Waties Island Sea Turtles

Waties Island, the northernmost barrier island in South Carolina is roughly 4.0 km in length. It is a private undeveloped barrier island at the border of North/South Carolina. All sea turtle monitoring by this group is authorized by the SCDNR Marine Turtle Conservation Program under Permit MTP500. We strive to help protect the sea turtle, and we are at it again this season! The site will be updated often during the nesting season - May 1st through October.

Tuesday, June 7, 2016

Photos from Nest 5 and 6

It was a busy weekend for nesting on Waties - Nest 5 was found on Saturday June 4 followed by Nest 6 on Sunday. Nest 5 was on the lower end of the beach but right in the middle of the beach rather than up in the dunes. To protect it from summer traffic on the beach, a cage was placed over the nest. A cage was also placed over Nest 2 which is also in the middle of the beach.

Jackie and Jeanne looking for the eggs

Success!

On Sunday, Nest 6: It was about mid-island, just above Marker 5 but in a spot that is subject to erosion. The nest was moved to a safer location just below the beach entrance. 132 eggs were found; one was taken for the DNA sample and the rest reburied in the new nest.

Thanks to guest walker Barb S for sharing her photos!