Month: July 2016

As you may know, when a loggerhead nest is found, one egg is sacrificed to get its DNA. The shell membrane contains the DNA of the mother turtle and that, along with the shell, is sent in an alcohol solution to DNR for testing. This test will tell us where the mama has been before and how many times she has laid nests. Female turtles are about 25 – 30 years old when they lay their first nest and can be as old as 50 – 60. Loggerheads lay 4 to 7 nests per season, typically about 14 days apart. They nest for a season then take a year or two off before they begin the cycle again.

Judy Morr periodically analyzes DNA data on seaturtle.org to provide us with some insight on those nesting on Seabrook Island. The following is her most recent report:

• The mama for Nest 5 previously nested in 2013 at Cape Lookout in the Outer Banks.
• Our favorite mama, CC000530 is back! She has laid Nests 1 and 12 this year. So far she has been identified as mama for 19 nests with 17 being on Seabrook and the others on Kiawah.
• Nest 2 was also returning mama CC002058 who has laid 11 nests with 10 on Seabrook and the other on Kiawah.
• Nest 3 is a new mama to Seabrook but she has laid 8 previous nests in prior years on Wassaw, Hunting Island State Park, Kiawah and Edingsville Beach.
• Nest 4 took a long break since her only other nest was in 2012 on Folly.
• Nest 6 was returning mama CC000570 who has laid 14 nests, the last 9 on Seabrook after laying her earlier ones all on Kiawah.
• Nest 10 mama who briefly hid her nest from us, has since laid a nest on Lighthouse Island. In 2013 she laid one nest on Fripp.
• Nest 8 was CC002043’s ninth nest, with the last 3 being on Seabrook. Prior to that she laid on Hunting Island, Kiawah and Pritchard
• Nest 9 mama CC006469 had two prior nests in 2013 on Folly and Kiawah.
• Nest 14 mama CC005131 has 5 nests, all on Seabrook. The other 4 were in 2012.
• Nest 15 mama CC002055 has laid 9 nests with the last two being on Seabrook after laying her earlier ones (in 2011 and 2013) on Kiawah.
• Nest 16 mama CC004832 laid 6 prior nests in 2012 on Pritchard, Wassaw, then 4 on Botany Bay.

The above identified mamas means that only 3 (7, 11 and 13) of our first 16 nests were potentially laid by first time mamas.

Now to our weekly summary:

Monday, July 25 – Zone 1: Kathy and Ron Chamberlain with Nancy Shenton reported a crawl with multiple body pits at the last building for Camp St. Christopher. Bill Nelson responded and found Nest #58. Nest #12 also had more tracks from it and is scheduled for inventory tomorrow.

Zone 2: Nests 9 and Nest 16 boiled with indentations on 13, 18 and 20. Nest 13 had boiled on Friday and no additional tracks were seen.

Zone 3: Nothing new to report. Crab holes on nests 14 and 50.

Zone 4: Nest #15 had more tracks out of it (previously reported as boiled on Saturday). Nest #22 is starting to get sand build up so PHAT needs to monitor carefully. Nest #48 has lots of crab tracks.

Inventory Report

Nest # 3 was found by Alison Bowers, Tory Kindley, Pat and Bob Derajtys and Sandy MacCoss. It hatched in 62 days. There were 60 eggs in the nest.

Shells 56 Hatch & emergence success 91.8%
Unhatched eggs 4
Dead hatchlings 0
Live hatchlings 0
Total live 56

Good Nest 🐢😊

Continue reading “Turtle Patrol Weekly Summary 7/31/16”

Piping Plovers Have Returned to Seabrook Island’s North Beach

This weekend (July 22-25, 2016), Aija Konrad spotted, and Ed Konrad photographed, what may be our first two Piping Plovers returning from the north. As Janet Thibault advised at the June SIB meeting, we could expect to see them return later in July. In reporting the sightings on eBird, Aija learned that these Piping Plovers are quite special and of great interest. They were banded in the Bahamas in 2015, and are being closely tracked by the Bahamas Shorebird Conservation Initiative, in conjunction with US Fish and Wildlife and the National Audubon Society.

These Piping Plovers have pink flags on their upper right legs identifying them as 47 and OJ. Aija and Ed saw 47 for only one day in the protected bird area on North Beach. On the other hand, OJ has been seen the past three days at low tide on North Beach.
Here’s what we’ve learned about these plovers from Matt Jeffery, Deputy Director & Director for the Caribbean International Alliances Program, National Audubon Society, Washington D.C.  Pink Flag OJ was banded November 27th 2015 in the newly created Joulter Cays National Park, just north of Andros Island in the Bahamas. The Banding Team was from Bahamas National Trust, National Audubon, Virginia Tech and USFWS.

Piping Plover “OJ” seen on North Beach of Seabrook Island July 23-25, 2016 – Aija & Ed Konrad (photo #1)

OJ was hanging out in Maine for the breeding season, and reported seen on this past May 23 on Fortune’s Rocks Beach, Maine and on the 20th of June on Parsons Beach, Kennebunk, Maine where she was reported to be female nesting. Unfortunately, her nesting attempt was unsuccessful. At Laudholm Beach, Wells, Maine, in a flock of about 20 other Piping Plovers, she was again seen.  Hopefully she may be seen on the Joulter Cays this October when the area is surveyed.

Pink Flag (47) was banded 5-Feb-2015 in the Berry Islands, the Bahamas at a place called Ambergris Cay just south of Great Harbor Cay. This area is the second most important site in The Bahamas for Piping Plover with approximately 7% of the Atlantic breeding population there each winter. The banding team included, National Audubon, Bahamas National Trust, Virginia Tech and USFWS. Currently Audubon is working with BNT and the Government of the Bahamas to make the area a new protected area for birds and marine life.

Piping Plover “47” seen on North Beach of Seabrook Island July 22, 2016 – Aija & Ed Konrad (photo #2)

#47 has also been reported:July 3, 2015 Elizabeth A. Morton NWR, NY; on July 16, 2015 – South Point Ocracoke. Cape Hatteras NS in North Carolina by Virginia Tech shorebird team; 5/10/2016 – Wade’s Beach Shelter Island, NY; 29-May-16 – Otis Pike Wilderness Area, Long Island NY.

We hope you will take time to grab your binoculars and walk along North Beach to search for our celebrity visitors OJ and 47. Be sure to let us know if you see them.

-Submitted by Nancy Brown, SIB Communications
Written by & Photographs by Ed & Aija Konrad, SIB Board Members