We walk the beach every day and see signs of the nesting. They only nest
at night and will only come up on the beach if they see no light or movement.
The most common nesting turtles in the Melbourne area are the Loggerhead and
Leatherbacks. The nesting Loggerhead weighs between 200 - 300 pounds and the
nesting Leatherbacks weigh between 400 - 700 pounds. Brevard county is the largest
nesting area in the world for these two turtles.
|
|
This turtle had to climb this 2 foot vertical step. She climbed up on my right,
where the sand is all disturbed. Then proceed up to the top of the steep sand dune.
She made her nest on top. I guess she thinks that this year's hurricane season
will be bad. Then she came back on my left, where the sand is smooth.
The eggs will incubate for 60 days before
hatching. Then it is a downhill run for the little guys.
Can you imagine how they must work to climb the dune?
|
|
Unfortunately, the step was too high for this turtle.
After trying in vain to climb the step, she turned around and went back
into the ocean. She will try again somewhere up or down the coast.
|
|
This nest is on top of one of the sandbags which we watched them install
two weeks ago. This turtle also went to the top of the dune to nest.
|
|
I guess this turtle read the sign and made the nest at the bottom of the dune.
|
Each year we seem to make friends with someone at the resort.
This year we met Inge and Ingo from Hamburg, Germany.
They spend half of the year here and half in Germany.
|
|
Inge and Ingo in their Flordia work clothes.
Inge is good using the computer.
Ingo said he is good at fishing.
|
|
They have a beatuiful home and yard.
When Ingo is not fishing he is very handy around the yard.
|
|
|
Ingo made these white figures are made from PVC pipe.
|