On Sunday, during a brief period of clear blue sky, we went to the beach. Just north of the "Lifeguard Beach" we spied about a dozen and a half "ping pong balls" washed up near the dunes.
Upon picking one up, of course, I quickly confirmed that they were leathery turtle eggs which had been washed out by our recent high tide. Not far away, lying in the sand, was one of the signs that had been erected to protect the nests from human interference.
Unfortunately, the turtle eggs were no longer viable. Most were squashed or dented, and saturated with seawater. However, according to Irene Nolan in the Island Free Press (August 5, 2015), "It's official -- sea turtle nesting on the Cape Hatteras National Seashore has set a record and the nests keep on coming. According to today's resources management report [August 5, 2015], 269 sea turtles have
nested on the seashore -- 15 more than the record 254 set in 2013."
So, although the loss of this nest is unfortunate, the future of sea turtles is not so dim.
This month's Ocracoke Newsletter is a reproduction of a 1960s booklet titled The Great Ocracoke Cat Hunt. You can read it here: http://www.villagecraftsmen.com/news092115.htm.