What a better way to celebrate World Ocean’s Day than with… you guessed it, a leatherback! Our team encountered one lone leatherback last night on Juno Beach, just before midnight. Her name is Corey, and she has quite a history with LMC biologists. Tagged in 2009, Corey has been seen a total of 9 times nesting on our beaches. She was spotted twice in 2009, 5 times in 2010, and twice in 2011. Sea turtles typically nest every 2-3 years, but there are always exceptions! This is the first time that we have seen Corey this season, but she has likely nested elsewhere since it is getting late in the leatherbacks’ nesting season.
In other turtle news, the hatchlings have arrived! Nests that were laid in March are now starting to hatch. Nests usually hatch at nighttime, but there is no way to predict exactly when a nest will hatch. If you would like to see hatchling sea turtles, consider participating in one of our Hatchling Release Programs later in the summer. You can find more information by visiting our Visitor Experiences page.
With leatherback season starting to wind down, our nights are becoming more quiet. However, the turtles have surprised us on more than one occasion this season so we’re still keeping on high alert for them! Stay tuned for more updates!