Nest 3 found by Anthony Head, a loggerhead just east of Bishop Road in the Stallworth Area. Left in place. Photo one crawl in is on the left with the crawl out crossing over in tract to return to water photo two with flag shoes track back into the water note how her back flippers push backwards, also same in next photo Last photo is of the nest, note her incoming track is covered up by nesting area with thrown sand and then the outgoing track leaves the nest on her way
to the water. Great tracks.
UPDATE!
Hatched on 8/3/09 at 64 days
It was dug on 8/5/09 by Dawn, Anthony and Sherry
102 Escaped from nest
1 alive in nest
38 no obvious
2 dead embryos
The survival rat is 72%
Nest #2 was found Sat. May 30 by Tobias and Mom Val at Rams Gate is Sea Crest, a loggerhead left in place.
Update!
Here are the numbers for nest 2, excavated by Wayne Lofton, Charlie and Louise Reichman.
escaped from nest 116
alive in nest and released 3
total hatched from nest 119
infertile no obvious 2
dead embryo 1
total eggs 122
survival percentage 97.5%
Great nest! This one wasn’t moved.
Nest #1 was found by Wayne Lofton and marked by Val and Wayne Lofton. This nest is a Loggerhead found in Seacrest near Monterey and left in place.
UPDATE
Nest #1 hatched 7/25/09
Escaped from nest 9
Alive in nest and released 8
total hatched eggs 17
infertile no obvious 76
dead enbroyos 9
total unhatched 85
total eggs 102
survival percentage 17% Is great for a washed over nest that we didn’t expect anything to happen!
GreenSea Turtle
Loggerhead Turtle
Female Sea Turtles that were born on the white sandy beaches always come back to nest on white sandy beaches. The beaches are white because they are primarily made up of quartz with very little or no shell deposits in them. When you walk on this sand, it sings to you or squeaks. This is a treat. The sea turtles’ tracks on this sand show up differently than on other darker sand beaches. Because the sun reflects off this white sand the sand does not get as hot as darker beaches, this fact also effects sea turtles. The number of days it takes for the eggs to hatch are longer than on darker beaches and because the temperature of the sand effects the sex of the hatchlings, this means that these white sandy beaches produce more male sea turtle hatchlings. The fact that the ones hatched on these beaches come back makes it our duty to protect these wonderful creature in any way we can. The Loggerhead sea turtle that has hatched on these white sandy beaches is a sub population of the worlds Loggerheads and there are not many left. Sea turtles as a group have been on our earth since Dinosaur time.
SEASON: MAY 1st UNTIL OCTOBER 31st
Sea Turtles have long called this white sand beach their home. Females return every two years to nest. These animals deserve our respect and consideration. Share the beach by leaving it clean of debris, no chairs, tents, umbrellas, fences and no holes or hills of sand that could obstruct her path to a safe nesting site. In late summer and early fall when the hatchlings begin to emerge, turn off lights near the beach that may disorientate the turtles’ crawl to the surf.
The Green Sea Turtle and Loggerhead are the two species that nest on the beaches in our watch area.
This picture of the track (“crawl”) left in the sand shows that a Loggerhead sea turtle came ashore to nest and bumped into obstacles left by people who don’t know any better.
This is where Walton County, FL is located!
Here is a better view of our coast!
See what happens when Tanya the land turtle, who stays on land most of her life, and Tami the Sea Turtle meet. See Tami’s flippers? Tanya has feet that are better for walking. Tami doesn’t walk, she swims. When she nests, she pulls herself by her flippers. Only female, sea turtles ever come ashore, out of the sea, and then only to nest. Where people play is where sea turtles must nest. Also Tanya can draw her head and feet into her shell for protection and Tami can not. Tami is also much bigger and can swim and dive better. Read Beach Talk!
The South Walton Turtle Watch is a group of volunteers whose purpose is to locate endangered and threatened sea turtle nests and to protect them along the beaches of NW Florida during the crucial nesting and hatching season. By law, Only certified members are allowed to interact with endangered sea turtles.
“We, as sea turtle volunteers, go through many hours of training so that we may help these wonderful sea turtles. We are learning more each year. That is why we can get a sea turtle permit which allows us to help endangered and threatened animals.” -Sharon Maxwell
Sea turtles are protected by the Endangered Species Act and only those with special permits are allowed to touch the nests, turtles, or hatchlings. There is a $2,500.00 reward for information leading to the conviction of violators. To report a violation, contact a State, Federal, or local law enforcement officer.
