It's turtle nesting season! From May 1st - October 31st each year, sea turtles visit Amelia Island beaches to nest, and it's up to all of us to make their visit as safe as possible! During this turtle nesting season, we are introducing "Turtle Talk Tuesday". Every Tuesday, we will provide you with facts about our local turtle population and what is being done to protect them.
This week, Amelia Island Sea Turtle Watch President Mary Duffy has provided a mid-season update on sea turtle activities on Amelia Island.
"It has been an exciting year for sea turtles on Amelia Island. AISTW documented a total of 156 nests, one of which was a very rare Kemp’s Ridley (Lepidochelys Kempii) sea turtle. This is the first time a Kemp’s Ridley has nested on the island. Another rare species documented this season was a leatherback. Records indicate the last Leatherback (Dermochelys Coriacia) nested here in 2018.
The Kemp’s Ridley nest was laid on May 20. No emergence of hatchlings was observed. AISTW waited the required number of days, as determined by FWC, before excavating the nest at 70 days of incubation. 106 unhatched eggs were discovered. There was one other Kemp’s nest in NE Florida this season that was also infertile. Was it the same turtle? We won’t know for sure until genetics results are determined. FWC asks that all beaches that document rare species collect genetic samples at the time of excavation.
The Leatherback nest was a successful nest. It emerged without issues on August 13 after 69 days of incubation. FWC requires a wait of 4 days after emergence to excavate and inventory all leatherback nests. It is one day longer than the other species due to the fact that leatherback nests are extremely deep. The additional day will give the hatchlings a little longer to crawl up the nest for a natural emergence. At the time of inventory, there were 2 dead hatchlings in the nest, 4 live hatchlings. 1 dead pipped (hatchling dead in an open egg), 9 whole unhatched eggs, and 69 shards (empty eggs shells). That means there were 79 total eggs in the nest and 63 emerged on their own and crawled to the water. It was a very successful nest.
Loggerhead nesting is slowing down now and if 2 weeks pass without another nest, we will officially call the nesting season over. We are still hopeful for a green turtle nest. They nest later in the season, but if there hasn’t been a green turtle nest yet, there probably won’t be one.
We will continue to monitor all the nests that are currently incubating and will excavate at the appropriate time. If an excavation is in a location with adequate parking, it will be advertised on the website, www.ameliaislandseaturtlewatch.com, Excavation Schedule page. The public is invited to these excavations.
As it stands right now, 8,098 hatchlings have emerged on their own. There are just under 50 nests remaining to emerge. The island might make it to just under 10,000 hatchlings in 2024. It was a pretty good season!"
This week, Amelia Island Sea Turtle Watch President Mary Duffy has provided a mid-season update on sea turtle activities on Amelia Island.
"It has been an exciting year for sea turtles on Amelia Island. AISTW documented a total of 156 nests, one of which was a very rare Kemp’s Ridley (Lepidochelys Kempii) sea turtle. This is the first time a Kemp’s Ridley has nested on the island. Another rare species documented this season was a leatherback. Records indicate the last Leatherback (Dermochelys Coriacia) nested here in 2018.
The Kemp’s Ridley nest was laid on May 20. No emergence of hatchlings was observed. AISTW waited the required number of days, as determined by FWC, before excavating the nest at 70 days of incubation. 106 unhatched eggs were discovered. There was one other Kemp’s nest in NE Florida this season that was also infertile. Was it the same turtle? We won’t know for sure until genetics results are determined. FWC asks that all beaches that document rare species collect genetic samples at the time of excavation.
The Leatherback nest was a successful nest. It emerged without issues on August 13 after 69 days of incubation. FWC requires a wait of 4 days after emergence to excavate and inventory all leatherback nests. It is one day longer than the other species due to the fact that leatherback nests are extremely deep. The additional day will give the hatchlings a little longer to crawl up the nest for a natural emergence. At the time of inventory, there were 2 dead hatchlings in the nest, 4 live hatchlings. 1 dead pipped (hatchling dead in an open egg), 9 whole unhatched eggs, and 69 shards (empty eggs shells). That means there were 79 total eggs in the nest and 63 emerged on their own and crawled to the water. It was a very successful nest.
Loggerhead nesting is slowing down now and if 2 weeks pass without another nest, we will officially call the nesting season over. We are still hopeful for a green turtle nest. They nest later in the season, but if there hasn’t been a green turtle nest yet, there probably won’t be one.
We will continue to monitor all the nests that are currently incubating and will excavate at the appropriate time. If an excavation is in a location with adequate parking, it will be advertised on the website, www.ameliaislandseaturtlewatch.com, Excavation Schedule page. The public is invited to these excavations.
As it stands right now, 8,098 hatchlings have emerged on their own. There are just under 50 nests remaining to emerge. The island might make it to just under 10,000 hatchlings in 2024. It was a pretty good season!"
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