August 20, 2012

Just when you think nesting is over...

Female green turtle nesting on Sanibel Island, FL
Mother Nature sends you a surprise in the form of a nesting green turtle! This weekend SCCF Turtle Program volunteers and several beachgoers got quite a treat. On a routine morning beach patrol, one of our volunteers spotted a sea turtle that hadn't finished nesting. When she reported it, the permittee hurried to the beach to help keep the public a safe distance away. The permittee quickly realized it was not the typical loggerhead turtle that nests so frequently on Sanibel and Captiva, but a green turtle! Everyone on the beach was superb. They watched quietly from a distance and allowed the turtle to finish nesting without being disturbed. She finished covering and camouflaging her nest then turned and crawled to the Gulf.

Green turtle crawl