100 and counting

More than 100 sea turtle nests were staked on AMI during the first full month of nesting season.

During the season, which began May 1 and continues through Oct. 31, female sea turtles come to the shores of Anna Maria Island to lay their eggs and, later, hatchlings will emerge from the nests to make their way to the Gulf.

Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch and Shorebird Monitoring hosted another lecture May 28 as part of its Turtle Tracks and Shorebird Facts series at Holmes Beach City Hall, 5801 Marina Drive, and shared the number of nests on the island.

Karen Anderson, the stranding coordinator for AMITW and speaker at the meeting, said 119 nests had been marked on Anna Maria Island as of May 28. By May 31, the number was 138.

Anderson also talked about the characteristics of the most common sea turtle species nesting on AMI.

“The loggerhead is the most common turtle we see here on the island,” she said. “Their jaws are so big because of what they eat.”

Loggerheads feed on crustaceans such as crabs and lobsters and powerful jaws allow them to crunch their prey.

“The green turtle has a smaller head but it can get larger in weight,” Anderson said.

While loggerheads weigh 200-300 pounds, green sea turtles weigh 300-400 pounds.

Green sea turtles are “true vegetarians,” according to Anderson, as they only eat seagrass, algae and other vegetation, except for jellyfish, which all sea turtles consume.

Anderson also talked about shorebirds, including a colony of least terns nesting in Bradenton Beach.

“We have three protected species that nest on this island: black skimmers, snowy plovers and least terns. As of this morning, we still had 16 nests of least terns in Bradenton Beach at the 27th Street access,” Anderson said.

Shorebirds nest March-August.

They make shallow holes in the sand where they deposit their eggs.

“We’re very protective of our shorebirds because they don’t nest here every single year,” Anderson said.

People can protect shorebirds and sea turtle nests by keeping pets indoors and avoiding posted areas.

AMITW’s talks are Tuesdays through August, typically at 10 a.m. but the session will start at noon June 25.

The content of the lecture is repeating, aimed at educating the public about sea turtle nesting season.