Wednesday, September 6 - Inventory Nest 5R

 The calendar may say September, but Mother Nature has not yet relinquished summer and is continuing to provide sunny, hot and humid days on the beach. We will soak it up for as long as we can. Our remaining incubating embryos appreciate it was well.

This morning our Wednesday team was joined by additional volunteers and a guest tasked with the opportunity to complete the inventory of Nest 5R.

This nest was laid on July 14, about midway up the island. Mamma crawled a long way, coming in at low tide and making her way up up the front of the dune choosing to nest at the very top.

We probed extensively, but mamma did her job well and the nest eluded us for a while. Our perseverance eventually paid off, and we found the egg chamber at the precipice of the dune. The decision was made to relocate the nest due to its precarious position on the dune, the abundance of grasses, and due, in part, to our not so great results with dune-top nests last year.

137 eggs were relocated to the base of the dune next to the incoming crawl. The nest emerged on September, 3, day 51. 

After we arrived at the nest, assignments for the inventory were made, and we got to work. The egg chamber was easily located following the soft sand, and the process of handing off eggs to the sorters and counters began.

New-this-year volunteer Dani and guest Billie Jo get the honors of digging into the nest as Mario provides guidance throughout the process. 

Eggs, hatched and unhatched, are handed off to helpers Ayana, Chris, JoAnn, and Leslie Y, then on to the sorters and counters to assess the success of the nest.

Sorters and counters, Kathy, Kim P and Val tally the results. 104 hatched, 33 unhatched, and, to the delight of all, 4 sweet and ready to go hatchlings who got left behind. Nest hatch success rate: 74.8%, emergence rate 71.9%

After lots of pics with these little treasures…

…it was time to take them down near the surf for their release. They are placed close to, but not at, the water’s edge to provide them with the opportunity to get those flippers fully operational and to provide for their geomagnetic imprinting which will allow females to return to lay on their natal beach when they reach maturity.

                                                           

                                                                    We’re on our way!

And finally, to the man who brought us endless summers and an intense love of the seas and all her creatures, a salute from an aging, but eternally young Parrothead and a few of her turtle loving friends. Rest in Paradise Jimmy…fins up!

Pics from Leslie and Kim. Text by Kim

Waties Island performs research and management activities regarding sea turtle conservation in accordance under SCDNR Permit Number: MTP500