The amazing Green sea turtle crawl!

I was not very excited to wake up at 4:15 this morning to the sound of wind howling across the chimney and sheets of rain hitting the bedroom window.   Luckily the rain had let up by the time I got to Opal Beach and what an awesome patrol it turned out to be!  Not only did I discover my sixth sea turtle nest of the season, but it turned out to be that of a Green!  It's the first Green sea turtle nest I've ever found!

The mama turtle's crawl was 41" wide and what a path she made!  There were two body pits (eggs were found in the second pit), and there were three loops where she became disoriented afterward, as she tried to make her way back into the Gulf of Mexico.  Considering she probably weighed 300 lbs or more, you can imagine how tired this poor mama sea turtle must have been by the time she made her way back into the sea.

By the way, this is the sixth Green sea turtle nest of 2011 season (out of the total 75 nests to date).  So far, all of the Greens have nested in the Santa Rosa area of Gulf Islands National Seashore.

Green sea turtle release

UPDATED 4/15/10:

Folks at the Naval Live Oaks area of Gulf Islands National Seashore had a very happy afternoon.

A young green sea turtle was released into Santa Rosa Sound at Naval Live Oaks. Originally thought to be one of the cold-stunned sea turtles rescued during our record-breaking cold-snap this winter, this juvenile green was actually discovered at the Ft. Pickens area of Gulf Islands National Seashore wrapped in monofilament. The fishing line was even in its mouth and gullet. It's left front flipper was so damaged that it had to be amputated.


Monica Cain, a bio-tech for Gulf Islands National Seashore, releases the juvenile green sea turtle into Santa Rosa Sound.

Although it took a minute or two for the turtle to get a little water under it to realize it was free, it finally moved toward into the sound.

And now it is happily back in its natural environment.

Sea turtle patrols start next month! After such a harsh winter, I'm anxious to see how many nests we will have this year. So remember to turn off your outside lights and close your curtains during turtle season so our sea turtles will not be distracted, discouraged or disoriented!