The turtles are back & a-layin'

[MikeJacobs]

I was minding my own business this AM about 1 o'clock, pondering how GREAT it is to live here and wondering why I didn't move 30 years ago, just drinking coffee and smoking good tobacco, when a neighbor waving her arms wildly on the beach caught my eye.

It was Andrea, who has lived on the beach there for a decade and seen many turtles, trying to get me to come down to watch a leatherback lay about 50 yards from my balcony.

We got pics this time... I'll post. She hauled herself up that "cliff" that the rough surf carved in the beach and spent about an hour flippin' sand and looking like... a sea turtle out of water.

Another neighbor and her grandson came down and we quietly let her go about her business until finshed. When she made the turn for the surf (2" breakers) we took a few pictures and somebody (not me) baby-talked her back into the water.

How cool... I can't imagine moving off the beach because this Peter Pan factor gets more significant all the time...

 

[Scuba_Jenny]

Very cool! Mike!

 

[MikeJacobs]

Last night about midnight I went for my walk but didn't get very far - in fact, except for a brief jog back up the roust Marvel and a couple of other neighbors, a BIG turtle had me motionless for about 45 minutes while she went through the egg-laying routine.

It's always nice to watch the turtles, but the really cool thing is to watch the other turtle-watchers. Many last night had never seen it before and the ooh's and ahh's in spite of the turtle's relatively lethargic performance were genuine and inspiring.

Watching a turtle lay eggs is just a few notches above watching surf... it can get boring, especially if you've seen it a few times. But the impression made by my fellow turtle-watchers helped me realize just what I've started to take for granted, and I'm in their debt for it.

 

[chuck41]

What a shame I left just before the turtle races! Oh well, I guess after seeing the "Full Moon" on Tuesday evening there I guess I've seen enough excitement on that beach for the week. Got my pictures back today. Most of them were terrible, but a couple came out pretty nice. Unfortunately Jenny did not make the "nice" group. You can tell something is there, but can't tell what.
Maybe next time I can make the "turtle watch"

 

[munkispank]

I have tried for the last few years to see the turtles on an organised tour- I have either missed the booking time, turned up to be turned away. Is it possible to just head to the beach and watch for them on your own?- I know all the behavior reatrictions, but wasn;t sure if this was something people did

 

[GrierHPharmD]

I have tried for the last few years to see the turtles on an organised tour- I have either missed the booking time, turned up to be turned away. Is it possible to just head to the beach and watch for them on your own?- I know all the behavior reatrictions, but wasn;t sure if this was something people did

Too bad you missed our "turtle tour" a few weeks ago. We didn't find any, but nobody got turned away. Plus, we all had a great time looking for them!

Any idea of the gestation time for turtles? Maybe those of us who missed the laying might be able to see the babies...

 

[MikeJacobs]

Is it possible to just head to the beach and watch for them on your own?

Yes, that's pretty much the way we see them and I can't figure how anybody would be able to do better. I often walk the beach at night and that's when I see them. In maybe 20 walks I've seen 3 that way (all recent). I walk an hour, but I've seen them all within the first 5 minutes between Hibiscus and La Palma in south Lauderdale by the Sea.

I've seen them between 9pm and 3am. Bring a thermos and something comfortable to sit on (you'd think sand is comfortable but it's NOT). Then get a spot by the edge of the shore where you can see a long stretch of beach. Maybe bring a book light and a good book... but you'll probably be lulled to sleep by the surf anyway!

They emerge as dark shapes and once I almost missed one because she was smaller than I expected. If you walk the beach, you can find their trail up the sand - don't mess with their trails because that's the only way the turtle watch can find the nests to protect them.

It may not be worth all the trouble, however. I may be getting jaded, but they're really boring to wach and about as interesting as any basic turtle on the land. You can't get close enough to watch the eggs spill out, of course, and they make no noise.

But then again, it's something to see once... maybe twice before allowing yourself to get jaded lol...

 

[GrierHPharmD]

It may not be worth all the trouble, however. I may be getting jaded, but they're really boring to wach and about as interesting as any basic turtle on the land. You can't get close enough to watch the eggs spill out, of course, and they make no noise.

But then again, it's something to see once... maybe twice before allowing yourself to get jaded lol...

But the omelets ARE delicious...!

 

[GrierHPharmD]

:dazzler1: :dazzler1:

I just thought I'd share a little postscript to our turtle walks and nest sightings at LBTS and Pompano:

Last night, I took my family out to the Greene Street beach access to walk on the beach, away from people and streetlights, and we saw a group of graduate students from Nova Southeastern University releasing baby loggerhead turtles that had hatched from nests up in Pompano, just north of the pier.

We watched for a half-hour or so as they squirmed toward the water, got washed back onto shore, and kept at it until they were carried away.

It was a very special sight, and I was glad to have acted on the whim that took me to the beach at just the right moment. Awe-inspiring!

See you guys soon,
Grier

 

[munkispank]

wow- that is fantastic- how lucky to have been able to see that.