by Jackie Orsulak
Page 2 : 30 September 2011 Update - Nest #17
Nest #17 was inventoried to the delight of all attending. After nest sitting for many days and being chased off the beach by lightning, a NEST volunteer checked the nest one morning and found what everyone thought was a large sinkhole. In the following days only three hatchlings emerged.
During excavation, however, we found that we had once again been "snookered" by the turtles. The large hole was not a sinkhole—it was the remains of a mass exodus of 82 hatchlings when no one was present. Besides the empty egg shells, excavators found five live hatchlings (two emerging from their eggs) and five undeveloped eggs.
What a great success after surviving Hurricane Irene. Turtles never cease to amaze us with their resiliency. They truly are one of the most enduring species on the planet.
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