As recommended by the NC Wildlife Resources Commission, it is the policy of the HBTWP to NOT disclose the locations or potential hatch dates of active turtle nests on our beach.
A list of nest locations will NOT be published in newspapers, on this website or on other social media. Please do NOT call the emergency number or contact the Project Coordinator to ask about nests. This is for the safety of the turtles!
BUT DON'T BE SAD TURTLE LOVERS, here are some ways to understand what is happening with the sea turtles on Holden Beach during your visit.
Starting on May 1st, a morning rider travels the entire length of Holden Beach looking for mama turtle tracks. They ride in all kinds of weather, dedicated to their task of locating turtle tracks like the loggerhead tracks in this photo. As the season progresses, they also check in on every nest on Holden Beach. When a turtle track is located, they call the morning caller on duty. That morning caller then, you guessed it, calls a set of team members to come out to the nest site.
Once a team has assembled at the nest, they brush away the top layer of sand that the mama turtle has sprayed over the nest to camouflage it, to feel for the “soft spot”. That soft spot is usually where we find the nest. The team carefully scoops away the sand until eggs are found. One egg is removed from the nest for DNA testing and then the nest is either filled back in and covered up or it's moved to a new location.
Occasionally a mama picks a bad location for her nest. It's either too close to the tide line, which would result in water washing over the nest constantly, or in the middle of a beach access walkway. We try to move as few nests as possible, but when it's necessary, we need to recreate the new nest exactly as mama made it. Our team removes the eggs one by one, keeping them in order. They then measure the depth and width of the nest and will dig the new nest to those measurements. Wet sand from the original nest is brought to the new nest and then eggs are returned in the same order mama laid them, the reverse of how they were removed.
Once the nest has been covered again, we will mark the nest using orange fencing and set up a perimeter to keep it safe. You can walk the beach and see nesting sites all along our coast. Each nest is given a GPS location and a number based on the order of when it's laid. You can find that nest number in the top corner of the nest plate sign. Once our nest is secured, the morning team's job is done for about 50 days, barring any emergencies such as predators or hurricanes. Our morning rider checks on every nest each and every morning and reports any washovers, predator or human activity within the nest to the morning caller.
The average incubation for turtle hatchlings on Holden Beach is 55 days. Of course, this can vary depending on weather and daily temperatures! To be prepared though, our members adopt nests and will prepare the nest for hatchling emergences starting around day 50.
Hatchlings have found their way to the ocean for centuries, but due to influx of artificial lighting now present along the coast, we are here to help guide them as much as we are able. Our team will install what we refer to as "runways" – a small trench with garden edging on each side, leading from the nest to the water. The edging around the back of the nest helps block disoriented hatchlings from heading the wrong way, but once they leave the runway, they may turnback towards any bright lights. The turtles natural instinct leads them to follow the moonlight and reflection of the waves to the ocean to begin their journey. These runways provide a very small layer of security to counter the unnatural effects of humans. We really needs and guests to turn off all beach facing lights during turtle season.
As you wander down the beach, if you see a runway set up, you will know that the nest is close to boiling. Do we know when it will happen? Absolutely not! Mother Nature has her own timeline, but she also gives us signs – sometimes! We will look for any dropping in the top of the nest that tell us movement is going on underground.
As the hatchlings break out of their shells and start crawling up, the sand starts shifting around and will often "drop" leaving an indention on top. We know something is happening, but we still don’t know when, so we wait each night until we have a boil. You are welcome to wait with us, but no promises that hatchlings will appear! We often find out from our morning rider that a boil happened overnight. As they check each nest, they are looking for hatchling tracks and any activity.
As the turtle hatchlings emerge, the resemble a boiling pot of water! It's a beautiful sight, that never gets old. During a boil, the nest team will expand our perimeter to give the hatchlings plenty of room to make their way to the ocean. We ask that no flash photography is used during this time and request that all onlookers stay out of the water until an all clear has been given. Hatchings often wash back in the waves and need a clear beach to re-attempt entry in the rough waves.
Once a nest has boiled, it will continue to be monitored for three more days, watching for any stragglers that took their time climbing out. After three days we will close out a nest by digging it open. We carefully look for any remaining hatchlings, take an inventory of shells or unviable eggs, under developed pips or dead hatchlings and then re-bury the nest to renourish the beach. All findings are reported to the NC Wildlife Resources Commission to monitor our conservation efforts.
When you see the turtle patrol volunteers, wearing the red shirts on the beach, stop by and talk to them. They are a wealth of information and are happy to share information about the turtles with you. We love to meet our residents and guests of Holden Beach.