Are you old enough to remember the 1958 Movie “The Blob”? If not, I encourage you to do a Google search. That’s what the seafoam on the beach last night reminded me of! I haven’t seen foam that high and thick in the 40 years I have lived here! It was a mess! The foam covered many nest tops, but the water did not over wash as many nests this time.
Another facebook page has posted that we have lost many nests. At this time we are not aware of ANY nests that are complete losses! All of our nests have retained their poles and markers. Yes, we have had some nests over washed. We will not know their status until after they have been inventoried. For some, that may mean waiting 75 days of incubation. We hope that won’t be the case! The beach looked very different at the time these nests were laid. We can never predict what the weather and King Tides will be in the future.
In better news, the seafoam made an interesting inventory for Nest #31 last night. Team 8 really stepped up to the task and took on the offensive fluff! The runway was closed off at the bottom to ensure the single hatchling wouldn’t get lost in the foam on her way to the water. The turtle was named ‘Caswell Canon Torrey’ by the adoptive Mom, Brenda Torrey. After sufficient time on the sand, Caswell was taken into the surf for her journey to the sargasso sea!
Nest #31 Inventory
Hatched Egg Shells – 79
Unhatched Eggs – 5
Pipped – 0
Live at Inventory – 1
Dead -1
Nest #27 was inventoried this morning. The seafoam was still present, but not as bad thanks to last night’s rain.
Nest #27 Inventory
Hatched Egg Shells – 129
Unhatched Eggs – 4
Pipped – 1
Live at Inventory – 0
Dead – 0
Tonight and Tuesday nights are supposed to be the highest of the King Tides. Keep your fingers crossed that the tide stays below the nests!
**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.
See our Latest Nest Inventory Results.
Nest #31 Hatch and Inventory
Blobs of Foam on the Beach
Nest #27 Hatch and Inventory
