1st of 2017 Anna Maria Island sea turtle nests spotted, staked

The loggerheads know what time it is.

So begins the time of year when sea turtles, once facing extinction, emerge from the Gulf of Mexico to nest on Anna Maria Island beaches at night, as they’ve done for millennia.

The first five nests of the 2017 sea turtle nesting season, May-October, were documented May 12 by Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch and Shorebird Monitoring volunteers on beaches in all three island municipalities — two in Anna Maria, another in Bradenton Beach and two in Holmes Beach — according to AMITW executive director Suzi Fox.

Additionally, 12 false crawls — abandoned nesting attempts — were spotted as of May 14.

By May 14, eight nests were verified.

“It’s not that much different than last year,” Fox said May 12. “It’s a little cooler this year, so that may have slowed things down some, for now.”

Last year, AMITW saw a record-breaking nesting season on the island. By the end of October 2016, more sea turtle nests — 435 loggerhead nests and one green sea turtle nest — were discovered on island beaches than any previous year.

However, people must remember this success is due in part to their behavior on nesting beaches.

Fox said one of the false crawls spotted on the beach May 12 might instead have led to a nest, but the female sea turtle was likely distracted by people taking pictures of her on the beach when she crawled ashore.

“An observer told me someone was out on the beach taking flash pictures at night when a turtle had come ashore to nest,” Fox said. “You cannot use a flash or flashlights on the beach at night, or the turtle will frighten and go back to the water without nesting.”

She said she understands peoples’ curiosity, but, during nesting season, people are a major reason female turtles abort their nesting attempts.

“If you see a turtle, don’t approach it. They smell you, see you and feel you,” Fox said May 12. “Don’t be a part of no-nesting.”

Sea turtles are protected by federal and state laws and, on Anna Maria Island, by city ordinances that prohibit lights that shine on the beach at night and gear left overnight on the beach.

For more information about AMITW, or to report a sick, injured or dead sea turtle, contact Fox at suzilfox@gmail.com or 941-778-5638.