Nest 6R Inventory

Nest 6 was our relocated nest.  This turtle first showed up in 2013.  She has continued to nest every 3rd year, with an average of 4 nests a year.  She is a traveling turtle and has nested on 9 different beaches. She traveled up the dune and down the back side to finally decide she had found the perfect spot to nest.  Unfortunately, her hatchlings weren't going to be able to find their way to the ocean with that dune in front of them.

Twins Alexander H. & Harrison H. and Owen R. &  Noah R. prepare to open the nest.

We had lots of great participation with this inventory.

Getting the eggs from the nest to the counters.

Our turtle laid a total of 118 eggs, one was taken for the DNA Sample and we relocated 117 eggs.  We had 11 eggs unhatched for a total of 106 hatched eggs.  There were no live/dead hatchlings in the nest.

We buried these eggs/shells at the bottom of the nest.  Hopefully these crabs will not dig them back up as they did to eggs/shells after our wild nest #25.

Thank you to everyone who showed up this morning!

It was another beautiful morning on Waties Island!

Inventory of Nest #7

This morning we inventoried a nest laid by our "Waties Lady" - she's the momma who has laid her last 10 nests in a row of Waties Island. Might even be a few more but not all the DNA results are back yet.

There ended up being 107 hatched egg shells in the nest and 17 unhatched. One dead hatchling in there too but no live ones. One egg shell was found on the surface on August 1 and one was taken for the DNA sample, so the total for the nest was 126 eggs, an 85% hatch success ratio. Pretty nice!

Charlene and Connie at work

Starting the sort

Just about finished

An old car engine submerged for years

Wonder how long it's been buried??

Barb and Steve

Monday, August 5th Update News

Start of another early morning on Waties Island.  As we started walking there was lightning over the ocean, in the far distance, good look at an anvil and shelf cloud.  Sorry to say it was an uneventful morning, no overwashes, no new emergences, but we did see more hatchling tracks coming from our 6R Nest which will be inventoried on Wednesday.

Our pesky Ghost Crabs are getting into the nests that have been inventoried and removing the eggshells - the Wild Nest up at the jetty, right of Nest #19, and Nest #5, by Marker 6.  We bury the eggshells after an inventory to help the nourishment of the dunes, but we may need to start disposing of them in a different manner due to the activity of the Ghost Crabs.

Our Nest #8, lower end of the island, has  not emerged yet, hopefully any day, but the Ghost Crabs are causing issues, we lost an egg today, so we gently covered and filled in the the hole.








No better way to start the day, view of the marsh.  Storm out over the ocean.

 Nest #8, lower end of the island.  This nest is 55 days old and no sign of an emergence.  However, we have Ghost Crab activity and an eggshell was found today.

 Nest 6R was found emerged by the Sunday Walkers - 57 days. This was the turtle who climbed over the top of a huge dune and fell down the back side where she laid her nest. It was relocated to the front side of the dune just below Marker 6.  More hatchling tracks were found today.

 Our pesky Ghost Crabs are removing the spent eggshells after our inventories, this is a picture of Nest #5, Marker 6 with the eggshells.

Nest 20 - eggshell found

Nest #20 - how are the Ghost Crabs
getting into the egg chamber?

August 4 Inventory and Emergence

The Sunday walkers found that Nest 6R located below marker 6 had emerged overnight, day 57 of
incubation. This nest will be inventoried on Wednesday. There were multiple washovers due to the King Tides last evening. Nests 8,11,14,16,17,18 and 22. Hopefully this is the last of these washovers and our nests will be unharmed.
We inventoried Nest 5 located at marker 6. This nest was laid on Monday June 3 halfway up a steep dune. It emerged on Thursday, day 59. We found 90 hatched eggs and 27 unhatched eggs today. The unhatched eggs had sea oats' roots in them. 122 eggs were laid by this mother-4 lost early to ghost crabs, one for research, 90 hatched and 27 unhatched. The hatch success was 74%.

Nest 6R has emerged. This nest was moved
from the back of the dune to the front!!

Nest 8 was washed over. A crab hole near the
reed. A slight depression. This one may
emerge soon!!

Diane, and Sarah dig up Nest 5

Sorting the eggs

Sarah and Mario count the eggs

Roots found in the nest cavity

Final egg count

A New Emergence at Nest 7 and Inventory of the Wild Nest

There was the threat of rain off the coast this morning, but no thunder or lightning, so off we went: 

As usual, a feast for the eyes out there!

Up at the jetty next to the wild nest

Our bobcat friend??

 Some news from Nest #7 this morning - it emerged overnight! It rained after the hatchlings made their exit so the tracks were a little washed out, but definitely visible.

Nest #7

Faint tracks

 

 

 

 

They didn't have far to walk with the high tides last evening

On the lower end, the last nest down, had what may?? have been a depression?? But the high tides came right up to the reed so, we're not quite sure. It is 54 days old so something should happen there very soon.

 

Is that a depression??

The wild nest up at the jetty was inventoried. There were 110 hatched egg shells in the nest (plus two more that were discovered on the surface on July 31) and 26 unhatched eggs. No hatchlings, dead or live, which makes it impossible to know for sure exactly what species of turtle laid the nest. Chances are a loggerhead but the DNA will tell us for sure.

  

Got to get all those eggs out

Pat and Cherie doing the count

Emergence of #5 & inventory of #3

A busy day on Waties for the Thursday Team and visitors.  Our first discovery was an egg shell at nest #7.  It was noted on card and website.

We had the highest of the king tides arrive last night and we had three overwashed nests.  # 11, 17, and 22.  Many of the other nests were very close to being overwashed.  Also noted on cards and website.

#22

Our next activity occurred at #5 nest.  An emergence!  The hatchling tracks made a beautiful pattern in the sand.

The top photo shows where last night's high tide obliterated the track marks. It was at about 7 PM so these hatchlings were out before then.

Last but not least we inventoried #3.  We had 93 egg shells, 38 unhatched, 2 dead hatchlings, and one live little scrambler. It brought the hatch success rate to around 70%.  My grandson, Jake was delighted to carry it just a bit down the beach and then he let it go to get its sea legs.  We had a very short beach due to the high tide.

Brooke and Kinsey were our diggers!

Right on top was the first discovery!  Our live hatchling!

Counting and waiting so everyone can see results!

Our baby heading to the sea...giving us our final wave!

Always the joy! Brooke has the look of joy with our little hatchling in hand!