AMITW Weekly Nest Numbers 7/25/2025
| 7/19/2025 – 7/25/2025 | Loggerhead | Green | |
| Nests this week | 18 | 17 | 1 |
| False Crawls this week | 23 | 22 | 1 |
| 2025 Total Nests | 520 | 507 | 13 |
| 2025 Total False Crawls | 811 | 784 | 27 |
| 2025 Hatched Nests | 71 | 71 | 0 |
| 2025 Nests Inventoried | 66 | 66 | 0 |
| 2025 Hatchlings Produced | 5,513 | 5,513 | 0 |
| 2025 Adult Disorientations | 29 | 27 | 2 |
| 2025 Hatchling Disorientations | 31 | 30 | 0 |
| Nests remaining on the beach | 454 |
AMITW is celebrating breaking our green turtle nest record set in 2023 – we now have 13 green turtle nests on the island and hope to get even more before nesting season comes to a close. We also had a nice surprise this week. We inventoried a nest that was overdue for hatching (in which we usually only find unhatched eggs) and found 17 live hatchlings trapped inside the nest due to hard packed sand. Happily, all 17 hatchlings were healthy and active and were released into the Gulf.
Hatching is in full swing and so are disorientations. Disorientations occur when hatchlings follow artificial light instead of the light of the night sky. The hatchlings often follow the artificial light expending important energy they need for swimming and often wander into dangerous areas such as swimming pools and roads or dehydrate or get picked up by predators. On Anna Maria Island, since hatching began on July 3nd, we have had 31 hatchling disorientations involving a minimum of 1,000 of the 5,513 hatchlings that have emerged this season. Sadly, 61 of those hatchlings were found dead. We need your help to make sure our hatchlings make it to safely into the Gulf. Please make sure to use turtle friendly bulbs and shields on any exterior lights or turn them off. Interior lights can also be a problem, so close your blinds and redirect any lights (including TVs) so they cannot be seen through windows. Once hatchlings have disoriented, they are often led astray even further by all the lights that couldn’t be seen from the beach, so even if your property is away from the beach, it helps to be turtle friendly.
AMITW has a 24/7 hotline to call if you see an adult or hatchling turtle in distress. The number is 941-301-8434. Our volunteers and staff have been busy answering these calls day and night. Please spread the word and put this number in your phone so it’s there when you find a disoriented hatchling.
KathyNoonan – Turtle patroller Kathy Noonan, flags a new loggerhead sea turtle crawl at Coquina Beach. Credit: Amy Waterbury
12PoolHatchlings – 12 hatchlings that disoriented from a pool were rescued by AMITW and taken to Mote’s Hatchling Hospital for rehabilitation and eventual release by boat into the sargassum line offshore. Credit: Carla Boehme
Tracks – Green sea turtle tracks from the 13th green turtle nest on AMI. Credit: Karen Anderson
HatchlingsInOverdueNest – Surprise! Seventeen live hatchlings were found among 74 unhatched eggs while conducting a nest inventory on an overdue loggerhead nest. Credit: Cindy Hodge