Inventory of Nest 9

This nest was laid between Marker 1 and 2 on Tuesday June 27. A large hole and hatchling tracks were discovered on Thursday, August 24, day 58 of incubation. The nest when originally found  was shallow and on top of a low dune. Today, we dug two and a half feet before finding the shells. But it was a great nest!! 125 eggs laid. 112 hatched, 12 unhatched and one sent for DNA research. 89.6 % hatching success! This mother laid nests in Surfside and North Myrtle Beach in 2011. In 2013 she visited Myrtle Beach and Briarcliff Acres. 2016, she laid her first nest at Briarcliff and then laid three nests on Waties. In a rare event, she has laid four nests this year on Waties. Loggerheads normally do not lay in consecutive years. This is Barnacle Betty!! She has a distinctive drag mark in the middle of her crawl probably due to a barnacle on her plastron (underbelly). This year she has laid Nest 3, 6, 9 and 11!!
Vist Coastal Sea Turtle Club
facebook page for more pictures.
Post by Paulette
Pictures by Leslie (Thank you!)

Digging forever

Students helping

Count

Two undersized empty eggs
Larger than a spacer but not a
regular size egg.