Posts Tagged ‘nest’

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Tiny Hatchling Beats Cold Front by a Nose

Wednesday, October 22nd, 2008

Three Gram Second-Chance Terrapin Hatchling

“There’s always one more.”  That’s the motto of the Paludal Posse, our terrapin research and conservation team on Outer Cape Cod.  There’s always one more nest to find, one more nest to hatch, one more turtle in the nest, one more hatchling to emerge, one more turtle to save.  In short, there’s always one more.  And so it was proven again this weekend as we prepared our last batch of terrapin hatchlings for release on Tuesday, a promised mild October day.

Terrapin Hatchling and Second-Chance Egg from Nest 996

Sue counted 20 second-chance hatchlings soaking in 70F water to prepare for their sprint to freedom.  Second-chance hatchlings?  What the heck are second-chance hatchlings?  As we harvest emerging nests that have mostly hatched and other nests that have been exposed by predators, we often find a couple of unhatched eggs left behind.  Most of these eggs are in good shape and need only a couple days more incubation.  A few, though, look pretty sad; dimpled, dented, dehydrated, discolored, and so on.  These eggs wouldn’t make it in the wild.  Still, we prefer to give every turtle egg a chance even if it has only a small probability of survival.  So, these long-shot eggs go into our mystical, magical second-chance bucket, filled wtih clean, moist natal sand and warmed first naturally in our sun room until early October and then under a heat lamp in our lab until successfully hatched or all hope is exhausted.  We always have Halloween hatchlings, usually have Thanksgiving babies and occasionally find a pair of cute dark eyes staring up at us on Christmas morning.  (ASIDE:  Can there be a more powerful holiday message?) 

So, as Sue collected the 20 lucky babies for their trip back into the wild, she scanned the second-chance bucket and yelled in exclamation, “We’ve got another one!”  To which I sagely replied, “Yep.  There’s always one more.”

Perfect October Day for Second-Chance Hatchling Release

We made it to Turtle Point on Lieutenant Island while the weather held; 63F, gentle breeze and warming sunshine.  But a careful look at the clouds streaming above reminded us that a storm front approached. 

2nd Chance Hatchling and 20 Siblings Released at Turtle Point

The sand at Turtle Point had baked through the morning and reflected warmth as we sat down to release our 21 charges.  Placing them in a single bunch near the wrack line on the downward sloping dune, we watched as they scattered in random directions and power bursts.  Soon they had all disappeared into the nursery surroundings, some into upland vegetation, others into downland wrack and Spartina salt marsh, and still others burrowed into the warm dune sand.

Last Sailboat Dances with Northeast Blow in Blackfish Creek

Within an hour the weather had closed in.  The cold front arrived with gusts whistling across the narrow Outer Cape peninsula from the North Atlantic.  Clouds massed and grayed; white caps appeared; and we were doused in cold droplets whether from rain or briny spray we couldn’t tell.

“There’s Always One More” Egg in Second-Chance Bucket

Back in our warm, comfortable lab office Tuesday evening we inventoried our terrapin assets.  Tanks empty and ready.  Second-chance bucket filled with potential.  And our hopes high for one more miracle.

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As Arrival of Fall Speeds Up, Turtles Slow Down in the Great White North

Thursday, September 18th, 2008

Raw, blustery September has gripped terrapin nesting sites on the Outer Cape.  As temperatures plunge, hatchlings hunker down in their underground hide-aways, snoozing in the warm darkness, hoping and waiting for a sunny respite to heat up the sand and their bodies for the sprint from nest to safety in the abutting nursery habitat.

Temperatures Begin to Plunge Below 55F Activity Threshold

Yet, while they wait with quiet patience, predators act.  Mammals and insects sniff the odor of organic material issuing from the pipped eggshells.  These predators take advantage of the hatchlings’ stupor to snatch an easy meal.

Lethargic Hatchling and Potentially Viable Egg

Nest 996 fell victim to secretive plant and insect predators.  As we excavated the nest in the morning chill, we encountered egg after egg that had been attacked by roots, stilting embryo development and piercing the shell.  Once the egg is cracked, insects stream in and consume the organic material.  Near the bottom of the nest, we found a seemingly lifeless hatchling wrapped in an eggshell that we would have instantly discarded as non-viable.  Peeling the shell away, we found a healthy, if motionless hatchling.  And at the bottom of the nest, we removed one potentially viable egg that has been carefully transplanted to the “second chance” bucket where eggs go to finish incubation and hopefully achieve their full potential.

Excavating Six Sluggish Hatchlings

A few feet away we discovered a concavity in the sand that indicated that a pipped nest might lie beneath.  About four inches under the surface we found a half dozen hatchlings, some pipped but still inside eggshells, but others just snoozing the chill away.  Check out these sluggish babies once they are excavated as they lie about like cordwood, waiting for sunshine to warm their bodies before dashing to freedom.

September weather in the Great White North can be cruel for tiny hatchlings.  But a saving hand can make a world of difference for this threatened species by dramatically increasing the number of live hatchlings that enter the ecosystem each year.

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Two-Ton Vehicle Versus Quarter Ounce Hatchling

Sunday, September 7th, 2008

Due to human development and associated pressures, some of the best remaining nesting sites for diamondback terrapins on the Outer Cape are one-lane dirt roads that abut salt marsh nursery ecosystems for hatchlings. Obviously, roadways are extremely dangerous for the female as she spends more than 30 minutes digging her nest, depositing her eggs and covering it once again.  Because these compacted roadways are so hard, and her nest sculpting creates a natural arch to spread the load of vehicular traffic, the eggs appear to do fine through June, July and August as they incubate under the summer sun.

Female Terrapin Nesting in Middle of Dirt Road

But when hatchlings begin to pip and squirm about in the nest, and when one or more begins to tunnel to the surface leaving an emergence hole in the road, then the architectural integrity that served so well during incubation is compromised.  Weight no longer is evenly distributed, and the egg chamber compresses and begins to collapse under the stress. 

Emergence Hole in Middle of Marsh Road on Lieutenant Island

I discovered this little (3 gram) hatchling wedged under the lip of the nest that had been collapsing under the day’s traffic.  Two of its siblings had already been crushed in the center of the egg chamber.

Premie Hatchling Distorted by Road Traffic

In addition to problems with its distorted shape, its eggshell had been invaded by fly maggots that were trying to find a vulnerable orifice to invade.  I had to hand-pick these nasty predators from the tiny hatchling.  Based on experience, I know that this critter will now do quite well.  With a little time, some warm hydration and a bit of TLC, its shell will resume a normal shape and it should be ready to be released into the wild within a few days to a week.

Emerged Terrapin Hatchling Run Over on Marsh Road

I wish the same could be said for another sibling (above) that I found a foot outside the nest and squished in the south tire track of the dirt road.  It’s a dangerous world for a turtle hatchling.  Few survive to tell the tale of their harrowing youth.  But with a little luck and a guardian angel or two, one turtle at a time can be saved and the whole world along with it.

Close-Up of Rescued Distorted Hatchling

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Tracking Terrapin Hatchlings

Friday, September 5th, 2008

Where do hatchlings go once they flee the nest? Using various methods of inference and observation, we have determined that some hatchlings race to the wrack line for safety, others scramble further into the salt marsh grasses and still others opt to remain upland for at least the first winter of their “hidden” years.

Terrapin Hatchling Track Heads Down Turtle Pass Dune

Let’s follow some clues, some tracks and some hatchlings to test these hypotheses.  The high dune of Turtle Pass seems the place to start as we discover a hatchling track descending from an emergence nest atop the dune and heading seaward.

Tracks Assume Colorful Tints as Sun Dances Behind Clouds

Down we go along the shifting slope that morphs in shape and color as shadows dance through the contours of the dune.

Close-Up with Tail Mark Bisecting Track

Let’s experience the descent as though we were a newborn hatchling on its first ski run down the slopes.

Follow Tracks to Hatchling Buried in Salt Marsh Wrack

So, our first experiment leads to the discovery of a hatchling burrowed into the landward edge of the wrack line, buried under last winter’s deposit of salt hay.

But our day isn’t over as we encounter another set of hatchlings scaling the bearberry covered banks off 5th Avenue and passing through an exquisite clump of sea lavender en route to safety.

Terrapin Hatchling Scrambles to Reach Salt Marsh

These little critters eschew the wrack line, which to them seems like a clear cut jungle of logs, and head directly into the thick matting of Spartina patens in the salt marsh system separating east and west sections of Lieutenant Island.

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Hatchling Emerges

Monday, August 25th, 2008

A nest broils in emergence on the high dune of Turtle Point and a dashing, if not-too-daring hatchling takes the lead in scrambling to safety. Remember: Turtling takes patience. Lots and lots and lots of patience.

Terrapin Hatchling Emerges … Slowly … at Turtle Speed

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