Texas Turtle Nest Update 6/30/2017

Via Dr. Donna Shaver

Yesterday, one Kemp’s ridley nest was found in Texas, at Padre Island National Seashore.

With this nest, 217 Kemp’s ridley nests have been documented at Padre Island National Seashore so far this year. This is 100 more than the previous record number of Kemp’s ridley nests found at Padre Island National Seashore in a year, which was 117 nests documented in 2009 and 2011.

KEMP'S RIDLEY TURTLE

So far this year, 349 Kemp’s ridley nests have been confirmed on the Texas coast including (north to south in state):

3 Bolivar Peninsula

5 Galveston Island

0 Brazoria County, N. of Surfside 

3 Surfside Beach 

1 Quintana Beach 

0 Bryan Beach 

0 Brazoria County, N. of Sargent Beach 

0 Sargent Beach 

7 Matagorda Peninsula (area record)

0 Matagorda Island

1 San Jose Island

11 Mustang Island (area record)

8 North Padre Island north of Padre Island National Seashore

217 Padre Island National Seashore (area record)

70 South Padre Island (area record)

23 Boca Chica Beach (area record)

LOGGERHEAD TURTLE
So far this year, 6 nests have been confirmed on the Texas coast including (north to south in state):

1 Surfside Beach

1 North Padre Island, north of Padre Island National Seashore

3 Padre Island National Seashore

1 South Padre Island

GREEN SEA TURTLE
So far this year, 4 nests have been confirmed on the Texas coast including (north to south in state):

3 Padre Island National Seashore

1 South Padre Island

Data presented here are preliminary. Do not cite or quote without permission. Contact Donna Shaver for further information.

Updates regarding nesting are also posted at the Padre Island National Seashore website:  https://www.nps.gov/pais/learn/nature/2017-nesting-season.htm