Sunday, August 19, 2007
Posted on August 19, 2007 | Filed Under Daily Journal
St. Catherines Island Sea Turtle Conservation Program
Daily Observations
Sunday, August 19, 2007
Observers: Gale
I am back onto the sea turtle blog after an extended break. Since we last communicated the 14 K-12 teacher-interns have finished their residence (July 13-20) on SCI, active nesting has apparently stopped as of July 31, and we are now half way through the hatch (Nest 07-025a has emerged … 07-026 or 07-027 should be next. Each day that I post I will try to summarize the current status of the program. Nesting on the coast of Georgia is down this year, we think it’s the “down” year when many of our females are taking a “nesting vacation” to build reserves for the next three to four years. The weather has remained remarkably mild and very dry, excellent conditions for hatching loggerheads, but not for farming.
Highlights since we last posted a daily blog have included one of the best teacher-intern groups we have ever hosted, working with two of the best ever GaDNR/SCIF Sea Turtle Interns Katy McCurdy and Alyse Eddy, the development of short papers on “Coastal Erosion in Georgia” (with Dr. Bran Potter of Sewanee, The University of the South) and development of a manuscript on “Use of thermocuring polyurethane foam egg chamber replicas to investigate the morphology and microstratigraphy of loggerhead nest egg chambers, St. Catherines Island, GA” with Katy McCurdy and Alyse Eddy … and of course those 1,643 baby loggerheads!
As of today:
Number of Nests: 51
In Situ 10
Relocated 34
Wild 1
Depredated 6
Washed Out 2
Total Eggs 2063
Total Eggs Hatched 1725
Total Eggs Unhatch 338
Percent Success 83.62
Total into the Sea 1643
Today’s Observations:
I left the Turtle House at 5:45 A.M. and monitored South Beach and then North Beach.
South Beach was monitored from South Beach Entrance northward to Mc Queens Inlet, then south ward to the Mud banks north of Beach Creek. South Beach was quiet with no new activity. The opportunity was taken to continue some preparation for emergence of 07-026, 07-027, 07-030, and 07-032 by constructing emergence aprons across the wrack which is still exposed.
I walked Southwest Beach; no new activity.
North Beach was monitored by entering at Seaside Ramp, driving southward to Seaside Inlet, then back to St. Catherines Sound. Nest 07-019a was dug this morning due to its age and inactivity. Forty unhatched, undeveloped eggs were documented.
Gale A. Bishop
8/19/07
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