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First turtle nest of season early

First turtle nest of season early

Written by Cindy Lane on . Posted in Outdoors, Sea turtles.

ANNA MARIA – A loggerhead sea turtle jumped the gun and laid the first nest of the 2020 season on Anna Maria Island’s north end sometime the night of Sunday, April 19, nearly two weeks before the official start of turtle season on May 1.

Suzi Fox, director of Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch and Shorebird Monitoring, said the turtle appeared to have made a false crawl first in the same area, meaning she came ashore to nest but did not do so right away.

“It’s the earliest a turtle has ever come in here, I think,” said Fox, who began monitoring local beaches early, on April 1.

A vastly reduced crew of Turtle Watch staff is monitoring the beaches by ATV this season – for their own safety, no beach walkers will be allowed to volunteer to spot nests on foot due to the coronavirus pandemic, much to the dismay of some volunteers, Fox said.

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, lanterns 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 wish 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).

Every volunteer on an ATV has a mask, Fox said adding, “We are using hand sanitizer and wipes. We want as few volunteers as possible on the beach for their safety.”

Due to social distancing concerns, Fox requests that if anyone sees a Turtle Watch ATV, please do not flag down the driver to chat. Instead, call 941-778-5638, email Fox or visit the organization’s new website or its Facebook page.

Fox also asks that people observe turtle lighting regulations to keep turtles and people safe – light sources should not be able to be seen from the beach – and that people don’t leave their beach chairs on the beach after sunset because they can entrap nesting sea turtles – and, in a few months, their hatchlings.

Beach chairs should not be an issue because beaches remain closed in Manatee County due to the coronavirus pandemic, according to Manatee County Information Outreach Manager Nicholas Azzara.

Beach renourishment is still planned for this summer, and Turtle Watch will work around the project, which turtles need as much as people do as beaches erode, leaving less room to nest, Fox said.

Last year, a record number of turtle nests was laid on the Island – 544, beating the 2018 record of 534.

Turtle Trail scavenger hunt is on

Just in time for the beginning of the sea turtle nesting season on Anna Maria Island on May 1, the Turtle Trail scavenger hunt has begun.

The Bradenton Area Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB) is launching the Turtle Trail to provide residents and their families with a safe and enjoyable activity to take part in while socially distancing.

In partnership with Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch and Shorebird Monitoring, the CVB is encouraging residents and business owners to put stuffed animals, figurines, statues, photos or illustrations of sea turtles in windows, on mailboxes or in other visible places for families to search for while out on walks together. For those in need of a turtle to display, the CVB has created a printable coloring page that can be downloaded here.

Those who take part by putting a sea turtle on display or heading out with family to follow the trail are also encouraged to share images of their turtles or those they find on Instagram using #BradentonAreaTurtleTrail.

Coronavirus affecting turtle, bird monitoring

Coronavirus affecting turtle, bird monitoring

Written by Cindy Lane on . Posted in Birds, Outdoors, Sea turtles.

ANNA MARIA ISLAND – COVID-19 will keep most Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch and Shorebird Monitoring volunteers off the beaches as sea turtle and bird nesting seasons begin, according to Director Suzi Fox.

Turtle nesting season begins officially on May 1, but Turtle Watch volunteers usually take to the beach on April 1 each year to catch any early nesters, and already, an early loggerhead nest has been discovered on Florida’s east coast, she said.

“We need to make sure we don’t miss any nests,” said Fox, who, with another volunteer, will monitor the beaches by ATV and let the organization’s other volunteers remain safely at home for the near future.

Depending on the progress of the coronavirus, a “skeleton crew” of about a dozen volunteers on ATVs could be deployed in May, she said.

You can follow Turtle Watch’s activities on its newly-redesigned website, www.islandturtlewatch.com.

“We have to make sure the workers are safe,” Fox said. “I don’t want volunteers on the beach until this thing has passed.”

COVID-19 has affected Turtle Watch financially, too, she said, with a large source of donations drying up with the cancellation of the Farmer’s Market.

In addition, Turtle Talks have been suspended until further notice, she said, adding, “We will not be meeting face to face for at least the next two months.”

The group also monitors spring bird nesting, roping off nesting areas to keep eggs and chicks safe.

So far this year, Fox has seen black skimmers gathering at Coquina Beach and some royal terns “looking amorously at each other,” she said, adding that no snowy plovers have appeared on local beaches yet.

Ruddy turnstones, which leave by summer, are active, and a lesser black back gull has been spotted, she added.

One or two of the gulls, which are noticeably larger than most other birds on the beach, usually come each spring and leave by summer, Fox said.

Turtle Watch will be coordinating with Manatee County on the upcoming beach renourishment project, which will be done during sea turtle nesting season, she said.

The start date for the beach renourishment project is not confirmed, according to Charlie Hunsicker, director of the Manatee County Parks and Natural Resources Department, but the coronavirus has not yet affected other dredge operations in the U.S., he said.

The beach renourishment project originally slated to begin in February was delayed until April by an Army Corps of Engineers requirement that Manatee County prove its title to a section of the beach.

The six-month, two-phase project will add sand to the beach between 78th Street North in Holmes Beach to Fifth Street South in Bradenton Beach, and between Fifth Street South and Longboat Pass.

County funds for the project, estimated between $13-$16 million, come from the tourist tax; state and federal funds also are allocated to the project.

An even start to turtle season

An even start to turtle season

Written by Tom Vaught on . Posted in Featured, Outdoors, Sea turtles.

At the start of turtle season, Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch and Shorebird Monitoring Director Suzi Fox reported three turtle nests as of Sunday – one on each city’s beach.

The first nest was discovered on May 1, the first day of the turtle season, at Manatee Beach in Holmes Beach with the next one on Thursday, May 2 on Coquina Beach in Bradenton Beach and another nest later in the week at Bayfront Park in Anna Maria.

Fox reminds beachgoers to avoid nests, which are marked with yellow tape.

Fox has been patrolling the beaches with city code enforcement officials at night, looking for lights that might attract hatchlings away from the Gulf and onto dry land where they would likely die. When they hatch, sea turtles head for the Gulf, drawn by the light of the stars and moon. If Gulf-front buildings have lights that are visible to the turtles, they could go toward the lights and die from dehydration or be run over by cars.

It is illegal to touch a hatchling, so if you spot one in trouble, Fox said, call Turtle Watch at 941-778-5638.

Turtle Tips

During sea turtle season, May 1 – Oct. 31, 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, lanterns 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 wish 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, 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).

Related coverage

Turtle season is here

Turtle Watch volunteers ready for season

Turtle watch volunteers ready for season

Turtle Watch volunteers ready for season

Written by Cindy Lane on . Posted in Featured, Outdoors, Sea turtles.

ANNA MARIA ISLAND – As the first day of turtle nesting season approaches and shorebirds begin pairing up and making nests, volunteers with Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch and Shorebird Monitoring are making ready to protect them.

Turtle watch volunteers ready for season
Suzi Fox, right, director of Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch and Shorebird Monitoring, briefs volunteers last week about their tasks during the six-month turtle season that begins on May 1. – Amy Waterbury | Submitted

The group’s volunteers need protecting too, Director Suzi Fox told them last week at CrossPointe Fellowship.

Turtle watch volunteers ready for season
Blue Water Beach Club is letting guests know about sea turtle nesting season, asking them to bring beach chairs off the beach at night. – Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch and Shorebird Monitoring | Submitted

Each volunteer walks the beach at least two miles at dawn once a week. Fox told her group that the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) is asking Turtle Watch to have each beach walker take two days instead of one beginning next season, and that anyone unable to walk that much without assistance should think about making way for new volunteers to participate.

Other volunteer positions include staffing the Turtle Watch booth at festivals, giving Turtle Talks, fundraising and staffing school events.

Turtle season begins on May 1 and lasts through Halloween, but turtles can start showing up any time now, Fox said. The organization’s volunteers already are making sweeps up and down Island beaches to check for nesting of turtles and shorebirds, which begin nesting earlier than turtles.

Turtle 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, lanterns 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 wish 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

  • 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).

Red tide takes toll on marine life

Written by Cindy Lane on . Posted in Featured, Outdoors, Red tide.

Dolphins

Red tide is suspected of killing 41 dolphins in August in Southwest Florida, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

It is the first “unusual mortality event” since the 2005-06 red tide killed about 190 dolphins in the region.

In July and August, 49 bottlenose dolphins have stranded in Southwest Florida, 48 of them dead, including one in Anna Maria Island waters, according to NOAA. Of the 10 carcasses necropsied, all had high levels of red tide toxin.

If you find a stranded, dead or sick dolphin, call NOAA’s emergency strandings number at 1-877-WHALE HELP (1-877-942-5343) or contact the U.S. Coast Guard on VHF Channel 16.

Sea turtles

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) has documented 287 sea turtle deaths in Gulf of Mexico waters in Southwest Florida coast since the toxic red tide bloom began in October 2017.

135 sea turtles are reported dead in Manatee and Sarasota counties from July 20 through Aug. 31 due to red tide.

A dozen dead sea turtles have been found in Anna Maria Island waters, with two more in rehabilitation, according to Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch and Shorebird Monitoring Director Suzi Fox.

Manatees

At least 127 manatees have died during the red tide bloom that has plagued Southwest Florida since October 2017, and which reached Anna Maria Island on Aug. 3.

To date, 30 dead manatees tested positive for red tide, and red tide is suspected in 103 manatee deaths, according to the FWC.

Five manatee deaths have been recorded in Manatee County so far this year, none confirmed from red tide.

So far this year, 575 manatees have died in state waters, compared to 538 in all of 2017.

Turtles released despite red tide

Written by Cindy Lane on . Posted in Outdoors, Sea turtles.

Hatchling sea turtles that are disoriented and rescued will continue to be released into the Gulf of Mexico despite the red tide, under instructions from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

Hatchlings were released on Coquina Beach on Monday evening pursuant to the determination that it was safe, according to Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch and Shorebird Monitoring Director Suzi Fox.

“Many of you may wonder whether hatchlings are being impacted by the current red tide event,” the FWC’s Dr. Simona A. Ceriani, Research Scientist with the Marine Turtle Program, wrote Fox in an email.

“The FWC has never documented any apparent adverse effects of red tide on hatchling sea turtles. They are probably not affected because they quickly move offshore, then live at the surface of oceanic areas for at least several years. They likely do not spend much time in any areas with high concentrations of Karenia brevis (red tide) they may encounter because they are constantly moving (or being moved). Additionally, the primary route of lethal exposure to brevetoxin for sea turtles is through ingestion of food containing brevetoxin. Hatchling sea turtles subsist on internalized yolk for at least a week or so before they begin feeding. By the time they begin feeding, they are well away from nearshore areas where red tide blooms often persist. Hatchlings could be exposed to brevotoxin in aerosols and may experience some irritation to their respiratory tract but, at present, we do not have any indication that this causes mortality or noticeably affects behavior,” she wrote. “Please continue to release any stragglers or hatchlings recovered during disorientation as you would normally – do not transport them to other beaches to release.”

Turtle Watch also will continue staking new nests, an important safety measure to avoid heavy machinery operators cleaning up dead fish on the beach from accidentally crushing unmarked turtle nests.

Turtle bench

Turtle Watch at loggerheads with city on benches

Written by Cindy Lane on . Posted in Awards, Awards 2019, Outdoors, Sea turtles, Special Sections, Third Place.

HOLMES BEACH – After the fireworks on July 4, beachgoers saw a loggerhead sea turtle come ashore, collide with a bench on the beach north of 66th Street and struggle to nest under it, said Suzi Fox, director of Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch and Shorebird Monitoring.

Turtle Watch staked and roped off the nest, including the bench, but city workers later removed the tape, moved the bench and re-staked the nest without notifying Turtle Watch, she said.

Third Place
Headline Writing
2019

“I question whether they are putting the stakes back inside the nest,” possibly damaging the eggs, she said, adding that the state permit that allows Turtle Watch to stake off nests does not extend to the city of Holmes Beach.

It’s the second case this year of a turtle nesting under a bench; two other turtles abandoned their nesting efforts – called false crawls – after colliding with benches, Fox said. Over the past two years, seven turtles have collided with benches and four have stopped short of nesting due to benches, she said.

In one case, someone went into an area staked off as a federally protected sea turtle nesting area and moved a bench further seaward, making it more likely to be an obstruction to nesting turtles, she said, suggesting the benches could be tied down to keep people from moving them closer to the water.

Fox said that over two years, she has contacted city officials including the mayor, police chief, public works director and code enforcement officer about the recurring problem, and has appeared before the city commission asking for the benches to be relocated to the city’s pocket parks or moved farther off the beach.

“We have removed a number of benches from the beach out of harm’s way,” Mayor Bob Johnson said, calling further relocations “unnecessary for the one or two (turtles) that may wind up under a bench.”

“Their own ordinance does not allow furniture on the beach during nesting season,” Fox said.

Benches are not the same as beach furniture, Johnson said.

“Can you prevent everything? Absolutely not. But we’ve done everything we can to accommodate memorial benches,” he said. “We’ve relocated them to keep them in the general vicinity. Those that are there, we monitor what’s going on there.”

Regarding city workers staking off the nest, he said, “Our people know what they’re doing.”

Adding to Turtle Watch concerns are the new memorial benches being added to the approximately 50 benches on the beach, Fox said, suggesting that perhaps a few benches could have several memorial plaques each, minimizing the number of benches.

Anna Maria and Bradenton Beach also have benches, but not nearly as many, and turtles are not colliding with benches there, she said.

“These collisions with benches have all happened in Holmes Beaches and are in violation of the city’s sea turtle ordinance,” she said. “I think if the donors knew the harm that they are bringing to the nesting mothers, they would be horrified.”

“The good news is, the turtle laid the nest,” Johnson said. “We’ve got more nests than we’ve ever had.”

Sea turtle tagged, off to races

Written by Cindy Lane on . Posted in Featured, Outdoors, Sea turtles.

BRADENTON BEACH – Following in the flipper tracks of predecessors Amie and Eliza Ann, a female loggerhead sea turtle named “Bortie” was satellite tagged on Coquina Beach this morning and set free to “race” in the Tour de Turtles marathon.

Turtle release
Bortie, a loggerhead sea turtle, was detained after nesting Monday morning on Coquina Beach to be satellite tagged, released and tracked. – Cindy Lane | Sun

The project is a partnership of the Sea Turtle Conservancy, Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch and Shorebird Monitoring, Waterline Marina Resort in Holmes Beach and Bortell’s Lounge in Anna Maria, for which she is named.

Bortie will compete in the Conservancy’s 11th Annual Tour de Turtles race beginning on Aug. 1. The event is part of an ongoing research project tracking satellite-tagged turtles to determine where and how far they migr

Turtle release
Bortie’s release drew a crowd to Coquina Beach on Tuesday morning. – Sande Caplin & Associates | Submitted

Amie, named for Anna Maria Island and sponsor Anna Maria Elementary School, finished the 2015 race in last place, in true turtle style; 84 little loggerheads hatched out of her nest while she was in the race.

Eliza Ann, named for sponsor Waterline Marina Resort’s restaurant, made the Island proud, taking first place in the 2017 race.

Follow Bortie’s progress beginning Aug. 1 in The Sun.

Sea turtle to be satellite tagged

Written by Cindy Lane on . Posted in Outdoors, Sea turtles.

BRADENTON BEACH – Following in the flipper tracks of predecessors Amie and Eliza Ann, a female loggerhead sea turtle that will be named “Bortie” will be satellite tagged on Coquina Beach next Tuesday and set free to “race” in the Tour de Turtles marathon.

The release, scheduled at 8:30 a.m. on Tuesday, June 19, is dependent on Sea Turtle Conservancy staff finding and detaining a turtle after she nests the night before.

The project is a partnership of the Conservancy, Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch and Shorebird Monitoring, Waterline Marina Resort in Holmes Beach and Bortell’s Lounge in Anna Maria, for which she will be named.Turtle Watch logo

Bortie will compete in the Conservancy’s 11th Annual Tour de Turtles race beginning on Aug. 1. The event is part of an ongoing research project tracking satellite-tagged turtles to determine where and how far they migrate.

Spectators interested in seeing Bortie off to the Gulf of Mexico can look for a cluster of vehicles at the Coquina Beach parking lot; the exact location will not be decided until Tuesday morning.

Amie, named for Anna Maria Island and sponsor Anna Maria Elementary School, finished the 2015 race in last place, in true turtle style; 84 little loggerheads hatched out of her nest while she was in the race.

Eliza Ann, named for sponsor Waterline Marina Resort’s restaurant, made the Island proud, taking first place in the 2017 race.

Why did the turtle cross the road?

Written by Cindy Lane on . Posted in Featured, Outdoors, Sea turtles.

ANNA MARIA – She was lost. She was pregnant. She just wanted to get home.

The loggerhead sea turtle came ashore on Wednesday, May 13 at Bayfront Park, probably to nest.

But apparently, she didn’t find a favorable spot, because she just kept going, according to Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch and Shorebird Monitoring Director Suzi Fox.

First, she crawled up North Shore Drive.

Possibly wondering why the sand had turned to something hard that flippers couldn’t dig into, she headed back to the park.

Then she crawled down North Bay Boulevard.

No good sand there, either.

Meanwhile, Turtle Watch volunteer Karen Anderson had saddled up for morning turtle surveys and was noticing turtle tracks that came ashore, but no signs of nesting and no tracks going back to the bay.

Like the cavalry, Bob and Debbie Haynes and Lisa Weiss came to the rescue.

They tracked down the 400-pound turtle, coaxed her onto a sheet, picked her up, carried her to the park, sat her down on the beach and pushed her back into the water, Fox said, thrilled that all the volunteer training had paid off in a successful crisis management example for the turtle record books.

The next day, volunteers discovered a nest near Bayfront Park.

Did the rescued turtle come back to nest the night after her ordeal?

They don’t know.

But in 1997, a turtle got lost in the same spot, Fox said.

No telling if it was the same turtle, or if the area is just bad turtle terrain in need of a turtle crossing sign.

If you find a sea turtle on the road on Anna Maria Island, call Turtle Watch at 941-778-5638.

Green turtle swimming free after hospital stay

Written by Cindy Lane on . Posted in Featured, Outdoors, Sea turtles.

ANNA MARIA – Shoshi, a juvenile green sea turtle, is swimming free in Tampa Bay after a successful rehabilitation and release Thursday morning, May 10 at Bayfront Park.

A fisherman found the turtle in March floating in yellow sludge 15 miles west of Bean Point, the northern tip of Anna Maria Island, according to Mote Marine Laboratory, which rehabilitated the turtle.

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-lWoNDPoVcU[/embedyt]

Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch and Shorebird Monitoring volunteer Dave Ault brought the turtle to Mote, naming her after his puppy, Shoshi.

Mote Sea Turtle Rehabilitation Hospital staff discovered that Shoshi’s skin was covered in an unidentified orange material, and the plates on its shell were coming off. The turtle received antibiotic eye drops, was given dextrose intravenously, and received subcutaneous fluids until it fully recovered.

Green turtles rarely nest on Anna Maria Island; loggerheads are, by far, the more common local species. Both are on the federal threatened species list.

Turtle season began May 1. No turtles had nested on the Island as of Shoshi’s release date, but one turtle attempted to nest in a “false crawl” in Bradenton Beach earlier that morning, returning to sea without laying eggs, according to Turtle Watch.

If you see a stranded or dead sea turtle, dolphin or whale in Sarasota or Manatee county waters, please call Mote’s Stranding Investigations Program, a 24-hour response service, at 941-988-0212.

If you see a stranded or dead sea turtle, dolphin or whale outside of Sarasota and Manatee counties, or a stranded or dead manatee anywhere in state waters, please call the FWC Wildlife Alert hotline at 888-404-FWCC (3922).

Mote Sea Turtle Rehabilitation Hospital staff bring a green sea turtle to Bayfront Park for release on Thursday, May 10. - Cindy Lane | Sun

Mote Sea Turtle Rehabilitation Hospital staff bring a green sea turtle to Bayfront Park for release on Thursday, May 10. - Cindy Lane | Sun

A juvenile green sea turtle, a threatened species, was released off Anna Maria on Thursday, May 10. - Cindy Lane | Sun

A juvenile green sea turtle, a threatened species, was released off Anna Maria on Thursday, May 10. - Cindy Lane | Sun

Shoshi is ready to go. - Cindy Lane | Sun

Shoshi is ready to go. - Cindy Lane | Sun

Going...

Going...

... going...

... going...

... gone. - Cindy Lane | Sun

... gone. - Cindy Lane | Sun

Turtle hatchling

Turtle season one for record books

Written by Cindy Lane on . Posted in Featured, Outdoors, Sea turtles.

Sea turtle nesting and hatching season is ending on Anna Maria Island with the turtles doubling and tripling records, both good and bad.

Nesting News

Turtle nests laid: 488

False crawls: 446

Nests hatched: 340

Not hatched: 148

Nests remaining: 0

Hatchlings to Gulf: 25,379

Nest disorientations: 58

Source: Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch and Shorebird Monitoring

All nests have hatched – all 488 of them – resulting in a record high number of nests surpassing last year’s previous record by 53 nests, according to statistics compiled by Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch and Shorebird Monitoring.

Turtle mothers, mostly loggerheads, more than doubled their 20-year average of 205 nests per year on the Island this season, May 1 – Oct. 31.

It also was a record year for the number of turtle hatchlings that made it out of their nests, across the beach and into the Gulf of Mexico – 25,379 – surpassing the 2016 record by 7,051 hatchlings.

The hatchlings more than doubled their 20-year average of 10,962 hatchlings per year, despite the high tides of Hurricane Irma on Sept. 10.

However, the year’s 58 disorientations also set a record, up 30 from the 2016 record.

Improper lighting, beach furniture left out overnight, holes in the sand and other causes more than tripled the 20-year average of 16 disorientations per year.

sea turtle release

Sea turtle release sets Mike free

Written by Cindy Lane on . Posted in Outdoors, Sea turtles.

Mike the sea turtle is on her way to the wild blue after her Monday release from Bayfront Park in Anna Maria.

The female loggerhead sea turtle clumsily lumbered across the sand into the shallows of Tampa Bay, hit deeper water, then soared off toward Fort Desoto as about 50 visitors, residents and Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch and Shorebird Monitoring staff and volunteers cheered.

Mote Marine’s Sea Turtle Rehabilitation Hospital staff treated her for probable red tide-induced lethargy after she was rescued off Longboat Key in January.

Not a stranger to being handled by humans, Mike had a passive integrated transponder tag, similar to microchips for pets, which the University of Central Florida staff implanted in 2011 when Mike nested in Brevard County.

If you see a sick, injured or dead marine mammal or sea turtle in Sarasota and Manatee counties, call Mote’s Stranding Investigations Program at 941-988-0212.

Year in review: Environment

Of tourists and turtles

Written by Cindy Lane on . Posted in Awards, Awards 2016, Editorial, Opinion, Special Sections, Third Place.

In a vacation resort like Anna Maria Island, it’s tough to educate people about sea turtles because the audience is a moving target.

Visitors who have learned something about vacationing on a turtle nesting beach are always leaving, and visitors who know nothing about turtles are always arriving.

Third Place
Editorial
2016

 

Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch and Shorebird Monitoring does a great job of providing educational opportunities for tourists, pitching their tent at art shows and festivals, offering Turtle Talks on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, inviting people to view nests excavations after nests have hatched, and supplying printed information to rental agents, city halls and the chamber of commerce, among other outreach efforts.

Some people plan their vacations around turtle season because they love turtles, Turtle Watch reports.

But others have no idea what leaving their drapes open at night could do to a turtle nest.

The first sea turtle nest of the season that hatched on Anna Maria Island this week was disoriented by lights, meaning the hatchlings probably did not make it to the Gulf of Mexico and died, despite the efforts of dozens of volunteers who get up before dawn to check for tracks and mark new nests and protect the imperiled marine turtles on holiday weekends and throughout the six-month turtle season.

An average 16 disorientations occur each year according to Turtle Watch. That could mean more than 1,000 turtle hatchlings unwittingly killed.

While some rental agents provide information inside their accommodations regarding the laws about sea turtles – such as closing blinds and drapes at night, turning off camera flashes and bringing chairs and umbrella stands in from the beach – some visitors don’t read them, or if they do, they don’t comply.

But some rental agents, as well as some accommodations owners who rent their properties without agents, don’t even bother posting the information for their guests.

It’s very discouraging for Turtle Watch to work so hard to persuade beachfront property owners to provide information, and sometimes even help them install turtle-friendly lighting and windows, then have a nest of hatchlings become disoriented from one person using a cell phone flash at night on the beach because they didn’t know not to.

There’s no excuse not to advise guests about turtle laws on rental websites, in welcome packets and in posted rules. Call Turtle Watch at 941-778-5638. Use the Sun’s “Turtle Tips” and “Live Like a Local” features available in print, on our website and on our Facebook page.

Live like a local – respect wildlife.