Inventory of Nest 4

Steve giving out instructions before we begin

The imprint of the cage

Linda, Flossie, and Sarah begin digging

 Trying to determine if they are following a ghost crab hole or the egg chamber.  We have been duped a few times with previous nests!

 Val making a determination about which way to dig next.

a live hatchling

 And we are off!  It was overcast this morning, so the babies took off to the water!

Second live hatchling.  This little one was disoriented for a time.  Kept walking up and down the beach parallel to water line before finally making his way to the surf.

First taste of the sea!

Barb returns turtle skull to beach.  We are not allowed to keep it.

Sarah takes pictures of skull to use for a science lesson later with her boys.

Respectfully submitted by Chris

Pictures from Mario and Kathleen

It's A Record! Nest 18!

It began as a beautiful dawn.  

                                                              We found the carcass of a huge skate.  Hopefully this will give the ghost crabs something to do for a few days!

 Here's nest 18!  It's a wild nest, only found as Keela was retrieving the beach ball as 'beach treasure'.  When she picked the ball up out of the hole she noticed all the broken eggshells.

 We were not sure if it was a nest that hatched or one vandalized by ghost crab.

Ashley found a baby stingray still alive, but washed up onto dry land.  She saves it!!!!

Notice the tears towards the back. Ashley is also holding a whelk shell in her right hand; it is not part of the stingray!

This is Nest 3 inventory.  We had a photographer from Coastal Carolina with us for the article Karen is writing for the college's magazine.

The Chapman grandchildren glove up for the egg toss back into the nest.

Barbara, back from vacation, recording inventory details.

The egg toss!

Nest 18! You didn't know we are marking nests with beach balls now? Steve is tired of making those cages! :) Nest 18 determined to be a 'wild nest'.

 There were so many broken shells that Karen, Steve, and Barb decided to do an inventory of Nest 18. The Chapman's daughter helps Jingle and Ashley dig out the shells.

Dead baby.
Ashley, who is holding it, said the shell was really soft.

Respectfully submitted by Chris

Nest #4 Emerged Last Night

The Tuesday walkers were rewarded this morning with lots and lots of little hatchling track coming out of Nest #4.  A nest inventory is scheduled for Friday morning with all volunteers invited to join in.  Valerie suggests that you may want bug spray; she says the flies are BAD!

Nest 1 Inventory

 Everyone gloving up getting ready to dig!

Keep digging!

Keela waiting for direction to keep digging. See all our shadows around the hole!

First live turtle to emerge

And here's sibling

We had to keep shade on the hatchlings.  They kept walking towards the sun!

Keela and Valerie count up the inventory. 100 eggs, 91 hatched, 4 dead hatchlings, 6 live hatchlings!

Weird looking egg much smaller than rest.  Debbie said on NMB they are called 'spacer' eggs.

The crew: Keela, Jingle, Mary, Cameron, Carson, Grandma Nancy, Chris, and Debbie

Amazing how much sand accumulated on top of this nest despite all the efforts!

This turtle stuff just gets better & better!  A ride in Valerie's truck!

"Scooter" takes to the high seas

Respectfully submitted by Chris

Nest #3 partial emergence and turtle skull August 7, 2011

                                           Sea Turtle skull found between Marker 3 and 4

                                             Found 6-7 baby tracks leading from Nest #3                                           

                                         Emergence hole plus possible ghost crab hole above it.

                                   
                                           One set of baby tracks appeared to end at ghost crab
                                           hole about 15 feet below cage.

False Crawl and Inventory 8/6/2011

False Crawl?

The tracks-36"

The mound

Karen probing

Where are those eggs? False crawl....

Inventory Nest #2

Jake, Will, Ryan hold eggs

Where are the baby turtles?

Inventorying

The inventory

Val and Sarah explaining the difference in the development of two small  hatchlings

Will with one of the undeveloped hatchlings.

Throwing the eggs back in the hole!
Bill & Flossie Chapman