In recent years, Caswell Beach Turtle Watch has monitored one adventurous sea turtle mama who prefers to frequent a beach in Southport along the Cape Fear River. Affectionately named Pebbles, for Pebble Beach, she has followed the normal sea turtle pattern of nesting there every 2-3 years. DNA has helped to confirm that this is the same turtle returning each time. To date, Pebbles has nested in Southport since 2011 every 2-3 years. Last year would have been her third year, and when she did not show, we were worried something happened to her. But this year, we were happy to welcome her return!
And, this year we’ve had a second sea turtle mama nest in Southport. She laid within the same time frame that our supposed Pebbles did so we can confirm they are two different turtles. Did Pebbles tell her about her secret beach? Or is she Pebbles offspring and so she naturally navigated there with her magnetic compass remembering where she was born? Our DNA will tell!
Sea Turtle Mamas do not start nesting until they reach 25-30 years, and it is unknown how old they can be and how long they can continue nesting. Loggerhead DNA has confirmed that sea turtle grandmothers, mothers and daughters have all nested in one season, often near to each other! If you do the math on that, a grandma could be 75 years old – or more! The oldest loggerhead known is Big Bertha, who may be as much as 90 years old!
So how old is Pebbles? She could be at least 40 at this point, if not older. So until we have our DNA results back, we have a sea turtle mystery waiting to be solved. We also recorded some very interesting nesting anomalies this season on Caswell Beach that have us thinking that we have same mama turtle mothers, daughters or sisters laying near each other. We shall see.
Since the beaches of Southport are on the Cape Fear River are highly subject to the tide, it’s not a safe nesting location for hatchlings. Because of this and the distance challenge of actually being able to reach the ocean upon hatching, all nests are relocated to a safer area. Morning Patrol checks the Southport beaches daily during nesting season, but now that we are seeing more turtle traffic there, we will increase education and sign posting in the area next season.
Still, we were unable to locate or unaware of a few nests that were laid in Southport, and when they hatched it created quite a stir (see our FB post)! Sea turtle hatchlings decided to visit the River Hotel on the evening of September 6, and fortunately some astute visitors called our hotline and assisted with collecting the wandering hatchlings. It was a great opportunity to educate and save some baby sea turtles. This marked a total of eight nests laid in Southport this year, and an overall all time record of 111 nests for Caswell Beach Turtle Watch.
This week, the State Port Pilot featured this topic in their article, Record Eight Nests Discovered Along Southport Waterfront. Thanks to Eliot Duke for the coverage!
**This conservation work for protected sea turtles on Caswell Beach is authorized by the NC Wildlife Resources Commission (ES Permit 26ST03).
YOU CAN HELP! If you see a sea turtle mama coming onto the beach and and attempting to nest, please call our hotline immediately (910-368-6323) to notify us. During sea turtle season, we monitor 24/7. Please educate your family, friends, neighbors and especially – your renters. ALWAYS feel free to reach out to us if there is a concern, or you have questions. (All contact info is at the top of the page.)
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