June, so far, has been an interesting month for the Turtles of Seabrook Island. Some days have been hectic. Some have been stormy, but every day has been an adventure for the early morning walkers. We have seen dolphins strand feeding, Oyster Catchers nesting, and Red Knots continuing on their journey. There have been glorious sunrises, sharks prowling the edges of the shore, and lovely beach goers sharing their experiences with us and learning what they can do to help, such as clearing trash from the beach and filling in holes. Most exciting is that we have four new nests from June 1 through June 14. This brings us to a total of 18 Nests, and the season is just heating up.
The rains on Wednesday, June 4, and Thursday, June 5, brought two Loggerhead Turtles looking for a place to nest, but, unfortunately, they were both declared false crawls. Wednesday’s crawl resulted in a determined effort to check multiple body pits for over an hour. The wind and rain obscured other signs, such as thrown sand and disturbed plant material. Thursday’s false crawl was a simple in and out, but the lovely Melanie Jerome did a fabulous job of channeling her inner Vanna White.
On Saturday, June 7, a momma Loggerhead was attempting to find a place to nest near Camp Saint Christopher, but a coyote was equally determined. Neither the turtle patrol nor the Coyote was successful in locating any eggs. It is possible that the coyotes frightened her away, but at least they weren’t able to predate a nest.
On Sunday, June 8, the dry spell was finally broken when Marnie Ellis, Halie Enzerra, and Jared Crain found Nest 15 near the cross at Camp Saint Christopher. Could it have been the same Turtle that visited that area without success the day before? This momma wasn’t taking any chances and was sneaky when laying her eggs. Instead of the usual location near the body pit and thrown sand, we believe she covered the nest and proceeded to dig five feet away from where the eggs were found! 106 eggs were moved to a safer location above the high tide lines.
On Monday, June 9, a young adult Loggerhead Turtle was found dead in the surf near the rocks at the club. This turtle obviously suffered multiple strikes by a propeller. When boating, please be mindful of wildlife in the area. Manatees and Sea Turtles are both in a precarious position as they tend to stay close to the surface. Manatees feed on sea grass, which needs sunlight, and they enjoy the warmer shallow water. The Sea Turtles stay close to the shore during breeding season so they can rest, feed, and nest. Both of these sea creatures breathe air, which requires them to surface on a regular basis. Sea Turtle Stranding and Salvage Network Operators, Mike Vinson and Gary Holtz, determined the young loggerhead was a victim of a boat strike, and the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR) opted not to have a necropsy performed, and the team was instructed to bury the remains. Assistance was provided by Lesley and Tony Gore, Becky Holditch, and Anne Snelgrove.
On Wednesday, June 11, we had two crawls that we thought were both false, but after nearly two days and multiple efforts to find the eggs, Nest 17 was found on the afternoon of Thursday, June 12. Fortunately, the nest had not been predated by coyotes and was above the high tide line. The nest was left in situ on North Beach. Congratulations to walkers Wendy Holschuh, Lisa McDonald, JoAnne Lewis, and Bev Wall. Unfortunately, due to the delay in locating the nest, we don’t have a picture of the walkers for Nest 17.
Nest 16 was found on Thursday, June 12, by walkers Sandy MacCoss and Nancy Schibler in front of the yellow house near the club. The proximity to the high tide line required that the 92 eggs be moved.
A rainy sunrise on Friday the 13th brought luck to Nancy Shelton, Kim Sparks, Carolyn Adam, and Judy Morr, who found Nest 18 near Boardwalk 6. Signs of this nest and some coyote tracks were partially obscured by the rain, but the intrepid Turtle Patrol Members found the eggs that the coyote didn’t. They moved 122 eggs to higher ground.
Submitted by Anne Snelgrove for Seabrook Island Turtle Patrol
(Image Credit: Seabrook Island Turtle Patrol)