Loggerhead Hatchling Rescue - Thank You SCCF Turtle Patrol Volunteers

Sanibel, FL (92 degrees, HOT)

Railroad Vine (blooms in the morning)

We were told of another three day dig of two loggerhead turtle nests and went out early to meet up with the SCCF (Sanibel Captiva Conservation Foundation) turtle volunteer.  Be sure to read our earlier post for more information about loggerheads by clicking this link   Turtle nests are closely monitored on Sanibel and Captiva by a very dedicated group of volunteers.  In this case, the nest had hatched three days ago and the volunteer digs up the nest to monitor certain conditions.  We arrived early and enjoyed walking along the beach.  

Sandwich Terns

Ruddy Turnstones & Black-bellied Plovers

I think my favorite shore bird is the Ruddy Turnstone.  What a busy little bird.  He uses his wedge shaped bill to flip over stones, shells, and debris looking for tasty morsels.  It's fun to watch them flipping over everything within their path.  

We found the nest and waited for Irene to arrive.  She was a little late because a Green Turtle Test had been found this morning.  This is a very rare event.  

Turtle Nest (see depression where hatchling emerged)

Irene quickly started digging and found lots of eggs.  Most of them had hatched. She dug and dug pulling out more and more.  

Eggs which did not hatch

Suddenly a small live hatchling appeared in her hand.  Wow!  It had been trying for three days to get out of the nest and could not find it's way out.  Irene thought it had gotten tangled in some of the roots in the sand. 

Suddenly there were four little hatchlings.  Needless to say the crowd was very excited.  She quickly put them in a dark bucket and added a little bit of sea water and sand to recreate the nest environment. She covered the bucket with a dark towel and told us where they would be released in the evening. Letting them go out to sea now would be too dangerous.  There were lots of shorebirds around looking for breakfast.  Hatchlings leave the nest at night and even with these precautions it's a tough life for them.  It's a very hungry world out there.

The hatchlings were tumbling all over themselves in the bucket and appeared to be very healthy.  Irene said the little turtles would calm down once she covered the bucket.  We decided to return in the evening to bid them farewell.

Our friend, France's picture

Florida Softshell Turtle

As we were driving home we saw this turtle in the middle of the road.  This is a Florida Softshell Turtle and a favorite food for the alligators.  Don't get too close to one of these.  They can bite and are very aggressive.  

Irene returned in the evening exactly as planned.  A small crowd had gathered.  News spreads quickly!

Irene removed the towel and quickly placed the four hatchlings on the sand.  It was off to the races. Instinctively the turtles headed for the ocean and traveled at a very quick pace.

Free at last!

John took this video of the race.

In all our excitement it was hard to get good photographs.  Watching them go out into the water and with just a little uncertainty figuring out how to swim and handle the waves was amazing.  This was one of those moments we will always remember.  Life as a fulltimer sure is good! A special thank you goes out to all the turtle volunteers for helping to save these endangered species.

Turtle Hatching - Sanibel Island

Sanibel, FL (95 degrees, blue skies, HOT)

A nest seen on the beach earlier in the season

One of our friends, France, volunteers with SCCF (Sanibel Captive Conservation Foundation) with the turtle patrol.  During sea turtle nesting season (May-October) over 120 volunteers monitor eighteen miles of Sanibel and Captiva daily identifying and evaluating nests and also monitoring hatches. Earlier in the season we had walked along the beaches checking out the roped off nests. Most of the nests are loggerhead turtles and the babies are now starting to hatch.  

Dan starting to dig out the sand very carefully

France invited us to watch a three day dig this morning.  This means a nest hatched three days ago and tracks were noted by a volunteer leading out to the ocean by the little hatchlings.   Two volunteers, Ann and Dan, arrived to dig up the nest and monitor it's condition.  Detailed records are kept of hatched and unhatched eggs. Sometimes hatchlings are still in the nest and confused by the whole process.  The volunteer will rescue any little turtles and put them in a bucket of sand and water.  This is covered and kept in a dark place until nighttime when the volunteer returns and releases the little ones from the same spot. This project could not exist without the dedication of these wonderful volunteers.  

The hole is very deep

A female loggerhead turtle came out to this area about 60 days ago at night and laid her eggs.  It's interesting to note this mother was born very near to this area too.  Loggerhead females swim around the the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean for 15-30 years before maturing and returning to nest.  They scoop out a large hole with their flippers and lay between 50-175 leathery ping pong ball size eggs. She can lay eggs several times during the season.  

Eggs and remnants are collected for sorting later

As of 8/2/13 there have been 471 nests noted and 75 hatches and counting  The volunteers also identify false crawls.  This is where the female comes up to the beach and starts to dig.  For some reason she decides not to lay her eggs and leaves.  It can be a challenge for a turtle patrol volunteer to determine whether is is actually nest or a false crawl.  There have been 558 identified this season. France is a volunteer who has had additional training and helps with this decision making.

A dig always draws an interested crowd (Ann is wearing the hat)

Today's nest held 58 total eggs.  Ten hatched and one died trying to get out of the egg.  The odds are even more difficult for the hatchlings.  Only one in a 1000 hatchlings lives to maturity.  Nature is tough!

Dan is sorting out the eggs

 Here are a few other interesting facts found on the SCCF website:

• Sea turtles live their entire lives in the ocean, except for the females when she come ashore to nest
• Adult loggerhead sea turtles can be more then three feet long and weight 250-400 pounds
• Female loggerheads come ashore at night to lay their nest
• Hatchlings emerge at night with the natural instinct to go to the brightest horizon.  On natural beaches this is the water reflecting the night sky 
• Sea turtles cannot reverse.  When nesting a female  encounters an obstacle (i.e. sand castles, lawn furniture) she can become entangled
• Hatchling loggerheads weigh one ounce and are two inches long

Sanderling

It was really amazing to watch this dig this morning.  We have learned so much about turtles from our friend France.  Being a turtle patrol volunteer is a great way to spend the summer in Sanibel. To play a  small part in a turtles life must be very rewarding.  

After the dig we went for a short walk on the beach.  It gets hot very quickly now on the beach.  We are sure hoping it cools off soon.  It was fun watching the shorebirds go back and forth along the shore being chased by the waves.