Nest Hatched!

nest near sea and hole ...

hatchling straggler

The loggerhead nest out front
hatched 3 days ago! Our neighbour, Kathy, captured these pictures for us.




With a large crescent moon shining, but not not full & bright, the hatchlings scrambled not towards the sea, but further away - up the beach to the condo parking lot lights - called a disorientation.

nest with hatched 'hole' & tracks

hatchling tracks

Here you can see the hatchling tracks going every which way - and once you know what you are looking for the tracks are obvious. The hatchlings came towards the buildings, not out to sea.

This means the hatchlings used crucial energy going the wrong way, which reduces their chances of survival. Fortunately our neighbours noticed a number of 'stragglers' early the next morning and did the right thing calling FWC and the state permit holder. Trained staff were able to rescue circa 10 stragglers.

lost or disoriented hatchlings

ghost crab with a snack!

Notice the disoriented hatchlings; they have traveled further -- towards human-made lights -- than it would have been to go to the sea! And by travelling extra distance on the beach they are subject to more hazards, including being snatched and eaten by birds, or in this case a ghost crab. Guess we all need to eat!

For state records, 3 days after hatching the nest is 'inventoried' or has a nest evaluation. 86 eggs were found of which 81 hatched. With ~10 rescued and tracks indicating most made it to the water in the end, albeit by an energy-depleting circuitous route, this was a successful nest! 86 eggs is on the lower end of nest sizes and 50 days incubation a bit fast but it all depends on the sun and the sand and the rain . . .

Obstacles on the beach are also hazards -- chairs, trash, sandcastles, holes . . . Notice

this hole near the nest which could have caught out a mama turtle (who would not be able to get out) or swallowed the hatchlings. Easily rectified if beach goers would just fill in holes and take their stuff home. 

Remember Flat, Clean, Dark.

And further along our beach . . . "In Belleair Shore, beach owners don’t even want sea turtles trespassing" as reported recently in the Tampa Bay Times.