Squirmy Little Hatchlings!

I am back at BHI! This time, not just meetings and vacation but serious, very serious turtle hatchings and excavations. So far, I've helped with a Loggerhead nest excavation last night and a Green sea turtle excavation this morning.

I am checking MY nest daily and getting exited for when it will hatch! Thankfully nothing has happened to it, and I'm hoping it will stay that way (unless that happening is a turtle boil!!!).

Right now, I am about to burst with happiness about the Green sea turtle excavation this morning. A total of 146 eggs hatched, and the volunteers pulled out two survivor hatchlings that didn't pop out of the surface the night of the boil. They were stronger then the ones at the Loggerhead excavation (two hatchlings also) and made it to the water quickly.

      Some of my finger, can barely see the turtle, but this is one of the Greens meeting the water!

At the Loggerhead excavation, we were observers. We saw how the nest monitors did it and also helped the turtles have some space from the crowds. The mother of the Loggerheads was a turtle named Sharkbite! I think you can tell why. She has a half moon shark bite on her shell. She can swim, walk and do anything just like other sea turtles though. She has been nesting on BHI since 2002 and has laid four nest this year!

Baby Loggerhead... such a tiny thing to be in the sea!

We agreed to be at the beach by 8:00 a.m. the next morning to do the Green excavation, but it was worth it! This time we were handed gloves, and we shared turtle facts with the public.

Then surprise! We were handed unhatched and hatched turtle eggs to show to the public. We walked around showing them and I figured out those eggs are not feathers... more like bouncy balls. So as my brother and I met up at the middle, we gave them to Jaymie (the volunteer coordinator) and started sharing facts again.

They had already found one turtle in the nest at the very beginning of the excavation, then suddenly found another. As the hatchlings were shown around, it seemed like they were the next two big Hollywood stars. Everyone was aaawwwing and cameras were clicking everywhere. (No flash though. The little babies have been down in dark sand so they are very sensitive to white light.)

Me actually holding a Green hatchling.  :D

Then... the moment came...

I was able to hold one of these creatures. Having never seen this type of turtle in real life, I was about to jump up and down like I had just won a million dollars. I held its shell and learned that you have to not worry about holding them too tight, because those things can wiggle like a worm!

It was the most amazing experience I've ever had.

As I took it around, I was so scared I was going to drop it and then accidentally step on it. But as I handed it to my brother, I knew I didn't hurt it. I realized how hard it felt to set it free, but it's what we have to do.

So we went down to the water, and let them crawl! It's been an exiting 14 hours. All that Green turtle fun this morning, and it's only 9:45 a.m.

The joys of Bald Head Island!