Sea Turtle Eggs

We just got back from a lovely time on Topsail Island, North Carolina.  I have lots of pics and funny memories I want to record, so it may take several posts before it's all said and done.  Today, we start with the Loggerhead Sea Turtles that frequent the island to lay their eggs.  I walked the beach every morning (except 1 day) enjoying the sun, the breeze, watching the dolphins swim by, and looking for sea turtle nests.  We came across a couple of nests, but I never saw a turtle on the beach.   I had to see them at the rescue hospital.

But, here we are with the Topsail Island Sea Turtle Patrol.  They are all volunteers in charge of a certain area of the beach(it is 26 miles long) which they walk every day.  Sea turtles will lay eggs 2 to 5 times during the egg-laying season anywhere on the Atlantic coast (IF, that is where they were born).  We came across this nest and the volunteers had just dug up the eggs...81 of them.  They also gather the placenta and place it in that lovely blue towel on top of the bucket.  They take a sample for DNA testing so they can track where this turtle will lay, and eventually when her babies are old enough where they will lay their eggs! 

The lady in the white shirt has been a volunteer for 25 years!  She was given us all the information!

 

81 eggs.  They look like ping pong balls don't they?  Funny story coming later about that.

The momma's tracks coming in and going out.  They look like  4 wheeler tire tracks.  Well, the turtles get HUGE!

Aunt Tonya watches as they dig the new nest up on the sand dunes.  She uses a big scalloped sea shell to scrap out the said.  They recount all of the eggs as they assemble the new nest.

Still counting!

Beautiful nest!

They started adding the chain link fence on top because of coyotes that are now on the island.  The little coyotes destroyed several nests last year.

I know this may not interest some of you, but my blog turns into our book in review!  I didn't want to forget about the turtles.  We saw a lot of nature on that beach, but this was by far my favorite part.  Long live the Turtles!  When they are born they weigh about 2 ounces and fit in the palm of your hand.  Someone babysits the nest when it gets close to hatching time, and they will clear the path to the ocean for the tiny miracles. (And they try to keep the sand crabs away!)

Hellooooo, Mr. Crabs!

So, if any of you know my husband, you know he is a jokester.  He loves a prank, yes Kim, after all these years, he is still a teaser.  He bought ping pong balls, dug a "nest", dropped the balls in, and later on brought my son and niece down to the beach, right by our stairs, and got them to dig them up.  Ethan was convinced they had found a nest, and our cousin, Skylar, commented on how they looked just like ping pong balls.  I think when Brett picked up the balls, the kids started to realize that it was a fake nest set up by Mr. Brett Nichols. :)