When we got on the beach the morning after we checked in, we noticed that there was a small area blocked off by boards, caution tape and a note. When we got close enough to investigate, we found that it was a turtle nest. Later on in the week, my Grandparents were taking a stroll on the beach before any of us were out of bed and they ran into a gal who was standing guard over a pile of sand. When they questioned her, they found out that she was a local who walks a two mile stretch of beach every day during nesting season to find turtle nests before they were destroyed by beachgoers unknowingly. Soon after, the DNR got there and put up their protective stuff. It is a federal offense to mess with the nests and from what we gather, they take it quite seriously. The local told my Grandparents that they missed a nest last year and some teens had an egg fight. It made me sick to my stomach to hear. There is a Facebook page you can like that shows the turtle nest findings on Dauphin Island. I would recommend checking it out! Get on Facebook and look up Share the Beach- Dauphin Island. They post lots of pictures of the nests they find and their efforts of helping the turtles.
Protected turtle nest
Just don't mess with them!
Turtle eggs
The tracks a turtle makes getting on land to dig a nest
On a side note, I found one of these weird looking black things on the beach but didn't touch it. I am always a bit unsure of what is safe and what is not when I'm on the beach and in the ocean. When we went to the sea lab, I found that it is a perfectly harmless "mermaid's purse" which is an egg from a stingray. So when my mom found this one, I had to get a picture! We threw it back in, of course.
XOXO...Becky
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