It is officially sea turtle nesting season, please help protect our wildlife
It is officially sea turtle nesting season, please help protect our wildlife
Sea turtle nesting season kicked off May 1 in Perdido Key and Pleasure Island, with volunteers from the Escambia County Sea Turtle Conservation Program and the Alabama Coastal Foundation Share The Beach program patrolling the local beaches each morning looking for signs of nesting or hatching activity.
Daily surveys ensure any nests laid in the night are protected and marked, allowing normal beach activities to continue. Volunteers continue to check on nests during the incubation period, ensuring they remain undisturbed. The nesting season will run through September, although late season nests can hatch as late as October.
Four species of sea turtle nest on the AL/FL Gulf Coast. The loggerhead and green sea turtles are the most common nesters, followed by the less common Kemp’s ridley and leatherback. Female turtles may nest several times in a single season. After sixty days of incubation, the tiny hatchling turtles emerge all at once under the cover of darkness and race to the Gulf of Mexico. The hatchlings will make their way to open water where there are fewer predators. After a few years of growing and feeding, they will return to the area as juveniles and sub-adults where they will continue to grow and feed until they are mature enough to mate and lay nests of their own. Juvenile and adult sea turtles can often be seen foraging in bays and sounds, including near local fishing piers and artificial reefs.
Several species of shorebirds nest on local beaches in the summer, including the least tern, snowy plover and black skimmer. Shorebird nests are shallow scrapes in the sand, with extremely small, well-camouflaged eggs. Eggs will incubate for up to 30 days before the small, cotton ball-like chicks hatch. Parents will often sit on the eggs and with newly hatched chicks to protect them from predators and the hot Florida sun. Birds are easily disturbed by people and pets approaching too close. During sea turtle nesting season:
• Avoid flash photography at night and only use approved sea turtle friendly flashlights.
• Turn off outside patio lights and shield indoor lights from shining onto the beach at night.
• Do not disturb sea turtle nests.
• Keep your distance (at least 30 feet) if you see an adult turtle on the beach.
• Leave sea turtle tracks undisturbed.
• Leave Only Footprints! Do not leave beach gear, holes, or trash on the beach.
• Report sea turtle sightings to 866-SEA-TURTLE (866-732-8878)
Dead or injured sea turtles and marine life should be reported to the Florida Wildlife Alert line at 1-888-404-FWCC (3922) or the Alabama Sea Turtle Hotline at 1-866-Sea-Turtle).