Views of the Neighborhood – Turtle Release and Mother Turtle

~ John W. Howell

From time to time the ARK (Animal Rehabilitation Keep) will release turtles that have been rescued and rehabilitated from injuries.

Yesterday was the day. This photo and the next two are courtesy of the ARK since they were much better than the ones I took. Above is a shot from a drone showing the corridor formed to give the turtles a wide berth to the sea. (turnout is always good for the releases)

Volunteers in their green shirts are showing the turtles to spectators prior to release.

TURTLE RELEASE

Here is a turtle staying hydrated until release.

This photo and the rest are mine. No release would be complete without some t-shirts which help raise funds for the ARK.

This is the time when Sea turtles begin to come ashore to lay their eggs. They do this from now until August. These moms return to the place where as hatchlings they initially entered the sea.

On Wednesday of this week, a Kemp-Ridley turtle returned to her release spot to lay her eggs. Just in time for Mother’s Day.

Turtle eggs

Here is a closer shot of her hard at work digging her nest. Once she is complete with the process which includes burying the eggs, volunteers will dig them up and take them to the sanctuary for safe hatching. They will then be released back to the Gulf. The rope will be tossed into the nest before she buries the eggs. This will ensure that the eggs can be easily found. This turtle laid over eighty eggs.

This is a photo of the trail she left on her way to her nest.

She makes a serpentine path.

Here is a close up of her marks in the sand. You can see how her shell makes groves.

To give you an idea of the distance, her nest is between the car on the left and the truck on the right. These vehicles belong to volunteers. I took this shot from the water.

Happy Mother’s Day to all.

62 thoughts on “Views of the Neighborhood – Turtle Release and Mother Turtle”

  4. We have a problem with people who think turtle eggs are an aphrodisiac or just want to make money because they’re considered a delicacy. Plus, to make matters worse, when the eggs do hatch right across the street, the lights confuse the babies as to where the ocean is and they go right toward A1A highway.

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      1. There is, I believe in Riviera Bch. about 20 miles away. They try to protect them and have people turn off their lights on A1A, but humans will be humans I’m afraid!!

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  6. This is just wonderful. I’ve never seen a release, or been involved with our “turtle patrol” (which looks for nests on the beach) but it’s wonderful work with a lot of volunteers. What an inspiring post.

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  10. Good morning, John,
    I’m glad the turtles are so well cared for. They need all the rpotection they can get. We visited the turtle rescue place on South Padre when we were tghere in 2015 and were impressed.
    Have a greta Sunday,
    Pit

    Liked by 1 person

  20. Aw, this is just wonderful, John. Eighty eggs?? That’s a lot of kiddos (though I’m guessing all of them don’t make it, right?) Tell the Producer Happy Mom’s Day for me!

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  22. Great photos – thanks for sharing the process up close! Husband, Son, and I had lunch Sunday at Virginia’s on the Bay. I had not been back since Harvey so it was nice to see things getting back to a more normal atmosphere. Things looked pretty good!

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  26. How wonderful and uplifting this post is! I hope they all make it, and the babies when hatched make too!

    I’ve watched documentaries on their trek from the sea to the nesting site, and then when the babies hatch their arduous journey to the sea. It’s amazing that any make it what with all the sea gulls, crabs, and cars along the way!
    To see this live must be truly jaw dropping amazing!

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