Sherry found it! Folly’s first official nest of the 2013 season.

The Momma Turtle’s effort was easily visible in her long, long crawl ashore and back to the ocean again.

She left 130 eggs behind that Sherry and Linda G. carefully relocated to ensure their safe distance from eroding tides.

Linda also found a false crawl on the east side of the Pier. May have been the same turtle making an earlier nesting attempt.

Thank you, Ladies (turtle and human), for Folly’s FIRST nest of 2013.

And, thank you, Shannon, for the wonderful photos documenting the events.

Despite the absence of dry sand at high tide and the presence of piles of rocks along eroded dunes, a loggerhead turtle track did appear on Folly Beach this morning to open the 2013 nesting season.

Forget that she turned back … didn’t nest … SHE WAS HERE!

And, now found again, we’re confident she and her sisterhood will return to Folly as they always do. When, how many and with what success are the core mysteries of turtle season.

FBTW volunteers have been on patrol since last week and were thrilled to get news of this morning’s tracks. Neighboring Kiawah gained bragging rights to South Carolina’s First Nest on Mother’s Day, and now we’re hoping to start Folly’s new year of nesting stats as each dawn rises. Today’s tease definitely raises the giddy-bar as the excitement heightens.

Before we get too caught up with the new, we want to celebrate and appreciate the many acts of kindness and generosity shown to Folly’s turtles last season and even during the off-season months.

For ADOPTING a nest last season, THANK YOU …
Ulisse Donnini
Reedster
Sheila
Dawn Lamb
Lindsey Wright
Emma Palmer
Lynn Hudson
Cathy Loyd
Craig Mason
Michelle Usher
Katie Goglia
Lau Transport LLC
Peyton Smith
Mamas’s S.C. Memories
Alexandra Rasmussen
Pinckney and Becky Greene
Lisa Thompson
Meccia Wyatt
Katherine Nemecek
Anna Lahrman

For sponsoring our weather-strickened Homecoming, THANK YOU …
Tideland Tours
Charleston Surfriders
Sunshine Rentals
City of Folly Beach
Folly Beach Civic Club
Folly Beach Crab Shack

For beautifying our Sea & Sand tent and delighting our donors with your art, THANK YOU,
CC Friedheim and Steph Wakeham.

And, for many, many generous donations “For the Turtles” during the past 18+ months, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, 46544.
(If you’ll let us know size and where to send, we have something for you for a change.)

And now for another year of turtle nesting action on Folly … be it a few or many, we know there will be great moments ahead and we’re grateful to be able to share them here with you. Please stay tuned.

[Great photo, Juanita! Thanks for sharing it with everyone.]

We’re really sorry, but it appears the 20 mph NE winds blowing down the beach are just not going to let up. As much as we’d love to take on the challenge, it’s just not a pleasant or safe situation for the kids or us.

So … the Folly Turtles Homecoming event is officially CANCELLED. (No rain date planned.)

We’re disappointed, but now look forward to those first tracks in the sand that say “We’re home!” and the start of a new turtle season. Stay tuned — they’ll be coming no matter what the weather.

As of now, we’re ON for tomorrow’s Homecoming event (Sat., May 4). If we have to cancel, the decision will be made around 8:30 a.m. and posted here. Otherwise, we’ll be on the 4th Street East beach front as planned. Hope to see you there.

Join us from 9:30-11:30 a.m. on Saturday, May 4th to celebrate the beginning of sea turtle season with our annual FOLLY TURTLES HOMECOMING event.

We’ll be on the beach near the 4th Street East access with lots of FREE activities for kids to experience what it’s like to be a sea turtle nesting on Folly Beach. Activities are designed for 5-10 year olds, but everyone is welcome to join in the fun of learning how we all can help protect sea turtles and their habitats.

There’s limited parking available in the lot at the 4th Street East beach access and along the streets nearby (just make sure that all 4 wheels are OFF the pavement). There are also larger parking lots near 2 East and at the Pier. Closest restrooms are at the Pier and at Bert’s on East Ashley at 2 East.

Hope to see you on the beach near the 4th Street East access for a fun time celebrating sea turtles!

Questions? Email us at crew@follyturtles.com

If you were on Center Street this weekend, you were in good company enjoying great weather and the good vibrations of Folly’s traditional beach season opener, the Sea & Sand Festival.

Our “turtle booth” welcomed a constant flow of folks interested in Folly’s sea turtles, many of whom supported FBTW’s efforts by buying t-shirts and donating dollars to a raffle. Thank you! A very big thank you also goes to Steph Wakeham for his FB-turtle design on our t-shirts, and to CC Friedheim for her beautiful “Turtle Season” print won by Chris D. Thanks, too, to our volunteers who had a good time meeting everyone and sharing the excitement of protecting sea turtles and their habitats.

Sea & Sand’s good vibrations always seem to wake us up all at once to Spring, Summer and the knowledge that the beginning of sea turtle nesting season is just weeks away. Can you feel it?

The Turtle Crew had a blast participating in Folly’s always-fun Christmas Parade yesterday. Photos of the event can be found under the Photos/2012 Christmas Parade link in the menu across the top of this page. (For a larger view of any photo, 2 clicks on your selection will take you there.)

Thank you to Steph for the loan of his truck, to Cindy and Judi for the super new jackets, to the MANY crew members who took part with decorations, donations and good cheer, and especially to Susie for getting us all together to celebrate Folly’s Turtles in a wonderfully different way! Merry Christmas, Everyone!

After the lowest number of strandings for a nesting season that Folly has ever had (only one), two arrive within 10 hours of each other.

The first was what was left of a leatherback sea turtle that washed ashore in the East 1700-block. It was in several pieces after an encounter with something much more powerful and destructive. Ship? Large propeller? Don’t know. SC/DNR recovered the remains.

The second was a live catch by a fisherman near Bird Key Stono. The fiesty little Kemps Ridley is having what may be a very short stay at the SC Aquarium’s Sea Turtle Hospital while it recovers from fishing line entanglement wounds. More information about Birdie can be found on the Hospital’s website.

It’s always amazing to see instinct at work as tiny 2-inch hatchlings march into the gigantic ocean. No thinking. No turning back. All instinct. So amazing.

Hatchings are indeed a-happenin’ on Folly Beach! At least 3 nests had robust hatchouts last night under ideal conditions (dark beach, cooling temperatures, en masse emergence).

V-shape leaving nest = lots of hatchling tracks.

Your help is needed to enable Folly’s remaining hatchlings to have similar great escapes to the ocean.

Please remember “FRONT BEACH LIGHTS OUT.” Hatchlings are attracted by light. This instinct helps them find the ocean. But if house lighting (even indoor lights that illuminate the beach), street lights, flashlights, etc. shine on the beach, hatchlings will follow the artificial light instead of the natural night light over the ocean. Keeping LIGHTS OUT is an easy and very effective way to help increase hatchling survival.

Another easy, important thing that we can all do is FILL HOLES. Hatchlings are only about 2×2 inches. Every hole larger than they are is a HUGE hazard. At best, holes (even footprints) slow the hatchlings’ progress to the ocean. Every slowdown increases their chance of being found by a ghost crab or a bird. At worst are holes even just a few inches deep that become death traps. Please take an extra minute and fill in those sandcastle moots and any other holes that you find between nests and the ocean. Your effort will make a real difference to a hatchling trying to take the next step in its survival.

Your help is so important! If you see hatchlings, please contact Folly’s Public Safety (843-588-2433) to report the location and other details. They’re great about contacting us to check things out. The hatchlings need all of us to help safe-guard their lives on The Edge.