First nests of sea turtle season on west end
As of May 6, the Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation (SCCF) had documented a total of eight loggerhead nests this season.
The first three nests were laid last week along the westernmost section of Sanibel near Blind Pass, with the first nest of the season documented on April 30. Early this week, three more nests were laid on Sanibel’s west end, the first of which was depredated by coyotes the same night it was laid.
On May 6, the first nests were laid on Captiva and Sanibel’s east end. The SCCF reported that unfortunately, once again, both nests were depredated by coyotes before the team arrived and had a chance to apply a screen to help discourage depredation.
The nests mark the first of hundreds more loggerhead nests to be laid on Sanibel and Captiva this nesting season, which runs through October. The nests are staked off and will be monitored throughout incubation by staff and volunteers during daily morning surveys.
Daily morning surveys are conducted on Captiva and in three areas on Sanibel:
– East end (Lighthouse Beach to Tarpon Bay Beach)
– West end (Tarpon Bay Beach to Bowman’s Beach)
– Westernmost end (Bowman’s Beach to Blind Pass)
The team is placing screens on top of the nests, using a stronger and larger screen than in the past to help prevent depredation. They are also experimenting with decoy nests to decrease depredation.
“Decoy nests are intentionally placed artificial nests designed to mimic real sea turtle nests, potentially diverting coyotes toward non-viable targets and reducing depredation pressure by decreasing the reliability of visual cues associated with locating active nests,” Coastal Wildlife Director Kelly Sloan said.
To help protect sea turtles, remember to:
– Fill in holes and flatten sandcastles.
– Turn off/shield all lights visible from the shore after 9 p.m., and do not use flashlights on the beach.
– Remove beach furniture, equipment and trash, which pose hazards to turtles.
– Keep your distance from marked sea turtle nests, and do not disturb nesting sea turtles.
To report lighting issues, sea turtle hazards on the beach, information about nests, or turtle strandings on Sanibel or Captiva, contact the SCCF Sea Turtle Hotline at 978-728-3663 (978-SAVE-ONE).
NIGHT-TAGGING PATROL
The SCCF sea turtle nighttime tagging team has officially completed their first patrol of the season.
From May through July, the team conducts nightly beach patrols on Sanibel to intercept, identify, tag and monitor nesting sea turtles. Each encountered turtle is checked for existing identification and, if needed, is outfitted with flipper tags and a microchip known as a Passive Integrated Transponder (PIT) tag.
During the first patrol, the team encountered two nesting loggerhead sea turtles, both of which were known individuals previously tagged on Sanibel.
The first turtle, Striate Bubble, was originally tagged in 2016 during the “shells” naming theme. She has since been documented nesting twice in 2021 and three times in 2023. The second turtle, Butter Pecan, was originally tagged in 2017 during the “ice cream” theme and has been recorded nesting three times that year and once again in 2020.
“By tagging and identifying nesting female sea turtles on Sanibel, we can track long-term trends among individuals — such as where they choose to nest, how frequently they return, and how successful their nests are,” sea turtle biologist Savannah Weber said.