2023 Turtle Season

UPDATE:
We try to double check any of our false crawls that are not obivous “U-turns”. After rechecking, the highest crawl was actually a nest! We have Nest #14! We are so happy that Mama was finally able to lay that clutch! After laying she crawled all over the top of the nest making it harder to find!

EARLIER THIS MORNING:
It’s been a quiet couple of days, with a very high King Tide, full moon and all types of weather.

This morning we saw sunshine and some new activity with 3 False Crawls.  The crawl widths were about the same width (2 exactly) and were very near each other, so it was probably the same Mama attempting to lay her eggs.  The very high tides have made the sand undesirable and there are escarpments that are difficult to climb. 

We hope she returns tonight!

**This conservation work for protected sea turtles on Caswell Beach is authorized by the NC Wildlife Resources Commission (ES Permit 23ST03).

 We are up to Lucky #13 for our nest counts!

New morning patrol team member, Karen, located her first nest!  Nest #12 was laid in a safe location.  

Nest #12:
Crawl Width:  80.4 cm/33″

Nest #13 was also located in a safe location.  It will be highly visible to many visitors.  Mama was a small one!

Nest #13:
Crawl Width:  70.3 cm/30″

Are you excited, yet??!!  The end of the incubation period for the first several nests won’t be until the middle of July.  We can be patient!

**This conservation work for protected sea turtles on Caswell Beach is authorized by the NC Wildlife Resources Commission (ES Permit 23ST03).

Good morning!

We had 1 obvious False Crawl this morning.  Mama was on the small side.  
Crawl Width:  85 cm/ 33.5″.

Nest #11 was laid way up to the bottom of a dune, very safe area.
Crawl width:  93 cm//37″

Looks like we are moving steadily along!

Officer Mike left us a stuffed turtle Key Chain for the buggy!  So sweet!

**This conservation work for protected sea turtles on Caswell Beach is authorized by the NC Wildlife Resources Commission (ES Permit 23ST03)

WOW!  We were blessed today with a daytime nester!  We got the call a little before 4:00 that a Mama turtle had come ashore.  When we got there she had already climbed over a dune and begun digging her egg chamber.  This process took over an hour!  Many beach goers got a once in a lifetime experience for sure!  We were thankful for the help of Oak Island Sea Turtle Protection Program for helping us out at the site!

Nest #10 (Data we will share with the State)
Crawl Width:  96 cm/37.8″
Curved Measurements:
Carapace length Notch to Notch:95 cm
Carapace length Notch to Tip: 97 cm
Carapace Width: 93 cm

She was scanned for tags and none were found. (OKI has a newer model scanner so they helped out!)

**This conservation work for protected sea turtles on Caswell Beach is authorized by the NC Wildlife Resources Commission (ES Permit 23ST03).

The rain cleared and we have 3 nests!  All were laid in safe locations!

Nest #7 was in the same region as yesterday’s false crawl and very high in the dune. Nests #8 & #9 were next to each other, one house width apart! Maybe they are related?

Nest #7: Crawl Width:  90.8 cm/38.5″
Nest #8: Crawl Width:  90.4 cm/37″
Nest #9: Crawl Width: 100.4 cm/41″

**This conservation work for protected sea turtles on Caswell Beach is authorized by the NC Wildlife Resources Commission (ES Permit 23ST03).

Mama turtle crawled way up to the dunes, walking around a washed up log, but decided not to lay her eggs. Poor thing!

All the nests have been safe from tidal overwash.  The river beach had more erosion, though.

**This conservation work for protected sea turtles on Caswell Beach is authorized by the NC Wildlife Resources Commission (ES Permit 23ST03).

The weather didn’t keep Mama #6 away!  She crawled up a nice dune and laid her eggs deep!  

Thanks to Teresa and Joy for heading out in the rain/wind!

Nest #6:
Crawl Width:105cm/41.3″

**This conservation work for protected sea turtles on Caswell Beach is authorized by the NC Wildlife Resources Commission (ES Permit 23ST03)

It was a beautiful day for 2 new nests! 

Nest #4 had to be relocated from the East River Beach.  There were 144 eggs!  Mama dropped one along the way and it rolled down the dune a bit.  We moved the eggs to the ocean side.  

Nest #5 had a beautiful crawl and body pit, but the eggs were hard to find!  Mama evidently hasn’t read the handbook!  We called in reinforcements (Gary and Susan) and Gary “The Egg Whisperer” found them right away!  Thanks, Gary!  

**This conservation work for protected sea turtles on Caswell Beach is authorized by the NC Wildlife Resources Commission (ES Permit 23ST03)

We have had a tremendous response for Nest Adoptions already and the 2023 season has only just begun! We very much appreciate the support!

Our Caswell Beach turtles are not coming in as fast as we would like, so at this time we are suspending turtle nest adoptions until further notice. Once we can be sure that we can honor the requests already submitted we will reopen our adoption program.

That said, we are grateful for any donations to help fund our efforts. If you would like to make a donation you can send your check made out to “Caswell Beach Turtle Watch” and mail to Caswell Beach Turtle Watch, PO Box 201, Oak Island, North Carolina 28465.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR UNDERSTANDING!

**This conservation work for protected sea turtles on Caswell Beach is authorized by the NC Wildlife Resources Commission (ES Permit 23ST03).

Morning Patrol found Nest #3 just above a high tide line in a narrow eroded area.  They relocated 142 eggs to a safer location!

I was reminded to add the crawl width of the mamas in our report so here they all are:

Nest #3:
Relocated: 142 eggs
Crawl Width: 90 cm/35 inches

Nest #2:
Insitu (original location)
Crawl WIdth:  94cm/37 inches

Nest #1:
Insitu
Crawl Width:  90 cm/35 inches

**This conservation work for protected sea turtles on Caswell Beach is authorized by the NC Wildlife Resources Commission (ES Permit 23ST03)

We have Nest #2!  Mama laid in a beautiful and safe spot!  Enjoy the pictures!

**This conservation work for protected sea turtles on Caswell Beach is authorized by the NC Wildlife Resources Commission (ES Permit 23ST03)

Happy Sunday!

We have Nest #1!

Mama picked a nice safe place for her babies, too.

**This conservation work for protected sea turtles on Caswell Beach is authorized by the NC Wildlife Resources Commission (ES Permit 23ST03)

They are finally here!!! We had 2 False Crawls this morning! The rain must have been too annoying for them to lay. Thanks to our running friends Sue and Steve for alerting us to them. The crawls were right at last night’s high tide line and very hard to see on this cloudy day. We are thankful we had a break in the rain to patrol! Hopefully we will have a nest or two tomorrow!

**This conservation work for protected sea turtles on Caswell Beach is authorized by the NC Wildlife Resources Commission (ES Permit 23ST03)

We still have no nests or false crawls to report after 2 full weeks of patrolling.  They will come, but it’s hard to be patient!  Check out seaturtle.org to see the latest progress for turtles in NC.

It has been a chilly and very quiet start to Nesting Season!  We will let you know when we get a nest or a false crawl.  NC received its first nest 5-6-23 on Masonboro Island!  In the meantime, we hope you enjoy these sunrise pictures!

This Spring we have responded to several stranded sea turtles.  Sadly, 2 fairly large Loggerhead Turtles and 1 juvenile Green Turtle were found deceased.  3 others were taken to Rehab. 

Pearl is a juvenile Green Turtle that had washed up on Caswell Beach on April 2nd.  She was covered with mud and algae which indicates she had been sedentary for quite some time.  She was probably a Cold Stunned survivor from the winter.  We transported her to The Karen Beasley Sea Turtle Rescue and Rehabilitation Center where she is still being cared for. Cold Stunned turtles have to recover from many different issues, so it could be several weeks or even months before release is possible.

Pearl

Precious Coral is a juvenile Kemp’s Ridley Turtle who had been badly caught on a fishing hook on April 7th. We transported her to the KBSTRRC and assisted the Director with removing the hook. She recovered quickly and was released on April 11th!

Precious Coral

Jargoon is a juvenile Kemp’s Ridley Turtle who had been hooked twice on April 29th! One hook was in the mouth and the other was wrapped around a flipper. She was transported to the KBSTRRC for hook removal and treatment. She also recovered quickly and was able to be released on May 2nd!

Jargoon

IF YOU ACCIDENTALLY HOOK A TURTLE WHILE FISHING, PLEASE CALL US! 910-368-6323

Happy First Day of Sea Turtle Nesting Season! 

No tracks or nests today, but it is early and was a bit chilly this morning!  Sadly our patrol did find a deceased juvenile Kemp’s Ridley sea turtle that had been the victim of a boat strike.  Please call us if you see a mama, hatchling or stranded turtle or if you accidentally hook a turtle while fishing!  

910-368-6323

**This conservation work for protected sea turtles on Caswell Beach is authorized by the NC Wildlife Resources Commission (ES Permit 23ST03)