This morning there was a team from Sea Turtle Trackers on the beach again.  I was in time to watch Joe Widlansky, also known as "Turtle Joe," pound in the stakes around a fresh Loggerhead Sea Turtle nest.

Turtle Joe takes a break from staking out a turtle nest to answer a question.

The mother turtle made her nest right next to a group of beach chairs.

Turtle track close-up.

Sadly, not far from the nest was a dead female loggerhead turtle which had washed up on shore.  Turtle Joe said this was not the turtle who had made the nest; this turtle had been dead in the water for some time.

Joe filled out a report on the dead turtle after finishing with the nest.  Later, he said, someone else would come and bury the dead turtle on the beach.