Sunday, October 24, 2010

The Loggerhead Sea Turtle

I loved creating this painting.  It pulled me into incredible memories and even closer to an ancient vertebrate that has always stirred my intrigue.  
While visiting Brevard County, FL in June, I had the very special privilege of participating in two guided turtle walks to witness female loggerheads laying their eggs at the Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge.  On one of these occasions I joined scout and Master Naturalist, Vince Lamb, as his 'assistant' in the search for nesting turtles coming ashore, an endeavor that was exceptionally beautiful in the light of a full moon. The roll of scout, in this case, is to spot turtles, alert leaders, and signal when it is safe for the group to observe.  While a female turtle is easily disturbed and may abandon her nesting efforts prior to egg-laying, once this activity begins, she is driven by biological influences that compel her to complete the task.
My good fortune also included pre-dawn beach walks with nature photographer, Jim Angy, who has lived on these Brevard County beaches and followed the lives of turtles all his life.  These walks enabled Jim to show me fresh tracks and nests of both Loggerhead and Green turtles before they were disturbed by daily activities, as well as, introduce me to a number of other wildlife that inhabit these sandy shores.
Loggerhead Sea Turtle tracks, leading to the nest and back to the ocean.

On one of these mornings we found a place where both a Loggerhead and a Green Sea Turtle had nested during the night, with one turtle's nest dig overlapping and disturbing the nest of the other.  The result was several dislodged eggs, some of which had broken and were already being fed upon by crabs.  
Female Loggerheads reach sexual maturity at approximately 30 years of age and return to their natal beaches to breed and nest once every two to four years.  Nests contain from 70-150 ping-pong ball sized eggs, and an average of four nests are made divided by two-week intervals.  Hatchlings emerge from the nests in July-October, 45-60 days after the eggs are laid, with both nesting and hatching occurring mostly at night.
Jim Angy at Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge, sharing some of his knowledge about sea turtle nesting behavior evidenced by the tracks and sand disturbance they leave behind.

To give you an even deeper sense of wonder about these ancient creatures, imagine the hatchling's journey from nest to sea--a tiny being with a walnut-sized shell scrambling upward, among hundreds of other thrashing flippers, to reach the sand's surface and find the ocean, guided only by the light of an unobstructed sky for orientation.  This directional decision is the difference between life or certain death. Blair Witherington's fascinating book, Sea Turtles, An Extraordinary Natural History of Some Uncommon Turtles, gives a poetic description of this journey along with many intriguing facts and observations about our world's sea turtles.
Loggerhead Sea Turtles have been steadily declining and were federally listed as Threatened in 1978.  Within the United States, they nest principally in Florida and 25% of these nests are found within the 20.5 miles of the Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge.  The good news is Loggerhead nests increased during the 2010 nesting season, numbering 13,357 at the refuge, an increase of over 3000 from last year. Given the oceanic events of the past season, it is truly gratifying to hear some good news for a change.

Links and Resources:
A special "thank you" to Marge Bell of Space Coast Beach Buzz for arranging my turtle walks and the many outings I enjoyed with her talented naturalist friends
For more details about how this painting was created visit Painting a Loggerhead Sea Turtle--Part II
Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge and Sea Turtle Nesting Update
Blair Witherington's Sea Turtles, An Extraordinary Natural History of Some Uncommon Turtles
Jim Angy Photography
Vince Lamb

13 comments:

  1. You captured the turtle countenance perfectly! Great painting.

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  2. Aren't these amazing creatures. You are lucky to be able to watch such a primal activity. The painting is marvelous. She looks so full of life.

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  3. love your painting and fascinating post

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  4. You are a fascinating story teller and a very good artist. Have you any books out? If not, you should!

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  5. Is this caretta caretta, I wonder? Your art, Vickie, is truly (as ever) inspirational. We have just returned from the Peloponnese in Greece (last European habitat of the African chameleon) ... and think we saw one Sea Turtle in the water, sliding away from us. I'll let you know when I post the photo on my blog ('Wild & Wonderful) ...

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  6. My turtle post is now up. I would be interested to know if anybody CAN see a turtle in the water ...

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  7. Thank you, everyone, for your kind comments!

    Caroline,
    Yes, this is Caretta caretta, the same loggerhead sea turtle species found in temperate and tropical waters of the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific oceans. And yes, people do see sea turtles underwater, mostly when they are coming up for air, or people are scuba diving, evidenced by the wonderful photographs in Witherington's book.

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  8. Very informative post, Vickie. Your painting captures the turtle's precarious existence. It looks so sad.

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  9. Hey Vickie,

    What a great opportunity! I too have always been fascinated with these creatures. I hope one day I can get up close and personal with one. Love the painting!!

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  10. The countenance of your painting seems to capture both the determination of continuing the life cycle and the pathos in the daunting challenge to do so in the face of so many threats - more than just a painting.

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  11. ...love your beautiful and sensitively rendered watercolor. Also...thanks for all the info!!

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  12. Lovely painting, absolutely captivating!

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For the Love of It...

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Sendivogius (1750)

Your Uncapped Creativity...

Your Uncapped Creativity...
"There is a vitality, a life force, an energy, a quickening that is translated through you into action; and because there is only one of you in all time, this expression is unique. If you block it, it will never exist through any other medium and it will be lost. The world will not have it. You must keep that channel open. It is not for you to determine how good it is, nor how valuable. Nor how it compares with other expressions. It is for you to keep it yours, clearly and directly." ----the great dancer, Martha Graham