The Seabrook Island Turtle Patrol has scheduled the inventories of nests 22 and 26 for Sunday, August 2, starting at 6:15 pm. Both nests are located between Boardwalks 6 and 7, which are the nearest beach access points.
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!
Seabrook Island Turtle Patrol is acting under a permit issued by the SC Department of Natural Resources MTP# 543.
-Submitted by Jane Magioncalda for SI Turtle Patrol
(Image credit: Seabrook Island Turtle Patrol)