Towards the end of their walk on Saturday August 7, J-Anna Smith and Marnie Ellis found a large hole near the Privateer Point end of the beach with scattered egg shells. This was declared nest 73, our first “wild nest,” or undetected nest, of the season. This nest was likely laid 55-60 days ago, but was below the Spring high tide line and field signs of its creation may have been washed away before they were discovered.
Nest Inventories - Week of August 2
Nest 11 was found by Karen Sewell and Betsy Quinn. It hatched in 63 days.
Egg Shells: 124
Unhatched: 7
Live: 2
Dead: 0
Hatch Success: 86.5%
Emergence Success: 82.8%
Nest 15 was found by Marnie Ellis and Vicky and Bob Becker. It hatched in 62 days.
Egg Shells: 98
Unhatched: 33
Live: 4
Dead: 1
Hatch Success: 75.3%
Emergence Success: 73%
Nest 17 was found by Pam S., Francie S., Mary V., Lori P., Ruby J., and Lynda Z. It hatched in 61 days.
Egg Shells: 95
Unhatched: 24
Live: 1
Dead: 0
Hatch Success: 79.1%
Emergence Success: 78.3%
Nest 22 was found by J-Anna S., Anna W. and Annaliese D. It hatched in 58 days
.Egg Shells: 88
Unhatched: 27
Live: 1
Dead: 1
Hatch Success: 75.8%
Emergence Success: 74.1%
Nest 21 was found by Sandy M., Jane M., and Joe F. It hatched in 59 days.
Egg Shells: 104
Unhatched: 11
Live: 0
Dead: 6
Hatch Success: 74.8%
Emergence Success: 70.5%
Nest 18 was found by JoAnne Lewis and Gail Koornick. It hatched in 62 days.
Egg Shells: 71
Unhatched: 19
Live: 1
Dead: 0
Hatch Success: 57.2%
Emergence Success: 56.4%
Nest 24 was found by Linda and Bill Nelson, Tori Kindley and Pat Tamasy. It hatched in 56 days.
Egg Shells: 130
Unhatched: 10
Live: 0
Dead: 50
Hatch Success: 91.5%
Emergence Success: 56.3%
Nest 26 was found by Carol Ann Hoffman, Nancy Kupersmith, Andrea Daley and Sue Alfiero-Bavasso. It hatched in 54 days.
Egg Shells: 125
Unhatched: 20
Live: 3
Dead: 1
Hatch Success: 81.6%
Emergence Success: 79%
Nest 16 was found by Linda and Bill Nelson, Pat Tamasy, Tory Kindley and Ginger Seabrook. It hatched in 62 days.
Egg Shells: 114
Unhatched: 19
Live: 2
Dead: 0
Hatch Success: 81.4%
Emergence Success: 80%
Nest 13 was found by Mike Vinson, Gary Holtz, Rob Jerome, Bonnie Bohme. It was inventoried after 70 days.
Egg Shells: 94
Unhatched: 24
Live: 0
Dead: 2
Hatch Success: 66.1%
Emergence Success: 64.7%
Nest 14 was found by Kim Neath, Melissa Andrews, Sarah Dewey and Julie Minch. It was inventoried after 70 days.
Egg Shells: 71
Unhatched: 17
Live: 0
Dead: 5
Hatch Success: 73.1%
Emergence Success: 68%
Year-to-date statistics:
Mean Hatch Success: 74.2%
Mean Emergence Success: 70.5%
Nests 9, 10 & 12 Inventories
Nest 9 was found by JoAnne Lewis, Kathy Noel and Nancy Chomel. It hatched in 62 days.
Egg Shells: 95
Unhatched: 14
Live: 3
Dead: 0
Hatch Success: 75.3%
Emergence Success: 73%
Nest 10 was found by J-anna Smith, Anna Wechter, and Annaliese Dorante. It hatched in 62 days.
Egg Shells: 110
Unhatched: 20
Live: 4
Dead: 2
Hatch Success: 83.9%
Emergence Success: 79.3%
Nest 12 was found by Diane and John Woychick. It hatched in 60 days.
Egg Shells: 88
Unhatched: 25
Live: 0
Dead: 0
Hatch Success: 69.2%
Emergence Success: 69.2%
Year-to-date statistics:
Mean Hatch Success: 71%
Mean Emergence Success: 69%
Update on Pyrite aka Christy
This remarkable image of Pyrite aka Christy is an X-ray from the medical professionals at the Sea Turtle Care Center at the SC Aquarium. You can see the hook running sideways near the back of the turtle's skull. Thankfully, this has since been removed! This picture gives us a cool skeletal anatomy lesson, but you can also see some of the musculature and you can distinctly see both the gastrointestinal tract and what is in it! Juvenile Kemp's ridley sea turtles of this size are generally transitioning between feeding on seaweed and pelagic crabs at the surface to feeding on mollusks and crabs on the ocean floor. As you can see, Pyrite had been feeding on lots of moon snails and periwinkle mollusks before being caught.
For more information on what to do if you catch a sea turtle while fishing, please see our article on the topic:
https://www.siturtlepatrol.com/news/2021/5/16/sea-turtles-amp-fishing-bycatch
Activities depicted are authorized conservation activities by licensed individuals under DNR permit #MTP541. This medical image was taken at a licensed care facility by trained professionals. All sea turtle species are classified as endangered or threatened and are protected under the Endangered Species Act in addition to local and state ordinances.
Live Stranding: Meet "Pyrite" aka Christy!
On Sunday evening, the Seabrook Island Turtle Patrol received a call for a sea turtle stranding near boardwalk 8. Joshua Shilko responded and found that an angler had caught a juvenile Kemp's Ridley sea turtle - the most endangered of the 7 extant sea turtle species. This is the third Kemp's Ridley caught by a fisherman from our shores this year, and we are grateful that a beachgoer contacted us and that the angler kept the turtle comfortable until we could respond. We were not able to remove the hook on the beach, so the turtle was transported to the Sea Turtle Care Center at the SC Aquarium for care. The folks that caught the turtle asked if we would mind calling it “Christy” to honor someone special to them, so we will call it Christy, but at the aquarium you will find our turtle referred to as “Pyrite!” The doctor noted that it is one of the smallest turtles they have had in their care (1.29kg; about 22 cm curved carapace length). The hook was removed today, pain medication is being administered, and they are treating our turtle for mild metabolic acidosis. At this point we don't have information on how long it will be at the aquarium or if it will be in a visible tank, but send some good vibes to Pyrite aka Christy and we'll share more info as we get it!
For more information on what to do if you catch a sea turtle while fishing, please see our article on the topic:
https://www.siturtlepatrol.com/news/2021/5/16/sea-turtles-amp-fishing-bycatch
Activities depicted are authorized conservation activities by licensed individuals under DNR permit #MTP541. All sea turtle species are classified as endangered or threatened and are protected under the Endangered Species Act in addition to local and state ordinances.