Momma said there'd be (weeks) like this

Nesting in our section of beach seems to be at a standstill. Since my nest on June 19, we have had one false crawl on June 21. Section 3 has increased to 13 nests, and Section 6 is growing also, but in Section 4/5 the turtles are avoiding our busy stretch of beach. The most excitement came last week in the form of a lightning storm as I was beginning my walk and a nest during my visit to Key West on June 30.

The Saddest Nest

I am ecstatic! Two nests in two weeks is just too much! I was even more excited when my section coordinator Emily said they had nests Friday, Saturday, and Sunday of last week, then nothing until my walk this morning. But this nest would change from euphoria to fear very quickly. The strange thing was there wasn't an out track. At first I thought, "Oh, no! She didn't make it out!" As I followed the path, I was hopeful, remembering an earlier story of a false crawl on the north end of the island. We had a turtle earlier this year wander up and down the beach for no apparent reason before returning to the water. However, thankfully, my turtle eventually made it back. Also, thankfully, she was successful...

So why "the saddest nest"? This mom made the usual turn back to the water, but because of our ignorance, she had to drag her 200-300 lb. body at least 100 yd. more than she had to. If an island resident had taken the time to remove his tarp, and if an island business owner would turn out his light -- or at least use a turtle-friendly (red) bulb -- this federally protected species wouldn't have had to work so hard to do what comes naturally. Click the picture below for an idea of how hard this beautiful creature had to work just to make it back to the sea.

A cool sight was in the exit track of the nest. Sometimes, as the turtle leaves the nest, her cloaca (the egg-laying parts) hasn't contracted back into her body cavity, and you can see an imprint on the sand.

SO COOL!

Of course, happiness prevails when you see those little eggs. Also, the unusual track lured several island visitors, including a very nice family from Oklahoma who stayed to the very last measurement and staking of the nest. If nothing else, the ignorance of others gave Emily, Pete, and I a chance to educate a few more reptile-loving people.

I have a nest!

My nest. My name on a nest. It still seems surreal that as I walked the beach today, there it was. A crawl in, a crawl out, and a little lump of sand right at the apex of the two. About 100 feet south I found a false crawl--a pretty cool one because you could see the flipper marks in the wet sand. I was so excited. As an early-morning walker approached, I pointed it out "It's a turtle crawl." He said, "Then you have another up there." I hurried up the beach, expecting another false crawl, but there -- in the middle of the in and out tracks -- was a mound of sand that told me I had a nest. Because loggerhead turtles crawl with an alternating gait, the comma-shaped tracks told me it was a loggerhead nest, which are the most common turtles to nest on Anna Maria Island.
I called the coordinators of my section. "What now," Emily said, since I had just called with the false crawl. "I think I have a nest in front of Martinique North." She could see me from the window of her condo. I had to finish my walk down the beach before I would be able to inspect the nest. She and Pete headed out to the false crawl as I finished my walk.
With nothing else to report, I quickly headed back to the nest. Pete took GPS readings, then we recorded the physical address. Next, I helped Emily measure from the nest site to the dunes, and from the nest to the hide tide mark. All our readings will be added to the Florida Fish and Wildlife database, which is used to track the health of turtles and for decisions, such as development and beach renourishment, that would affect the turtles. Then we had to verify there were eggs in the nest. Emily was excited because she has just started verifying nests. She carefully dug directly above the center of the two tracks.

After digging to hard sand, she started scooping sand to the left. There they were. "You're a momma!" Tears filled my eyes. I don't know why. I just knew I was witnessing something amazing. Ever since last July, when I was fortunate enough to see a turtle nesting--in total darkness for more than an hour--I came to respect the work it takes for a 300 lb. reptile to haul herself up the sand, dig a hole, and try her best to ensure her species continues. And with our help, they just might make it.














After we verified the eggs, Pete brought out the stakes to record the section (4) and nest (#2), the date the eggs were laid (6/12), and the estimated hatch date (8/6), a "V" indicating the nest was verified, and the name of the walker-- ME!
As we were staking the nest, Suzi, AMITW director, came zooming up the beach on her ATV. We were all smiles, as we talked about first nests and amazing people who can locate the eggs with one hand and one try.


Pete staked the nest for protection, and we covered the eggs with sand. Our work was done.










There have been few times in my life I can remember and say "my life will never be the same." Today, I know this is one.

Sand, Trash, and Crabs...

...and in that order. The ghost crabs were out in force today, but they could not outnumber the grains of sand or the armfuls of trash I hauled off the beach. Why would you leave trash less than 5 footsteps from the trash? And why dig a hole big enough for a 300 lb. turtle to be trapped? This is me trying to fill the hole. As Jaime Escalante would say "A negative times a negative equals a positive."

The good news? Three groups of people stopped to ask me about the turtle counts and to express concern for the oil spill. There may be many people who treat the beach as their trash can, but there are even more who love it just as much as I do.