“Hello World, Here I Come!!!”

Yesterday evening was the last Loggerhead Turtle Inventory at the beach close to the marsh. It’s an amazing process to watch! Three days ago this nest hatched and now the naturalists can start the inventory. First, they carefully dig into the nest to count how many eggs hatched, how many eggs did not hatch and they also check to see if there are any live babies who haven’t climbed out yet. If they do find a live turtle, it is lifted gently out of the nest and placed on the sand directly facing the ocean…covered in sand it is then up to the little baby to find his own way to the water. The turtle’s eyes are very sensitive to light, and the light shining on the water is what guides it on it’s first steps to the ocean.

We were so fortunate that one little baby remained in the nest and we were able to share his (or her!) very determined first baby steps on a long and distant journey…”Hello world, here I come!!!” We wish you well little one…

105 thoughts on ““Hello World, Here I Come!!!””

  5. Excellent photos!!! The baby looks like he’s waving in a couple of your shots! So cute!!! What a talent you have for capturing the perfect pictures! Thank you!

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  9. Awe….those are so adorable!!! Goodness, I could have come up with a story or caption for nearly every one of these….Great moments! Have a good one…can’t wait to see what you bring us next 😉

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    • It was very cool to witness Coreen! When you see this tiny thing heading out into the huge ocean you can’t imagine how any ever survive, but they do. 🙂 Thanks for the kind comments!

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  16. Such an amazing post Phil ! I had no idea that they took so much care to track the success of each turtle nest. I experienced each footstep by the little sea turtle thanks to your incredible photos. You truly are living the life!

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  25. So very wonderful… Thank goodness we now have such attention and help for these most amazing, highly endangered creatures.

    GO BABY GO! And all the best of luck and love to you. Such beautiful portraits. ♥

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    • “GO BABY GO!” I love that! It’s exactly what we were thinking and practically shouting ourselves.
      We are also thrilled that there are programs in place to help these amazing creatures.
      Thanks for visiting and commenting FeyGirl I appreciate it. 🙂

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  29. What a wonderful series. I’ve got tears in my eyes, for heaven’s sake! There’s a lot of work that’s done with turtles here on the Texas coast – and finally, the wars over the excluder devices on the shrimp boats seems to be over. I think. 😉

    I need to find out which species are being released along our coast. I think most of the work is farther south, along more deserted beaches like the Padre Island seashore.

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  31. Hi Phil! Was with you at the inventory and just love your photos! You caught the best angles of the little guy. Your shots are just gorgeous. See you soon and happy shooting!

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    • Hey wow Teri! So great to see you here! Thanks a million for checking out these photos and also for your very kind comments. I glad you enjoyed seeing the baby turtle series! 🙂
      Cheers
      Phil

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    • That’s a terrific way to view that image! So glad you thought of that.
      I’m still a bit emotional even now viewing the photos of this tiny creature starting it’s new, and hopefully, very long life.
      Thanks very much for looking!

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      • Just looking at the photos is a heartwarming, and participating in the beginning of these little turtles’ life journey must have been over-warming to you all together… I’d like to witness this miracle happening in front of my eyes one day:-). Thank you for sharing with us this wonderful story. God Bless!!

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  36. Je suis en admiration devant vos photos !!!! Quel bel hymne à la vie … envers et contre tout ! Je ne sais comment vous êtes arrivé dans mon modeste blog … Merci de votre passage !

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    • It was a happy scene to witness and the little guy did need to wash off the sand. As small wave ripples washed over him, it revealed more of his face and shell.
      Thanks very much for your visit and it’s nice to know you enjoyed the photos!

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  44. Adorable little guy and amazing photos! I’d rather think he’ll grow into a gorgeous turtle someday. He’s so small I can’t help but worry about predators out there. But still it’s way better than to see the little guy in a glass aquarium or something.

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    • Hi Aian! This is probably my #1 favorite blog post here, glad you found it!
      When you see that tiny turtle head out alone into the HUGE ocean you wonder how any one of them ever makes it. But they do.
      If this little one is a female, it’s possible that in 30 years from now she will return to the exact spot where she was hatched to lay her own eggs. 🙂
      Maybe she wil remember me if I am there to see that. 😉

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      • Oh yeah, i saw that on natgeo(or maybe discovery channel), they go back to where they were hatched just like salmon. That will be amazing! You better mark your calendar for that ;)! A homecoming of some sort 🙂

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  45. This is a delightful post. I leave near the Hillsboro lighthouse in Deerfield, Florida and there has been discussion of extinguishing the light as it interferes with the nesting sea turtles on the beach. While I know there is a better solution to keep the light lit and still keep the beach dark during the nesting season, it is understandable that we’d want to get these guys off into the world for the future of the species. Really cute…thanks for sharing these.

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    • I’m so happy you picked out this post and that you enjoyed it. I think in the five and a half months I’ve been doing this blog and posting every day, this baby turtle story was my all time favorite.
      Thanks much!

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    • We were thrilled to witness this and I’m glad you enjoyed seeing these photos.
      I’m also glad you checked out this post, in over six months now of doing this photo blog I believe this is my all time favorite post. 🙂

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