34” crawl at Marker 53.5.  This nest was in the dunes at the Baptists and 131 eggs were relocated to Marker 52.1.

July 7, 2013

We had Nest #35 from a 37” crawl at Marker 66.2, about five feet from Nest #12.

July 6, 2013

A 35” crawl at marker 62.7 gave us nest #34

July 5, 2013

Despite the fireworks and lots of foot traffic we had 2 nests and 4 false crawls this morning.  False crawls of 37” at Marker 51, 36” at Marker 52.1  and two of 41” at Marker 54 and Marker 58.2. Nest #32 with a 37” crawl was laid in the escarpment at the Baptists (Marker 52.1) and 97 eggs were moved to Marker 55.2.  Nest #33 with a 36” crawl  was laid at Marker 65.5.  Nest #12 cage was pulled out of the ground and bent but we located the eggs and replaced it.  It is not easy to dislodge the cages which are buried several inches down so this is a case of people interfering with a turtle nest – a Federal Offense.

July 4, 2013

One 33” false crawl just west of McGlamery

July 3, 2013

Two false crawls and one nest this morning. A 30” false crawl at marker 65.8, and a 35” false crawl at marker 71.2. A 30” crawl at marker 76.8 gave us nest  #31 with 103 eggs that we moved above the HTL.

July 2, 2013

Three 36 “ false crawls at markers 67.8, 65.7 and 61.3.

July 1, 2013

A very wet volunteer found Nest #30 this morning with a 38” crawl at Marker 66.  Conditions are difficult at the moment with the high tide erasing tracks on the wet sand and wind and rain obscuring tracks on the beach.

June 30, 2013

We had a false crawl of 36” at marker 58 and Nest #29 with a 36” crawl just west of McGlamery St.

June 29, 2013

Thought we had two false crawls this morning but one was yesterdays.  The false crawl for today was 36” at marker 60.5 .  We also had a nest from a 36” crawl at marker 52.3 in the Baptist. The mama tried climbing the escarpment several times and then decided to lay a 108 eggs at the base. We relocated 107 eggs at The Baptist steps marker 55.2. This is nest # 28.

June 28, 2013

Three false crawls today.  33” at , Marker 62.3, 32” at Marker 50 and 40” at marker 76.  This last turtle crawled for a long time on the beach before arriving at a six foot deep hole.  She barely skirted the hole and may have laid but her tracks were ruined by dog prints and footprints so we didn’t find any eggs.  The cage for Nest #9 had been pulled out of the sand.

June 27, 2013

3 Nest this morning;  A 40” crawl at marker 62.9 gave us nest #25.  A 40” crawl at marker 68 gave us nest #26.  A 32” crawl at marker 71 gave us nest #27 on the 27th

June 26, 2013

A 38” false crawl at marker # 58.5.  A 38” crawl on the river just north of the range light gave us nest #23. We relocated 154 eggs to marker #66 next to nest #22. A 43” false crawl at marker # 62.5.  A 36” false crawl at marker # 63.5. The turtle actually dug the hole but did not lay.  A 37” crawl at marker # 73 gave us nest # 24. This nest has to be one of the deepest nest I have seen, more than two feet to the top off the eggs.

June 25, 2013

One 38” false crawl at marker58.5. Yesterday, we had another turtle lay on the river bank in Southport.  She had a 42” crawl and gave us 111 eggs for nest #22. We relocated the eggs at marker #66.  DNA results may show she was the same turtle that laid there on June 11th which resulted in nest #9.

June 24, 2013

Monday we had a false crawl of 32” at Marker 53.7 in the Baptists.  She crawled to the top of the dunes and dug up a lot of grass but no eggs were found, probably too many roots. The new tee shirts are now at the Town Hall.

June 23, 2013

We had 1 false crawl and then a turtle with a 33 inch crawl gave us Nest #21. There were deer tracks all around and on top of the nest.

June 22, 2013

Another wet start but a 38”crawl at marker #62.3 gave us nest # 20.

June 21, 2013 correction

The false crawl in front of the Villas was actually nest #19.  People watched her lay then put a circle of seaweed around the nesting site.  To the patrol this looked like a childrens’ play area.  Fortunately they called us and we went back out and located the eggs.  For future reference, it is not necessary to mark nests as the patrol volunteers know what to look for and need to “read” the crawl and locate the eggs.

June 21, 2013

We had two false crawls this morning.  One of 33”at the Baptists Marker 52.9.  She crawled up on the dune, slid down and did some digging but no eggs were found.  The other crawl of 36” was in front of the Beach Villas.  It was obvious she had been harassed from the amount of footprints all over the crawl.  We got a report this morning of a gentleman calling the police to say there were many people crowded around her shining flashlights and she turned and went back into the water.  We cannot stress enough how important it is to stay well away from the turtles and watch in darkness from a distance.

June 20, 2013

A 36” crawl at marker #60 gave us nest # 17 and a 32” crawl at marker 77.2 gave us nest # 18 that had to have its 91 eggs moved above the HTL.

June 19, 2013

Today we had a 33” false crawl at marker 56.5 and a 40” crawl at marker 65.2 that gave us nest #16.

In yesterday’s report, I neglected to mention that we had a stranding of a Kemps Ridley on Monday. It was freshly dead with a hook in its mouth. It measured 12” x 12” and we buried it on the beach behind the ropes in front of the Villas.

June 18, 2013

After a rain delay we had a 34” false crawl at marker 53.5 and a 36” crawl that gave us nest #15  with 100 eggs at marker 76.5 that we had to move above the HTL

June 17, 2013

Nothing to report

June 16, 2013

A crawl of 39” at marker 63.5 resulted in Nest #14.

June 15, 2013

A 40” crawl gave us nest # 13 just west of Seller St. in Yaupon.

June 14, 2013

We had a false crawl of 36” at marker 66.1.  She came in before high tide and crawled past the trash cans and way into the dunes before turning around without laying.   Nest #12 also a 36” crawl was laid at marker 66.2.  We can assume this was the same turtle.

June 13, 2013

3 false crawls and 1  nest today:  A 36” false crawl at marker 60.1; A 35” false crawl at marker 76.5; A 33” false crawl at marker 77.2; and a 41” crawl gave us nest # 11 at marker 65.8.

June 12, 2013

We had 3 crawls this morning, A 33” false crawl at marker 57.8 and again at marker73.6. We also had a 40” crawl at 67.2 that gave us nest #10 found by Nancy (her first nest).

June 11, 2013

We had one false crawl of 32” at marker 66 and got soaking wet. As we left the beach we got a call from Southport that two turtles had laid on the River by The Landing. This is unusual but did happen twice two years ago.

We had one nest from a 42” crawl and moved 109 eggs to Marker 66 on our beach. This turtle had climbed into the vegetation and managed to lay a nest in the deep grass. We do not leave nests on the river as they are likely to be inundated by ship’s wakes, also the hatchlings could be swept upriver.  The other tracks were a false crawl of 33”.

June 10, 2013

We had two nests and two false crawls of 34”.  We’re assuming Nest #7 with a 34” crawl is the same turtle.  This was at marker 54.3 (east of Baptists’ walkway.  Nest #8 with a 38” crawl was laid high in the dunes at marker 58 (Studer’s house)   A new morning volunteer found her first eggs which is always exciting.

Yesterday we had a dead turtle at the public beach access.  The carapace was 28” long and it had no wounds so cause of death is not known.

For anyone reading this please be aware that female turtle coming in to nest are easily spooked and will not lay if they are interfered with.  Keep away from the turtle and observe from a distance.  Also keep dogs under control.  The recent false crawls suggest that the turtle encountered people on the beach.

June 9, 2013

A disappointing morning with three 34” false crawls around Marker 66 but no nest.

June 8, 2013

Nothing to report

June 7, 2013

The window of opportunity was not as wide as we thought so it was a wet and windy patrol that produced no crawls.  The tide was very high and prevented us from riding in the Baptist’s area but any tracks would have been washed away.

June 6, 2013

3 crawls this morning. A 31”Crawl  at marker 59.2 resulted in nest#5. A 29”Crawl at marker 69 was a false crawl. A 35”Crawl at marker78.5 resulted in nest #6 with 160 eggs that were relocated above the high tide line.

June 5, 2013

Nothing to report

June 4, 2013

Nothing to report

June 3, 2013

Nothing to report

June 2, 2013

We had a 36” false crawl at Marker 66. It looked like a nest but we dug for over an hour in hard sand and did not find eggs.

June 1, 2013

We had two false crawls this morning. One was 39” at marker 66 and the other was 43” on the river in the Baptists. Both these crawls were different from loggerheads but could not be positively identified as green or leatherback. The one at the Baptists looked like a nest but after digging for over an hour no eggs were found. We are labeling this as a Nesting Site.

May 31, 2013

We had two nests this morning. Nest #3 from a 40” crawl was laid at marker 62 (400 block). These eggs were just below the surface. Nest #4 from a 38” crawl was laid at marker 78.8 (Beach Villas). These eggs were buried so deep I thought I was following a crab hole. Both these nests were textbook perfect with the eggs just where they should be. We’re getting lots of reports of turtles in the ocean, even several Leatherbacks were spotted last weekend.

May 30, 2013

Nothing to report

May 29, 2013

Nothing to report this morning

May 28, 2013

Nothing to report this morning.

May 27, 2013

We had nest #2 this morning at Marker 55.5 (Baptists’ Steps area) with a 34” crawl.  Our new morning patroller, Barbara, was happy to see her first crawl and help with protecting the nest.

May 26, 2013

Although Oak Island had a nest on May 12th, our first nest wasn’t laid until this morning. After 3 false crawls we had our first nest at marker 60.5 (Dr. Brook’s house) with a 40” crawl.  She had laid well into the dunes and the nest was caged and left in situ.  The false crawls started at marker 50 and we presume they were all from the same turtle.