AMITW Weekly Nesting Numbers 9/12/2025
| 9/6/2025 – 9/12/2025 | Loggerhead | Green | |
| Nests this week | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| False Crawls this week | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2025 Total Nests | 542 | 527 | 15 |
| 2025 Total False Crawls | 828 | 797 | 31 |
| 2025 Hatched Nests | 402 | 390 | 12 |
| 2025 Nests Inventoried | 430 | 418 | 12 |
| 2025 Hatchlings Produced | 29,523 | 28,738 | 785 |
| 2025 Adult Disorientations | 30 | 28 | 2 |
| 2025 Hatchling Disorientations | 141 | 140 | 1 |
| Nests remaining on the beach | 64 | 60 | 4 |
We are slowing down a lot with only 64 nests left on the beach. We continue daily patrols to check all nests and complete nest excavations. No new crawls have been observed this week, so we are pretty certain the turtle mama’s are done for the season. The good news is that we had only 1 disorientation since last week (at least, that we know of!). AND we are still finding that a record number of hatchlings have made it out of their nests – 29,523 to date! We are hopeful that we will break 30,000 hatchlings this year!
We remind everyone that even though you don’t see many nests out there, it’s still Sea Turtle Nesting Season until October 31st, so please remember to keep our beaches turtle friendly so that all our hatchlings make it safely to the water!
- No cell phone or flashlights (even red lights) on the beach at night
- Close blinds so interior lights cannot be seen from the beach
- Use turtle-friendly lighting (red or amber LEDs) with shields or turn off lights that can be seen from the beach.
- Report any non-turtle friendly lights that can be seen from the beach to your local code enforcement.
- Fill in your holes and remove your beach items, furniture, and trash every night when you leave the beach.
If you find a hatchling in danger, in the road, in a pool, or just off the beach, here’s what to do:
- Pick up the hatchling to get it out of danger
- Place it in a bucket/container (you can put a little sand in the bucket but NO WATER!)
- Call AMITW’s Hotline 941-301-8434 for more instructions
- Please do not release hatchlings on your own. If they are sick or injured, they may not be able to swim.
Save the Date for the 6th Annual Suzi Fox Turtle Watch Wednesday! Our annual fundraiser is being held Wednesday, October 22nd from 4pm – 6pm at Hurricane Hanks (5346 Gulf Drive, Holmes Beach). If you would like to make a donation to our silent or live auctions, please contact us at info@islandturtlewatch.com. This is a FREE event, so come be a part of this fun event for a great cause!
Missing our Turtle Tracks and Shorebird Facts? You can learn all about sea turtles, shorebirds and what we do soon at our AMITW booth at the Anna Maria Farmer’s Market, weekly on Tuesdays from 9am – 2pm at Roser Memorial Community Church (512 Pine Ave) starting October 7th.
GreenHatchling: A live green hatchling found inside a nest during the excavation was a fun surprise! All the other 141 hatchlings had made it out on their own three days earlier. The hatchling was released and made it safely to the water! Credit: Amy Waterbury
BobHaynesExcavation: AMITW Patroller Bob Haynes has dug quite a hole but has finally found the eggs in a loggerhead nest that did not hatch. Nests are considered overdue when they reach 70 days. Nests that don’t hatch provide important data but are sometimes difficult to find when there’s no depression from a hatchling emergence to let us know where to dig. Credit: Deb Haynes
GreenExcavation: AMITW patroller Mary Anne Muniz has to reach deep into the sand to find the eggs from a green nest while Linda O’Neal counts the hatched egg shells during this green enst excavation. Green sea turtles are larger than loggerheads and usually dig deeper nests so they can be challenging when conducting a nest excavation. Credit: Cindy Hodge
Yolkless eggs: Sometimes sea turtles lay yolkless eggs or eggs that have no yolk or embryo inside. No one really knows the purpose of these eggs, but they are interesting to find in our excavations and they can be all sorts of shapes and sizes. Credit: Karen Anderson
Rainy Patrol: AMITW Patrollers start patrol on Anna Maria Island just before sunrise every day – rain or shine – from April 15th until the last nest is excavated. Patrollers Bob and Deb Haynes are all smiles and geared up for a rainy patrol morning. Credit: Carla Boehme