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Topsail Island has 26 miles of coastline.
Each mile is surveyed every morning to identify sea turtle tracks and nests from May through August.
SEA TURTLES  DIG THE DARK
Please keep oceanfront lighting to a minimum.  Lights disorient nesting mothers and lead hatchlings away from the sea, a trip they cannot survive.
In North Carolina the nesting season is mid-May through August.
The Loggerhead Sea Turtle comes ashore to nest 3 to 5 times during a nesting year.
She deposits an average of 120 eggs per nest.
The eggs will incubate in the sand for about 60 days.


After all the hatchlings have pipped out of their eggs, 
they emerge from the nest together and race to the sea.
Weighing in at about two ounces, their first challenge on our beach
is escaping the deadly grasp of the ghost crabs.
Once in the water they must hide from both bird and fish predators, 
and the swim to sea weed rafts and the Sargasso Sea begins.

It is a long swim to maturity.
It is estimated that 1 in 1000 survives the first year,
and as few as 1 in 5,000 - 10,000 survive to adulthood.
No one has the answer to this.
In 20 to 30 years the surviving hatchlings will reach adulthood.
The females will return to their natal beaches to lay their eggs and the cycle begins again.

5 sec video clip 1
 

5 sec video clip 2
 
Surprise daylight visitor
 This sea turtle came to nest about 5 PM.
She left behind nest 125 eggs.
The turtle photos  link  to short video clips. 
In the first clip, the turtle has deposited her eggs, 
filled in and covered the egg chamber, 
and is in the process of throwing sand over the nest area.
In the second, the turtle crawls back to the sea.
As a rule, Loggerhead sea turtles come ashore to nest after dark.
These photos were obtained using a telephoto lens.

 
Beach Patrol 2009

Covering 26 miles, rain and shine, every morning,
the many, the proud, the beach patrol 2009

TB = Topsail Beach    SC = Surf City (north/south of bridge)   NTB = North Topsail Beach ( north/south of bridge)
Activity  
Date        
Nest #     
False Crawl # Location   
Hatch Date #Eggs/#Hatch
1
 May 20
 1
TB
Serenity Point
 Aug 3  day 75
 94 / 82
2
 June 2
 2
NTB-n
1418 New River Inlet
 Aug 4  day 64
 144 / 94
3
 June 3
1
 NTB-s

4
 June 4
2
 NTB-n

5
 June 4
 3
NTB-s
665 Ocean Dr
 Aug 4  day 60
 124 / 96
6
 June 5
3
 NTB-s

7 June 5
 4
NTB-s
3658 Island Drive
 Aug 4  day 60
 143 / 123
8
 June 6
 5
SC-n
1501 n shore
 Aug 6   day 61
 114 / 109
9
 June 7
 6
SC-s
1524 s shore
 Aug 7   day 61
 151 / 130
10
 June 9
 7
TB
300 N Anderson
 Aug 2   day 55
 148 / 121
11
 June 10
 8
SC-s
1508 s shore
 Aug 6   day 57
 96 / 66
12
 June 10
 9
TB
1321 Ocean
 Aug 11  day 62
 102 / 97
13
 June 11
 10
TB
serenity point
 Aug 6
 106 / ?  fox
14
 June 11
 11
TB
serenity point
 Aug 10
 135 / 20 fox
15
 June 13
4
 NTB-n

16
 June 14
5
 NTB-s

17
 June 15
 12
TB
McLoud
 Aug 11
 137 / 110
18
 June 16
 13
TB
1421 Ocean
 Aug 16
 130 / 111
19
 June 16
 14
SC-s
2608 s shore
 Aug 11  Day 56
 103 / 92
20
 June 16
 15
NTB-n
650 nri
 Aug 13
 109 / 94
21
 June 17
 16
NTB-n
marina way
 Aug 21
 131 /  81
22
 June 18
 17
TB
1101 ocean blvd
 Aug 11  day 54
 130 / 113
23
 June 19
 18
SC-s
1316 s shore
 Aug 13 Day 55
 158 / 138
24
 June 20
 19
SC-s
1328 s shore
 Aug 20
 141 / 118
25
 June 21
6
 SC-s

26
 June 21
7
 TB

27
 June 22
8
 SC-s

28
 June 22
 20
SC-n
610 n shore
 Aug 30
 139 / 138
29
 June 22
9
 NTB-s

30
 June 22
10
 NTB-s

31
 June 23
 21
NTB-s
284 seashore
 Aug 24
 123 / 116
32
 June 23
11
 NTB-s

33
 June 23
12
 NTB-s

34
 June 24
 22
SC-s
704 s shore
 Aug 22
 100 / 89
35
 June 24
13
 SC-n

36
 June 24
14
 NTB-s

37
 June 24
15
 NTB-s

38
 June 24
16
 NTB-s

39
 June 25
17
 NTB-n

40
 June 25
18
 NTB-s

41
 June 25
19
 NTB-n

42
 June 25 23
NTB-s
3916 island
 Aug 29
 95 / 87
43
 June 26
 24
TB
1111 ocean
 Aug 21
 120 / 110
44
 June 26
20
 NTB-s

45
 June 26
21
 NTB-s

46
 June 27
 25
SC-n
802 n shore
 Aug 26
 89 / 80
47
 June 29
22
 SC-n

48
 June 29
23
 NTB-s

49
 June 29
24
 NTB-n

50
 June 29
25
 NTB-s

51
 June 29
26
 NTB-s

52
 June 30
 26
NTB-n
marina way
 Aug 27
 144 / 93
53
 June 30 27
TB
901 n anderson
 Aug  27
 96 / 77
54
 June 30 28
NTB-s
st moritz
 Aug 26
 177 / 121
55
 June 30 29
NTB-s
6th & Topsail Rd

56
 June 30 30
NTB-s
3644 island
 Aug 28
 137 / 121
57
 July 1
 31
TB
923 Ocean
 Aug 27
 145 / 114
58
 July 1
27
 NTB-n

59
 July 2
 32
SC-n
504 n shore
 Aug 27
 145 / 113
60
 July 2
 33
NTB-n
1275 nri
 no hatch
 76 / 0
61
 July 2 pm
28
 SC-n

62
 July 3
 34
SC-n
1602 n shore
 Aug 27
 138 / 127
63
 July 5
 35
NTB-s
portofino
 Sept 6
 138 / 133
64
 July 6
29
 NTB-n

65
 July 7
 36
TB
1111 Ocean
 Aug 31
 140 / 134
66
 July 7
30
 TB

67
 July 7
31
 NTB-s

68
 July 8
 37
SC-s
2514 s shore
 Sept 14
 85 / 83
69
 unknown
 38
NTB-n
ocean club/marina way
 Aug 28
 58 / 106
70
 July 10
 39
NTB-s
3592 island
 Sept 6
 108 / 77
71
 July 11
 40
TB
703 ocean
 Sept 6
 87 / 84
72
 July 13
 41
NTB-n
marina way
 Sept 16
 135 / 117
73
 July 14 42
NTB-s
4456 island 		9-9 157 / 149
74
 July 14
 43
NTB-s
128 N Permuda
Sept 14
 117 / 114
75
 July 14
32
 NTB-s

76
 July 14
33
 NRB-s

77
 July 14 pm
 44
TB
209 n anderson
 Sept 7
 113 / 106
78
 July 15
 45
SC-s
1116 s shore - Jason's Nest
 Sept 8
 129 / 122
79
 July 16
34
 TB

80
 July 17
 46
TB
Access 7
 Sept 15
 118 / 94
81
 July 21
 47
TB
427 n anderson
 Sept 18
  93 / 79
82
 July 21 48
TB
309 s anderson
 Sept 20
 103 / 99
83
 July 21
35


84
 July 22 49
SC-n
1120 n shore
 Sept 19
 123 / 112
85
 July 23 50
SC-s
1710 s shore
 Sept 20
 131 / 82
86
 July 25
 51
NTB-s
3068 island
 Sept 24
 118 / 113
87
 July 25
36
 NTB-s

88
 July 27 52
TB
471 n anderson
 Sept 25
 123 / 118
89
 July 27 53
NTB-s
4298 Island dr

90
 July 28
37
 NTB-n

91
 July 28
 54
NTB-n
1601 NRI
 Sept 26
 148 / 136
92
 July 29
 55
SC-n
1804 n shore
 Oct 2
 125 / 106
93
 Aug 5
38
TB

94
 Aug 5
 56
TB
1185 n anderson
 Oct 10
 97 / 92
95
 Aug 8
39
 NTB-s

96
 Aug 8
40
 NTB-s

97
 Aug 8
41
 NTB-s

98
 Aug 9
42
 NTB-s

99
 Aug 9 57
NTB-s
4150 island dr
 Oct 20
 68 / 10
100
 Aug 9
43
 NTB-s

101
 Aug 10
44
 NTB-s

102
 Aug 11
 58
NTB-s
110 topsail rd
 no hatch
  /0
103
 Aug 11
45
 NTB-s

104
 Aug 11
 59
NTB-s
3588 island

105
 Aug 11
46
 NTB-s





YEAR
TOTAL #
Crawls
 # Nests
# False Crawls
# Eggs
# Live Hatchlings
# Unhatched Eggs
# Dead Hatchlings
2008
 152
 89
 63
 10,112*
 8212
 1102
318
* data incomplete
6 nests lost
354+ lost eggs
2007
 111
 61
 50
 7,146
 5,152
 1,832
 162
2006
 166
 94
 72
 9,838*
 7,750
 1.179
289
* date incomplete, 20 nests lost hurricane ernesto
2005 105
 72
 43
 7,460*
 5,107
 1,244
208
*901 missing eggs, hurricane ophelia
2004
98
55
43
6,783
5,349
1,219
215
2003
134
80
54
9,882
8,260
1,531
91
2002
162
86
76
10,307
8,866
1,246
195
2001
130
79
51
  9,045
7,721
1,271
53
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