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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

  Surprise daylight visitor
 This sea turtle came to nest about 5 PM.
  

5 sec video clip 2
  She left behind nest 125 eggs.

 
Beach Patrol 2011
The storms diminsished our numbers this day, but not our enthusiasm!

Covering 26 miles, rain and shine, every morning,
the many, the proud, (some of) the beach patrol 2011

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
5-19

1
NTB-n


2
5-20

2
NTB-n


3
5-20
1

NTB-n
July 25
144 / 102
4
5-21

3
NTB-n


5
5-22
2

NTB-n
st regis
July 19
184 / 136
6
5-25
3

TB
427 n anderson
July 21
148 / 139
7 5-27
88
4
NTB-s July 29
183 / 135
8
5-28

5
NTB-n

9
5-29
4

NTB-s
3880 island dr
July 28
123 / 89
10
5-29
5

NTB-n
1753 nri
July 26
147 / 140
11
5-30

6
SC-s


12
5-31

7
NTB-n

13
5-31
6

NTB-s
150 ocean view
July 31
163 / 141
14
5-31

8
NTB-s

15
5-31
7

NTB-s
7th ave & top rd
Aug 2
69 / 66
16
5-31

9
NTB-s

17
6-1
8

NTB-s
mrytle grove
July 28
155 / 150
18
6-1
9

SC-s
2004 s shore
July 31
107 / 90
19
6-1

10
NTB-n

20
6-1

11
NTB-s

21
6-1

12
NTB-s

22
6-1

13
NTB-s

23
6-2
10

TB
1125 n anderson
Aug 6
103 / 43
24
6-2

14
SC-n


25
6-2

15
SC-n


26
6-3
11

SC-s
1604 s shore
July 29

135 / 120
27
6-3
12

SC-ntb-s
216 portofino
July 29
114 / 125
28
6-3

16
NTB-n

29
6-4

17
SC-s


30
6-4
13

TB
505 s anderson
7-26
87 / 71
31
6-4
14

NTB-n
bay court
7-30
107 / 90
32
6-4

18
NTB-n

33
6-4
15

NTB-s
314 topsail rd
7-31
123 / 80
34
6-4

19
NTB-s

35
6-5
16

SC-s
1420 s shore
8-2
117 / 110
36
6-5

20
SC-s


37
6-5

21
NTB-n

38
6-5

22
TB


39
6-7
17

TB
203 s anderson
7-30
132 / 104
40
6-7
18

TB
sea vista
Aug 10
124 / 109
41
6-7
19

SC-n
scotch bonnet
8-2
113 / 92
42
6-7
20

NTB-n
1156 nri
Aug 9
168 / 143
43
6-9

23



44
6-11

24



45
6-12

25



46
6-12 21

NTB-n
1259 nri
Aug 8
169 / 156
47
6-12
26



48
6-12 22

NTB-n
marina way
Aug 6
127 / 123
49
6-12 23

NTB-s
3612 island
Aug 8
104 / 84
50
6-13

27



51
6-15

28



52
6-15

29



53
6-15
24

NTB-n
2978 island
Aug 13
 80 / 53
54
6-15
25

TB
Serenity Point
Aug 26
Fox/Hurricane
Nest Lost
55
6-15
26

NTB-n
bay ct s
Aug 10
146 / 94
56
6-15

30



57
6-16
27

NTB-s
3900 island
Aug 8
162 / 146
58
6-16

31



59
6-16
105
32
NTB-s
274 seashore
Aug 11
133 / 5
60
6-17

33



61
6-17
28

NTB-n
1156 nri
Aug 15
131 / 122
62
6-17
29

SC-s
2430 s shore
Aug 12
128 / 92
63
6-17

34



64
6-17
30

NTB-s
3670 island
Aug 11
118 /  96
65
6-18
31

NTB-s
4230 island
Aug 14
110 / 90
66
6-18

35



67
6-18
32

TB
607 n anderson
Aug 17
96 / 79
68
6-18
106
36
NTB-s
Earnest Drive
Aug 15
95 / 91
69
6-18

37



70
6-19
33

NTB-n
bay ct
Aug 12
 90 / 75
71
6-19

38



72
6-19

39



73
6-20
34

SC-s
2514 s shore
Aug 20
105 / 100
74
6-20
40



75
6-20
41



76
6-20
42



77
6-20
43



78
6-20 35

SC-n
918 n shore
Aug 15
103 / 99
79
6-20
44



80
6-21

45



81
6-21
46



82
6-21 36

SC-n
1601 n shore
Aug 15
97 / 77
83
6-21 37

TB
Queens grant
Aug 22
116 / 110
84
6-21
47



85
6-21
48



86
6-22

49



87
6-22
50



88
6-22 38

NTB-s
448 oocean
Aug 14
109 / 63
89
6-22 39

TB
803 n anderson
Aug 21
117 / 110
90
6-22
51



91
6-22
52



92
6-22
53



93
6-22
54



94
6-23

55



95
6-23
40

SC-s
2714 s shore
Aug 14
110 / 103
96
6-24
109
56
NTB-s
8th ave
Aug 19
112 / 106
97
6-25

57



98
6-25

58



99
6-26

59



100
6-26

60



101
6-26
41

ntb-s
3044 island
Aug 18
94 / 69
102
6-27
42

ntb-s
559 ocean
Aug 22
101 / 83
103
6-27
43

ntb-n
bay ct
Aug 19
155 / 145
104
6-27

61



105
6-27
44

ntb-n
bay ct
Aug 19
93 / 86
106
6-28

62
sc-s


107
6-28
45

ntb-n
bay cit
Aug 18
62 / 58
108
6-29

63



109
6-29
46

ntb-s
4338 island
Aug 18
165 / 151
110
6-30
47

ntb-s
3670 island
Aug 26
87 / 73
111
7-1
48

tb
211 s anderson
Aug 20
101 / 92
112
7-1

64
sc-n


113
7-1

65
ntb-s


114
7-1

66
ntb-s


115
7-1
49

ntb-n
jeffreys
Aug 25
144 / 139
116
7-1 pm
50

sc-s
marshelle-1914 s shore
Aug 26
Hurricane Irene
Nest Lost
117
7-2

67
sc-n


118
7-3
51

ntb-n
pinellas
Aug 24
113 / 111
119
7-3 52

ntb-s
14th ave
Aug 22
124 / 99
120
7-3
68



121
7-3 53

ntb-s
4306 island
Aug 25
119 / 110
122
7-3
69



123
7-3 54

tb
217 s anderson
Aug 23
99 / 90
124
7-4
55

tb
463 n anderson
Aug 26
121 / 89
125
7-5
56

sc-s
1604 s shore
Aug 30
90 / 88
126
7-5
57

sc-n
334 n shore
Aug 26
90 / 68
127
7-5

70



128
7-5

71



129
7-6
58

sc-s - 920 s shore
olivia & jordan
Aug 25
145 / 120
130
7-6

72



131
7-7
59

sc-s
916  s shore
Sept 1
83 / 56
132
7-7
60

ntb-n
Pinellas
Aug 26
Hurricane Irene
Nest lost
133
7-8

73



134
7-8
61

ntb-n
Pinellas
Aug 26
Hurricane Irene
Nest Lost
135
7-9
62

ntb-n
Pinellas
Aug 28
141 / 116
136
7-10
63

sc-s
1916 s shore
Sept 2
139 / 132
137
7-10

74



138
7-10

75



139
7-10
64

ntb-s
4346 island dr
Aug 28
Hurricane Irene
127 / 1
140
7-11
65

tb
1103 ocean
Sept 3
88 / 67
141
7-11
66

ntb-n
Marina way
Aug 26
Hurricane Irene
Nest Lost
142
7-13

76
ntb-n


143
7-14
67

sc-s
1606 s shore
Sept 7
154 / 148
144
7-14

77
sc-s


145
7-14
68

ntb-s
107 n permuda
Sept 28
97/81
146
7-14

78
ntb-s


147
7-14

79
ntb-s


148
7-15
69

ntb-s
408 island
??
111 / 89
149
7-15
70

ntb-s
2976 island
Aug 26
Hurricane Irene
Nest Lost
150
7-15

80



151
7-16
71

tb
1005 n. anderson
Sept 9
70 / 63
152
7-16

81



153
7-16
72

sc-n
1409 n shore
Sept 9
124 / 111
154
7-17
73

tb
1001 n anderson
Sept 13
94 / 51
155
7-17

82



156
7-18
74

tb
308 n and
Sept 7
116 / 73
157
7-18
75

tb
501 s anderson
Sept 10
144 / 142
158
7-18

83



159
surprise
76

ntb-St regis
7-19
139 / 128
160
7-19
77

tb
1339 ocean
Sept 14
81 / 64
161
7-19
78

tb
victoria- 308n anderson
Sept 11
91 / 57
162
7-19

84
tb


163
7-19
79

ntb-s
3962 island drive
Sept 10
116 / 111
164
7-20
80

ntb-s
st moritz
Sept 12
97 / 87
165
7-21

85
ntb-n


166
7-21
81

ntb-n
1430 nri
Sept 12
117 / 108
167
7-21
82

ntb-s
st moritz
Sept 17
150 / 135
168
7-22
83

ntb-s
3960 island dr
Sept 16

169
7-22
84

ntb-n
1419 nri
Sept 12
108/74
170
7-22

86
ntb-n


171
7-24
85

ntb-n
Bay Ct
Sept 12
116/77
172
7-24
86

ntb-s
Hampton colony
Aug 26
Hurricane Irene
Nest Lost
173
7-25
87

ntb-s
2950 island
Sept 17
95 / 73
174
7-26

87



175
7-26

88



176
7-27

89



177
7-27

90



178
7-27

91



179
7-28

92



180
7-28
89

ntb-s
3592 island dr
Oct 1
115 / 17
181
7-29
90

SC-n
502 s shore
Sept 28
112 / 106
182
7-29

92


183
7-29

93



184
7-29

94



185
7-29

95



186
7-30

96



187
7-31

97



188
7-31
91

SC-s
1508 s shore
Sept 23
58 / 55
189
7-31

98



190
7-31

99



191
8-1
92

ntb-s
18th ave
Aug 26
Hurrican Irene
Nest Lost
192
8-2
93

ntb-s
3008 island dr
Aug 26
Hurricane Irene
Nest Lost
193
8-2
94

sc-s
1024 s shore
Sept 30
94 / 59
194
8-2

100



195
8-2
95

tb
315 s anderson
Aug 26
Hurricane Irene
Nest Lost
196
8-3
96

ntb-s
portofino
Sept 30
97 / 90
197
8-3

101



198
8-4
97

ntb-n
bay ct
Sept 28
96 / 89
199
8-4
98

ntb-s
jeffrey's
Oct 3
68 / 64
200
8-5*
99

ntb-n
1078 nri
Aug 18
172 / 120
201
8-6
100

ntb-s
Hampton Colony
Aug 26
Hurricane Irene
Nest Lost
202
8-6
101

ntb-n
Marina Way
Aug 26
Hurricane Irene
Nest Lost
203
8-9
102

ntb-n
1128 NRI
Aug 26
Hurricane Irene
Nest Lost
204
8-10
103

SC-s
1020  s shore
Oct 11
117 / 83
205
8-10

102
Sc-s


206
8-12
104

SC-s


207
8-12

103
SC-s


208
8-15

104
NTB-n


209
8-16
107

NTB-s


210
8-17
108

SC-s


211
8-21

102



212
8-21
110

NTB-s
Aug 26
Hurricane Irene
Nest Lost



YEAR
TOTAL #
Crawls
# Nests
# False Crawls
# Eggs
# Live Hatchlings
# Unhatched Eggs
# Dead Hatchlings
2010
188
104
83




2009
105
59
46
7315
5804
1450
39
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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Please go to -  http://topsailseaturtle.multiply.com
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