The Seabrook Island Turtle Patrol has scheduled three inventories for Monday, July 27. Two are scheduled in the morning, and one is scheduled in the evening. Nests 6 and 70i are scheduled to begin at 7:00 am. These nests are located between Boardwalks 6 and 7. Boardwalk 6 would be the better beach access. Nest 17 is scheduled for 6:30 pm. Nest 17 is about 450 yards north of Boardwalk 1, which is the nearest beach access.
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)