ISLAND WILDLIFE
Sea Turtles Visit Our Special Island
An endangered Loggerhead hatchling makes its way
down Kiawah’s beach for the first time.
begin visiting the island in May, although
last year Kiawah’s first nest was recorded in
mid-April. The mothers come ashore at night,
slowly crawling through the sand to make a
nest where she lays 100-150 eggs. Hiding her
eggs as well as possible, she then heads back
to the ocean, leaving the eggs vulnerable to
various dangers, including light disorientation,
nest disturbances and predation. That’s when
island guardians take over.
Taking a walk down Kiawah’s beach on a late
spring night is one of the best ways to experience
the island’s fullness. With a bright moon over
the waves, the air soft and salty with a beach
breeze, you might connect back to the feelings
that brought you to the island originally. This
time of year, nights on the island’s beach are
even more magical, with something important
happening under the cover of darkness. From
May to October, Kiawah gets special visitors
and guests: sea turtles laying eggs and then
hatching, getting their first taste of the ocean
from our special place.
Like much of the South Carolina coast, Kiawah
has long been a birthplace for endangered sea
turtles, including Loggerheads, Leatherbacks,
and, occasionally, Greens. Turtles generally
6 | KIAWAH ISLAND DIGEST
The Kiawah Turtle Patrol started in the 1970s
and has made its mission to safeguard turtles
and nests wherever they find them. Volunteers
patrol the beach during the nesting and hatching
stages of the turtle life cycle, documenting each
nest and ensuring that conditions are favorable
for hatchlings. For example, sometimes a nest
is too far down the beach and volunteers move
it before it gets washed out by the tide. With
their help, 70% of the eggs laid on Kiawah’s
beach hatch compared with just 10% on beaches
without nest protection. Incredibly, 75% of
Kiawah hatchlings make it to the ocean, often
with a team of volunteers to ensure they are not
disturbed and to cheer them on.
Of Kiawah’s abundant wildlife, sea turtles are
some of the most beloved. If you’d like to
learn more about these amazing animals or
find out how to get involved with the Kiawah
Island Turtle Patrol, visit www.kiawahisland.
org/wildlife/loggerhead-sea-turtles/. You can
also view the Kiawah Conservancy’s sea turtle
issue of Learning with Lee featuring coordinator
Lynn Sager at kiawahconservancy.org/.