July 31, 2015
Sea turtle nesting season is still going strong!
Since the first nest was laid on April 11th, 616 more nests have been laid on County managed beaches! To
date, we have a total of 14 Leatherback nests, 582 Loggerhead nests, and 21 Green sea turtle nests, bringing
us to a total of 617 nests!! Our previous highest total counts are 649 nests in 2008, 677 nests in 2013, and
919 nests in 2012. So at worst, this year will be our 4th highest nesting year on record! We expect to have
new nests continue to be laid in August, although new nest activity is slowing down and will taper off
completely in Sept. Remaining nests will hatch through October.
In Volusia County, sea turtle nesting season officially runs from May 1st to October 31st. The groups that
survey the beaches each morning for sea turtle activity made the night before, are able to tell which species
has laid each nest by the distinct tracks the mother leaves as she crawls from the ocean to the dunes and
back to the water.
In addition to the new nesting activity still being reported each day, our first nests of the season are
beginning to hatch! When a nest is “due to hatch”, a bright green or pink piece of survey tape is attached to
one of the barrier stakes. This makes it easy for monitoring volunteers to see that it needs a close check
each morning. In addition, it alerts other beach workers that any obstructions, like holes, tire ruts and
beach equipment should be filled in, raked or moved, so that when the nest does hatch, the hatchlings have
a safe path to reach the water on their own.
To date, the contents of 165 evaluated nests is summarized below.
Live
Hatchlings
412
Dead
Hatchlings
466
Pipped
Live
3
Pipped
Dead
236
Unhatched
Whole Eggs
1,692
Unhatched
Broken Eggs
251
Hatched Eggs
15,183
Since the season is transitioning into hatching season, now is the most critical time that lighting on
properties near the beach need to be brought into compliance with the lighting ordinance. Sea turtles can be
misguided or deterred by artificial bright lights. Sea turtle lighting regulations are in effect and
enforced each May- October, throughout the entire county. The goal of the ordinance is to reduce the
amount of light visible from the beach. Properties within line sight of the beach have a responsibility to do
their part to ensure the lighting on their property does not affect sea turtle nesting activity in the vicinity.
We can help assist you if you have questions. Please check the lighting portion of our website for more
information.
In terms of the number of nests laid, the east coast of Florida is considered a prominent Loggerhead nesting
habitat. Here in Volusia County we expect several hundred Loggerhead nests each season. During the
2012 nesting season we monitored a record high count of 885 Loggerhead nests. An average season yields
about 480 nests.
Despite a record high nest count in 2012 for Volusia County and the state of Florida, Loggerhead nesting
is showing an overall decline throughout Florida. According to FWC marine biologists, since 1998,
there has been a drastic decline in all populations of the Loggerhead sea turtles nesting in Florida. For more
info, please visit http://myfwc.com/research/wildlife/sea-turtles/nesting/loggerhead-trends/
Beginning in late June or early July we expect to start seeing nests from Green Sea Turtles. Greens
typically lay fewer nests than Loggerheads on Volusia County beaches (in the 10’s instead of 100’s).
However, unlike the Loggerheads, Green nesting numbers appear to be increasing throughout the state and
within Volusia County. For more info, please visit http://myfwc.com/research/wildlife/seaturtles/nesting/green-turtle/ In 2013, we counted 52 Green Sea Turtle nests on Volusia beaches which was
the 2nd highest count in Volusia County on record. Green Sea Turtle nesting effort is typically cyclical with
a high year followed by a low year, followed again by a high year. Volusia County Green Sea Turtle
nesting exhibits the same pattern. In 2014, only 6 Green Sea Turtle nests were laid.
Sea turtle nests are available for adoption through both the Volusia Sea Turtle Society (for South of Ponce
Inlet) and the Volusia Turtle Patrol (for North of Ponce Inlet). You may contact these groups through their
websites for more information on sponsoring your very own sea turtle nest!
Shorebird nesting season is over and winter residents are returning
Staff and volunteers are regularly surveying the inlet parks and county beaches for nesting shorebirds. This
season we located 8 Wilson’s Plover shorebird nests throughout the County as well as 1 lone least tern nest.
Our first Wilson’s Plover chicks (3) were observed for the first time on May 18th. The latest Wilson’s
Plover nest hatched a total of 3 chicks which were first observed on July 13th. There is one more count
window for nesting shorebirds in early August.
All shorebird nests laid on county beaches are cordoned off from human disturbance so that they have the
best chance of being successful. If you are interested in seeing them for yourself, please stay OUT of all
posted areas; bring binoculars and look from afar. Disturbance to nesting birds can cause them to abandon
the eggs, leaving them exposed for too long, and vulnerable to predators. Remember, these are small, well
camouflaged eggs laid in the sand, so even walking into posted areas could be fatal to baby birds!! In many
cases both parent birds monitor the nest. If the adult bird notices you, take a few steps back because you are
too close! If you see an injured bird, report it to Beach Safety personnel (386-239-6414) as soon as
possible. Beach Safety personnel are trained to rescue injured birds and will make sure they receive proper
care.
Spring and summer in Volusia County brings some special avian visitors. Black skimmers, willets, and
Wilson’s plovers use our coastal habitats for resting and nesting. The black-bellied plover, a favorite of
local birders, migrates to Florida and even further to South America from their breeding habitat on Arctic
islands. Please keep in mind that these birds need their rest for extremely long flights back to their breeding
grounds. Try to view them from afar and keep disturbances to a minimum.
Wintering birds are starting to return! Volusia beaches are home to many resident winter birds and also
provide important habitat for birds migrating to other places further south of here. We conduct routine
winder shorebird counts in the vicinity of Ponce Inlet. On July 13th, we observed our first endangered
shorebird of the season, a Piping Plover, on Disappearing Island. A few more Piping Plovers have been
spotted since in New Smyrna Beach.
OTHER NEWS:
Volusia County beaches are re-growing! Since hurricane Sandy eroded many sections of County
beaches in the fall of 2012, most affected areas have gained in elevation and width and are re-growing
vegetation. Unfortunately, a powerful storm came through in early May and created erosion and high tides
in some areas. Some of the earliest nests were over washed and barriers had to be reset. Right now, the
ocean is back to its summer time calm characteristics, so we hope the weather stays that way through the
summer.
Nice wide, dry, sandy beach areas are needed for sea turtle nests to incubate in successfully. Sea turtle
eggs are air-permeable and they will not survive if inundated by water for extended periods of time. Often
times when nests are laid too close to the area of high tides or near water runoff locations, the eggs are
relocated to an area that is higher and dryer. The Conservation Zones are also filling up with natural plants
recruiting in on their own. Not only does it look beautiful, but plants help our dunes get stronger. These
vegetated dunes are the first line of protection during storms.
Outside of sea turtle nesting season, the beach is opened to public driving from sunrise to sunset. However
from May 1 –Oct. 31- the beach opening and closing times are from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. This allows time for
sea turtle monitoring crews to clearly mark all the nests and perform vital tasks before the beach is open to
driving for the public.
Please remember and be understanding that vehicular access to the beach may be delayed or prohibited
when environmental conditions such as high tides warrant. Also remember that driving and parking are
never allowed within the Conservation Zone. The beach will reopen to driving as soon as conditions
permit.
Please check back to this site regularly, as we will have updates to the nesting season and data posted as
numbers change. We will let you know how many nests have been laid, their success and failure stories
and any other pertinent and exciting information about the program we can think of!
Hope to see you at the beach!