Hawksbill Turtle Nestlings Hatch!

About 40 minutes from Green Castle Estate, there’s a British fellow who’s been researching the nesting of Hawksbill Turtles. Working in cooperation with Jamaica’s environmental planning agency, “Turtle Mel” has been monitoring and assisting nestlings as they emerge from their sandy incubation and make their way to the Caribbean Sea. A small group of us from Green Castle had the privilege of participating in this amazing natural phenomenon. And I can tell you, baby turtles are adorable!

Who wouldn’t be wide-eyed as Turtle Mel dug into the damp sand with his hands and pulled out multitudes of 3” Hawksbill Turtle nestlings! We dutifully counted each one, then lined them up—all 89 of them—before they began pushing along with their small flippers toward the surf 30 feet away. Once at water’s edge, the gentle waves captured each one, gave them a tumble or two, before launching them seaward. We learned they would survive their watery debut only if they raised their heads for a gulp of air.

This hatching was very unexpected at this time of year.  Female Hawksbills typically begin laying in late March or April which puts hatching 60-70 days later depending on weather.  The majority of the laying occurs in June and July so most nestlings emerge in August and September, tapering off into October–that is, if they aren’t disrupted by hurricane activity. The nest we witnessed was laid in November, having survived the cooler weather and storms of late December. Despite the aberrant timing of this nest, mortality was surprisingly low—only 4 were dead plus Mel chose to put 4 “premies” back into the nest for another day or so.

Sea turtle researchers have learned that nestling mortality can be radically reduced by carefully timing the hatch (shortly before sunset limits exposure to herons and frigatebirds) and protecting young turtles from predation by land crabs. Mel’s carefully documented successes are being shared with island agencies charged with protection of this endangered species. We thank Mel for sharing this remarkable event with Green Castle guests.

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