Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch and Shorebird Monitoring hit the beaches April 15, conducting its first Anna Maria Island patrols of the 2024 nesting season.
The start date was recommended by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission owing to the years when AMITW found nests earlier that the official start of nesting season, which is May 1, said Kristen Mazzarella, executive director of AMITW.
The first nest AMITW observed in 2023 was April 18.
In 2022, AMITW found the first nest May 4.
Sea turtle nesting season runs until Oct. 31. During the season, female sea turtles come ashore on Anna Maria Island to dig their nests and deposit eggs. The eggs incubate in the sand for about 55 days and then the hatchlings emerge to make their way to the Gulf of Mexico.
AMITW will patrol daily “until the last nest has hatched,” Mazzarella told The Islander April 18.
As of that date, AMITW had not identified any nests.
While they look for nests, the turtle watch team also checks for properties along the beach that might need to alter their lighting at night. Improper lighting can interfere with nesting and hatchling activity, as lights can disorient sea turtles.
AMITW also looks for shorebirds exhibiting courtship and nesting behavior, Mazzarella said. The volunteers will post stakes to protect shorebird colonies if they nest on Anna Maria Island.
This season, about 30 volunteers are involved in patrols, up from around 15 in 2023. Five volunteers will assist with collecting data and bringing out equipment, as AMITW is only allowed 25 volunteers on its state permit.
AMITW patrols the Gulf shore with UTVs and travels by foot along the bay front nesting beaches.
AMITW will be using a donated GPS to accurately record nest locations.
“We’re really excited about that because we’re not going to have as many stakes on the beach that could get damaged or washed out,” Mazzarella said.
Turtle watch uses stakes to monitor nests and also alert people to avoid them.
“We can re-find them if the stakes wash away,” she said of marked nests.
Turtle Talk time
For people who want to learn more about sea turtle nesting, AMITW will host a series of Turtle Talks at Holmes Beach City Hall, 5801 Marina Drive, starting at 10-11 a.m. Tuesday, May 7, and continuing on Tuesdays through August.
For more information, go online to islandturtlewatch.com, email info@islandturtlewatch.com or call 941-301-8434.