What a great blog!

Yea! Boyd found our first nest this morning.It is located in section D. We moved the nest since it was in between a couple of wrack lines and found 105 eggs. The nest was deep, 16" to top of clutch and 26" to bottom. Sheree found the eggs!! Track width 36".

Tks to Karen, newly trained this morning, for calling all volunteers while I picked up supplies. It was great that so many of our volunteers were able to make it down for the excitement. Thanks to everyone that helped- We had approx. 17 volunteers show up!!

Actually some visitors watched here emerge last night. They knew enough to keep their distance, did not take pics and let her nest with the intent of calling somebody this morning.

Day 55 - July 29th

Wow - can you believe it???H-2 found this morning by Mary and Lana first time) in section B. If you could have seen this nest - you would understand why I am so Proud of Mary and Lana. Mary called not sure if it was indeed a nest. It was at the waters edge (high tide this morning) with no tracks to speak of but they recognized the nest area!!! Because of the tide moving in we had to move fast and look for possible eggs(no one was called - sorry)We found them pretty quick and as we were moving the waves crashed in our nest. Luckily we did not lose any - had to bail out the nest - it was pretty exciting. Anyway good job by our volunteers.

104 eggs
Day 55 - 7/30

Another reason to be on the beach early with high tides in the morning. If these turtles keep nesting so close to the water I am sure we will miss some. This nest was found about 6:20 a.m. but another 15 minutes and it would have been washed over.

Lisa

Hey Everybody,
Today, patrol was late getting out due to the storm on Fort Morgan. When they finally did they had a busy morning. First they found what appeared to be a nest in front of the Indies/Dunes. Rebecca and Molly started looking for the eggs. Ann was walking with a friend and came upon the girls. So Ann called Chuck they helped the girls look for the eggs. They didn't find any eggs but the area looked so much like a nest that they made the decision to mark off a large area. (according to protocol) This was labeled false crawl #7, but we will be watching it closely in about 55 days (Aug 4TH). The crawl width was 32" and what appeared to look like the nest area was 38' from the wrack line. Thanks Ann and Chuck, you were troopers!!
Patrol continued on and about 1/2 mile east of false crawl #7 they found another false crawl. It was in between the Indies and Fort Morgan Condos. The crawl width was 36". This was false crawl #8. This one looked like a false crawl.
Then patrol found nest #6. It was 1 mile east of the boardwalk at mobile street, on the refuge. Momma turtle laid the nest halfway between the dunes and the water. A good high location, so the nest was not moved. The crawl width was 38". Way to go girls!!! So far I think Molly is ahead by one nest. All in all it turned out to be a pretty good day, because with the rain, I'm sure the track were hard to see. Let keep on turtle dancing and Steph, before you leave town spread some extra mojo!! We want lots of babies!!!
Thanks,


P.S. notice that all three crawl were different width. woo-whooo!!!!

Hi, fellow team leaders!

I know that this has made the rounds already (while I was out of town) – but I wanted to make it official. West Beach 2 found a nest!

Priscilla found it! Many, many thanks to Jerry, Sherry and June for helping out with the relocation. If it wasn't for some great detective work from visitors the nest might not have been found - she nested under the corner of a canopy tent. Details: Track Width- 28" (could be a Kemp's?) Eggs- 130 (2 were broken) Relocated to 18' from bottom of dune.

Congratulations to our new team members Jan and Tammy for finding the nest this morning. We did not call everyone due to the lightning storm in the Gulf - we needed to document, find the eggs, and relocate as quickly as possible.

We suspect that this may be a Kemp's Ridley nest for the following reasons:

the crawl is only 28 inches wide
the nest area is only 3-feet wide and 5-feet long
there are a large number of footprints throughout the crawl (in some places 3 sets of footprints on top of each other (suggesting a significant time lapse)
there are only 52 eggs in the nest

Hey Everybody,
Today Blaine and our newbie Becky, along with Rebecca found not one, not two, but 3 false crawls!!woo-whoooo!!! (You go girl). The first one looked like she nested so they dug for eggs. Jan and Rolly who live right there, seen them and came down to help. Thank you guys!!! They didn't find any eggs but they did mark it off. This false crawl was east of the boardwalk at Mobile Street. The second one was about a mile farther down and the third one was just a little ways past it. the crawl width were 36'', 36'' (could be the same turtle) and 39''. Ya'll keep on dancing and spreading the mojo! The season is just getting started!!
Thanks, Debi

Hey Everybody,
Today the team was busy. Jean and that newbie Jim (also my Mom and Dad) were on the patrol with Rebecca and found not one but two nests. What the old saying "Beginner Luck". The team found the first nest down on the refuge (fort morgan unit). The crawl width was 36". The nest was laid close the the water so they decided to move the nest. Jim found the eggs and there were 88 eggs in this nest.
The second nest was found and the crawl width was 34''. This nest was also moved and again Jim (lucky dog) found the eggs. This nest had 111 eggs. Way to go team!!! Now I think Rebecca is ahead of Molly on finding the most nest. I think the turtle dancing and the mojo spreading is working so keep on doing it. Hey, what ever works!!!
Thanks,

Hey Everybody,
Today (6/18) the patrol found nest #9 for Fort Morgan. Diane from the Daphne Office got to ride along so it was her first time. Today was Bennis first nest to find also. Bennis has been with the program a long time so she was real excited. Rebecca drove, so with Bennis and Diane's help they found nest # 9. It was 1/2 way between the drop off point and the big green house. It was 18' from the wwrack line so the nest was moved to higher ground. They dug for about 30 or 40 minutes before Becca found the eggs. 107 eggs were found! The crawl width was 30''. Congratulation Girls!!! Job well done!! All these first timer are killing me. I'm so excited for them!!! We are going to have a busy season! Woo-whoooo!!!

Hey Everybody,
You guessed it! We have nest #10. Molly drove and Margie ("A Newbie") and Sharon V. rode to help find this nest. It was just about where the false crawl was yesterday, but this time she came out of the water a lot farther. The track width was 36'' (same as yesterday, might be same turtle?). She laid the nest 48' from the wrack line so they didn't move the nest. It was 1/4 mile east of Martique on the refuge. Molly found the eggs. Congratulations ya'll!! What did I say about these "newbie". Everybody keep on dancing and spreading the mojo because it seem to be working!!

Congratulations to Tommie on finding her first nest this morning in section D. Bonnie and Tommie made several phone calls and thanks to them, Angie, Christine, Lynda and Gwen for finding the 98 eggs and relocating the nest. Thanks also to Jason for helping with the nest, finding the least tern egg and moving the stuck vehicles!!! I'm sorry I missed all the excitement buy I am very proud of our team for a job well done!!! GO ORANGE BEACH!!!

Patty found our third nest of the season, located about 700 feet east of the "middle" boardwalk (directly across from Caribe Resort building B. The crawl was 34-inches wide, and the nest was located 37 feet from the wrack line.

Momma turtle came in about 10-feet, turned east, walked about 20-feet, and turned back to the water. Hitting the water she turned around, and went north again for about 40-feet and made a turn back toward the south for 5-feet and laid her eggs. She then followed her own crawl for a portion of the journey back into the Gulf.

She must have gotten tired with the crawling. She did not dig a deep enough hole to hold her eggs. Patty found the first 2 eggs were just under the surface, broken, and collapsed. The clutch was found less than 5-inches deep, and the top portion of the clutch was wider than the main cavity. We found 127 viable eggs, and relocated the nest since it was too close to the wrack line, and too shallow.

Attached are copies of the Data Sheet and the Crawl Diagram. Photos will follow.

Rob

On Saturday (6/21) I received a call from John at 5:10, he found a nesting turtle. She came in from the east, encountered kite string, bumped between two chairs, where she made her first body pit, which appeared to be in the middle of someone's sculpture, went aprox. 20 ft. north, another body pit, where John found her. She laid there for about 30 min. Slowly took off behind a row of chairs, couldn't make it through, stopped, rested, tried to continue, her flippers were going, but she wasn't moving. I feared a stranded turtle, called Mike. Meanwhile, Susanna & Kate tried to coax it to the water, she finally made it. Her track width was 26 ", a young thing. She exited the beach west, but was headed east, so watch out Kelly, Lisa, Livelys, and Balmuts, you may get OUR turtle.

This is John's first year, and what a great job he did, marking and staying with her. Thanks to Kate,(the artist, great crawl diagram) Claude, Susanna, Leigh & husband, Mike, and of course John. Great job everybody, and sorry Betty, she walks every day, just got back in town, and walked later than usual and missed the whole turtle business. I've attached some pictures, and will send videos of her making it to the water, poor tired mama.

Beautiful morning, fish jumping, dolphins jumping, what a wonderous world we live in!

Nest #11, June 21st, 2008

Hey Everybody,
Sorry this is so late but had a real busy day! The good news is that we have a new nest! Today, Rebecca rode with Blaine and Priscilla (her first ride on patrol) and they found a nest. The crawl width was 27''. The nest was real close to the wrackline so it was moved. Blaine found the eggs! Way to go guys!! 102 eggs were relocated. I'm so proud of everybody and the great job everyone is doing!! We'll just keep on spreading the mojo and doing the turtle dance!!!

Yesterday, Pat and Jean found nest G-2! It was one of the most unusual nest I have ever seen. It was pretty close to the water, so we decided to move it. Pat found the eggs and as we started to remove them, we discovered that there were two egg chambers side by side!!! Very interesting... Anyway, we moved 118 eggs and when we put them into the new location, we added a specially designed camera that will hopefully allow us to see the babies hatch and make their way to the surface (thanks to Bill!)

Fort Morgan has nest #13 on 6/23/08
Hey Everybody,
Can you believe this!! Four Days in a row!!! Sorry Jan and Rolly about the problem with the 4-wheeler, but everything is fine now. Today Becca found nest #13. It was on the refuge at Fort Morgan. About 1 mile east of the point. Momma Turtle laid her nest 1' from the wrackline so the nest was moved. Rebecca found 121 eggs! The crawl width was 30''.
Rebecca then found a false crawl at 6558 Seashell Dr. Remember, this is close to the Kemp's Ridley nest. The crawl width was 27''. Just a false crawl thou, no nest attempt at all.
Congratulations to Alabama Point and Gulf State Park also on finding their nest today. Gulf State Park had an unusual nest with two nest chambers so with the help from our "great inventor" Bill (I think this man is so smart and I love his inventions), they are putting a camera down in second chamber. Maybe this way we can see what goes on down there. Wouldn't that be awesome!!! They had to move the nest, so they found 118 eggs.
Alabama Point also had to move their nest and they found 127 eggs!! Congratulations to everybody!!! We'll keep on spreading the mojo and turtle dancing. Ain't this Fun!!

Rick found nest # B-2 yesterday (6/23)! This nest was as difficult to locate as B-1, eerily similar, under the canopy, same same. It takes a good eye to notice 3 turtle tracks under hundreds of footprints! 129 eggs were successfully relocated. Way to go gentlemen! Thanks to Jerry and Adrian for the assist. I aplogize if I forgot anyone.

Ahoy! Orange Beach had nest #4 yesterday (6/23). Due to unusual circumstances, we investigated and moved the nest in the afternoon rather than the morning. The night before, two young men (Sam and Casey) saw mother turtle on shore and dutifully watched without disturbance. They said she was pretty large (the tracks were very tread on by the time we got there so it was difficult to tell just HOW big, but we estimated about 38”) and it took her almost two hours to complete the job. Gwen got there first (you’ll have to ask her how she found the nest amidst the slew of tourists, it’s pretty amazing) and began to dig for eggs, found two all by themselves right underneath the sand, then nothing. When the rest of us came, we began to do our thing with the help of some quickie volunteers. We did find the rest of the nest, and there were 103 eggs including the stranded two. We guessed she dropped them as she drew to completion of covering the nest. Relocation was inevitable as the eggs were rather close to the surf, but everything was successful. A big thanks to everyone that helped, it was long work with limited volunteers (let yourselves be known on the turtle blog), and Gwen did a great job as team leader despite her injured wrist and a cut from the predator wire. This was a tough one, but awesome!

Hey Everybody
Can you believe this!! Five days in a row!! Molly said we didn't break our streak yet! wooo-whooo!! Today (6/24) Molly with Chan along found nest #14. The nest was laid 22' from the wrackline but the girls decided that it was in the best location for that part of the beach, so the nest was not moved. The crawl width was 32''.
I did a little looking back and at this time last year we had only four nest. Of course last year was a little slow getting started but we ended up with 22 nest by the end of the season.
In 2006 by June 19th we had 4 nest and we ended up with 25 total nest. Just thought you might find this information interesting.

We have had more excitement on East Beach this week than in all the years I've worked East Beach. I received a call from Kate at 5:28, she found the crawl and nest, (probably the most perfect crawl and body pit) located aprox. 200 yards east of the Royal Palms Condos toward the Gulf State Park Pier. She came in from the east, traveled aprox. 150 yards west, headed back toward the water, nested, make her exit west. Her track width was 36'. The nest was 26' from the wrack line, the nest was moved. The eggs were located by Claude, within minutes after we started digging. 90 beautiful eggs! A big thanks to Kate, Claude, Susanna, Peggy, Hap and the group working with Kelly at the State Park. We missed you John, finder of last weeks turtle! Thanks to Claude, finder of the eggs, who treated us to coffee and donuts, and an alligator sighting after.

Nest #15 June 27th,2008

Hey Everybody,
After a couple of days off the turtles decided to give us another nest! Guess they thought I needed a break from my computer. Today, Claudia, Sonja and Sharon V. found nest #15. The track width was 36" and Momma turtle laid the nest 9' from the wrackline so they moved the nest. They found 89 "small" eggs. Congratulations to the girls (I think they have already found other nest before so keep up the good work!!!). Lets keep on spreading the mojo and turtle dancing!!!!

Saturday 6/28
What a week for East Beach, 2 in a row!!! I got a call at 2:41, two tourist found the turtle laying her eggs, saw the tears and heard her groans. She was large and they said she had huge barnacles all over her. Her track width was 44'. She came in from the east, over a sand sculpture, nested, made her exit west. 111 eggs were relocated, she was 12 feet from the wrack line, when we left her tracks were washed away. Thanks to Peggy, Pat and his son-in-law to be (from AK) for their help. Good job!

Hello all!

We found nest #2 on West Beach II this morning (6/30) (I say “we”- Priscilla is the one who actually found it. It’s her third nest this season, and this is her first year!). The nest was way below the wrackline- so we moved it. 134 eggs- 40 inch track width- almost directly in front of the tower near the cut.

Good Morning!
Standing from the waters edge a slingshot shaped track was spotted by Kathy around 6 a.m. today (7/1). The mother turtle came in from the east then straightened her crawl to climb the embankment, came right back down over her tracks and veered west to the water. Eggs were found nearly dead center of the sprayed over area, 15 inches deep. Tracks were 36" wide. These large eggs were laid 48 feet from the wrack line and at a nice elevation and were not disturbed. B-3 is situated 2 houses east of Hakuna Matata. Thanks to Kathy and also to Jim, Jan & Ken, their grandson Matt, Howard, & Jerry (who fell for the old buried golf ball trick, hahah!) for the assist. What a way to start the day!

Incredible morning today, guys. Black clouds were rolling in with impressive lightning and prevented as early a walk as we wanted, but it cleared up eventually. Kelly and I were accompanied by Debbie and her son Adam (13) of whom most of you know, and what a find! We found a nest 150 yards east of the pier-in-progress, 32 inch track. We decided not to move the nest which was 30 feet from the high tide line, so the egg number is unknown. Afterwards we found no less than 3 false crawls, all of them had beautiful evidence of body pits. We’ve got some pregnant mothers out there, so it’s only a matter of time! Good luck everyone, find us more nests!

-Sam

Nest A # 16 and false crawl #22
July 3rd, 2008

Hey Everybody,
Today Joan and Kate rode with Claudia and they had a busy day. First they found a false crawl with not one but two body pits and an area that looked promising. It was 1/2 mile east of the drop off point on the refuge. The crawl width was 34". They dug and dug but didn't find any eggs. Claudia said those girls did a heck of a job. They may go back later and dig some more. The area was in a great location, so if it is a nest, it will be O.K. They did mark off the area. This was labeled false crawl #22.
Then patrol found nest #16. The crawl width was 36". Momma Turtle laid this nest right on the wrackline so they had to move the nest a little to the west and up higher from the wrackline (close to a vacant lot). Claudia found the eggs (you go girl) and they moved 100 beautiful eggs!!

Nest A #17, July 4th

Hey Everybody
Couldn't get to the computer last night so this information is a little late getting out but it still counts. On the 4th of July we found nest #17. It was in front of the Plantations. The crawl width was 36' and Momma Turtle laid it about 7' from the wrack line so we moved the nest. She made a figure 8. Kelly and I were riding with Claudia. Man can she drive that thing! We went though one heck of a maze, but our great driver kept us close to the water. We were almost on top of the nest when we spotted the crawl. Claudia found the eggs (she is getting good at that). We move the nest to the north and found 94 beautiful eggs. Kelly has been with us a while and has rode several times but has never found anything, so she was excited. I took a few pictures and hope to send them out to everyone soon. Let keep on turtle dancing and spreading the mojo!

Nest A #18 and False crawl #23
July 6th, 2008

Hey Everybody,
Today Patrol found us a false crawl and a nest, wooowhoo!!! Kate and Claude L. rode with Becca. They found false crawl #23. Momma Turtle came out of the water and crawl though a tent and then over a big pile of sand. The patrol decided to make sure it wasn't a nest mound so they did some digging but they didn't find any eggs. I think they just like to dig in the sand but then so do I. The crawl width was 34".
Then patrol then continue on and they came across some more tracks. This time they found some eggs!! wooowhooo!!!! Claude found the eggs, way to go Claude!! The crawl width was 34'' also (maybe same turtle). The nest was laid 26' from the wrack line so the nest was not moved. They thought it was in a pretty good location. So guess we'll have to see how many when they come out (I can't wait cuz that the best part). Thanks to the patrol and congratulations Guys, Great Job!!

Nest B-5 from Laguan Key
July 6, 2008

We are on a roll here folks. Howard found B-5 this morning, making 3 nests in this block now. The crawl pattern resembled the B-4 pattern and both tracks were 36" wide. Let's hope she comes again and again. Howard also found 2 false crawls. Back to B-5- 89 or 90 eggs were relocated from the high wrack line to a safer elevation. There was probably at least a ton of sand moved from the nesting area. Our diggers got a good workout, thanks Adrian & Rick & Howard & Mr. Jerry (not to be confused with Pompano Jerry) Good luck tomorrow!

Here is an interesting video of a fox family playing near some homes in West Beach.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5vZSR4BLBr8

At 6:15 a.m today, Pompano Jerry found B-6. The track was 43 inches wide and the crawl is simply incredible. If you get a chance go look. It's 120 ft wide, 97 ft deep with lots of twists and turns. We'll be getting some fantastic photos from Tom Dodd shortly. 101 large eggs were moved north of the wrack line. Thanks to Barney, Rick, Priscilla & Tom, Howard, moi, and of course Jerry for coming out to assist. What a great way to start the day! Have a good one!

Hey Everybody,
It's me again! Wooo-whoooo!!! Today patrol found nest A #19. Ann and Chuck rode with Molly and they found us a nest. It was close to A-12. Just east of it, so you can see both nest. It was on the refuge. Momma turtle came up and laid her nest in a small area and went right back in. I think she knew what she was doing. Get in and get the job done and back in to the water! Her crawl width was 37''. She laid it 6' from the wrack line so they moved the nest. 122 beautiful eggs were found. Molly found the eggs in the first hole she dug! That's the way it should be but I never do have that happen to me! Congratulations to the team and keep up the good work!!!
You know what I think? Maybe, just maybe these turtles know we are babysitting the eggs, so they are laying them close to the water so we'll do all the work of getting them higher up on the beach! What do ya think? Sound like a good idea to me but what ever they have in mind is O.K. with me!! We'll just keep on spreading our mojo and turtle dancing the night away!!!

East Beach Nest #-3 7/8/08
We may have our 3rd nest. Mike got a call from security at the Lighthouse Condos, a little boy was digging in the sand and uncovered eggs. Don't know how long the eggs were there, but we went out yesterday evening and dug for three hours and never found them. We marked off a large area and will keep checking it. Thanks to all who helped, Mike, Peggy, Claude, Kate, Sandy from West Beach 1, tourist Joan, Evan a boy scout from Virginia, Don and the other children, boy can those kids dig

Nest # 20 and #21
July, 9th, 2008


Hey Everybody,
Can you believe it!! Patrol found two nest this morning. Steph and Becca were on patrol and found them right off the bat. The first one (#20) was 1/4 mile west of the drop off point the track width was 36''. It was 16' from the wrack line, so they moved the nest. Ninety-six wonderful eggs were moved!! There was no obstruction, so she basically went in and came back out.
The next nest (#21) was just west of nest #20. The track width was 32". There was no obstruction, but she did crawl around a bit after she nested. She laid this nest 29' from the wrack line but the girls couldn't find any higher ground that was dry. Every time they dug they hit water, so they left the nest where it was. I can't wait to see how many come out when the nest hatches!! Lets keep on dancing our turtle dance, and spread lots of mojo!! I think its working and I love it!!
Thanks and see ya on the beach!!

Thanks to Sam and Casey, the two young men that helped the Orange Beach team locate H-4. Let us hear from you if your keeping up!

Also, if the Auburn University students are reading this blog, please tell us what you saw at the nest site in front of the Enclave Condos in Orange Beach on 6/29 marked with loungers and a blanket. We never found the eggs!

Nest A-#22 July 11, 2008

Hey Everybody,
Today patrol found us another nest! Cindy and Steph rode with Molly. They found our nest it was laid on the wrackline so the nest was moved. Molly found the eggs and they moved 85 eggs. The track width was 36". I told Steph to spread some more of her mojo and I think its working! So if we keep on dancing our turtle dance then we'll get lots of nest.
Thanks,

Adrian found B-8 about 7 a.m. this morning near the end of his walk of sections 2 & 3. The nest happened to be Donna and Dennis' beach house. Dennis told me that the last time a nest was found at that particular site was in 2000.
Mama Turtle did a fine job of hiding her nests having dug out 3 areas along her route. Howard located the eggs. Barney and Adrian moved 141 eggs to higher ground. Assisting were Maxine, Becky, Sherry, Priscilla and (our photographer) Tom. Her crawl measured 31" wide. The tracks were similar to B-7 in width and pattern and as to the location of eggs. The depth to top of the clutch in both nests was 11 inches. How about that!

We are going to have another evening Turtle Watch Tuesday. The moon will be bright. Everyone is invited to participate. I myself plan to watch the 1900's block and Dennis will watch Laguna Key. Let me know if you are interested and what area you would like to watch.

Thanks for all you do!

Hey everybody!
What a day patrol had on Saturday, 7/12 (sorry this is late)!! Patrol saw some tracks and that's where the story begins...Jean, Maxine, and our faithful driver, Becca, spotted the tracks, which had a 35" track width, so they started looking and couldn't see anywhere she might have returned to the water. So they started following her tracks. They went past some sand fencing, over several dunes, over a bale of hay, around a house, across a driveway, and there she was, under a truck! Totally lost! While Jean stayed with Momma Turtle, Becca and Maxine went to check out the nest which was 26' from the wrack line. They found them! Nest #23!! So Jean and Maxine relocated 92 eggs while Becca and Molly (who showed up later with the camera) along with Byron (who was also called to the scene) and some stong tourist carried Momma Turtle back to the water. They carried her a while, stopped and rested because she was very heavy, and carried her some more. When they got close to the wrack line, they released her and she crawled back into the water on her own. I know she was glad to be back into the water.
Now, for the rest of the story...Becca, Jean, and Maxine continued on and they found what they thought was a false crawl at 6544 Seashell Dr. The track width was 31" and there was no obstructions. They dug for a while with no luck, and with a storm starting to get close, they decided to leave it and mark as a false crawl. After they left, some visitors continued digging and Colton found the eggs! So, Molly and Becca returned later to mark off nest #24. It was 42' from the wrack line, so it was not moved.
Back to the story...about the time Becca, Jean, and Maxine got to the Beach Club, they had a problem with the Polaris. Now, let me refresh your memory. Maxine is fairly new to the program, but she has rode three times and three times the Polaris has broken down. On top of all of this, when she looked down, she had lost a shoe. When Jean called me they were laughing so hard, I started to ask her what was in their coffee! Claudia finished the patrol from the other end, so we did patrol the entire area.
Maxine, stuff does happen, so don't worry, we'll let you ride again. Just bring along an extra pair of shoes cuz we don't know which one you'll lose!
Thanks to everyone for a great job and to Byron for coming to help get Momma Turtle back into the water and to Colton Walker and the Walker family for finding the eggs on nest #24. We'll keep you informed on the result of the hatching.
WOW, what a day!

Hey Everybody,
Today (7/14) Molly drove Phyllis and Jackie (newbie) and as you guessed we had beginningers luck or maybe our dancing and mojo spreading is really working because patrol found Nest #25! The crawl with was 35" and she laid it 66' from the wrack line so the nest was not moved. Jackie our newbie even found the eggs. She was so excited! good foryou Jackie way to go!
We also had a false crawl just east of Martinique It was a crazy false crawl that went parallel to the beach. It came in and out of the water and made a couple of loops. This was false crawl #26.
Another one of those crazy days but congratulations to the girls, they did a great job!!

Last night Mike got a call on the Hot line that said we had a turtle on the beach. He called me at 9:30 and I called Steph (I also made a few more calls that I had in my head but no one answer). Mike and Steph got to see the Momma nesting!! I am so jealous!! A little girl named Abby, about 8 years old was on the beach with her cousins and saw what she thought was a big float, so she start over there to get it, when it moved! Terrified she ran to where she was staying and got her Dad and brother Mathew (who is 10). Mathew went to a nest that was near there and got the number to the hot line. They call the hot line and talk Steph and Mike in to the direction of the turtle. She was hard to see as she had thrown a lot of sand over her body. After she had nested Mike found the eggs and marked them for patrol to find in the morning.
This morning I got to ride with Katie B, and Claudia did a brilliant job of driving us! It was an awesome morning. Our first false crawl #27, was just east of the drop off point. She made a basic figure eight and her crawl width was 38".
The second false crawl was just on the water edges and a very small horseshoe shape, with a crawl width of 24". We almost missed this one.
Then we found nest A#27! It was a prefect crawl and nest area. Katie found the eggs right away! The eggs were only 7" deep, and the crawl width was 34" there was 122 eggs but the BIGGEST!! ghost crab you have ever seen got into one of them. And I mean he was huge! This nest was laid on the wrackline so the nest was moved.
Then we found nest A#28. I was worried we would miss it, as with all the other activity, it was starting to get late and there were a lot of people on the beach. But we found it and Mike's marker he put there last night was still there, so we found the eggs right away. Mike told me last night that the turtle was huge and he was right! Her crawl width was 42"! She nested 8 ft from the second wrackline and on a good high spot so we did not move the nest. This nest was at the end of Sea Shell Drive. The people that saw her nest were so nice and did a fantastic job of contacting us and we want to thank them. So thank you everyone!!!

Nest A#29 and A#30
July 19th, 2008


Hey Everybody,
Yesterday, (7/19) Cindy and Cortney (a newbie) rode with Molly and they found a nest (#29). The crawl width was 33" and she nested 20' below the wrack line. Our "newbie" Courtney was on her first ride and she also found the eggs! 120 eggs were relocated.
Then patrol found another nest! This one was east of the boardwalk at Mobile Street on the refuge. The crawl width was 38'' and she laid it 52' from the wrack line so they did not move the eggs. I guess with all the nest findings, we'll have to say Courtney is if officially trained! And on her first ride ! Congratulations Girls!!! Great Job and well done!!!
Hope you Guys enjoy Steph's story! Thanks.

Steph's Story 7/19/2008
"Oh what a night..." Thanks to your phone call Thursday night, Deb, I was able to witness one of the most amazing moments of my life: I witnessed a mother sea turtle nesting, laying eggs, and returning to the sea!

When I got to the beach where the turtle was nesting, she had thrown sand over her entire back and was almost completely camouflaged. I would have missed her if not for directions of the father-daughter team who first spotted her. Once I found her, I kept a discreet distance and quietly watched her as she was finishing the process of laying and covering her eggs. Every now and then she would put her head down to rest in the sand. As Mike arrived, she began her turn and slowly heaved herself back towards the water. She was oh so big and beautiful! Of course, by this time I had tears streaming down my face as I was telling her she did a great job and we would look after her babies. When the first waves lapped at her front flippers, she grunted a bit and gave one final push into the water. Suddenly this cumbersome behemoth was light as a feather, streaking through the dark waters in a flash as she headed back out to sea. The moon was shining so brightly as Mike and I stood and watched her go, as if it was a beacon calling her home. After we bid her farewell, a few bystanders had gathered so I answered their questions while Mike found the top of the clutch and marked it for the patrol to find. Driving home that night, I kept replaying the scenes over and over in my mind...especially those first few moments when it was just the two of us, turtle and girl, bonded in the silence and the moonlight and this beautiful continuation of the circle of life. Over and over in my mind I thought, "Thank you, sweet mama turtle, for sharing this precious moment with me." And thank you, Deb, for calling me...words can never say enough.

Steph

This morning at the usual hour of 5:45 Adrian found short tracks on the beach. Adrian had walked for Rick this morning, ain't that the luck! Sorry Rick. By the time we arrived he had gotten a good head start on us digging but it was *I* who unearthed the eggs, haha! The mama sea turtle had a track width of 31 inches (again! for the 4th time in a few weeks time). 122 eggs were relocated since she laid her nest only 9 ft from the fresh wrack line. We deduced, well actually, Howard deduced, that we are "smokin them" in actual NPM , that's Nests Per Mile. Thought y'all would like that! ;) B-9- congratulations Adrian and Team.

Nest A #31 July 21st, 2008

Hey Everybody,
Today John and Katie rode with Becca and they found Nest A #31. The crawl width 29". Momma Turtle laid the nest 60' frome the wrack line so the nest was not moved. This was John first ride this year, so congratulations to him and to the girls.
A-1 is starting to have some sound on it and we hope to have some babies soon!!
Congratulations to West Beach on finding a nest this morning!!
Let's keep on spreading the mojo and turtle dancing right on though the hatching season!!!