The first hatchlings of sea turtle season on Anna Maria Island emerged early morning July 8 on the beach at 70th Street behind the Nautilus condominiums, 7100 Gulf Drive, Holmes Beach.
Upon emergence from the nest, the majority of the hatchlings in the clutch of eggs progressed to the water but nine turtles became disoriented and crawled toward the dunes on the upper beach.
“We got a call from people at Nautilus condominium that there were hatchlings in the dunes, so I went down and collected the ones that were loose to be released to the Gulf at sunset,” John Schimkaitis, Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch and Shorebird Monitoring volunteer, said.
Upon hatching, a sea turtle is guided by instincts to the light from the moon and stars reflecting on the surface of the Gulf to make its way to the water. In some circumstances, however, disorientation occurs.
“The lights at Nautilus condominium were not what caused the disorientation — they are turtle-friendly. It was most likely the streetlights beyond the condo on Gulf Drive, and that is something we cannot control,” AMITW executive director Suzi Fox said.
However, there were hatchlings that made it to the Gulf.
“We could tell by the tracks they left that at least some made it to the water,” Schimkaitis said.
Following a 72-hour wait period, AMITW volunteers were to excavate the nest to determine if there were any unhatched eggs or hatchlings in the clutch. AMITW counts the eggs and returns the shells to the sand and covering it, returning it to its previous state, Schimkaitis said.
In order to protect hatchlings, AMITW employs the same practices as for the adult nesting sea turtles.
“The exact same rules apply to the hatchlings as they do to the mothers. We ask that people use turtle safe lights and keep them low and shielded. Additionally, we ask them not to disturb hatchlings making their way to the water, if they are seen. Otherwise we just wait for them to emerge,” Fox said.
For more information about AMITW, contact Suzi Fox at suzilfox@gmail.com or 941-778-5638
