First Diamondback Terrapin Nester of 2015 on SouthCoast
This morning the Turtle Journal team discovered the first diamondback terrapin nester of the 2015 season on an isolated and protected Massachusetts SouthCoast beach. Â With the first steamy morning of the year on the SouthCoast, Sue Wieber Nourse, Don Lewis and Rufus the Turtle Dog patrolled a sampling of SouthCoast nesting sites in anticipation of finding the year’s first nester.
Diamondback Terrapin Nesting Run Tracks
We were not disappointed at our first beach. Â At least two female terrapins had come ashore on the morning high tide that coincided with daybreak.
Diamondback Terrapin False (Test) Nest
We followed one set of tracks as the turtle meandered along the beach, stopping every fifty feet or so to dip a false (test) nest. Â We tracked this female as she crawled into the salt marsh without depositing her eggs.
Diamondback Terrapin Female Rests on Completed Nest
Following a second set of tracks, which also zigzagged up and down the beach, we encountered our first nester of 2015, as she rested atop her completed nest.
First Nesting Terrapin of 2015 on Her Completed Nest
As though posing for scientific documentation, she illustrated precisely what a pristine terrapin beach nest looks like. Â A perfect way to indoctrinate a new set of terrapin researchers for the 2015 season.
Nearly Completed False (Test) Nest in Developed Community
After searching the remainder of the beach, we visited a second site in a developed residential community. Â Here, too, a female terrapin had come ashore on the morning tide, dug a couple of false (test) nests, and then returned to the nearby creek without depositing her eggs.
The diamondback terrapin nesting season has officially begun on the SouthCoast of Massachusetts.