Season is over see you next year
Final figures combined for Isle of Palms/Sullivan’s Island:
46 Nests
25 Nests Relocated
11 Nests Lost to Hurricane Irene
17 False (non-nesting) Crawls
24 Stranded of 3 different species – 3 Stranded Alive
4,561 Eggs Laid
2,829 Eggs Hatched
2,614 Emerged from their Nests
53 Days Mean Incubation Period
110 Eggs Mean Clutch Count
Two Good Inventories
Just when we needed some good news after Irene's destruction, we had
two inventories with over 90% hatch success today. The nest at 1st
Avenue had only 8 unhatched eggs out of a total of 106 for a 91%
hatch success. Elizabeth Rast had found this nest and she is getting
married this weekend. She and her fiance were there for the
inventory. Unfortunately all of the hatchlings were gone, so there
were none to release.
At 9th Avenue there was one live hatchling left in the nest which
also hatched Saturday night. This nest had a total of 114 eggs and
had a 92% hatch success. Elizabeth also came to this one and got to
help release the one little turtle here.
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Some Good News After the Storm
Two nests that were not damaged by the storm hatched on the same night. The first at 9th Ave. came out very quickly and 15 minutes after the turtles appeared they were in the water. Having it be high tide certainly helped!
The second nest of the night wasn't as easy. The turtles waited just below the surface for hours and when they finally came out they insisted on going the wrong way. Due to this dieorientation they had to be collected and moved away from the dune and closer to the water where Therese's son Jake went into the water and held a light to help the hatchlings make their way to the ocean.
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Two Nests Inventoried at 5th Ave.
Nest #27 which was laid in Dewees Inlet and relocated to 5th Avenue
did very well in spite of being flooded by storm tide a few hours
before the turtles emerged from the nest. The sign was washed away
and lost, but the next morning after the storm, there was a large
crater where 116 little "Irenes" had come out. Four live ones were
still stuck in the hard sand on the sides of the egg chamber. Several
inches of sand had eroded away from the top of the nest and it was
amazing that the turtles were unharmed by the flooding water. Only 8
eggs out of the 128 that were relocated did not develop for a very
good 93% hatch success.
CLICK on thumbnails to enlarge photos.
Both nests at 5th Avenue escaped Irene's storm surge. Nest #25 was
high on a dune, did not lose any signs or sticks, and had had turtles
emerge the night before Irene passed by. We excavated this one first
and were rather surprised to find that only 48 had hatched out of a
total of 103 laid. This nest had not been flooded before they came
out, so we will never know why so many eggs failed to develop. Hatch
success was only 46.6%.
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After the Storm the Turtle Team Hunts for a Moved Nest
During the height of the tides and winds, an IOP resident watched a nest become exposed by the surf. He had two choices. One watch the eggs drift off in the surf or Two try and retrieve the eggs as they fell off the wall of exposed sand. For him the decision was easy. He collected as many eggs as he could, and with the help of another beachgoer they moved the eggs to the top of the dune, out of harms way. This is not what the DNR wants us to do. We are never to put ourselves in harms way to move a nest during a storm, but the reaction of our new friend was understandable. We were told that the eggs were only a few inches deep so we knew they would have to be moved. The challenge was to find where the nest was moved. We met on the beach and to our amazement the egg rescuer found where they had been put quickly and the team moved in to try and move the eggs. Unfortunately the eggs were discolored and not viable so this battle was lost and the nest is not going to hatch. The eggs were reburied and it is added to the big loss dealt us by Irene.
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Inventories, a Wild Nest on Sullivans, a Daytime Hatch on IOP and HURRICANE IRENE
Daytime Hatch at 36th Ave.
At about 10AM on August 25 the IOPFD was photographing the beach before the possible arrival of hurricane Irene. They came upon hatchlings crawling down the beach. A few calls later there were all sorts of beachgoers enjoying a very special treat. A nest "boiled" in the daylight. Nests emerging in daylight is very unusual and everyone on the beach was thrilled to see the little turtles rushing to the water.
CLICK on thumbnails to enlarge photos.
Wild Nest at the end of Sullivans.
Meanwhile,turtles were appearing on Sullivan...not on the beach but in someones driveway a couple of hundred feet from the water. The Turtle Team looked for the nest up and down the beach with no luck. With Irene coming and more little hatchlings turning up in the driveway, the team decided to make one more attempt to find the nest. We found another hatchling in the yard next door to where the turtles were appearing and Tee noticed depression in the sand almost under the branch of a large bush. Sure enough we found the nest with two turtles trapped by roots. With the storm coming we did an inventory and counted 108 eggs with 8 unhatched. We removed the two hatchlings and waited for the high tide to pass before releasing them into the pounding surf.
CLICK on thumbnails to enlarge photos.
Irene was expected to cause unusually high tides that would impact the remaining nests on the Isle of Palms and Sullivans Island. Since we had to wait for the high tide to pass, we kept an eye on the nests at 5th ave. People were all over the island enjoying the show the storm was putting on. Surfers left their common sense at home and were being challenged by the pounding surf, while we waited for the high tide to pass hoping it wouldn't destroy our nests.
Early Saturday morning we started checking the nests....or what was left of the nests. With the help of IOP PD Sgt. Bobby Jimenez we drove the length of the beach from 1st Ave. all the way to the end at Ocean Point. The news was not good. All but 6 nests were gone. Taken with the dunes where they were buried. There were a couple of bright spots. The nest where we were waiting lost the triangle of sticks we used to mark it and some of the sand covering the nest, but sometime after the high tide the hatchlings emerged. We found a very obvious crater. The nest up in Wild Dunes, which was laid very high on the dune and protected by the sand fencing also survived. But many in between were not as lucky.
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Nest #17 and #16 are Inventoried
Hatchling "hits" the water at 42nd....the water "hits" back
For the nest at 26th that was way up on the dune, we were happy to
see that the extra sun and extra heat did not affect the health of the hatchlings
Sometimes when a turtle has laid her eggs on the
very top of a dune, there have been problems with a very short
incubation and many deaths from the heat. However, only 4 eggs failed
to develop and all of the 98 hatchlings had emerged and gone for a
good 95% hatch and emergence success.
The nest at 42nd Avenue has been plagued by ghost crabs for the last
5 days. A large crab had pulled empty eggshells out, destroyed the
eye of one of the hatchlings, and left a large hole in the center of
the triangle almost every morning since before the emergence in spite
of a PVC trap behind the nest. However, we found 19 healthy and
mature hatchlings in the nest, 5 dead ones, and 8 undeveloped eggs
for a hatch success of 90.5%.
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Nest #17 on IOP "Boils"
August 12, 2011
The Nest at 26th Ave. was laid very high on the dune. It had a lot of sun and no shade in the afternoon. We were surprised and pleased that the turtles emerged with a normal incubation time. These pictures were taken with an infrared camera No lights were used to capture these images.
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No New Nests in a week but Nests #12, #13, #14, and #15 Inventoried
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Sunday Morning Extra Busy with Nest #39 and #40 on IOP....
August 7, 2011
Today was a really busy day full of "twofers." Ann Evans, Teri Stafford, and Sissy Harris (along with her visiting sister) were lucky enough to produce twins. Two turtles nested at 33rd Avenue and at 40th Avenue during the night. The Turtle Team was scheduled to begin this morning's inventories at 7:30, so we were tag teaming and scrambling around to take care of relocating and marking these nests and still getting to 6th Avenue on time. IOP Nest #39 at 33rd Avenue contained 105 eggs that needed to be moved higher above the spring tide line so this was done. This nest was very shallow and luckily no eggs were damaged during probing.In the meantime, IOP Nest #40 at 40th Avenue also was too low, so these 119 eggs were planted about 30 feet from #39 at 33rd Avenue.
....and Then 2 Inventories 6th Ave.(#9) and Ocean Point (#12)
We got to 6th Avenue just in time to inventory Nest #9. Unfortunately this was our first nest with below 80-90% hatch success. For some reason 37 eggs failed to develop. So the hatch success was 55.8% with no hatchlings left in the nest to release.
We arrived at Dewees Inlet a few minutes after 8:00 and inventoried Nest #12 which also hatched last Thursday night. Much to our surprise there was a huge ghost crab deep in the nest along with 16 hatchlings who had not made it out. The crab was feisty, but we got him out, and none of the hatchlings appeared to be injured. The tide was going out but we still walked back away from the inlet for a while before releasing these healthy hatchlings to crawl to the water and swim away. One dolphin was feeding in the inlet and we hope he missed all of them. Hatch success on this nest was 93.6%.
CLICK on thumbnails to enlarge photos.
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Inventory at 2nd and 42nd
August 3 , 2011
Nest at 2nd Ave. and 42nd. Ave. were inventoried. Both nests did well with hatch rates of 95% and 94%
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Field Signs
A big part of the turtle teams job is to study the field signs and determine what has happened. These signs tell us whether hatchlings have emerged overnight or have ghost crabs dug into the nest. Fighting the ghost crabs is a daily battle during hatching season. The morning beach patrol checks each nest and reports what they find to Mary. If the crabs are endangering the nest our #1 "Crabinator" Bev goes out to extract the sneaky preditor and perhaps install a crab trap to protect the nest. On this morning a crab hole was reported and Mary and Frannie went out to see what they could find.
Ahhhhh....the work is never done for the turtle team
On August 4th the team came on the beach at 32nd Ave. to find tracks and very sketchy field signs. It had been very windy the night before and we could see tracks, but they ended in the soft windblown sand. We could tell she had been on the beach a long time by the difference in length of the incoming and outgoing tracks. So where were the eggs? There was no body pit on the beach, but we did find broken and buried vegetation which are a sure sign of a turtle. After much probing and digging the team put a maker to locate the area and in about 55 days to watch for tracks.
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Nests #8 and #9 Hatch
July 30, 2011
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Nest #6 and #5(again) Inventoried
July 30, 2011
Nest #6 at 32nd Avenue still had 19 hatchlings left after 4 days of
waiting. Just about every day after the first emergence there was a
crab hole into the egg chamber and ants going in. There were 13
unhatched undeveloped eggs and one dead hatchling in the nest.
Nineteen live ones were released into the ocean with an 89.3% hatch success.
Nest #5 at 26th Avenue had been washed over once by high tides and
was laid behind the palmetto log that had washed ashore. In spite of
these obstacles there was a 91.2% hatch success. However, there were
9 undeveloped eggs and 6 dead hatchlings. If we had not done this
inventory 8 days after the first emergence, we fear that some of the
40 or so mature hatchlings who appeared to be stuck in the hard sand
on the sides of the egg chamber would have died before coming out
because they were immobile and not making any progress.
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Nest #38 on IOP
July 29, 2011
(Photos courtsey of Barb Gobien)
Bill Schupp noticed tracks at the Beachwood East path this morning.
The track measurement and the method of crawling (outgoing on top in
incoming) was just the same as the False Crawl at 40th Avenue for
which the police called us at 3 am. So it's possible that the same
turtle swam north and laid eggs just before dawn in Wild Dunes. There
were 81 eggs and one was broken in the bottom of the clutch and used
for the genetics study. They were moved to a dune just north of Nests
#37 # 38 from yesterday morning at the 32A path.
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Nest #36 & #37 on IOP
July 28, 2011
It was a very good day for Christel Cothran who is in her first year
of being on the Turtle Team. She's found false crawls this year, but
today she found two nests, one near 53rd Avenue and one near 55th
Avenue. The turtle who laid Nest #36 at 53rd was another very small
loggerhead, but she laid 133 eggs. One was broken and was used for
the genetics study. The one who laid Nest #37 at 55th was larger and
she laid 95 eggs. Both nests were low on the flat washed over flat
beach and would probably have been destroyed during the fall storm
season. So they were both taken to the primary dune two doors south
of the 32A access path where they will incubate for a September hatch.
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Nest #4 & #5 Inventoried on IOP
July 25, 2011
As for today's inventories, the one for Nest #5 at 26th Avenue had to be aborted because even though one turtle did come out on July 22nd, it was obvious when we got into the nest that many of them were immature with yolk sacs and should not be disturbed. This inventory will be postponed for perhaps as long as a week until they are ready.
Nest #4 at 35th Avenue did well with only 9 eggs that failed to develop and hatch, one dead hatchling in the nest and 14 live hatchlings released. That makes for a 91.9% Hatch Success and 79.8% Emergence Success.
CLICK on thumbnails to enlarge photos.
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Nest #35 for the IOP
July 25, 2011
Another turtle nested at Wild Dunes at the Ocean Point beach along the 18th fairway. Emily Dziuban reported tracks early, but because of the two inventories scheduled, we did not get their for another hour. She found them when patrolling with her parents, Chuck and Judy Dziuban. When we did get there, we found that the turtle had laid in a flat, washover-prone part of the beach, so 82 eggs were relocated to the 31A path where yesterday's nest was moved. We also found two tiny ones which are called "spacer" eggs when Leatherback turtles lay them. Perhaps she had a little extra calcium in her system for eggshell production which formed these. These eggs do not have yolks and do not produce hatchlings, but they are interesting to see.
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Nest #34 for the IOP
July 24, 2011
Another Wild Dunes nest at Ocean Club Villas this morning after the
Port O' Call one yesterday. And it appeared from her tracks that this
was a small young loggerhead, possibly another first season nester
entering the breeding population. She chose a terrible location,
right at the base of the 4 foot scarped dune of trucked in sand just
south of the 18th green that is severely eroding with the high tides
- a doomed location for sure. The eggs were found and relocated about
20 feet from yesterday's nest a few doors south of the 31A path for
incubation. Judy Guarino, a veteran Turtle Team member, was pleased
to find this nest after several years of substituting and not having any nests.
CLICK on thumbnails to enlarge photos.
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Nest #33 for the IOP
July 23, 2011
If this little turtle had crawled 25 feet to the right she would have been trapped in a deep hole.
This morning Nancy Evans and Allyson Lutz found tracks in front of
Port O' Call in Wild Dunes. This was a very small turtle by the size
of her crawl and she only laid 86 eggs. The nest was just up onto the
small escarpment and on a flat washed over section of beach both
reasons that it needed to be moved to a more protected spot. Late in
the season we are more careful with nest placement because this nest
will be there during peak hurricane season in September. So the eggs
were taken to 31st Avenue and put one door south of the 31A path for
safe incubation.
CLICK on thumbnails to enlarge photos.
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Nests #2 & #3 Inventoried
July 21, 2011
It's a busy time for the turtles and the Turtle Team members. This
morning we excavated the two nests that had hatchlings emerge 3
nights ago. Nest #2 which we did not move from the path at Access 31A
still had quite a few hatchlings left in it. They seemed to be stuck
in the very hard layer of sand and may not have been able to come out
without our help. They were examined for maturity and none still had
their yolks sacs attached, so they were released. Hatch success was
80.3% and Emergence percentage was 58.9%. Nest #3 at 32nd Ave nearby
was relocated when laid and did much better on emergence. All of the
hatchlings were gone and 88.2% had hatched.
CLICK on thumbnails to enlarge photos.
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Nests #4 & #5 Hatch on IOP
Last night Jeff Force moved the palmetto log that was blocking Nest
#4 from a clear path to the water at the 26A Path. No one saw the
turtles come out, but Marge Swanson found a straggler coming out of
it this morning. At Nest #5 at 35th Avenue several dozen hatchlings
emerged from the sand at 10:30. Unfortunately the moon had not yet
risen, so Jeff again saved the day by shining a lantern down onto
the sand and onto the water when they began to lose their way and
wander toward the dunes.
CLICK on thumbnails to enlarge photos.
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Nest #1 on Sullivans Inventoried
For those of you who were not at this morning's inventory at Station
16, there were 9 live hatchlings in the nest and 12 eggs that did not
develop to hatch. So the overall hatch success was 88.5% which is very good.
This was Linda's first inventory from beginning to the end!
CLICK on thumbnails to enlarge photos.
CLICK on thumbnails to enlarge photos.
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Nest #32 for the IOP
Gillian Ellis and Eric Liebrecht reported tracks at 50th Avenue. This
turtle got onto a slightly elevated spot well above the high tide
line to lay her eggs. When Mary Alice was probing she discovered some
lacy pink panties under the sand that had been buried when nesting
took place. We assume that they did not belong to the turtle! There
was also a Barbie doll nearby that looked quite worse for wear. This
nest was not moved and brings our total for both islands to 35.
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Nests #2 & #3 Hatch on IOP
The nest in the 31A path erupted at 11 pm after 3 early hatchlings
had come out in the hour before that.
Then at 11:40 Nest #3 at 32nd Avenuewhich was laid 4 days later
boiled over. The moon was bright and the turtles made it on their own
with no help from the Turtle Team.
Both inventories will be on Friday morning, starting at 31A at 7:30
and going to 32nd when the first one is finished.
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Nest #31 for IOP
Elizabeth Rast was very happy to find her first tracks after four
years on the Turtle Team. The turtle crawled up on a beautiful dune
next to the 1st Avenue Path close to Breach Inlet and laid her eggs.
It was a clear body pit, making the eggs easy to find. The nest was
marked and left in situ. Congratulations, Elizabeth!
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Sullivan's Nest #1 Hatches
July 16 , 2011 (actually early Sunday morning)
The hatchlings came out of Nest #1 at Station 16 at 12:40 am this
morning. The moon was bright and they did everything on their own
with no problems from the bright lights along Charleston's waterfront
or the lighthouse. The tide was right up to the nest around 9:30, but
they waited until it was halfway out to emerge.
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Nest #30 for IOP
July 16 , 2011
During the night a loggerhead nested at 9th Avenue. Some tourists
told Sgt. Jimenez they saw her in the water around 11 pm. The wind
had blown away all but the seaward sections of the tracks. But since
she was there on an outgoing tide, we saw that she was on the beach
for quite a while. It is always difficult to find eggs if we cannot
see a body pit or thrown sand which are very important field signs.
Our only other clue was some sea oat leaves that appeared to be
broken and buried by blown sand in one spot at the base of the
primary dune, so that was where we probed and found eggs. Christina
Willson and Therease Metivier were patrolling that section, so they
are credited with this nest.
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Nest #3 for Sullivans
July 14 , 2011
We were doing the inventory on Isle of Palms' Nest #1 that hatched on
Sunday night this morning in the rain when the Police Dispatcher
called to say that Elizabeth and Terry Takats from Virginia had seen
a turtle laying eggs at the north end of Sullivan's last night. The
nest was in Breach Inlet not far from that last house with the red
roof that is across the street from Sunrise Presbyterian Church. The
eggs were found and 111 of them were placed next to Nest #3 that was
laid 6 days ago at Station 20 in front of the elementary school.
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Inventory of Nest #1 IOP
July 14 , 2011
All but 9 of these eggs hatched and 7 live hatchlings were found in the nest at inventory. A good start with 92.6% Hatch Success.
CLICK on thumbnails to enlarge photos.
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Nest #28 and #29 for IOP
July 11 , 2011
Classic tracks and body pits for both nests!
Another two nest morning for the Turtle Team. Jeff Walker and Kathy Magruder found their second set of tracks for the season at Sand Dunes Lane, Beachside just north of the County Park. It was a beautiful classic body pit on the slope of the primary dune. This very small turtle could be a young neophyte (first time) nester because the space between her rear flipper claw marks was only 14" instead of the usual 21-23". We marked the nest and left it to incubate in situ.
Linda Forslund and Lori Nelson reported tracks near 35th Avenue. This is Linda and Lori's third nest of the season! This was a normal sized loggerhead, but she may have laid a very large clutch of eggs because the top ones were very shallow and just below the surface of the sand. One egg was broken and the shell was used for our genetics research study. We did not relocate this one either. Another classic body pit and the eggs were easy to find, quite a relief from last week's nests with few field signs in the blown dry sand.
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Nest #2 for Sullivans (Yeah!)
July 8, 2011
The Turtle Team marked another nest on Sullivan's just before the rainstorm. During the night a turtle crawled into the primary dune line in front of Sullivan's Island Elementary near Station 20. Nat Robb, who lives near Station 22 on Atlantic Avenue, discovered tracks this morning and got word to Aussie Geer. The tracks were blown away, but we could see that the body pit was up near the sea oats and seaside elder in front of the school's nature trail. The eggs were not moved, so we don't know how many she laid. This nest will need to be watched carefully because the bright flashing light from the lighthouse close by will likely cause the hatchlings to be disoriented. It's great that the upper section of Sullivan's has a nest now.
CLICK on thumbnails to enlarge photos.
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Nest #27 for IOP (#1 for Sullivans still)
July 7, 2011
Another Dewees Inlet nest was laid quite a way into the inlet from the Seagrass Lane Boardwalk. Dan and Doreen Tylak and Billie McRae spotted the tracks on a beautiful sunrise morning in the inlet with dolphins, sharks, and herons all around. The body pit was huge and oblong, but the eggs were found on the third poke of the stick, by our intrepid leader Mary Pringle. Since they needed relocation, 128 eggs were taken to the 5th Avenue path near where Nest #25 was laid two days ago.
CLICK on thumbnails to enlarge photos.
A special thanks to Dan Tylak for the great pictures!
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Nest #26 for IOP (#1 for Sullivans still)
July 6, 2011
This morning's nest was a good example of why sand fencing is
designed as it is. The turtle crawled between the sections along the
18th fairway and nested in the area that is across the fairway from
the Ocean Point pool. Then she crawled back through another opening
back to the ocean without bumping into the fencing. Jill Evangelista
and her daughter reported faint windblown tracks and the eggs were
quite a distance from the eroding section there. So the nest was left
in situ without any relocation.
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Nest #24 & #25 for IOP (#1 for Sullivans still)
July 5, 2011
After a loud and crowded night on the beach with fireworks and a
strong wind blowing all night it was amazing that two turtles nested
on the Isle of Palms on the night of July 4th.
A tourist saw a turtle nesting in front of Shipwatch Condos around
11:00 last night and called the IOP police. By the time we got there
around 6:30 am he tracks were almost all blown away and the body pit
was indistinguishable from the rest of the crawl. Patti Horton and
Carmen Ullal were on the job patrolling and gave moral support,
getting credit for this nest. After probing for a while the eggs were
found in a rather unlikely spot and 130 of them were moved to the
location of yesterday's two nests at Access Path 36A.
CLICK on thumbnails to enlarge photos.
(or...field signs...we don't need no stinkin' field signs)
Franny Russell and Paula Urbano found tracks near the 5th Avenue
Path. At first inspection there was no body pit here, but the
outgoing tracks on the outgoing tide were much longer than the
incoming ones, causing the Turtle Team to suspect that the turtle did
indeed spend a long time on the beach. We returned to this spot after
relocating the previous nest at Wild Dunes and probed the only
likely-looking spot with no results. Just as we were getting ready to
leave, a couple of sharp eyed turtle ladies noticed that there was
some morning glory vegetation that was disturbed and uprooted high on
the primary dune there. So we went to work in that spot. The eggs
were there and the wind had totally blown away any other sign that
the turtle had been in that area! Turtle CSI at it's best and two
more new nests.
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Nest #22 & #23 for IOP (#1 for Sullivans still)
July 4, 2011
The turtles were busy in the wee hours of July 4th. One laid eggs
near the 36A Access Path. Linda Forslund found the tracks, and it was
a perfect spot for a nest. So the eggs were not moved.
CLICK on thumbnails to enlarge
photos.
Then Dan Simanaitis reported tracks on the beach in front of Seascape
Condominiums in Wild Dunes. These eggs were just above the escarpment
spot where erosion is occurring and needed to be relocated. We moved
124 eggs to an area near the 36A nest, so they could hatch at the same time.
CLICK on thumbnails to enlarge photos.
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Nest #21 for IOP (#1 for Sullivans still)
July 1, 2011
Another turtle nested along the 18th fairway at Ocean Point. Sue Widhalm was patrolling with Arlene Southerland and Diane Mullins and came across tracks. The body pit was up on a small eroding section of the beach just above the high tide line. Because this nest probably would not have survived where it was laid, it was moved to 29th Avenue next to Nest #20 where the 95 eggs will incubate. Sue, Arlene, and Diane also found Nest #17 which was left in Dewees Inlet on June 24th.
CLICK on thumbnails to enlarge photos.
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Nest #20 for IOP (#1 for Sullivans still)
June 28, 2011
Last night a loggerhead nested against the 10 foot escarpment at the
18th Green of the Links Course in Wild Dunes. Cindy Bergstrom, Patti
Horton, and Carmen Ullal discovered the tracks this morning. The
trucked in and pumped in sand from offshore here is so coarse that
the sharp seashells in it apparently cut open 3 of the eggs as they
fell into the egg chamber. One of these eggs was used for the
genetics study. This nest would certainly have been doomed by the
high tides in this erosional spot, so the rest of the clutch,
containing 91 eggs, was relocated to a safe dune at the 29th Avenue
path for incubation.
CLICK on thumbnails to enlarge photos.
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Nest #19 for IOP (#1 for Sullivans still)
June 26, 2011
Another Sunday morning nest for this section - Jeanne Robinson and Susan Daly found tracks near the tide line at 52nd Avenue. It was a classic body pit and made it easy for the eggs to be found. For once the turtle did not crawl back over the signs we needed to see. So 111 eggs were moved higher to the new dune line that is building up in that area.
CLICK on thumbnails to enlarge photos.
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A Surprise Nest #18 for IOP
June 25, 2011
The SC Aquarium Sea Turtle Rescue Program and the Island Turtle Team (IOP and Sullivans Island) got to share an amazing experience today. McClellan, a severely injured female loggerhead, was brought into the Aquarium a few days ago from the Cape Romain area with a severed front flipper from a crab pot rope and a boat strike wound. Her story was in Friday morning's Post & Courier. Last night the severely injured loggerhead laid 119 eggs.
They were carefully put in buckets of sand by the interns working at the Turtle Hospital. Kelly Thorvalson got DuBose Griffin of SCDNR to give permission for the Island Turtle Team to relocate them to a safe incubation spot on the Isle of Palms. A nest was created and the eggs were carefully placed in the warm sand in front of 608 Ocean Blvd. The Turtle Team has done this kind of relocation before with eggs that were in water shortly after being laid, and they were fine because development had not yet begun. Everyone is optimistic that this clutch will do well.
The eggs are safely deposited on the IOP and the combined crew from the SC Aquarium and the Turtle Team took time to enjoy the moment.
Now the wait begins................................
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Nest #17 for IOP (#1 on Sullivans)
June 24, 2011
A loggerhead nested last night very close to Nest #12 laid eleven
days ago near the erosion control device in Dewees Inlet close to the
17th tee of the Wild Dunes Links course. Arlene Southerland, Sue
Widhalm, and Diane Mullins came upon the tracks and were surprised to
see a body pit with an open egg chamber. However, the turtle kept
crawling after she dug there and did lay eggs not far from the sand
fencing in a good spot. The eggs were confirmed but not relocated. So
now there are two nests there quite close together, due about eleven days apart.
CLICK on thumbnails to enlarge photos.
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Nest #15 and #16 for IOP (#1 on Sullivans)
June 23, 2011
The turtle team got word that there were tracks between 25th and 30th. We split up. Barb G. and Bev parked at 30th and walked south while Tee, Mary and Barb B. parked at 25th and walked north. On the way Tee and Mary did see one turtle on the beach...a nicely done sand sculture.
Nest # 15 for Isle of Palms at 42nd Avenue was found by Barbara
Allen, Sue Googer, Linda Bettelli, and Jane Powers. It is very close
to Nest #7 which was relocated to that same place. It was not moved.
Nest #16 was found at 26th Avenue. This might be the same turtle who
crawled over the dune at 6th Avenue earlier in the night and it could
also be the one who has been false crawling since Monday night in the
Wild Dunes area. The tracks match, but then so many loggerheads are
the same size, so it's not certain. It was also the same as the False
Crawl at 6th Avenue this morning. This was very high on the dune and
was also left to incubate in situ.
CLICK on thumbnails to enlarge photos.
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Nest #15 for Turtle Team (#14 on IOP)
Déjà vu all over again
Sunday nights seem to be a favored time for our loggerheads to come
ashore. This morning Elaine Schupp spotted tracks and a body pit that
were small and rather hard to see because they were indistinct and
all above the high tide line from a turtle who nested very early in
the night. Sandra McLean and Beverly Blalock were patrolling this
section with her. This was in front of 700 Ocean Blvd but a little
too low on the beach. We relocated 138 eggs higher and next door on
the other side of the path in front of 622 Ocean Blvd in a good spot.
CLICK on thumbnails to enlarge photos.
Everyone seems to have their own idea of what was going on!
Meanwhile in Dewees Inlet Dan Simanaitis found tracks and two body
pits just beyond the 17th tee of the Links Golf Course. Evidently the
turtle didn't like the first spot, so she chose another. She started
to dig in the second place and gave up there too leaving a couple of
holes in the sand but no eggs. Maybe she'll come back tonight.
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Nest #14 for Turtle Team (#12 and #13 on IOP)
Two turtles nested on the Isle of Palms during the night. One nest
was found by Dan Simanaitis just beyond the 17th tee of the Links
Course in Wild Dunes. Once the eggs were confirmed, we decided that
the spot was high enough on the beach above the spring tide to be
left where it was found. We have had successful nests there before
and they certainly won't be bothered by any lights in that deserted
section. Then Sandra McLean , Beverly Blalock and Elaine Schupp
reported tracks in front of 704 Ocean Blvd at the south end. Once
again we decided to mark the nest and leave it where the turtle put the eggs.
Two Nests This Morning
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Nest #12 for Turtle Team (#11 on IOP)
June 12, 2011
This morning Jeanne Robinson and Susan Daley were on their patrol
and found tracks at 52nd Avenue. The signs were not distinct with
lots of ghost crab tracks and two nearby holes dug by beachgoers, so
there was doubt that she nested. However, after probing we did find
eggs only about 3 inches below the surface in the middle of the body
pit. Since the nest was in the flat washover area of the beach, 130
eggs were moved slightly higher on the beach to a newly developing
dune one door south of the 52nd Avenue access path.
CLICK on thumbnails to enlarge photos.
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Nest #11 for Turtle Team (#10 on IOP)
June 11, 2011
A turtle laid eggs just below the spring tide line at the 49th Avenue
path. Judy Ewing and Sis Nunnally and their "canine auxiliary" squad
discovered the tracks at the north end of their walk. Since the nest
needed relocation, 110 eggs were taken to the 31A path to incubate.
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Nest #10 for Turtle Team (#9 on IOP)
June 10, 2011
Caroline Stone and Donna Gadd found tracks at the 6A path.
The tracks showed that the turtle was nesting just at dawn, stayed a
long time according to the track lengths, and threw sand around - a
sure sign that she did lay eggs. Barb found the clutch, but the 85 eggs
had to be relocated out of this busy access path to a better spot
near the 6th Avenue path.
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Nest #9 for Turtle Team (#8 on IOP)
June 8, 2011
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Nest #8 for Turtle Team (#7 on IOP)
June 7, 2011
Gillian Ellis found tracks near the Beachwood East Access Path in
Wild Dunes this morning. This loggerhead had a hard time nesting
according to the field signs, but she finally laid her eggs even
though the sand was very dry. We don't usually find such dry powdery
sand as deep as the depth of the egg chamber. She crawled over the
rather steep crest of the high tide line and laid her eggs on the
downward slope behind it. We've lost nests in places such as this
where water can stand if it makes it over the crest, so relocation
was necessary.
CLICK on thumbnails to enlarge photos.
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Nest #7 for Turtle Team (#6 on IOP)
(Photos courtsey of Elaine Schupp taken without a flash only using red light)
The turtles' favorite section got yet another nest this morning. Brian Duffy & Catherine Malloy were the first to discover tracks near the 32nd Avenue path this morning and Carol Gaston came along shortly thereafter. This nest was below the spring tide line and so 130 eggs were relocated to about the same location only a little higher for safety. The turtle was seen nesting just before 11 pm last night with a heavy load of seaweed and tiny skeleton shrimp on her back. She laid two eggs that were oval instead of round.
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Nest #6 for Turtle Team (#5 on IOP)
May 30,2011
A turtle had to climb over a palmetto log to nest at 26th Avenue.
Jeff Walker and Kathy Magruder reported these tracks and we were
surprised to see how persistent this loggerhead was in heaving
herself over the log. She left flipper claw marks on the log as she
crawled alongside it to go back to the ocean. This nest was laid
right at the spring tide line but will probably be OK in this
location since it will hatch late in July before the fall storms
affect it, so it was not relocated. Kathy and her husband Jeff were
leaving for a trip to Austria today, so this was a nice sendoff for them.
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Nest #5 for Turtle Team (#4 on IOP)
May 29,2011
The section from 31st to 35th Avenue must be the favorite of our
loggerheads this season. This morning Ann Evans and Terri Stafford
were accompanied by Lori Nelson when they found tracks three doors
north of the 35th Ave. access path. The turtle went all the way to
the front of the primary dune, a perfect spot, to lay her eggs.
Finding them was a little bit of a challenge since she probably
turned around and faced the ocean to drop them. The nest was marked
in situ to incubate, making four nests in that area.
Click on Thumbnails to Enlarge
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Nest #4 for Turtle Team (#3 on IOP)
May 27,2011
This morning Bob Clarke found tracks at the 32nd Avenue Access Path
and Sue Hogan came along shortly thereafter. Just like Nest #2 at
31A, this turtle was hanging out right by the trash barrel while
nesting. She also circled around several times before going back to
the ocean and fortunately missed falling into a hole which was
between her incoming and outgoing paths. This one was just below the
spring tide line which justified a relocation. After Mary Alice
probed and found the clutch, 101 eggs were relocated to a perfect
dune nearby just north of the same path.
Sgt. Jimenez called during the night to let us know that a turtle had
crawled up against the huge steep scarp of the newly renourished dune
at the 18th green. It was low tide and we knew that high tide before
dawn would have destroyed the nest if she had laid eggs. We found
that she crawled up and bumped into this 7-8 foot barrier for 35-40
feet before giving up and going back to the water without laying any
eggs. The tracks were similar, so even though we cannot know for
sure, we hope that this was the same turtle that nested successfully
later in the night at 32nd Ave. where the dunes and sand consistency
are much more suitable.
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Nests #2 on IOP and #3 on Sullivans
May 23, 2011
This morning was busy for the Turtle Team. Linda Forslund & Lori
Nelson started their walk at 49th and found a small dead Kemps Ridley
turtle that had died and washed ashore there, but then they also
found loggerhead tracks right at the 31A Access Path at the other end
of their walk. This is Nest #2 and was very close to the relocation
site of Nest #1 exactly a week ago. Even though it was in the
pedestrian path, it was high enough on the beach to be at a good
elevation and it was well marked for protection. Barb Gobien found
the eggs, and it was left in situ to incubate.
Then Linda Rumph called from her patrol on Sullivan's. She had found
tracks and a body pit just above the spring tide line near the
Station 16 Path on Sullivan's. This was her first nest to probe and she found the eggs there. We did not relocate this one either but will watch it for erosion as the season progresses.
The tale of two nests!
Nest on the IOP..............................and then SULLIVANS
Barb Gobien and Linda Rumph carefully probed for the egg chamber for the first time as authorized team members.......yeah newbies!
After locating the "soft spot" they gently dug down until they reached the first egg. Since both nests did not have to be relocated they just needed one egg for out DNA study.
Both of these crawls had characteristics that were similar to the two
false crawls found Saturday morning. We never know for sure, but it's
possible that these were the return trips of those two loggerheads. The season is off to a good start.
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FIRST NEST ON IOP
MAY 16
This turtle didn't leave many field signs for us to locate the nest but it didn't take Mary long to find the egg chamber and locate the eggs. Note Bev's shadow in the bottom of the picture.
It finally happened our first loggerhead nest for 2011. Although we don't usually get one until about the last week of May, other beaches in SC already had 63 nests before ours. This turtle laid her eggs at the line of the power poles that cross Dewees Inlet at the north end of the Isle of Palms. This is probably the farthest into the inlet on the Cedar Creek spit that we've ever had one. Because of the location where the current is dangerous to the emerging hatchlings, we relocated 135 eggs to just south of the 31A access path on the Isle of Palms.
CLICK on thumbnails to enlarge photos.
