The Seabrook Island Turtle Patrol has scheduled two inventories for Tuesday, July 28; one in the morning and one in the evening.
The inventory of nest 18 is scheduled for Tuesday morning at 7:00 am. This nest is located between Boardwalks 6 and 7. Boardwalk 6 is the better beach access. The inventory of nest 15 is scheduled for Tuesday evening at 6:30 pm. This nest is located on North Beach about 900 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)