Dawn Turtles with Duke University

The visiting Duke Sea Turtle Class with their Dawn Turtle on Sandy Point, St. Croix.

The visiting Duke Sea Turtle Class with their Dawn Turtle on Sandy Point, St. Croix.

This week we were happy to host the Sea Turtle Class from Duke University, along with Kelly Stewart, Marine Biologist with the NOAA Marine Turtle Genetics Program. The students and their instructors joined us on the Sandy Point Wildlife Refuge in St. Croix, helping us patrol for turtles and collect data on nesting females. They brought us good luck on their first night with the arrival of seven turtles, including two that were first time nesters at Sandy Point. All of their hard work was rewarded with a dawn nesting turtle. We have previously posted about Dawn Turtles and why they are exciting.  Although dawn nesters force us to stay on the beach longer than our usual work night, they give us a rare opportunity to easily photograph nesting leatherbacks without using a camera flash. Using flash photography is discouraged around sea turtles because they are very sensitive to light. Flashes of light can cause disorientation and could result in the turtle abandoning her nesting altogether.

Project Director, Jen Valiulis (left) and members of Geographic Consulting's 2015 Turtle Team

Project Director, Jen Valiulis (left) and members of Geographic Consulting’s 2015 Turtle Team

When a turtle is still on the beach at dawn, as the sun comes up, we no longer need to use a flash for photography. Here are some of the great photos of our dawn nester, and a video of her making her return to the ocean after a long morning of nesting. All photos were taken with express permission from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Dawn Turtle

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