As some of you may have heard, on September 22nd, exactly 57 days after they were laid, 68 of our baby sea turtles hatched and were safely escorted to the water by me, Diane and a Sugar Beach guest. Here's how it went down. I was walking the dogs at about 6:15 am and discovered the first baby in the grassy area at the east end of our beach. I took it to the water's edge for release, and then quickly brought the dogs home and got Diane. We first went to the nest sights and they appeared surprisingly undisturbed. However, on closer inspection we noticed 1 golf ball sized hole at the edge of each sight. (Apparently they all followed the first emerging baby out of the nest.)
Not seeing any more babies, Diane decided to check back towards the building while I spiraled out from the nests. Sure enough, within a few minutes, she called here are some more! We had often heard that sea turtles can become confused by bright lights, but I never realized that this applies more to the babies than the adults. Upon emerging, the babies had made their dash towards the brightest lights they saw - which was the wrong way!!
At first we feared the worst because the poor little guys were smushed up against the building with their eyes closed and none were moving. It was with extreme relief that we learned they would immediately revive and begin swimming around when placed into a plastic tub of sea water.
So we methodically searched along the whole building for the next hour or so, finding and reviving little groups of babies. Luckily, it was a very calm morning and the water was clear. I learned from experience that they did much better if I waded in to the sea grass beds and released them there. They seemed to know that it was actually turtle grass and would quickly take a deep breath and dive for cover! All in all we found 68 and every single one perked up and was safely released. Hopefully, in about ten years, some of them will make their way back to Sugar Beach and repeat the cycle!
Not seeing any more babies, Diane decided to check back towards the building while I spiraled out from the nests. Sure enough, within a few minutes, she called here are some more! We had often heard that sea turtles can become confused by bright lights, but I never realized that this applies more to the babies than the adults. Upon emerging, the babies had made their dash towards the brightest lights they saw - which was the wrong way!!
At first we feared the worst because the poor little guys were smushed up against the building with their eyes closed and none were moving. It was with extreme relief that we learned they would immediately revive and begin swimming around when placed into a plastic tub of sea water.
So we methodically searched along the whole building for the next hour or so, finding and reviving little groups of babies. Luckily, it was a very calm morning and the water was clear. I learned from experience that they did much better if I waded in to the sea grass beds and released them there. They seemed to know that it was actually turtle grass and would quickly take a deep breath and dive for cover! All in all we found 68 and every single one perked up and was safely released. Hopefully, in about ten years, some of them will make their way back to Sugar Beach and repeat the cycle!
0 comments:
Post a Comment