Friday, July 31 - Emergence of Nest 3R , PN #2

 Before it bids us adieu for 2026,  July provided us with one last great day on the Island. Another beautiful sunrise- evidence, etched in the sand, of another array of loggerhead hatchlings making their way to the sea- and an overnight crawl to remind us our hard working nesting mommas aren’t done just yet. 

 As we headed up island into that welcoming sunshine, we discovered an emergence at Nest 03R. Not much tops the list of favorite things of an early morning sea turtle patroller more than seeing hundreds of tiny tracks emerging from a nest you worked so hard to protect over the past 2 months or so. 

This nest had an unusual start - beginning its life as PN #2. The crawl was discovered on June 4.

The team worked hard to locate the egg chamber, but momma did her job in disguising its resting place so well, they were unable to find it, designating it a Possible Nest and allowing for further investigation by future teams.

The nest was located the following morning using documentation from the initial team and  a little assist from our frenemies- the ghost crabs. The eggs were relocated to a more suitable location to continue their incubation. The emergence occurred on day 57. The nest contents will be inventoried in a few days and the results reported to SCDNR. 

Buoyed by the joy of another successful emergence, we continued onward. We soon got a call from two fast walking volunteers who discovered a crawl near the far end of the island. 

Our speedy walkers Cherie and Caroline waiting “ patiently” for us to arrive so they can share their discovery. I can hear them thinking “ What took you so long?”

Based on the unique small size - 28” and the location and timing of the crawl, we believe this is a returning young mother who may have laid nests 9R and 13R. Two potential body pit areas were noted at the base of the dune -one nearer the incoming crawl and one nearer the outgoing crawl.  Work began to locate the egg chamber.

Try as we might, an egg chamber was not located, and the crawl became, ironically, our new PN2. We are  hopeful that, like its predecessor, the nest can be located tomorrow and moved to a more appropriate location. Or, in the event it is indeed a false crawl, that momma will return tonight and finish the job. 

Pics by Kim P. and Caroline. Text by Kim T.

All sea turtle monitoring by Waties Island Sea Turtle Patrol is permitted and authorized by SCDNR under Permit MTP500.