Green turtle's rare daytime nest
Rare daytime nesting by a green sea turtle on Bokarina Beach. Learn about the unusual event, volunteer efforts, and how to protect nesting turtles.
Bokarina Beach
In an unusual sight, a green sea turtle came ashore during the day to lay her nest on Bokarina Beach last week. Typically, turtles lay their eggs under the cover of darkness, making this daytime nesting quite rare.
Marine turtles can occasionally nest during the daytime or early morning, particularly under certain conditions such as overcast skies or proximity to high tide.
Unusual nesting location
The green sea turtle laid her nest below the high tide mark. This is also unusual, as turtles generally lay their eggs in the dunes.
Volunteer efforts
Sunshine Coast TurtleCare volunteers found the turtle on their early morning walk that they complete each sunrise during turtle nesting season, to look for signs of turtle tracks.
Trained TurtleCare citizen scientists relocated the clutch of vulnerable eggs to a safer place in the dunes to avoid inundation by the high tide. This is done to move vulnerable nests to a safer location to increase the chance of incubation success and the subsequent hatchlings making it to the ocean.
In the pictures, you can see TurtleCare volunteers digging a bund wall to temporarily protect the nesting mother and her eggs. Marine turtle embryos breathe through the shell, so if the nest is too wet, oxygen can't reach the eggs and they can suffocate.
Green Sea Turtle laying her eggs on Bokarina Beach
How our community can help during turtle nesting season from November to April each year
Report turtle tracks, new nests and emerging hatchlings to our Turtle Care hotline or Coolum and North Shore Coast Care.
For sightings on the southern end of the coast call 0437 559 067 and for sightings from Maroochydore north call Coolum and North Shore Coast Care on 0478 435 377.
Switch off your outside lights from 8pm as light pollution is disorientating for turtles and hatchlings.
Make sure you take your rubbish with you when leaving the beach so the turtles have a clean environment to lay their eggs in.
Our TurtleCare volunteers are highly trained citizen scientists who are making an incredible contribution to the ongoing survival of critically endangered turtles by monitoring nesting mothers, relocating nests if necessary for hatchling survival, and providing essential data to support this protection of these majestic animal.
All TurtleCare activities are conducted under Queensland Turtle Conservation Project permits.
For more information, please contact Queensland TurtleCare.
And join TurtleCare's email list to learn more and become a friend of TurtleCare.
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