Rather than a new post each day, this post will include the remaining activity for the season, listed from latest to earliest.
**This conservation work for protected sea turtles on Caswell Beach is authorized by the NC Wildlife Resources Commission (ES Permit 22ST03).
Inventories for last four nests:
#90 Inventory
Live- 0
Dead- 0
Pipped- 0
Unhatched- 1
Hatched Egg Shells- 72
#91 Inventory (slightly washed over)
Live- 1
Dead- 0
Pipped- 1
Unhatched- 19
Hatched Egg Shells- 37
#92 Inventory
Live- 5
Dead- 0
Pipped- 0
Unhatched- 52 (tidal flooding)
Hatched Egg Shells- 10
#93 Inventory
Live- 0
Dead- 0
Pipped- 0
Unhatched- 20 (beige, undeveloped)
Hatched Egg Shells- 46
That’s a wrap! We will post DNA and final nest Stats as soon as they are compiled. SOME DNA is coming in now.
9/29/22
Wednesday Night: Chilly and quiet!
No activity, WHILE WE WERE OUT…
(LuAnn went back to #92 looking for her misplaced phone and thought she saw hatchling tracks. It was too dark to be sure…)
Thursday Morning:
BINGO, Nests #91 AND #92 HATCHED!!!
We are so relieved that ALL of our nests have hatched!!!
Emergency excavations will be done today on all nests prior to the heavy rains. Teams are making their decisions as I type.
I will send out Inventory results later today.
WHEW!
9/28/22
Tuesday Night: Cool, but buggy! The sunset made it all worth the waiting!
No activity at any nest.
Wednesday Morning:
No activity at #91 or #92.
Nests #90 & #93 had crab holes.
Keep those fingers and toes crossed for tonight!!!
9/27/22
Monday Night: Nice and windy.
No activity while teams were out.
Tuesday Morning:
Nest #93 had some hatchlings emerge overnight. One was still in the runway when Morning Patrol arrived! The tracks led straight to the water!
9/26/22
Sunday Night: WINDY!
We got a bit sandblasted last night.
Nest #90 had some bumps, but no emergence until after the team had left for the night. The story of our summer!
Monday Morning:
Nest #90 had hatchlings emerge overnight.
Nests #91, #92, #93 had no activity.
We will be keeping a close watch on Hurricane Ian and will be in contact with our State Coordinator as to action towards the end of the week. Fingers crossed!!!
9/25/22
Saturday Night: It was clear for the Space X Rocket launch!
Teams reported no activity.
Sunday Morning: Crisp and Cool!
Again, no activity overnight.
9/24/22
Friday Night: BUGGY from 6:00-8:00
The tides are no longer threatening our remaining nests. We had many visitors hoping for some activity, but we were all disappointed. All in good time!
Saturday Morning: Cool and pleasant (no bugs)
There was no activity overnight.
Maybe tonight?
9/23/22
Thursday Night: No bugs, but rough waves and higher tides due to Fiona.
The tide washed up the runway of Nest #92, but appeared to just splash over. The sand was only wet to one inch below the surface.
The rain poured down after the tide receded.
Friday Morning: The tide was thankfully not as high as last night.
We will have to be on watch early tonight!
There was no activity at the nests overnight.
9/22/22
Wednesday:
Thanks to Lynn Maloney, LuAnn Dummer and Gail Burr for organizing, setting up and manning a Caswell Beach Turtle Watch table at the St. James Environmental Fair! Lynn, you outdid yourself with all the great handouts and goodies!
Wednesday Night:
BUGGY again! Seems like we can’t catch a break, but Friday’s cool weather is coming!
Thursday Morning:
No hatchling activity this morning
Nest #93 had a crab hole at the back right corner pole.
Nest #90- Day 57
Nest #91- Day 56
Nest #92- Day 54
Nest #93- Day 52
9/21/22
Tuesday Night:
Very light breeze and buggy. The teams at the last 4 nests sat as long as they could!
Wednesday Morning:
No activity at any nests overnight.
9/20/22
Monday Night: BUGGY again
Nest #82 Inventory
Live- 1
Dead- 0
Pipped- 0
Unhatched Eggs-6
Hatched Egg Shells- 101
Great results!
Tuesday Morning:
No activity at all.
9/19/22
Things are certainly slowing down! Buggy and quiet last night and overnight.
No activity to report this morning.
**This conservation work for protected sea turtles on Caswell Beach is authorized by the NC Wildlife Resources Commission (ES Permit 22ST03).
Nest #81 had some hatchlings emerge just before 9:00 with a nice group of visitors who were smitten! They then counted down and waited for the Space-X Rocket. It was a cool sight to see! It looked like the Rocket Booster fell right on top of Bald Head, but we know it was out to sea.
Sunday Morning:
Nests #74, #76 and #79 inventory areas were dug into by crabs. Some egg shells were removed.
Nest #84 appears to have had some hatchlings emerge. The wet sand in the runway prevents us from knowing just how many.
Nest #88 has an indention at day 47. Team 7 has had several nests start the hatching process early this season!
The tide did get pretty high again last night, but I think we were all in the clear. Thank you for all attempts to watch and try to prevent water damage!
12 more nests to go! Have a great day!
And also, let’s remember this day – 21 years ago
A portrait of the Twin Towers in NYC made with the faces of the victims of the 9/11 attacks
Thanks for hanging out at the nests during the incoming high tide! The visitors voiced many thanks for all we were doing!
Nest #72 Inventory (Excavated 1 day early due to predicted rains)
Live- 4
Dead- 0
Pipped- 0
Unhatched- 40
Hatched Egg Shells- 90
#72 Inventory
Nest #74 Inventory (Excavated 1 day early due to predicted rains)
Live- 0
Dead- 0
Pipped- 0
Unhatched- 3
Hatched Egg Shells- 113
Nest #76 Inventory (Excavated on time)
Live- 1
Dead- 0
Pipped- 1
Unhatched- 13
Hatched Egg Shells- 103
Pieces- handful
Nest #79 Inventory (Excavated 1 day early due to predicted rains)
Live- 0
Dead- 1
Pipped- 0
Unhatched- 8
Hatched Egg Shells- 120
Nest #86 hatched after a rain shower! It was on Day 48! Jacob and other Fishermen reported that the hatchlings made it to the water. The nest was immediately excavated because of overwash and predicted flooding rains coming.
Nest #86 Inventory
Live- 16
Dead- 17 (most likely due to the overwash)
Pipped- 1
Unhatched- 3
Hatched Egg Shells- 82
Pieces- less than a handful
Saturday morning:
Morning Patrol continued with their walking brigade for one more day due to the tide.
All nests were clear and had not been washed over last night.
There were no hatchling emergences overnight.
**This conservation work for protected sea turtles on Caswell Beach is authorized by the NC Wildlife Resources Commission (ES Permit 22ST03).
