Nest #4 had 161 Eggs! May 24

The loggerhead mom who laid Nest #4 near Shipwatch Condos in Wild Dunes chose a very unsuitable location. Shree Beverly and Penny Gorby were on patrol for the Turtle Team and discovered tracks and a large body pit up against a very tall and steeply scarped dune where the tide has covered the spot where the eggs were. It was like climbing a steep mountain to get on and off the beach. Relocation was mandatory in this case. So the eggs were taken down to a safe and suitable dune at 3008 Palm Blvd.

The average number in each nest is around 120 eggs, but this nest contained a whopping 161 eggs. It will be interesting to see if we get another nest in 2 weeks from a turtle with 20" wide tracks that is also unusually large because that is the interval between a loggerhead's nests.

As we relocated the eggs, we met Camby Mikush and her family. She is a former Turtle Team member from years ago. They were staying with her family near 30A for the Memorial Day holiday weekend and watched as we took our usual DNA sample eggshell. This sample will identify the nesting female for us and her nesting history this season and previous seasons if she has nested before.

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