Nest #19 - Kitty Hawk
ATV rider John shouted out a huge “woo hoo!” this morning when he came across his first crawl. A mother loggerhead hauled out onto the beach in Kitty Hawk and broke NEST’s record number of sea turtle nests in one season… #19! Last year was a banner year, 18 total nests which tied the previous record set in 2002. Ten years later, we broke the record and are still counting!
John and Rita begin the search for eggs.
The turtle didn’t make it easy to confirm eggs. She came up the beach on the north side, laid eggs, and twirled around, crawling out right over the site. Once the egg chamber was located, John did another dance for joy before he zipped off to finish his run.
Rick and Dennis prepare the yolk for a study on foraging grounds.
One egg was collected for DNA and yolk studies before the site was covered back over and staked off by the team.
Nest #19 Response Team