'Twas a turtle day!

For the past 10 days or so, I've been somewhat glum in my morning walks despairing the lack of nests by sea turtles along our beach. This morning I was greeted by three, yes three new nests plus one false crawl. (A false crawl happens when one of these giants comes ashore then turns around and heads back out to sea without making a nest and laying eggs. There are any number of reasons why they do this including not liking the consistency of the sand or being disturbed by lights, noise or other obstacles.)

The top photo is the actual nest set way back in the seaside grasses. Just below that a photo of her tracks to and from the sea. The third photo is the second nest I came across where the turtle made her nest right on the sand. The experts can tell which tracks are coming in or going back out; whether the nester is a green turtle, leatherback or loggerhead by alternating or simultaneous right and left flipper marks; whether there are tail marks visible down the center of the tracks; and by the relative width of tracks indicating the size of the turtle. I'm trying to learn how to better read these marks in the sand. No easy task.

This year I've been concerned about what seems to be fewer nests than in years past, except 2004 when Florida was hit by 4 hurricanes. Though I can find no scientific correlation between number of turtle nests and the number of hurricanes, there are old wives tales and old sea captain's lore that believes the turtles have some kind of instinct that keeps them from nesting where there is a possibility of being destroyed. Animal instincts are often keen in these matters but I have no proof, just conjecture probably peppered with a bit of fear about that inevitable black cloud which hangs over this wonderful paradise where I live. Hurricanes. As the season progresses we will just have to wait and see.

So thoughts of hurricanes aside... there was excitement and joy for me this morning seeing the overnight work of these marine giants. A turtle day, hooray!