The Seabrook Island Turtle Patrol has scheduled the inventories of two nests for Wednesday September 3, beginning at 7:30 am. The first nest is nest 41i which is located about 120 yards south of the large cross at Camp St. Christopher. Following this inventory, the team will move to nest 28 which is located about 90 yards south of the “ no dogs off leash” sign at the Camp. Boardwalk 9 is the nearest beach access for both inventories.
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!
-Submitted by Jane Magioncalda for SI Turtle Patrol
(Image credit: Seabrook Island Turtle Patrol)