Despite Elsa, Turtle Season Looking Strong

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Turtle Time tells us that on Fort Myers Beach there are now 86 nests – all loggerheads. The first generation of nests were negatively affected by Tropical Storm Elsa. Very few of the early nests survived although a couple of the nests that were deposited in the dunes did survive.

On Fort Myers Beach, at nest # 34, in Zone 9, 143 hatchlings emerged and successfully reached the Gulf. Nest # 38 hatched at sunset much to the delight of some beach visitors who respectfully stayed back to allow the hatchlings an unimpeded beach on their race to the water.

On Bonita Beach, the first of 3 green (Chelonia mydas) nests hatched. They were excavated this week and there were 155 hatchlings out of 167 eggs.

Over on Sanibel, at Sanibel East there were 137 Loggerhead/1 Green nest, 267 false crawls and 2206 Hatchlings. At Sanibel West there are 603 Loggerhead, 21 Green 634 false crawls & 14,309 Hatchlings.

Out on Captiva there are 235 Loggerhead, 251 false crawls and 5,145 hatchlings.