Coronavirus or not, sea turtles are crawling ashore on Anna Maria Island to nest.
The first loggerhead nest of 2020 was discovered the morning of April 21 near Coconut Avenue in Anna Maria, nine days before the official start of season, May 1.
It is the earliest nest date since at least 2012, according to AMITW data.
However, the nest will not be included in Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch and Shorebird Monitoring’s data, based on instruction from the state not to document nests in areas outside the upcoming renourishment project — between 78th Street in Holmes Beach and Longboat Pass.
Nests in the path of renourishment must be relocated to avoid being covered by sand when it is pumped ashore, including a second nest found April 26 near 56th Street in Holmes Beach. It was relocated higher on the beach to avoid impacts from the project.
“It’s still early, so I am not surprised it is starting slow,” Suzi Fox, AMITW executive director, said April 23.
In 2019, by the end of nesting season, Oct. 31, turtle watch saw a record-breaking season, with 535 loggerhead and nine green sea turtle nests.
Sue Carlton, Anna Maria resident and AMITW volunteer, found the first nest of 2020 — and also the second nest — on an early morning walk, even though she was not on patrol, according to Fox.
Fox decided to run beach patrols by ATV with only a handful of volunteers, due to concerns about COVID-19. She also will be considering direction from Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission on how to safely patrol during the pandemic.
In April, Fox was operating morning patrols with a crew of four people on two ATVs who search, stake off any nest found and collect data.
She said after May 1, she would double the numbers — eight people on four ATVs.
There are 67 turtle watch volunteers trained and permitted by the state as walkers, but most will be idle.
“We must do this as safely as possible for everyone,” Fox said. “This also means we must keep our distance from people who approach us on the beach.”
She suggested people visit the turtle watch website at islandturtlewatch.com.
“There have been a lot more people on the beach right now than I expected,” Fox said April 23. “So there are some concerns with beach chairs and lighting.”
Only adult female sea turtles leave the water, and only to dig a nest where it deposits a clutch of about 100 eggs in the sand. After nesting, sea turtles follow the light from the reflection of the moon and stars on the surface of the water to return to the Gulf of Mexico.
Landward lights visible from the shoreline at eye level for a sea turtle, and beach equipment, such as tents, canopies, chairs and rafts, left on the beach overnight, can be diversions and barriers to sea turtles on their way to and from the Gulf.
Therefore, lighting visible from the shoreline must be sea turtle-friendly, with FWC-approved bulbs in low, shielded fixtures, with interior lights shaded by blinds, curtains or tinted glass.
The three island cities enforce local regulations for sea turtle protection, and code compliance can cite people for noncompliant lighting.
Beachgoers also must remove their gear at the end of the day. The beach must be left overnight as the natural habitat would have been.
“It is time for people to step up and make sure the beach is clear and safe for people and sea turtles,” Fox said. “Now is not the time to be lax.”