To adopt Nest#03, visit http://seaturtle.org/nestdb/adopt/?b=1 and select ID# 90504.
Nest#03 as mom finishes covering her nest site.
History was made this morning (at least according to ATV rider Dennis)! After five years of riding the Nags Head run and never finding a thing, Dennis finally found his first nest. Not only did he find a crawl, but he even saw mom finishing up!
Responders discovered an unusually shallow and wide nest.
The Nesting Response Team was quick to the scene and saw that the tide was creeping closer and closer to her selected site. So the team promptly began looking for eggs which were easy to expose as it was a shallow nest. After speaking with nearby neighbors who see that part of the beach all the time, it was determined that the nest was below the average high tide line and so was relocated closer to the dune to avoid excessive wash over.
Intern Marissa carefully places egg without rotating it.
The very first egg uncovered was found damaged, mostly likely caused by the mom as she covered up the site (a common occurrence in shallow nest sites). So the damaged egg was recovered for the DNA research project. The other 99 eggs were gently and carefully moved, making sure not to rotate them as that could disrupt the forming connection the embryo makes with the egg shell.
Nesting Response Team for Nest#03
The new nest site was recreated as identical as possible to the original and then staked off to rest for the next two months or so. It was a beautiful sight on this clear morning and hopefully we’ll have baby hatchlings scampering to the ocean come end of August!