Friday, May 29 - Nest 2R and a Sweet Surprise

 The Waties Island Friday team was blessed this morning to come upon a nesting momma just finishing up the arduous task of laying her clutch of eggs on what is likely her natal beach in a ritual performed by her ancestors through eons of time. Sea turtle nesting normally occurs at night, underneath the stars and moon, so we rarely get the witness this biological legacy millions of years in the making. We watched in awe as she used her rear flippers to pat the sand down to cover the eggs, then use her front flippers to fling around the soft sand to disguise the nest site. As she turned and moved rather quickly toward the sea, we were able to complete some measurements and observations for reporting to SCDNR. Thanks to the high tide, she was soon in the water and on her way

                 A big girl! Look at that big head. She puts the “logger” in Loggerhead, 

  

    These mommas carry entire ecosystems on their carapace. A few barnacles hitching a ride.

Once we bid her adieu, it was time to get to work. Because the nest was laid just below the spring high tide line, the nest was relocated to a nearby site closer to the dunes. This clutch contained 120 eggs. With one egg used for DNA testing, 119 eggs were tucked into their new home to begin their incubation.

                                                 Carefully excavating the original egg chamber

                                                          Digging the new nest

                            What a great morning and a birthday surprise for Suzanne! 

Pics by Caroline and Kim. Text by Kim.

All sea turtle monitoring by Waties Island Sea Turtle Patrol is permitted and authorized by SCDNR under Permit MTP 500.