The rain clouds cleared this morning just in time for our daily patrol, leaving us with showstopping skies, a pleasant breeze, and evidence of the heavy rains that pounded the beach yesterday/last night. The sand did not present its usual golden smooth surface, but a bruised amber color with millions of tiny craters left behind by the rain’s heavy hand - obliterating most evidence of man or beast. Only the post rain helter-skelter tracks of the early, industrious ghost crabs stood out in contrast to the dimpled surface. We knew we’d have to use our best “spidey sense” skills to look for field signs that any of the hatchlings from our maturing nests had emerged prior to or during the storm.
As we approached Nest 8R, the most mature of our remaining nests at 57 days, it appeared at first glance, that we had just a big ghost crab hole at the nest cavity.
Knowing the appearance of the area may have been altered by the storm’s heavy rain showers, we looked for other evidence of an emergence. There were numerous tracks in the area, most of them from the many ghost crabs. As we continued to investigate, we could pick out a handful of distinctive hatchling tracks heading for the ocean. As we continued to comb the area from all angles, many other very faint tracks could be seen. We surmise the few more prominent tracks may have been made by a few stragglers who emerged after the storms. We followed a few drag marks toward crab holes, and a deceased hatchling, waylaid during its dash to the sea, was found in the vegetation. Nest 8R, laid July 2, has emerged.
Deceased hatchling dragged toward a ghost crab hole. A flipper from this hatchling will be used for the paternity DNA project.
Pics by Kim P, Caroline, and Kim T. Text by Kim T.
All sea turtle monitoring by Waties island Sea Turtle Patrol is permitted and authorized by SCDNR under Permit MTP500.
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