Caswell Beach, as with many other sea turtle nesting beaches, always has some amount of false crawls as our sea turtle mamas try to find a safe place to nest. But with the storms and erosion of recent years, it’s especially challenging to deal with the high dunes.
This weekend, we had 2 false crawls and 3 new sea turtle nests. One false crawl was in the highly eroded area on the eastern end of the beach. Our sea turtle mama climbed a high dune, stopped at a wall of sand and turned around. Don’t blame her! The other false crawl was nearby, but she managed to find a stable place in some thick grass.
Nest #27 was laid on a high dune as well with lots of grass. Also on the high tide lines, but a bit lower, we had Nest #28. Nesting in the high dunes is great for the safety of a sea turtle nest, but can pose challenges if the grass roots interfere with the nest.
Nest #29 was not in the dunes, but nice and high on the beach.
This is generally when we see our peak in sea turtle nesting acticity, so we will see how this week progresses. Check back here for and also visit our Facebook page for updates!
**This conservation work for protected sea turtles on Caswell Beach is authorized by the NC Wildlife Resources Commission (ES Permit 24ST03).
Want to help? Please consider donating to our efforts to protect sea turtles at Caswell Beach Turtle Watch Donations.
Sea Turtle Nest #27
Sea Turtle Nest #28
Sea Turtle Nest #29
