SANIBEL-CAPTIVA CONSERVATION FOUNDATION

The Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation reported that as of May 28, it had documented a total of 178 sea turtle nests on Sanibel and Captiva for the season — 177 loggerhead and one leatherback.

Forty-four loggerhead nests had been documented on Captiva, and 133 loggerhead nests and one leatherback nest had been found on Sanibel.

In addition, the SCCF team encountered two loggerheads during morning surveys last week. One turtle had just finished nesting, and the other was returning to the Gulf of Mexico after a false crawl — when the female comes ashore to nest but returns to the water without having laid eggs.

The SCCF noted that it is rare to see a nesting loggerhead during the day, as they generally come to shore at night. If you see a sea turtle exhibiting nesting behavior, do not interfere with the process or try to get closer.

Both nests and false crawls are documented by SCCF’s survey teams each morning. Once a nest is found, it is immediately staked off and screened to protect the eggs from beachgoers and coyotes.

NEW METHOD TO DETER PREDATION

In order to further decrease coyote predation on the nests, the SCCF has started applying habanero pepper in the sand around the clutch of eggs. While the protective screen works to prevent coyotes from digging down to the eggs, the pepper is intended to affect their sense of smell and deter digging.

NIGHTTIME TAGGING UPDATE

Since May 1, the SCCF nighttime sea turtle team has had 73 encounters with nesting females. Of these, it has had repeated encounters with turtles that it first documented in 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022.

Each year, the nighttime tagging program documents nesting sea turtles on the islands between May through July. By identifying previously tagged individuals and tagging never-before-seen turtles, it can better understand the behavioral responses of the turtles to local pressures.

To report a suspected new nest or issues with nests, turtles, beach lighting or beach furniture, call the SCCF’s Sea Turtle Hotline at 978-SAVE-ONE (978-728-3663).

For ways to protect and care for sea turtles, visit https://sancaplifesavers.org/.