Just turned on the SSBB camera and it appears there are people around the turtle nest location. Hoping the Tortuga cam zooms in. Maybe they are moving the eggs. We need Dr. Phil, CaribLee or Lesley to investigate.
Lesley--that's good news, I guess, as I was worried they would be damaged by looky-loos. I know nothing about this situation, but does the mother turtle need to come back to hatch them, or do they hatch on their own?
Well I had a message from Whale Tail. So I went out to investigate this morning at 9:46 AM. The people who are moving the turtle eggs had already left after digging them up and taking them to a safer spot for relocation.
The southern swells have eroded part of MAHO Beach creating a 6 foot drop. It was dangerously close to the Turtle nesting area.
So the decision was made to move them. Here are a couple photos showing how close the erosion was to the location of the turtle nest.
I should also mention that they are not relocating the turtle nest on any other area of Maho Beach. Here are photos looking both ways. Also a photo of the Tortuga WebCam.
Carol, there was a weather system that passed by us to the west and went over the Dominican Republic, San Juan and the Virgin Islands. We just got a little of it. That was Wednesday and a bit of Thursday. We’re back to sunny weather and hot temperatures.
Phil--I hear it has been unseasonably warm in many places in the Caribbean. My brother in law is living on St Croix now and there have been heat advisories for there.
Carol, we have been finding it quite warm this month, it has felt more like July than May.
Yes. Much warmer this May then previous Mays. Can't imagine what July will be like when we come back on the 6th. Will be a quick turn around as we don't leave sxm till June 4th.
it has happened in the past. But not a common occurrence. Most of our temperatures in the summer go into the 80s. I will take that though. I get my hot temperatures when I am in SXM in September. Hot and humid, but I’ll will take that as well.
Update May 30, 2024 7 PM NATURE FOUNDATION ST. MAARTEN On Monday, Nature Foundation staff attempted a second excavation of the Maho Beach leatherback sea turtle nest laid in April. While the nest was not originally relocated because the exact location of the eggs could not be found, it was marked by delineating poles and monitored by staff on a daily basis.
Unfortunately, excessive beach erosion and some poor visitor behavior - including tourists posing for photos within the markers! - forced us to try to relocate the nest a second time for fear of losing it. ❌ As a reminder, disturbing sea turtles or their nests is strictly forbidden and punishable by law, even if no harm was intended.
Relocating a nest can be risky, particularly once the eggs have already remained in the nest for some time, so this decision was not made lightly. However, despite a laborious attempt to find the eggs, none were found during the second excavation. The Nature Foundation has thus concluded that it is not possible to confirm the presence of leatherback eggs on Maho Beach. The poles and tape have since been removed to prevent them from being swept away as the beach continues to erode.
It may be that the leatherback did not successfully lay her clutch after digging the nest, perhaps due to stress from curious witnesses who got a little too close. A second presumed leatherback nest on Mullet Bay beach may belong to this same female, as they will lay multiples clutches in a season, or lay on another beach after abandoning one undesirable site.
We understand this may be a disappointing update, but we thank everyone for their interest and attention. Nature Foundation staff had the opportunity to chat with several people about this and we are always glad for the opportunity to raise awareness about Sint Maarten's native wildlife. 💚
While we cannot be sure that there are sea turtle eggs on Maho Beach, the Nature Foundation asks that nearby vendors or early morning beachgoers contact us immediately if any hatching activity is seen in the next four weeks. During regular hours, call +1 (721) 544-4267. For after-hours reporting, use our WhatsApp number +1 (721) 581-6365.
