Longboat's first turtle nest of the season is found

The first sea turtle nest has showed up on Longboat beaches.

By Nat Kaemmerer
| 12:01 p.m. May 4, 2021

Bridgette Clark, Heather Sellers and Tim Thurman. Courtesy photo.

Longboat Key
Neighbors

Sea turtle nesting season officially began May 1, and they're not wasting no time. On May 4, the first nest was found on Longboat Key, dug by a loggerhead.

Longboat Key Turtle Watch patrollers Tim Thurman, Heather Sellers and Bridgette Clark found the tracks and staked out the nest.

Nearby areas like Siesta Key have gotten nests already, before turtle season officially started. As waters get warmer, more turtles will show up in greater numbers. More than 1,100 were tallied in 2020.