The Anna Maria Island Sun Newspaper

Vol. 15 No. 47 - September 23, 2015

TURTLES

Green turtles nests on AMI

Carol Whitmore

SUBMITTED

The latest sea turtle nest on Anna Maria Island was
laid Sunday night, after nesting was thought to have
ended and is a rare green turtle nest, as evidenced
by the tracks.

ANNA MARIA – Just when they thought that sea turtles had finished nesting for the year, a new, rare, nest was discovered by Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch and Shorebird Monitoring volunteer Susan Anderson on Monday morning.

The green sea turtle nest, only the third since the start of turtle season on May 1, brings the Island’s total for the year up to 356, closing in on 2013’s record year of 369 nests; the others are loggerhead nests. Green turtles in Florida nest mostly on the southeast coast, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

The good news was somewhat dimmed by the previous week’s three disorientations, or light interference with nesting or hatching turtles, bringing the total of disorientations to 18, slightly higher than the 15-year average of 15 disorientations per year.

One nest was disoriented by people who were using flashlights on the beach, Director Suzi Fox said, while the other two were disoriented by sky glow, brighter areas of the sky lit by artificial lights, in these cases from commercial buildings at Benderson Plaza in Holmes Beach and Bridge Street in Bradenton Beach. One nest of hatchlings crawled straight through the Moose Lodge parking lot, which has turtle compliant lights, she said, attracted by lights at Island Time across Gulf Drive before they were discovered.

Other businesses and individuals have come into compliance with turtle lighting laws this year, contributing to a marked improvement from 51 disorientations last year, she said.

A new problem is emerging with the increasing popularity of beach tents, posing a danger to both sea turtles and people, she said. Tents or tent frames are being left on the beach, probably when storms come up quickly. They can blow into unsuspecting people, and, left on the beach, can disorient nesting turtles, causing them to abandon nesting attempts, and hatching turtles, causing them to travel away from the safety of the water.

“If you can’t dismantle a tent quickly when a storm approaches, don’t use a tent,” Fox said.

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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