A Great Start to the
2018 Turtle Season
By Peggy Deneau
The sea turtle nesting season in Pine Knoll Shores is in full swing with three
loggerhead sea turtle nests already here. Our first two nests were laid in the last
week of May, which is a bit unusual since we do not usually get May nests. The few
times we have, there was only one. We all were delighted to welcome these nests
after the long cold winter and very cool spring.
Nest #1 was discovered by a resident or visitor who notified the police. The
police alerted Liz Mauser, a Volunteers in Police Service (VIPS) volunteer, who is
also a volunteer in our sea turtle program. Liz notified me and we were delighted
to discover that the crawl and nest were textbook perfect. The nest was high on the
beach and did not require relocation.
Nest #2 was found by Liz Mauser while driving the Turtle Patrol vehicle, quickly
followed by Jan Corsello and Donna Stevens, a new volunteer. This nest was laid
below the high tide line, and had to be moved higher on the beach. Before moving
the nest, Donna emptied the contents of one egg and placed the shell in a test tube
of alcohol. This is done with every nest we find. The shell is sent to a lab where the
maternal DNA is examined. From this, we can tell which turtle laid which nests.
For example, the turtle who laid this nest might have laid one at Cape Lookout and
in Emerald Isle in the same week.
Moving a nest can be tricky. Each egg must be carefully lifted from the nest and
placed in a bucket. Within hours after having been laid, the embryo attaches itself
to the inside of the shell. If the egg is turned, jostled, or rolled, the embryo will
detach and die. While the eggs are being carefully placed in the bucket, a new nest
is being created in a more secure location on the beach. It must be flask shaped
like the original nest. A garden trowel and hands are used to achieve this. When
all the eggs have been removed from the original nest, some of the sand lining is
scraped out and rubbed into the bottom and sides of the new nest. The mother
turtle secretes a protective mucus along with her eggs, and we try to save that
protection. One by one, the eggs are placed into the new nest in the same order that
they came out of the original one. This entire process must be done quickly, as well
as carefully, so the eggs do not dry out. After filling in the new nest hole with sand,
the nest is covered with a metal grate and marked, and the waiting begins.
i A -\r,; ;
Volunteers Terry and Marty McCabe (left) and the crawl clearly showing the turtle’s route up to
the nest and back to the ocean.—Photos by Liz Mauser
18 The Shoreline I July 2018
■Slip
mm
; Donna Stevens emptying
the contents of a turtle egg
! before preparing the shell
to send to the lab for DNA
\ testing.—Photo by Jan Corsello
^
Nimbus, the pale-colored loggerhead at the local aquarium, came from a moved
nest on our beach near Hammer Park about 8 years ago. Nimbus was completely
white at birth, but has darkened some with age. He/she is not an albino, and has
dark eyes instead of red ones. We are not sure if Nimbus is male or female, as sex
cannot be definitely determined except by dissection. However, adult males tend to
have slightly longer tails.
(Continued on page 24)
The COUNTRY CLUB
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