North: Walking out on the beach, Martha found a textbook crawl in front of North Beach Villas. She went on to the inlet and returned to locate the chamber of DEB14…yay, her first of the season!

Hobcaw: Wendy also had a classic crawl south #2mm. Having nothing else, she came back and located the nest chamber of HOB08 in the tight body pit, just below the grasses…way to go Wendy!

Turtles in the news: Beth let us know about this turtle encounter on Hilton Head Island as seen on Facebook: An island visitor Steve couldn’t sleep, so he saved a sea turtle instead! When Steve got up to go for a walk on the  beach at midnight, he saw a mama loggerhead stuck in the sand. She had nested, we determined later, and as she took a long arduous wandering crawl back to the water, she paused, exhausted and every flipper swoop she made dug her a bit deeper into a pit into the sand instead of propelling her to the water. Steve thought mama loggerhead would eventually get to the water, but hours later he found her in the same place and decided to call SCDNR for advice and help. His wife, Pam, kept guard until the Sea Turtle Patrol arrived and, as permitted by SCDNR, patrol staff dug some sand away and helped her by lifting and pushing her out of the hole. Biggest thanks to Steve and Pam for quick thinking and wonderful support for this beautiful sea turtle!

DEB 14 HOB 8 SCUTE 58 SC 1581

6-12-21 The difference in length of incoming vs. outgoing told Martha this turtle spent some time on the beach.
6-12-21 The body pit had all the characteristics of a nest and Martha located the egg chamber…DEB14!
6-12-21 Volunteers always enjoy probing and locating the egg chamber of a turtle nest. Martha was happy to have her first nest of the season!
6-12-21 Wendy, walking Hobcaw, found this beautiful crawl. She found the egg chamber just below the grasses in ideal habitat for incubation.
6-12-21 HOB08 will incubate for about 55-60 days. Volunteers keep a close watch on each nest for any kind of predation…ghost crabs, ants, coyotes, etc.