Nest #15 sea turtle mom did not take the normal path up the beach to lay her nest. This Loggerhead mom originally heads up the beach toward the dune line. Notice the incoming tracks shown on the far left in the picture below. Apparently she was not happy with her first choice and turned around heading back to the ocean. Then notice she decides she really wants to off load some eggs and tries again to find a suitable site to make a nest. She takes a turn heading south down the beach a few more feet and heads back up to the dune line. Here she decides this new site will work and makes a deposit of eggs deep into the sand.
Sea turtle mom is very particular about where she made her nest
The alert goes out from our N.E.S.T. hotline about a potential nest. The Corolla responding team jumps into action. They begin collecting data about the tracks and looking for the egg chamber. Once eggs are found, the hotline assigns a nest # and the team inserts data loggers into and around the nest. The data loggers will collect hourly temperatures. These temperatures are averaged over time to calculate the approximate hatch time for this nest.
Nesting Response Team for Nest #15
Once all the data is collected, the team works to secure the nest site. Stakes are erected around the nest site. String with flagging is tied around the posts to keep this section clear of any disturbance while the eggs develop. We add a nest sign indicating it is a protected area. Below is a picture of the final nest site. Now we wait as these eggs mature into little hatchlings.
Final nest site protected by stakes and flagging
- nest number: 15
- town: Corolla
- date eggs laid: 06/26/2022
- actual emergence date: 8/27/2022
- live hatchlings: 100
- total eggs: 106
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