Back in July, the mama sea turtle from Nest #50 crawled through the nest stakes of Nest #47 to lay her eggs. Caswell Turtle Watch Team 3 was assigned the two nests just yards apart and they were due to hatch within days of each other. Their inventive minds scoped out the scene and came up with a creative idea to build the runways which would converge in the middle area of the beach. It was quite the site!
Nest #47 hatched on Day 58 of incubation. 48 hatchlings emerged in the dark with the team present! The hatchlings marched across to the Nest #50 side of the wide runway, following the glow of the new moon. The nest had at least 2 tidal overwashes from Tropical Storm Ernesto and the water inundation happened at a critical time of development, causing half of the eggs to stop development. There were 60 hatched egg shells and 60 unhatched eggs.
Nest #50 hatched the next day on Day 56 of incubation. It was a late evening perfect boil with the team and many visitors present. 122 hatchlings crawled very quickly down the runway straight to the water. It was a beautiful sight! This nest did not have any overwash and had much better results at inventory with 131 hatched egg shells!
Nests #50 and #55 were also inventoried this week with varying results. Both nests were laid high on the beach and had not experienced any tidal overwash. Nest #51 hatched with 92 hatchlings seen by the team on a very dark night. Nest #55 trickled over a few nights after the team had gone home. This nest evidently had been inundated by rain water and also had persistent crab activity.
Full results from all inventories can be seen here.
**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.
Please be advised that all Caswell Beach Volunteers carry and wear a NCWRC permit badge. Official volunteers also have Caswell Beach Parking Permits to display at all times when they park to perform sea turtle duties. Don’t hesitate to ask to see a badge if you are uncertain who you are speaking with!
Nest #47
Nest #50
Nest #55
Nest #51
