The turtles are back & a-layin'

[metaldector]

We are seeing new nest almost every morning on the shore just south of Sebastian Inlet. The State runs an ATV along the beach just at sun up and marks all the new nest with stakes and red warning ribbon but they don't remove the eggs. About 10 years ago, they used to remove eggs and plant them inside a wire cage at Vero Beach, then someone had to watch for the hatching and put all the little turtles into a bucket and take them down to the surf. That program ended. Now its up to Mother Nature.

 

[MikeJacobs]

SNIP...The State runs an ATV along the beach just at sun up and marks all the new nest with stakes and red warning ribbon but they don't remove the eggs. About 10 years ago, they used to remove eggs and plant them inside a wire cage at Vero Beach, then someone had to watch for the hatching and put all the little turtles into a bucket and take them down to the surf. That program ended. Now its up to Mother Nature.

They still do it the artificial way here in Ft. Lauderdale. All the beachgoers would otherwise abort a lot of turtles! It also makes for fun hatchling watching - very cute. We some that didn't make it washed up occasionally and they're very beautiful critters.

 

[DennisW]

Just one more thing I miss about the Melbourne area. The nesting turtles were very fun to watch. Most of the people in the Melbourne area know how to keep from spooking the turtles.

 

[GrierHPharmD]

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

It's very moving. I'd have given anything to be underwater when the little guys were starting their first swim out to sea!

 

[metaldector]

While anchored out from the beach, we've seen several little turtles swimming like crazy past our boat. Makes you wonder how something that small can grow into a really big turtle later in life?

 

[cra2]

It must be the season.
I opened my front door to find a large red-eared slider digging a whole 2 feet away, in the mulch under my sago palm.
She ignored me and continued her work until it was about a foot deep, then she dropped her eggs, filled it in and took off.
Unfortunately, the nearest body of water is a small subdivision lake we have a view of behind our house.
So, her internal compass told her to head that way - and she did - smack dab into our garage wall. She slid along it like a robot stuck in "go" until she got to the end of the wall, then proceeded forward til she smacked into the next wall.
Feeling sympathy for her, I finally intervened, picking her up and moving her to the back so she could get a straight shot.

I wonder if her babies, in a few months, are going to do the same thing - and head right for my front door since that's between the nest and the water.

I'd move the nest to the back, but I've read that moving turtle eggs is tough to do without killing them. Momma knows the best temp, depth, moisture, etc.

Anyways.. I was fascinated - wished I had a digital camera.
And it made me wonder how the babies will know which way the water is.
Did the mother somehow imprint them with her journey to the nest?
(and therefore, if you moved the nest, their imprinted directions would be off)
Or, do they have a built-in compass of some sort that automatically detects the nearest body of water - regardless of where the nest is?

Watching turtles on the beach, I used to think it had to do with the moonlight and sounds of surf. They detected this stuff and scooted towards the water. But these guys won't be able to see or hear or smell the water - it's not that close, and there are houses between them. And the biggest light they'll see is a lamp post one house away, in the opposite direction of the water.

 

[MikeJacobs]

7:00 AM ... I thought I recognized those tracks but went down just to make sure and YUP, there were three sets within 400 yards. The "turtle lady" was already placing her buckets out so they could relocate the nests.

Naturally, a sea rake ran over them all (hopefully they're deep enough) and an old guy had set his chair up on top of one... probably no damage done. The whole friggin' beach and nobody but a tourist and a sea rake and they hit the nests lol.

Life goes round-and-round, doesn't it? Seems like just last month we were down there with Turtle-Jenny seeing the babys off into that dangerous world of theirs.