02/09/2026
The first nest of the season has hatched at our Statia Conservation Volunteer Project, St. Eustatius, Caribbean! 🐢
Our first hatched nest of the season was confirmed to be a hawksbill turtle nest, achieving an impressive 86.3% hatching success. During the nest excavation, we counted 63 empty eggshells, which is evidence that many baby turtles successfully made their way to the sea. We also found 6 live hatchlings, 4 dead hatchlings and 7 unhatched eggs. The hatchlings found alive were safely released to begin their journey to the open ocean. 🌊
The story behind this nest makes the success even more special. Earlier this season, our sea turtle team discovered the nest being washed away by waves on Zeelandia Beach. To give the remaining eggs the best chance of survival, we carefully relocated a total of 73 eggs to a safer location.💙
Nest relocations are only carried out when a nest is at risk from, for example, erosion or flooding. Because sea turtle embryos are extremely sensitive, every egg must be carefully moved and reburied in a new nest chamber that closely mimics the original.
This nest is a wonderful example of how conservation efforts can have a direct impact. Without intervention, this nest would likely have been lost to the waves. Every nest protected is another step towards securing a future for Statia's sea turtles. 🤩
