The Anna Maria Island Sun Newspaper


Vol. 16 No. 37 - July 13, 2016

TURTLES

First turtle nest hatches

Carol Whitmore

CINDY LANE | SUN

Turtle Watch volunteers excavated the first
sea turtle nest of the season on Monday, but
lights from nearby buildings had disoriented an
unknown number of the hatchlings. During
turtle season – May 1 to Oct. 31 – the
law prohibits lights visible from the beach
from sundown to sunrise.

HOLMES BEACH – The first loggerhead sea turtle nest of the season has hatched on Anna Maria Island, but the usual excitement was dampened by the fact that lights disoriented the hatchlings.

How many made it to the Gulf of Mexico is unknown, said Suzi Fox, director of Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch and Shorebird Monitoring, saying that lights likely confused the hatchlings and that footprints made it impossible to follow all the tiny turtle tracks.

The hatched nest was found behind the Nautilus Resort at 7100 Gulf Drive last week, a normal 55 days after it was laid, and was excavated on Monday evening, revealing the shells of 101 hatchlings. During excavations, volunteers piece together the eggshells left behind and count them, indicating how many turtles hatched.

While some beachfront vacation rentals and businesses have installed turtle-friendly outdoor lighting on their properties, other lights on the beach continue to cause disorientations, Fox said. Over the past 15 years, an average of 16 hatchling disorientations occur annually, according to Turtle Watch statistics.

During turtle season – May 1 to Oct. 31 – the law prohibits lights visible from the beach from sundown to sunrise, such as from interior rooms, flashlights, fishing lanterns, light sticks and cell phone or camera flashes.

Like hatchlings, nesting sea turtles also can be confused by lights, causing them to go back to the Gulf and drop their eggs in the water, where they won't hatch.

Nesting should be slowing down soon, while hatchings will increase, Fox said.

Nesting is down slightly compared to this time last year, according to Turtle Watch statistics. Turtles, mostly loggerheads, have laid 273 nests on the Island's Gulf and bayside beaches so far this season; last year at this time, 290 nests were counted.

However, this year's mother turtles are outpacing the 15-year Island average for the number of nests laid in a season by 44 percent, thanks in part to wider beaches from beach renourishment, according to Fox. False crawls – when a turtle comes ashore to lay a nest, then goes back to the water without doing so – are up 47 percent compared to last year.

More than 200 nests remain to be hatched on the Island this season.

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, light sticks, or cell phone 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).

Manatee Tips

• Obey posted signs for manatee slow-speed zones.

• Wear polarized sunglasses to see manatees in your path.

• If you observe a manatee mating herd - several manatees gathered as males vie to mate with a female - watch from at least 100 feet away. Coming any closer might disrupt the mating or endanger you; adult manatees typically weigh more than 1,000 pounds.

• Never feed or water manatees as they will become habituated to people, which could put them at risk of injury.

• Stow trash and line when underway. Marine debris that blows overboard can become ingested by or entangled around manatees.

• Report stranded or dead manatees to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) Wildlife Alert hotline at 1-888-404-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 at 888-404-FWCC (3922).

Dolphin Tips

DO

• Stay at least 50 yards away from dolphins when viewing from a vessel or watercraft.

• Limit time spent observing dolphins to 30 minutes or less.

• Avoid making loud or sudden noises near dolphins.

• Move away slowly if a dolphin's behavior indicates the animal is stressed or disturbed.

• Look Before You Book! Book wild dolphin viewing tours with businesses that responsibly view dolphins in the wild and help dolphin conservation. See Facebook "Don't Feed Wild Dolphins" and "Dolphin SMART."

• Put your vessel's engine in neutral if in the close vicinity of dolphins.

• Call for help if you hook a dolphin on a fishing line or see a stranded or injured dolphin - Mote Marine's Stranding Investigations Program, 941-988-0212.

DON'T

• Pursue, swim with, pet or touch wild dolphins, even if they approach you.

• Feed or attempt to feed wild dolphins.

• Encircle or entrap dolphins with vessels.

• Direct a vessel or accelerate toward dolphins with the intent of creating a pressure wake to bow or wake-ride.

• Separate mother/calf pairs.

• Drive watercraft through or over groups of dolphins.

Nesting news

Sea turtles

Nests laid: 273

False crawls: 650

Nests hatched: 1

Not hatched: 50

Nests remaining: 222

Nest disorientations: 1

Source: Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch and Shorebird Monitoring

Adopt a turtle nest

Loggerhead sea turtle nests are up for adoption on Anna Maria Island beaches, to commemorate weddings, anniversaries, birthdays, lost loved ones or just for the love of nature. The 11-year-old program raises funds for Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch and Shorebird Monitoring. For a tax deductible donation of $100, adoptive parents receive the adoption plaque that was posted on the nest, a video of the nest, data from the nest, such as how many turtles hatched and when, and a letter of appreciation. To adopt, visit www.islandturtlewatch.com.

 


AMISUN ~ The Island's Award-Winning Newspaper