Sea Turtle Nesting on Anna Maria Island
Posted by John Allen on Saturday, May 7th, 2011 at 1:34pm.
Sea turtle nesting season has begun with a record on Anna Maria Island! A volunteer for Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch discovered the first loggerhead nest of the season on April 27th. It is the earliest discovery of a nest since record keeping began. Once the nests are discovered, they are staked off and marked with the date, location of the nest and an estimated hatch date. Did you know that a sea turtles lay an average of 100 eggs per nest?
It is important to keep some things in mind while enjoying the beaches during nesting season (May 1st- Oct 31st):
- Remove all trash, toys and beach furniture from the shore at the end of the day. Turtles and their hatchlings can easily lose their way by bumping into debris.
- Avoid using patio lights and shield any lights that may reach the beach at night (this includes flashlights and flash photography). Artificial light can discourage adult females from nesting and disorient hatchlings on their trek to the water.
- State and federal laws forbid the disturbance of nesting turtles, their nests and hatchlings.
For more information on sea turtles and marine conservation, visit Mote Marine: http://mote.org/
For tours of nests or to get involved, contact Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch and Shore Bird Monitoring: http://islandturtlewatch.com
Join the turtle watch from your backyard. Search Anna Maria Island real estate and contact us to make arrangements for a tour of available listings.
3 Responses to "Sea Turtle Nesting on Anna Maria Island"
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