Bill examines the tiny injured green sea turtle.
Hungryneck is now in the care of the Sea Turtle Hospital at the SC Aquarium.
Hungryneck had surgery today to repair the right rear flipper. With time, we pray it heals so the turtle can go 'home"!
An amazing photo of a loggerhead sea turtle!
5-4-20 Sunrise at Prince George Beach
5-19 Beth located the first nest on the North between DeBordieu and Prince George!
5-19 An egg is taken from each nest in SC for a DNA study.
5-20 Kathi A. found 2 crawls in the Hobcaw boneyard likely by the same turtle. This one had more nest potential.
5-20 Kathi A. probed an area and located the egg chamber claiming Hobcaw's first nest of the season!
5-20 Hobcaw nest #1
5-20 Beach chairs, beer bottles, liquor bottles and remnants of a fire were found at Walkway #6 by volunteer, Donna.
5-22 Gimpy's crawl has a distinctive impression on the center/left made by her missing rear flipper.
5-22 Gimpy leaves open chambers because she can only dig so deep because of her missing rear flipper.
5-22 This turtle crawled up and over the dune where he deposited her eggs.
5-22 Kathi A. located the eggs of this nest using only her hands...experience pays off!
5-23 Maribeth and Donna found an impressive crawl just south of #12mm on the North.
5-23 The turtle left a well-disguised body pit indicating a nest.
5-23 Maribeth located the egg chamber and showed Donna how to protect the nest.
5-23 Jackie found thousands of tiny white styrofoam balls between Walkways #2 and #4.
5-23 Gimpy returned to Hobcaw just south of #1mm and left a crawl with 2 open chambers.
5-23 Duane digs in Gimpy's open chambers but finds nothing.
5-24 Brandie and Ryan found this crawl near #3mm on Hobcaw and Ryan located the egg chamber!
5-24 Poor Gimpy tried twice again last night to deposit her eggs but left only multiple open chambers on both.
5-26 Martha took this dramatic sunrise photo on Hobcaw Beach.
5-26 Carolyn sent this photo of the sun coming up from the Middle.
5-26 Beth and Marie were at Prince George when Beth snapped this sunrise photo.
5-27 Pat found this faint, rained-on crawl just to the right of the North Access Rd.
5-27 Thankfully, the mother turtle laid her nest at the top of the low dune, getting her eggs out of harm's way.
5-29 Bob B. had a crawl just north of #14mm on Hobcaw.
5-29 Bob B. located the egg chamber of HOB05...way to go!
5-29 Alligator tracks show the lumbering walk with tail drag up the center of the crawl. They get in the ocean and have difficulty getting back to fresher water.
5-29 Mark and Buffie's dog Cooper demonstrates how deep a hole/trench were just north of the North Access Rd.
5-30 Jackie found this crawl near WW#4 in the Middle. She and Betsy both probed but Bill located the egg chamber.
5-30 Wendy and Duane found this crawl north #11mm on Hobcaw. Duane located the egg chamber and left the nest natural.
5-30-20 Duane located the egg chamber of HOB06 and protected it.
5-30-20 These switch plates, by a local artist, will soon be available at stores in Pawleys Island. Lights out for Loggerheads!
5-31-20 This turtle crawled up on the inlet side of Hobcaw to nest.
5-31-20 Brandie and Ryan take a selfie after Brandie located the egg chamber of HOB07.
5-31-20 A passing boat documented the location of HOB07 on the inlet side of Hobcaw.
6-3 Kathi A. found this crawl north of #14mm and located the egg chamber...HOB08.
This turtle crawled up into the wooded area of Hobcaw.
6-3-20 Kathi A. located the chamber of HOB09 which may be the return of HOB01 that nested 2 weeks ago in the same area.
6-3-20 This informative flyer on sea turtles and the SCUTE program can be found in DeBordieu Rental packets. You can learn how to help sea turtles while on your vacation!
HOB10 was laid low on the beach so Lourdes, with Susan observing, did the probing/relocating process on her own.
6-5-20 Bob B. found this crawl south of #1mm on Hobcaw, located the egg chamber and protected it...go Bob!
6-5-20 Plastic nurdles are a growing problem as they accidentally spill from ships during transport. They are ingested by sea life who mistake them for fish eggs.
6-6-20 Wendy captured the sun rising over a beautiful textbook crawl on Hobcaw.
6-6-20 HOB12 was above the spring tide line so Wendy left it natural.
6-8-20 This determine turtle managed to still lay her nest in front of Pioneer Place Villas even with people around her.
6-8-20 Carolyn eventually located the egg chamber of DEB05.
6-8-20 Mark and Carolyn both worked on DEB05 but Carolyn located the egg chamber. Good teamwork!
6-9-20 Martha found this textbook crawl north of #9mm on Hobcaw.
6-9-20 Martha located the egg chamber of HOB13 and protected it just before a downpour!
6-9-20 This crawl north of #7mm on Hobcaw had potential but maybe the vegetation was too much for the turtle to dig her chamber. Martha could not locate any eggs.
6-9-20 A turtle crawled up on the Pawleys Inlet side of Prince George to lay her nest.
6-9-20 Beth plotted on Google Earth the location of DEB06.
6-9-20 Lourdes earned her SCUTE certification by a lot of hard work and dedication to the DeBordieu & Hobcaw turtles!
6-10-20 Pat located DEB08 between DeBordieu and Prince George.
DEB07 was laid in front of Pioneer Place Villas and located by Donna.
6-10-20 Kathi A. had 2 false crawls made by Gimpy, a 3 flippered turtle that likes Hobcaw. She makes numerous attempts before finally depositing her clutch.
These SCUTE cards have good information about loggerhead sea turtles and the volunteer program to protect them. Pick one up at DeBordieu Rentals!
6-12-20 Judie E. had a perfect crawl in an ideal location and easily found the egg chamber of DEB09.
6-12-20 Bob B. had no trouble locating HOB14 north of #8mm on Hobcaw.
6-12-20 HOB15, south #7mm was one of 2 nests Bob B. had on Hobcaw plus 4 false crawls...busy morning!
6-13-20 Jackie had a false crawl just south of WW#6. The turtle may have come up when there was too much activity on the beach and changed her mind.
6-13-20 Wendy had this U-turn false crawl low on the beach north of #8mm on Hobcaw.
6-14-20 DEB10 was a long crawl just south of #13mm. Marie located the egg chamber in an ideal spot at the base of the dunes.
6-14-20 Marie, working toward certification, located DEB10 and protected it.
6-14-20 Jane had a total of 3 crawls in the Middle which turned out to be a relocated nest and 2 false crawls...big morning!
6-14-20 Brandie and Ryan had 3 crawls around #1mm on Hobcaw, likely by the same turtle. One turned out to be a nest...HOB16!
6-14-20 Brandie located and protected HOB16.
6-15-20 Carolyn found this crawl north of #12mm and was able to locate the egg chamber.
6-15-20 These white styrofoam pellets are becoming regular visitors to our beaches. Another pellet called nurdles are hard plastic, toxic and need to be reported with GPS if found.
6-19-20 DEB12, located by Judie E. was laid north of #15mm at Prince George.
6-19-20 DEB13 was laid just above the low sea wall south of WW#8 and had to be relocated by Betsy. Helpers Harrison and Jessica carried the bucket of 134 eggs to the new home site north of WW#6...thanks!
6-19-20 Bob B. had 2 crawls on Hobcaw before #1mm. HOB18, north of #1mm, was an easy find.
6-19-20HOB19 proved to be a difficult nest to locate but Bob B. stuck with it and found the egg chamber!
6-2-20 Jackie found this crawl south of WW#7. Vacationers saw the turtle around 11:00 p.m. last night. She was still on the beach at 12:00-12:30. No eggs have been located YET!
6-20-20 This turtle may have nested on her way out but volunteers had difficulty finding a chamber and called it a false crawl.
6-20-20 This was a nest that Wendy located north of #3mm on Hobcaw Beach. It was in a good location.
6-21-20 Bob B. had 2 false crawls and this nest on Hobcaw south #7mm.
6-21-20 Conner, Mike and Bill examine the carapace of the stranded loggerhead on North Island. She slowly made her way back into the ocean thanks to some helpful humans!
6-21-20 Thanks to Mike and Conner who helped drag this 300+ lb. loggerhead about 50 yds. to the slant of the beach.
6-21-20 It was fate that Betsy and Bill did their North Island survey a day early. This turtle would not have made it until Monday being stranded 250 yds. from the ocean.
6-22-20 Mark was happy to have his first nest of the season. The egg he retrieved from the nest will be used to determine the DNA of this turtle. From that we will know where she nests, how often and if she has daughters and granddaughters. Fascinating!
6-24-20 HOB22 was laid north #10mm. Duane probed and located the egg chamber.
6-24-20 Duane hammers in the sign and protects the nest of HOB22.
6-24-20 HOB23 was located south #8mm and Duane wasted no time finding the egg chamber.
6-24-20 Duane happily shows the egg from HOB23 that will be used for DNA.
6-25-20 This turtle was a wanderer at Prince George and covered a lot of beach looking for a nesting spot. She overlooked some ideal locations!
6-25-20 This crawl, just north of the Beach Villas, was a U turn with tracks going all the way to the low tide line...she just left!
6-25-20 In theory, this was the turtle's second aborted attempt in front of the Beach Club. It was a U turn with no interruption of tracks.
6-25-20 Jessica from WY noticed a body pit in a "false crawl" and contacted Betsy. Eggs were found and we are thankful for Jessica's curiosity!
6-25-20 Betsy and Jessica document DEB15 which was originally thought to be a U turn false crawl. Jessica had learned a lot about turtles during her stay at DeBordieu!
6-25-20 Duane Draper earned his SCDNR certification...Congratulations!
6-26-20 DEB16 had a tight body pit and Judie easily located the egg chamber.
6-26-20 DEB16 could be the wandering turtle from 6-25. She was smart to come straight in this time to lay her nest!
6-26-20 Pat and John had an aborted attempt called a false crawl. The turtle could have seen activity on the beach and retreated.
6-26-20 Bob B. had a natural nest in the dunes which were covered with sea oats.
6-26-20 Sea oat roots could cause a problem for hatchlings trying to exit this nest.
6-28-20 DEB17 was located by Pat and Marie just south of #15mm at Prince George Beach.
6-28-20 The dust storm off the Sahara Desert has made it's way across the Atlantic and was responsible for the hazy sunrise off Hobcaw Beach 6/28. Photo by Wendy A.
6-29-20 HOB25 was located just south of #10mm and Steven made short order of locating the chamber!
6-29-20 This turtle went to extra effort to protect her nest from the ocean. Steven found the eggs in a very tidy body pit on top of the pushed up dune in Ocean Green.
6-29-20 After being off for 2 weeks, Steven celebrates finding 2 Hobcaw nests today! HOB26 was high on the dune in Ocean Green.
6-30-20 Martha and Debbie found this crawl south of #6mm that had nest potential.
6-30-20 Martha located the egg chamber of HOB27 while Debbie was excited observe the process.
6-30-20 Due to the pandemic, SCDNR is not allowing hands-on training of new volunteers. Debbie was happy to be an observer and learn the process from veteran volunteer, Martha!
6-30-20 Gimpy tried unsuccessfully 6 different times to dig a chamber deep enough to hold her clutch of eggs. We hope she returns and prevails tonight.
7-1-20 Donna found this crawl just north of WW#7.
7-1-20 Donna easily located the egg chamber in the long body pit and decided the nest needed to be moved to a safer location.
7-1-20 DEB18 (northernmost) joined 2 other nests north of WW#6 which is becoming a nursery. Nests are socially distancing, of course:) Nice relocation, Donna!
7-1-20 Gimpy revisited Hobcaw Beach last night but did not lay her nest. There were 3 attempted areas.
6-30-20 The afternoon storms left behind a beautiful full double rainbow. Bill took this photo at the Beach Club walkway.
7-2-20 Bob C. found DEB19 just north of WW#7 laid in a scarped dune and knew it would need relocation.
7-2-20 Bob relocated 120 eggs to the "nursery" just north of WW#6.
7-2-20 Gimpy tried, unsuccessfully with multiple attempts, to nest on the creekside of Hobcaw. Lourdes probed her last effort but found no eggs.
7-2-20 Since Gimpy is missing her right rear flipper, she has difficulty digging her chamber deep enough. Here, north of #9mm on Hobcaw she tried 5 different places.
7-2-20 Lourdes had her first solo nest as a newly certified volunteer. HOB28 was located just north of #0mm on Hobcaw.
7-3-20 Gimpy's unsuccessful attempt to nest, one of 2 false crawls Bob and Denise found this morning.
7-3-20 Gimpy had not actually been seen for 25 years. This morning Denise and Bob B. met her on Hobcaw, took a video and photos. Sadly, she crawled twice and again did not deposit eggs.
7-3-20 Gimpy returns to the ocean leaving no nest behind.
7-3-20 It was a long night for this old turtle and she was surely glad to get back in her watery home. Come back and nest tonight Gimpy!
7-4-20 Gimpy barely came out of the water and made no attempt to dig, a U-turn north #11mm on Hobcaw.
7-4-20 In another effort, Gimpy tried multiple times to dig and left an open chamber in her last attempt.
7-4-20 Duane found this non-Gimpy crawl with nest potential indicated by thrown sand and an area of covering in the tracks.
7-4-20 Duane was happy to locate the egg chamber and claim his first solo nest!
7-5-20 This crawl north #6mm may have been a second attempt by a turtle who came up north #2mm. This time she nested and Brandie located the egg chamber...HOB30!
7-5-20 HOB30 was a textbook nest and laid in an ideal spot on a low dune. Good job, Brandie!
7-5-20 Gimpy made her 8th attempt in 6 days to nest. No eggs were found in this crawl.
7-6-20 The full moon sets as the sun rises on Monday, July 6 (photo by Mark DuP)
7-6-20 Steven located and protected HOB31 south of #4mm
7-6-20 HOB32 was a textbook crawl just north of #4mm.
7-6-20 Steven and his mom had a full morning of turtle activity with 2 nests and a false crawl!
7-6-20 Buffie and Mark found this mammoth hole between Walkways #5 and #6. Holes like this are a danger to people, animals and sea turtles coming up to nest. Please dig any holes below the high tide line so they will naturally fill in.
7-7-20 Gimpy made a breast cancer awareness sign in the sand at the #16mm on Hobcaw but did not attempt to dig.
7-7-20 This was another attempt by Gimpy south #13mm where she dug in multiple places but deposited no eggs. This makes 11 tries in 8 nights...poor girl.
7-7-20 Martha found this crawl north #15mm and located the egg chamber in uprooted vegetation atop a dune. Congratulations on HOB33, Martha!
7-7-20 The turtle that had just laid HOB33 took the long way back to her watery home!
7-8-20 Gimpy crawled up, ran into the sea wall and returned to the ocean.
7-8-20 The tide was receding (low at 5:09 a.m.) when Gimpy made this futile effort to nest.
7-8-20 This crawl was one of 6 crawls Kathi A. had on Hobcaw. This one had Gimpy's signature stump mark up the middle because she is missing her left rear flipper.
7-9-20 Gimpy assisted by Kathi A. was able to deposit her clutch of 125 eggs just south WW#5. This was her 16th attempt in 10 days...success!
7-9-20 The clutch was relocated to get it out of the tide line. Gimpy and Kathi worked hard to make this nest happen!
7-9-20 Bob C. with instruction from Bill relocated Gimpy's nest to better habitat at the base of the dune south of WW#5.
7-10-20 Bob found a long crawl with body pit north #19 near the inlet.
7-10-20 Probing and digging, Bob located the egg chamber of HOB34...Go Bob!
7-10-20 It seems this turtle tried to scale the dune but had no luck in digging a chamber in the soft sand...a false crawl.
7-10-20 Bob Ciminel has earned his SCDNR certification...congratulations!
7-11-20 Jackie located and protected DEB21 north of WW#4.
7-11-20 This turtle didn't like her first body pit and moved on to make another and deposited her eggs.
7-11-20 Wendy located the egg chamber and protected the nest just north #1mm....HOB35!
7-12-20 This turtle tried to crawl up the pushed dune in Ocean Green.
7-12-20 Marie , working toward certification, located and protected HOB36 with instruction from Carolyn.
7-12-20 Duane found this crawl south of #12mm, located the egg chamber and relocated the clutch because it was laid below the spring tide line. It would be prone to successive wash overs.
7-12-20 Duane documents his first solo relocation of a nest. HOB37 had 126 eggs +1 for DNA...nice job!
7-13-20 This turtle had a perfect crawl known as "textbook'. It is every turtle volunteer's dream to probe!
7-13-20 Buffie shows the egg she took from DEB22 which will be used for DNA.
7-13-20 Buffie has DEB22 all tucked in for a 55-60 day incubation!
7-13-20 The sun rises over Hobcaw Beach on the morning of July 13. Photo by Steven G.
7-14-20 Beth and Jean found this beautiful crawl just south of #16mm at Prince George.
7-14-20 Jean points to the body pit of DEB23 in relation to the location from the dunes. She and Beth decided to leave the nest natural.
7-14-20 Beth went through the probing procedure with Jean observing. she located the soft sand of the chamber, dug down and found the eggs. This one will be used for DNA.
7-16-20 HOB38, south #6mm was a textbook crawl that volunteers love to probe!
7-16-20 Dark, thrown sand, uprooted vegetation are indications that the turtle nested. Marie probed and found the egg chamber of HOB39...way to go!
7-16-20 Marie holds the egg from HOB39 that will be used for DNA testing.
7-16-20 Carolyn and Marie had a busy, hot morning with 4 crawls. By the end of their survey, they jumped in the water to cool down! We admire your dedication ladies:)
7-16-20 The story of Kathi A. helping Gimpy dig her nest made the front page of the Coastal Observer!
7-17-20 This turtle didn't quite crawl high enough to lay her nest north of #11mm so Bob B. had to relocate 102 eggs (HOB40)
7-17-20 This turtle went far up on the beach and deposited her eggs in dune grasses and roots. Bob B. probed and located the chamber. Under SCDNR protocol this nest (HOB41) had to be left in situ.
7-17-20 Bob B. documents the location of HOB41 just north #8mm on Hobcaw.
7-18-20 Maribeth and Donna found this U turn false crawl up at Prince George.
7-18-20 A fox is showing interest in our turtle nests which concerns us. Foxes can tunnel under screens and get into the clutch of eggs.
7-18-20 Wendy noted the tracks of a small alligator that crawled a long distance on Hobcaw Beach.
7-19-20 There is a fox that works the beach at night. It looked as if the fox was right behind the turtle as she crawled. Did it scare her and cause the false crawl?
7-19-20 This turtle has a barnacle on her plastron that makes a distinctive mark in the sand. Both Middle false crawls had this same characteristic (between WW#3 and #5).
7-19-20 Brandie and Ryan found this classic crawl/body pit and turned it into HOB42!
7-19-20 Ryan documented Brandie's nest find of HOB42 with this photo. It is located south #1mm.
7-19-20 A rare daytime nesting turtle came up on the beach at Prince George at 4:00 p.m.
7-19-20 The loggerhead dug her nest chamber and started dropping eggs.
7-10-20 The nesting process took about 45 minutes. Then the turtle began an elaborate covering process, throwing sand with all 4 flippers to disguise her nest.
7-19-20 Mark measured the turtle's carapace to estimate the age. She appears to be a young mother.
7-19-20 Buffie documents the turtle's trek into the ocean knowing she was glad to be going "home" after a hot afternoon on the beach!
7-20-20 This was a tidy false crawl north #9mm between DeBordieu and Prince George. Buffie and Mark probed but found no egg chamber.
7-20-20 The false crawl had barnacle scrapes from the turtle's plastron and fox prints up the middle.
7-21-20 Beth found this crawl north #12mm at Prince George.
7-21-20 The tracks of DEB25 were similar to the false crawl north #9mm yesterday. Both had barnacle scrapes from the turtle's plastron. It may be the same turtle:)
7-21-20 The sun rises on another hot July day. (photo by Martha)
7-25-20 Hatchling tracks lead to the ocean from a nest.
7-27-20 3 hatchlings make their way to the ocean from the inventory of HOB01.
7-27-20 Hatchlings instinctively know to crawl to the ocean.
7-27-20 Almost "home"!
7-27-20 Thank you Santee Cooper for providing these LIGHTS OUT bumper stickers. Sea turtles are hatching and dig the dark!
7-28-20 Martha and Debbie did an inventory of a Hobcaw nest and found 26 lively hatchlings still in the chamber!
7-28-20 The hatchlings were carried to the flat beach to crawl to the ocean.
7-28-20 This turtle is on it's way to an adventure circumventing the Atlantic Ocean. The process will take about 15 years to bring this turtle back to the Caribbean.
7-30-20 Susan had our first nest in more than a week just south #6mm. Nesting is slowing down as hatching activity is picking up!
7-30-20 This mama turtle laid her nest all snug behind a low dune on Hobcaw.
8-2-20 After 3 attempts DEB26 finally nested just south #14mm.
8-2-20 Judy K. and Marie relocated DEB26 to a safer spot on the face of the dunes at Prince George.
8-2-20 Brandie found this nest south #19mm that hatched just fine with no protection. It is called a wild nest because we missed it when it was laid.
8-2-20 One of 3 Hobcaw nests that hatched last night!
8-2-20 DEB25 was laid in a low area and had to be relocated. Mark was only able to save 37 eggs before the nest was inundated.
8-2-20 A turtle emerged from the surf around 6 p.m., made a U turn and went back in the ocean.
8-3-20 DEB27 located just north #8mm was likely the second nesting effort of the turtle that made the U turn at Prince George Sunday evening.
8-6-20 It was encouraging to see a fresh crawl after H. Isaias! Maribeth found DEB28 this morning.
8-6-20 The sign for DEB17 was put in the general area per GPS coordinates. Maribeth was able to locate the chamber...another nest FOUND!
8-6-20 Bob C. and helper, Sean, dig deep to uncover DEB15.
8-6-20 DEB15 dug out and again protected until hatching time. Thanks Sean and Bob C.!
8-6-20 Martha dug out HOB22 with dark clouds looming!
8-6-20 Storms re-distribute our supplies in the most inconvenient places and often great distances from their original location.
8-10-20 A bucket of 30 hatchlings found in the chamber from the inventory of DEB09 at Prince George.
8-10-20 Tracks left by hatchlings of the inventory of DEB09 making a dash to the ocean.
8-10-20 A lone hatchling from DEB09 is silhouetted by the rising sun and makes it's way into the surf.
8-16-20 This large loggerhead crawled up on the beach at 2:45 p.m. south WW#8 and made a sharp U turn at the sea wall. To come up during the day she was likely desperate to lay her nest.
8-17-20 Buffie and Mark found this crawl hoping it was the daytime crawler from Sunday, the 16th.
8-17-20 Buffie probed the crawl and located the egg chamber! The DNA sample will tell us if this is the same turtle with telemetry.
8-17-20 DEB29 north #9mm protected!
9-11-20 This Columbia family had good quality time together creating this sand sculpture!
9-11-20 This volunteer shows his love of country and sea turtles.
9-11-20 What a cute way to entice your grandson to love turtles!
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SCUTE Looper Mary
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