Last night was a fun one. There was an unbelievably gorgeous thunderstorm offshore that provided us with a pretty backdrop during our survey. Darryl and Ed found 6 turtles, including Arlene, Musca, Roomba, Sam, and two new turtles. I had a unique encounter myself. I was scared by a leatherback! I was watching a new turtle as she dug her egg chamber and quietly enjoying the pretty lightning storm. I jumped and then laughed as I heard a very familiar sound behind me. The soft “roar” of an exhale. Another leatherback had crawled up just 30 feet behind me! Side by side nesters! It was a welcome sight on an already exciting evening. Both turtles were new so I thought it was perfectly appropriate to name them Thunder and Lightning. Ed and Darryl’s new turtle appropriately became Storm and Bolt.
More exciting news – last night I encountered Gemini! Gemini hasn’t been seen since 2002! It’s been ten years but we finally found her. It’s so exciting to find these old girls nesting! She looked perfect and nested wonderfully. I also found Carla, a turtle that we haven’t encountered since 2005. Encountering these turtles reminds us that their survival rate is high and their site fidelity is low. These turtles are obviously nesting all over the state, not just on our little 12-mile beach. We wonder where Gemini has nested for the last ten years. We continue to learn more about this population as the years pass. We’re hoping for another exciting night tonight!














