I haven’t seen any baby Loggerhead Turtles emerging this year yet; but there’s still a chance for me to do so. Up to five species of Turtles in southern Florida lay their eggs in a nest over three feet deep. This keeps the eggs safe from predators, high tides and weather. Naturalists carefully mark new nests each morning with a simple fence and tags indicating the date laid. This will help them return in two months to spot the little tracks indicating hatchlings creeping out to the ocean. Then three days later scientists will exhume the nest and count the quantity of eggs laid, hatched as well as rescue any baby that was unable to crawl out of the nest. Copyright 2024 Pamela BreitbergThis Turtle nest was far from the shoreline. When mama laid the eggs the vegetation had not yet crept over the spot. Copyright 2024 Pamela BreitbergHigh tide approaches this Turtle nest which is one reason that the nests are at least three feet deep. Read much more information on Turtle nesting here. Copyright 2024 Pamela BreitbergBeing on the beach when the scientists open up a hatched nest is incredible. Here a researcher holds one baby Loggerhead Turtle that was still in the nest. Quite amazing. These next images are over ten years old since I haven’t seen a hatching yet this season but thought you’d like seeing the images for a fuller understanding. Copyright 2024 Pamela BreitbergMy heart was still as I watched this tiny creature enter instinctively into the vast, sometimes violent ocean waters. A hatchling nest can produce several hundred babies, to help insure that a few will live to adulthood. See answers to common questions about sea turtle nests here. Copyright 2024 Pamela Breitberg
