First sea turtle nest of the season found on Sanibel’s west end
The Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation has recorded its first sea turtle nest of the season.
On April 27, a loggerhead nest was discovered on the west end of Sanibel.
“Today marks the same day as the first nest in 2021. Our sea turtle team was excited to get sandy knees again as they put up the vivid yellow stakes that protect nests on our islands,” it reported at the time.
The SCCF also recorded the first false crawl of the season on the west end on April 27.
As of today, no additional turtle nests nor false crawls had been located.
“Those are the only crawls so far,” SCCF Coastal Wildlife Director and Sea Turtle Program Coordinator Kelly Sloan said. “One nest and one false crawl on the west end.”
April 15 officially marks the first day of sea turtle nesting season, which will last through October.
Sea turtle monitoring originally began on Sanibel in the 1950s with Charles LeBuff and Caretta Research Inc., making it one of the longest-running monitoring programs in the country. When Caretta Research disbanded in 1992, the SCCF took over the program and continues to manage it today.
Loggerhead is the most common marine turtle species to nest on the islands, followed by the green sea turtle. Leatherbacks and Kemp’s ridleys are rarer, but they have nested on Sanibel-Captiva before.
The SCCF provided the following tips to help keep the islands sea turtle-friendly:
– Turn off or shield all lights that are visible from the beach. Do not use flashlights or cell phone lights on the beach. If necessary, use amber or red LED bulbs.
– Remove all beach furniture and equipment from the beach at night by 9 p.m.
– Dispose of fishing line properly to avoid wildlife entanglement.
– Fill in holes that can trap hatchlings and nesting sea turtles.
Do not disturb nesting turtles — please do not to get too close, shine lights on, or take flash photos of nesting sea turtles.-n Pick up litter because it attracts predators.
In addition, boaters can do their part to keep the surrounding waters sea turtle-friendly by:
– Avoiding the area along the beach, if possible.
– Having a designated spotter on the boat to look out for sea turtles.
– Wearing polarized sunglasses to help with spotting sea turtles.
– Going as slow as possible in areas where sea turtles are or might be.
For more ways to protect and care for sea turtles, visit https://sancaplifesavers.org/.
To report a nest or false crawl, or for concerns about nesting or injured sea turtles, contact the SCCF Sea Turtle Hotline at 978-728-3663 (978-SAVE-ONE).