Good morning world! First sea turtles hatch on Hilton Head, Hunting Island beaches
Beaufort County’s population of animals with four adorable flippers grew by hundreds Thursday morning.
Two sea turtle nests on Hilton Head Island and one nest on Hunting Island State Park hatched, and the tiny turtles made their way to the ocean.
The nests, laid by Loggerhead sea turtles about two months ago, have been monitored by the Sea Turtle Patrol and the Friends of Hunting Island State Park. Volunteers on Hilton Head captured photos of hundreds of tracks to the ocean and photos of the baby turtles flipping in the surf on Hunting Island.
Sea turtle nesting season runs from May 1 until Oct. 31. Eggs incubate for around 60 days, so beachgoers should expect to see more hatchlings emerging from their nests in July.
Hilton Head has reported 246 Loggerhead turtle nests so far this year. Hunting Island has reported 118. The first sea turtle eggs in South Carolina hatched on July 11 on Kiawah Island.
Turn out the lights!
Thursday’s news comes with a sad caveat, though.
In one of the two nests that hatched on Hilton Head, tracks from the baby turtles head the wrong way. The small animals appear to have been disoriented by lights from a nearby beachfront home, and at least a few died heading into the sand dunes, according to Sea Turtle Patrol director Amber Kuehn.
Sea turtle hatchlings typically use the light of the moon to guide them to the ocean.
She said the home was likely uninhabited and has been warned before about its lights by Sea Turtle Patrol volunteers. While some hatchlings made it to sea, volunteers counted about 90% of the turtle tracks heading away from the ocean.
As hatching season continues in Beaufort County, sea turtle advocates advise beachgoers to do the following to ensure as many hatchlings as possible make it to the ocean:
- Do not approach or touch adult sea turtle or hatchlings if you see them on the beach
- Turn out the lights! If your home is on the beach, turn the lights out at night. If you’re walking on the beach, use a red filter or keep your flashlight off.
- Remove beach chairs, tents and toys before sundown so hatchlings cannot get caught in them.
- Do not touch or poke sea turtle nests. They are often relocated to the dunes for safety.
- Fill in holes before leaving the beach each night so small turtles don’t get stranded on their way to the ocean.
This story was originally published July 16, 2020 at 9:57 AM with the headline "Good morning world! First sea turtles hatch on Hilton Head, Hunting Island beaches."
