Anna Maria Island Sea Turtles

"Lefty, the Turtle that Got Left Behind and Survived"...

By Billi Stuckert

Ever since my friend Susan Brinson (her and her husband Mike own the "Flip Flop" company) moved back onto the island a few years ago, I've been hearing all about these turtles and the turtle watchers. 

Well, now I really understand why all the hubbub.

I just spent a week on the island and have to say THE highlight of my trip was witnessing Suzi Fox and her volunteers from "Turtle Watch" do their thing.

Loggerhead Turtle's have been coming to shore and making their nests on Anna Maria Island for quite some time now.  A couple days after the initial hatch, the volunteers check the nest's to make sure all is good.  Susan, Mike and I got some information about where and when they were checking up on one of the hatched nest's.  We walked down a little alley off Peppertree Rd. onto the beach;  saw a beautiful sunset coming in and a Loggerhead nest. 

They mark the nests with stakes and rope them off with orange tape to make sure no one steps where they shouldn't.  Debbie, one of the volunteers, untied everything and started digging. 

I had no idea these mamma turtles could dig so deep.  They dig around 36" deep and can lay sometimes up to 140 eggs that are the size of a ping pong ball and look just like one. 

Debbie found 107 hatched eggs and 8 or so unhatched that more than likely just didn't get fertilized... and one little guy that got left behind. 

He had hatched but wasn't strong enough to dig his way up to the surface to join his 107 brothers and sisters on their trip over the sand into the ocean.

We scooped him up, well, Debbie scooped him up and put him in a little sand castle bucket with some sand and there he flapped his flippers for about 10 minutes or so while they finished digging out the nest.  Man, he was cute.  Just about the size of the palm of your hand.

A family vacationing on the island was passing by and came to see what all the fuss was about.  They were from Tennessee and Alabama and maybe one more state.  It was their Mom's 60th birthday and
Anna Maria Island was where she wanted to bring her entire family and celebrate.  Great choice if I do say so myself and a great family with CUTE kids.  Little Lola kept wanting to dump our little guy out onto the beach.  I just think she wanted someone else to be covered in sand from head to toe like her. 

Everyone witnessing this amazing part of nature, something I’m sure not many people can say they have seen, was moved to say the least.  I kept expecting a camera guy from the Discovery channel to appear over my shoulder. 

This needs to be the next Disney movie...  "Lefty, the turtle that got left behind and survived."

When all the counting and testing was done at the nest, Debbie grabbed the bucket and the Tennesseeans, Alabamians, Floridians, Islanders and the Texan marched right behind her to see our little hero off.  I don't have kids, but if I did I can maybe guess it felt like I was watching my first born drive off to college or something. 

She placed him in the palm of her hand; put her hand on the top of the ocean water and off he went to find his siblings. 

We ALLLLLL were cheering him on.  I don't think there was a dry eye in the crowd, or maybe it was just me.  His natural instincts took over and he was in his element to brave the water.

Download my video of "Lefty, the turtle that got left behind and survived" (right click and save target as) ...

Something I'll never forget and will keep the pictures and the video safe to show my kids and my grandchildren.  Better yet, my family will celebrate birthdays and holidays on the island and everyone can see this first hand.  My next event is to see a nest hatch with 100+ of those precious little turtles head to their watery home all at one time.

Thanks for letting us know and letting us watch Suzi.  You are doing a great and rewarding thing for our world.  Congratulations and thank you!

Billi Stuckert
www.AnnaMariaIslandLife.com
“Experience, Enjoy… Relax”

Comments

[Kim]

hi billi,
that is such a sweet story. i have seen this event too while visiting Anna Maria and i encourage anyone to see this, it is breath taking.