ANNA MARIA ISLAND – Sea turtle hatchling season has officially begun with two nests laid on the Island that hatched on July 3.
“Both were good hatches that appeared to go directly to the water,” Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch and Shorebird Monitoring Executive Director Kristen Mazzarella wrote in a July 4 email to The Sun.
“Now that hatching season has begun, if you see a hatchling turtle going towards the water, please let it crawl so it can get its body stretched out and ready for a long swim,” she wrote.
If you spot a hatchling going away from the water or in danger of any kind, please call the Turtle Watch hotline at 941-301-8434 and a permitted volunteer or staff member will respond 24/7 during hatching season.
“Please do not handle hatchlings unless you are taking them out of danger and please do not put turtles directly in the water as they are air-breathing reptiles, and if they are injured or tired, they may not be able to swim,” Mazzarella wrote.
Hatching season also means that it’s time for nest inventories. Turtle Watch conducts nest inventories three days after a nest hatches. Volunteers dig up the contents of the nest to determine how many eggs hatched and sometimes will find a straggler hatchling in the nest.
“If you see us on patrol and we are conducting a nest inventory, feel free to come up and watch and we’ll be happy to answer any questions you may have,” Mazzarella wrote. “These are fun to watch as you never know what you’ll find.”
