The Anna Maria Island Sun Newspaper

Vol. 15 No. 40 - August 5, 2015

TURTLES

Turtle nests at risk

Carol Whitmore

CINDY LANE | SUN

Continuing storms put loggerhead sea turtle nests
underwater on and off over the weekend, jeopardizing
survival of the eggs.

Continuing storms and higher-than-normal tides have placed loggerhead sea turtle nests in jeopardy up and down Anna Maria Island beaches, leaving them underwater for hours at a time several days in a row.

The eggs can take being submerged to a point, but 60 nests are estimated to be lost out of the 300 or so remaining on the beach, Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch and Shorebird Monitoring Director Suzi Fox said.

Bradenton Beach was hit hardest by winds that pushed the Gulf of Mexico up to the dune line in some areas, she said.

The organization created new categories last week to track storm impact on nests, including overwashed nests that had water over them at some point, (96), nests that were inundated with standing water (25), partial washouts, with water taking some but not all of the eggs (12) and complete washouts, with all eggs washed away or all stakes identifying nest locations washed away (38).

The fate of five turtle nests that were run over by an illegal vehicle in June is unknown, she said, as volunteers were unable to walk the flooded beach to check on them.

The eggs in shorebird nests had all hatched before the storm, Turtle Watch Education Director Glenn Wiseman said, adding that most of the chicks are fledged and can fly to safety, while the others are big enough to walk out of the flooded areas.

Last year’s beach renourishment project is working well to keep the beach from eroding during the ongoing, month-long storm event, Fox said.

Manatee County Parks and Natural Resources Director Charlie Hunsicker reported no damage to the beach, saying that the recent beach renourishment project was engineered specifically to minimize storm erosion.

Turtle Tips

Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch and Shorebird Monitoring offers free Tuesday Turtle Talks each Tuesday at 10 a.m. at the Annie Silver Community Center, 103 23rd St. in Bradenton Beach.

No reservations are required for the program, which highlights 35 years of turtle and shorebird nesting history on Anna Maria Island.

Free souvenirs include temporary turtle tattoos and the Flippers and Feathers Activity book. Shirts and hats will be available for purchase.

Doors open at 9:30 a.m. so you can visit with the crew that monitors AMI shorelines every morning.

Turtle Tips

During sea turtle season, May 1 – Oct. 31, please follow these tips:

• Turn off lights visible from the beach and close blinds from sundown to sunrise; lights confuse nesting sea turtles and may cause them to go back to sea and drop their eggs in the water, where they won’t hatch. Light can also attract hatchlings away from the water.

• Don’t use flashlights or camera flashes on the beach at night.

• Remove all objects from the sand from sundown to sunrise; they can deter sea turtles from nesting and disorient hatchlings.

• Fill in the holes you dig in the sand before leaving the beach; they can trap nesting and hatching sea turtles, which cannot live long out of the water.

• Don’t use sky lanterns or fireworks; they litter the beach and Gulf.

• Do not trim trees and plants that shield the beach from lights.

• Never touch a sea turtle; it’s the law. If you see people disturbing turtles, call the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s Wildlife Alert hotline at 888-404-FWCC (3922).

Bird Tips

During bird nesting season, March through August, please follow these tips:

• Never touch a shorebird chick, even if it’s wandering outside a staked nesting area.

• Teach kids not to chase birds – bird parents may abandon nests if they’re disturbed.

• Don’t feed birds – it encourages them to fly at people aggressively and is not good for their health.

• If birds are screeching and flying at you, you’re too close.

• Avoid posted bird nesting areas and use designated walkways to the beach.

• Keep pets away from bird nesting areas.

• Keep the beach clean; food scraps attract predators such as raccoons and crows to the beach, and litter can entangle birds and other wildlife.

• If you see people disturbing nesting birds, call the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s Wildlife Alert hotline a


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