Seabrook Island Turtle Patrol will inventory Nests 48, 49, and 50 on Wednesday, August 17 beginning at 5:30 pm.
They will start with Nest 50 which is located on North Beach, about 550 yards north of Boardwalk 1. Then they will inventory Nest 49 which is located on North Beach, about 450 yards north of Boardwalk 1.
The team will then proceed to Nest 48 which is located 30 yards north of Boardwalk 3. Boardwalk 1 is the nearest beach access for Nests 49 and 50 and boardwalk 3 is the nearest beach access for nest 48.
Click here to see a map showing the location of the boardwalks.
The timing of this inventory may be modified without notice in the event of inclement weather.
Turtle hatchlings typically emerge from the nest during the night to avoid exposure to daytime predators such as seagulls. This is called a boil because it really does look like a boiling event when the baby turtles emerge all at once from the nest which is a hole in the sand.
About three days after the boil, the Turtle Patrol team performs an inventory. They count the empty shells as well as the eggs that have not hatched for a report to DNR. Sometimes, some of the hatchlings are still at the bottom of the nest and haven’t made it out yet. The inventory team helps these hatchlings down to the water’s edge where they can gather strength for their journey across the ocean. We can’t always promise there will be hatchlings to see, but when there are, it is very exciting!
We expect to continue to perform inventories until all nests are removed from the beach which typically occurs in mid-September.
-Submitted by Jane Magioncalda for SI Turtle Patrol