This morning, our ATV surveyor encountered a nesting loggerhead here on Panama City Beach. She finished her nesting process, turned and made it back to the water. Volunteers responded and marked the nest area for protection. It takes about 2 months on our beach for the eggs (on average 100 eggs buried 10-20 inches deep) to incubate and hatch. It’s uncommon for us to witness and video a nesting female on shore since it commonly happens overnight. If you encounter a sea turtle on the beach, remember to refrain from using any lights or flash photos and stay behind her observing from a distance and call Beach Police non-emergency 850-233-5000 with the location and our volunteers will respond.
We were able to get a couple of quick videos as she was about to reach the water after nesting.
Activities performed under MTP-038