Category: Surveys

In the past week, we have reached nest number 36 of the season. For those following along since last year, that exceeds our total nest count from 2024 (34 nests) and we found our second green nest of the season as well. We love our loggerheads, we really do, but the power and determination of the green nesting female is something we never tire of seeing.

Just like our first green, this green made her way to the dunes, dug an impressive body pit and followed much of the same path back to the water.

If you encounter a marked nest area, please respect it and avoid entering it for any reason (as indicated by the yellow FWC and blue local signage). Most everyone seems to comply but unfortunately we have seen footprints inside some of our nest areas, we need to all do our part to protect them!

Please remember, if you encounter a sea turtle on our sandy beach at night, please refrain from using flash photography, use no lights at all (causes disorientation), avoid her track and any disturbed sandy areas, observe from the back side of the turtle from a distance and contact PCB Police non-emergency at 850-233-5000. They will contact our on-call volunteers to respond and protect the turtle and the nest she lays.

Everyone can do their part leaving our beaches clean, dark and flat!

All activities performed under MTP-038.

Our surveyors and volunteers have been patiently waiting for the sea turtles to arrive on our sandy beaches here in PCB. This morning one of our surveyors found a loggerhead crawl, a false crawl. The turtle emerged from the water but after checking out the area she returned to the water. We hope she will return somewhere along our beach tonight and this time successfully nest. Our volunteers and surveyors are all ready to get our first 2025 nest under our belt.

If you encounter a sea turtle on the sandy beach, stay behind her from a distance, don’t use any light (it dazes and disorients them) and contact us via PCB police non-emergency or our Turtle Watch hotline number. We’ll have our volunteers respond asap to help protect her and her nest.

PS that sargassum that is currently floating nearby and washing ashore, it is the habitat hatchling sea turtles are looking for once they hatch and enter the Gulf. In the Gulf, it provides food and protection for the hatchlings.

Weekend survey mornings just won’t be the same…for two seasons Gabriel Walsingham, a GCSC student, has conducted weekend morning ATV surveys for our PCB TW program. He showed up before sunrise ready to work, found crawls, recorded the required data and coordinated with volunteers to mark nests. He also checked on the nests daily and recorded data for hatched nests. Gabriel became familiar with and protected our local shore birds and other wildlife species along the way. We wish Gabriel the best as he continues his studies as a new University of Central Florida student!

The day our surveyors and volunteers have been waiting for has come….May 1st….the start of our 2024 sea turtle nesting season here in Panama City Beach!

Our surveyors headed out this morning just before sunrise as they will do daily between now and mid September looking for signs of sea turtle nests.

As we anxiously await finding our first nest of the season, we thought it would be fun to have our followers predict the details of our first nest of the 2024 Season.

Use this form to submit your PCB TW first nest of 2024 Prediction! The winner will be selected from form submissions and will receive their choice of a PCB Turtle Watch merchandise item!

Stay tuned here or on Facebook for updates throughout the season🐢