NC’s sea turtle season gets an early start. Loggerhead nests at 3 beaches so far

Martha Quillin
·3 min read
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Masonboro Island Reserve claims to have this year’s first sea turtle nest in the state, a loggerhead that laid her eggs on Friday.

The Reserve celebrated the event with a Facebook post on Monday that included photos of the telltale “crawl,” distinctive tracks in the sand that emerge from the ocean’s edge, loop onto the beach, stop at a disturbance in the sand and head back to the water.

The turtle that made the nest picked a promising site for egg-laying.

Masonboro Island is one of 10 North Carolina Coastal Reserves. It’s a barrier island off New Hanover County, about 5 miles south of Wilmington. It’s more than 8 miles long, covered mostly with marsh and tidal flats that are home to lots of creatures whose low population numbers make them a concern of the federal government.

The island can be reached only by boat and activity on the island is limited to places that won’t disturb the wildlife.

Two more sea turtle nests logged so far

A second sea turtle nest – also a loggerhead – was laid Saturday on South Core Banks in the Cape Lookout National Seashore on Saturday, and a third loggerhead nest was found Monday at Ocean Isle Beach, according to the state’s Sea Turtle Nest Monitoring System, which keeps track throughout the season.

North Carolina has monitored sea turtle activity since the 1970s, and researchers said they had to go back to May 6, 1995 to find a nest that had been laid earlier at Ocean Isle. Volunteers relocated the nest found there Monday to give the eggs a better chance of hatching.

North Carolina’s sea turtle species

There are seven species of sea turtles, five of which have been recorded in North Carolina.

Loggerheads are the most common nesters here, but researchers and volunteers also have recorded green turtles, leatherbacks, and Kemp’s ridleys along the 330 or so miles of the state’s sandy ocean beaches. In 2016, the state saw two hawksbill sea turtle nests. The hawksbill and Kemp’s ridley are both critically endangered.

At least 16 research and conservation groups work along the North Carolina coast to identify and protect nesting sea turtles. Nesting season runs from mid-May through August. The loggerheads are expected to begin hatching in about 60 days.

How to help and protect sea turtles

The North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission reminds beach visitors they can help sea turtles during nesting season by:

▪ Turning off or redirecting lights away from the beach if you’re staying oceanfront;

▪ Removing chairs and other gear from the beach at night to leave the turtles a clear path;

▪ Refraining from flashlight use while walking the beach at night, because it can disorient nesting turtles;

▪ Staying away from a turtle if you encounter it on the beach, and not disturbing it with noise or lights, including camera flash;

▪ Leaving turtle tracks undisturbed, as they help researchers identify the type of turtle that came onto the beach.