As May comes to a close, Caswell Beach Turtle Watch is excited to share that it has logged 9 nests thus far!
The challenging King Tides in the past week left little to no beach in some of Caswell Beach’s more popular nesting areas. This will be a recurring issue throughout the 2025 nesting season as a beach nourishment expected to finish this year was delayed until next winter.
Surprise Nest
This past week, CBTW Morning Patrol found a previously undetected nest well below the high tideline. It had been washed open with the eggs exposed. This nest was not found when it was laid (probably due to the King Tide washing away the mother’s tracks before dawn and our morning patrol ). After consultation with our State Coordinator, the nest was carefully relocated to the dune area. The appearance of the eggs leads us to believe they had been laid 3-4 days prior to discovery. We are hoping for a good outcome, but the exposure to the tide and moving them after implantation of the embryo will most likely cause some of the eggs to stop development. Only time will tell.
Additionally, we have had two calls from beachgoers alerting us to Mama turtle tracks and tidal washout of nest contents from a 2024 nest. Thank you for the calls and please keep them coming! Please call our hotline if you see any turtle activity on the beach, day or night. 910-368-6323
REMINDER: If you see a Mama Sea Turtle: Call us! Keep at least a 20 ft. distance BEHIND her. Do not shine ANY lights (white or red) on her or in the area. Lights, noise or your presence can cause her to return to the water without nesting, and risks losing her eggs.
We patrol at 6:00 am each morning. You are welcome to call us if you are out earlier and see something you think we should know! Help us by keeping Caswell Beach clean, flat, dark and free of belongings at night. Thank you for your support!
**This conservation work for protected sea turtles on Caswell Beach is authorized by the NC Wildlife Resources Commission (ES Permit 25ST03).
Please consider donating to our efforts as we build up our necessary resources for the season.
You can donate at Caswell Beach Turtle Watch Donations.
