Coffee on the Verandah -The Last Slide, Recap & Souvies 5/29 - Link to Aulani TR 5/31

[eandesmom]

Squidlips makes me laugh too!! I'm glad you enjoyed your meal.

We really did.

Oh, boy! That's cutting it close! I hope you made it on time!!

In my next life I will not be late to everything. I swear!

Welcome home! I'm looking forward you your girls trip too.

Thanks! It was such a good trip!!!

Squidlips sounds so good. I love Mahi Mahi. You can't to to the beach and not eat at a local seafood joint.

Looking forward to the turtle walk.

You are right! You can't go to the beach and not hit a local seafood joint. I could eat Mahi every week. And would it it wasn't so pricey!

Welcome home! I loved following your pictures on FB. Made me so jealous!

Aw, thanks! FB was frustrating from Disney, connection time were SO slow! I don't know how many times I tried to upload a pic and it would fail. I didn't have wifi on most of the time as I didn't want to drain my battery but it was a ton better when I did.

The view from your dinner was breathtaking. Talk about a perfect vacation dinner spot.

It was a pretty view! I hadn't done my research and didn't realize exactly where the over the water part was, somehow assumed we would be actually on the ocean side not the inlet/waterway side so was initially a little surprised but really liked it.

 

[Native NYer]

I'll finally caught up!
Vero Beach looks amazing.
How long do you recommend for a VB stay?

 

[eandesmom]

I'll finally caught up!
Vero Beach looks amazing.
How long do you recommend for a VB stay?

Really depends on what you like to do and who is with you. If you are used to commando touring and go go go, I think it can feel a little slow for some. If you are into beach, pool and chilling...as long as you want! We had 2 full days and 2 half days (3 nights). I'd have liked to either have had one more night, or get there a lot earlier the first day (though the room may not have been ready). That's me. And Jeff. For the kids I think they thought it was just right.

We had other factors going on though, work for me and homework for K. Had we not have had those I might not have felt a little short on my personal beach time. LOL! I really wanted another full beach day. At the time though it all felt ok since we knew we had 2 more coming up on the cruise so it didn't really bother me. Without that though, I'd have definitely wanted 4 nights. For me, too far to drive for just 2 nights. 3-4 at a minimum. Could get bored for a full week but would definitely expand outside of the resort for activities so maybe not. 5 would probably be the max we'd do (and had originally booked).

 

[KatMark]

Happy Halloween​

 

[eandesmom]

Happy Halloween​

Love him!

you too Kathy!!! Hope you get lots of trick or treaters tonight!

 

[englishrose47]

Just checking in to wish all a Happy Halloween !!! At work so no time to search for pix just look at Kathy's I like that

 

[eandesmom]

Leaving dinner we headed back the way we'd come. This time once across the bridge we needed to head north on the A1A, not south. My information stated it was about 15 minutes from Disney's Vero Beach. I had heard about Turtle Walks, and the Lottery (which you can read about here, on Glennbo's TR) and had planned to attempt the lottery. Imagine my great delight when my first edition of Disney Files (the DVC magazine) arrived and it had an article specifically about the Turtle Walks and a local site to go to for them. Walks were offered Mondays according to the article and that would work out perfectly for our trip. It was a $15 "donation" per person and I booked it the minute I had that number in my hand as they sell out fast. Apparently they reserve certain nights just for Disney Vero guests though I didn't learn that until later, Weds and Thursday are open to the public on a first come first book basis. I'm now confused as to how the lottery plays into it as it is the same center Glenn went to with the lottery, but we were able to book ahead of time (but it was all Vero guests). Go figure.

Our destination was The Barrier Island Sanctuary Management and Education Center (Barrier Island Center). It is an educational center located in the heart of the Archie Carr Refuge, which is a major nesting site for sea turtles. Through a partnership with the Brevard County Environmentally Endangered Lands Program (EELS), the Sea Turtle Conservancy manages and conducts the educational programs offered at the Barrier Island Center.

As part of your "donation" you get to adopt a turtle. I have our certificates but need to scan them.

A little bit about the center and turtles.

In North America, sea turtles primarily nest from North Carolina through Florida, with over 90% occurring in Florida. Within that range is the Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge, a 20.5-mile section of shoreline between Melbourne Beach and Wabasso, along Florida's east central coast. Since its establishment by Congress in 1989, the Carr Refuge, named after STC's founding scientific director, has been a major success. The stretch of beach within the Refuge boundary is home to the most important sea turtle nesting habitat in the United States. More loggerheads nest within the Carr Refuge than anywhere else in the Western Hemisphere. In addition, over the past several years there has been a significant increase in both green turtle and leatherback nesting. Protection of these beaches is essential to the survival and recovery of these three species

During June and July the Sea Turtle Conservancy (STC) has a limited number of spaces for the public to join us on a guided turtle watch. Through this program, STC hopes that the experience of a guided sea turtle walk will help inspire future naturalists and sea turtle advocates. Florida's beaches, especially along the east central coast in the Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge, provide nesting habitat for more nesting loggerhead turtles than any place in the Western Hemisphere and more endangered green turtles than any place in North America. In addition, endangered leatherback sea turtles nest in the Carr Refuge.

Driving up the A1A we realized something.

It was DARK! And not well lit. At all. Deliberately. We didn't know what we were looking for though we assumed the center was on the beach side of the road we didn't know for sure. I had it marked on my map and plugged it into the phone GPS but we passed right by it once. Then twice! The center itself we could spot. It was the parking lot south of it we couldn't find to save our soul. I had changed in the car and as we pulled in...it was 9pm. I didn't know if they'd leave without us or what. Or how far away the actual center was from the lot. Pulling in I urged everyone to hurry but we did need to coat with bug spray as quickly as possible. Or at least I did! Getting out of the car I had some minor adjustments to make based on my quick car change. In doing so I lifted up my shirt just long enough to retie my pants.

And got not one, but three bug bites immediately on my stomach!

Jeesh. They weren't kidding about the bugs! As usual my family reacted in disbelief that such a thing could really happen that fast but walked/ran and sprayed. It was a little bit of a hike, down a dark boardwalk though the grasses. As we got closer to the center we could make out the silhouette of a person.

"There you are! We've been waiting for you!, wasn't sure you were going to make it"

OOPS!

Sorry…we couldn't find the lot!

Here's what it looks like in the daylight. Glenn has some real pictures, I poached these.

It is a COOL center, full of all kind of neat info.

We did get one picture inside

I stole some info as I think it's very very cool!

Nesting, Incubation and Emergence

Very little is known about why sea turtles nest on some beaches and not on others. In Florida, loggerheads nest by the thousands on the central east coast, while identical looking beaches to the north see far fewer loggerheads. This nesting distribution may reflect conditions that existed centuries ago, when temperature, beach profiles or the lack of predation made some areas preferable to sea turtles. Today, humans are affecting the places where sea turtles nest. Beach erosion caused by coastal armoring and navigational inlets, artificial lighting and beach renourishment are all impacting once pristine beaches. These changes will likely have lasting effects on future nesting patterns. The more we understand about how, where and when sea turtles nest, the better we will be able to protect their nesting habitat.

Beach Selection
Most females return faithfully to the same beach each time they are ready to nest. Not only do they appear on the same beach, they often emerge within a few hundred yards of where they last nested.


This is what they look like tracking up the beach. The tracks are what they look for to find nest after the fact as well.

Yep, no pictures.

Nesting Behavior
Only the females nest, and it occurs most often at night. The female crawls out of the ocean, pausing frequently as if carefully scoping out her spot. Sometimes she will crawl out of the ocean, but for unknown reasons decide not to nest. This is a "false crawl," and it can happen naturally or be caused by artificial lighting or the presence of people on the beach. Most females nest at least twice during the nesting season, although individuals of some species may nest only once and others more than ten times. Sea turtles are generally slow and awkward on land, and nesting is exhausting work.

Constructing the Nest
The female turtle crawls to a dry part of the beach and begins to fling away loose sand with her flippers. She then constructs a "body pit" by digging with her flippers and rotating her body. After the body pit is complete, she digs an egg cavity using her cupped rear flippers as shovels. The egg cavity is shaped roughly like a tear drop and is usually tilted slightly.

Laying and Burying the Eggs
When the turtle has finished digging the egg chamber, she begins to lay eggs. Two or three eggs drop out at a time, with mucus being secreted throughout egg-laying. The average size of a clutch ranges from about 80 to 120 eggs, depending on the species. Because the eggs are flexible, they do not break as they fall into the chamber. This flexibility also allows both the female and the nest to hold more eggs. Nesting sea turtles appear to shed tears, but the turtle is just secreting salt that accumulates in her body. Many people believe that while laying her eggs a sea turtles goes into a trance from which she can not be disturbed.

This is not entirely true. A sea turtle is least likely to abandon nesting when she is laying her eggs, but some turtles will abort the process if they are harassed or feel they are in danger. For this reason, it is important that sea turtles are never disturbed during nesting.

Once all the eggs are in the chamber, the mother turtle uses her rear flippers to push sand over the top of the egg cavity. Gradually, she packs the sand down over the top and then begins using her front flippers to refill the body pit and disguise the nest. By throwing sand in all directions, it is much harder for predators to find the eggs. After the nest is thoroughly concealed, the female crawls back to the sea to rest before nesting again later that season or before beginning her migration back to her feeding ground. Once a female has left her nest, she never returns to tend it.


I have to admit it makes me think of the Wiggle Wiggle song. They wiggle!

Incubation
Incubation takes about 60 days, but since the temperature of the sand governs the speed at which the embryos develop, the hatching period can cover a broad range. Essentially, the hotter the sand surrounding the nest, the faster the embryos will develop. Cooler sand has a tendency to produce more males, with warmer sand producing a higher ratio of females.

Emerging from the Nest
Unlike baby alligators, which are liberated from their nest by their mother, sea turtle hatchlings must do it all themselves. To break open their shells, hatchlings use a temporary, sharp egg-tooth, called a "caruncle." The caruncle is an extension of the upper jaw that falls off soon after birth. Digging out of the nest is a group effort that can take several days. Hatchlings usually emerge from their nest at night or during a rainstorm when temperatures are cooler. Once they decide to burst out, they erupt from the nest cavity as a group. The little turtles orient themselves to the brightest horizon, and then dash toward the sea.

If they don't make it to the ocean quickly, many hatchlings will die of dehydration in the sun or be caught by predators like birds and crabs. Once in the water, they typically swim several miles off shore, where they are caught in currents and seaweed that may carry them for years before returning to nearshore waters. There are many obstacles for hatchlings in the open ocean. Sharks, big fish and circling birds all eat baby turtles, and they die after accidentally eating tar balls and plastic garbage. The obstacles are so numerous for baby turtles that only about one in 1,000 survives to adulthood.

This is why you can’t have any lights on! The hatchlings will run towards the light, not the ocean. At night, the efflorescence of the surf is the brightest thing and they run to it. Lights confuse the little guys. With such survival rates, all those blinds, and rules helps what little it can. At least they have a chance of making it to the ocean.

Ok. So that's how it works. The way the walk worked is that first we had an educational session while the "spotters" scoured the beach to see if they could find a nesting mama. As our info session ended (which was good, it was kind of dark....slide show...I started to get sleepy) we got the news that Mrs. Crush had been spotted.

We began our trek down the beach. Basically they will take you up to a mile in either direction. It was definitely a mile. Easy peasy for me. I had my keens, wind pants and shirt for the bugs and I was cozy and content. The boys were semi covered but had worn tennis shoes so they were good too.
Then there was Kendall. Cute strappy leather sandals. At some point I think she gave up and took them off.

Then there was Jeff. Who didn't take note of my earlier instructions. At some point during the walk, and it was definitely on the mile side of the “up to”, I heard

"I think I broke my shoe"

Yeah.

Sigh.

First the ruined shorts, now the ruined dress sandals. I started to think by the time we got to the cruise he'd have nothing left to wear at the rate he was going.


It was a gorgeous night after all my worries with the sky. A bright moon lit our way and made it much easier to see things than normal, we were told.

Finally after a lovely walk in the moonlight (interrupted with the occasionally extra spray of repellent) we arrived at our destination. They had us gather around the back of mama turtle as she laid her eggs.

As you can see in the picture above, they lay a LOT of them.

Plop. Plop. Plop.

Pause........

Plop. Plop. Plop.

Pause........

Plop. Plop. Plop.

Pause........

They shine an infrared light that doesn't bug the turtle into the nest and at her rear so you can see the action. The kids were VERY into it. Especially Kendall who literally got as close as physically possible to the edge of the nest and laid down so her face was almost in it.

Plop. Plop. Plop.

Pause........

Plop. Plop. Plop.

Pause........

Plop. Plop. Plop.

Pause........

It went on.

And on.

And on.

The conservators joked it was the slowest egg laying they’d ever seen. It went on so long that they actually offered to take a group back.

Just then we heard

"Look! It’s a hatchling!"

From a little boy, maybe about 5.

At first, I don’t think anyone believed him. One of the conservators when to check.

And sure enough. Just down the beach from where we were, a full blown emergence was happening. Hundreds of teeny tiny baby turtles racing to the ocean. You could see them climbing out of the nest! As the group meandered over to watch you had to be amazingly careful not to step on one! We had to halt Evan in his tracks as one raced past his feet. They were SO tiny! Like little sand crab tiny! According to Wikipedia (lol) Upon hatching, they measure approximately 4.6 cm (1.8 in) and weigh about 20 grams (0.71 oz)! An average adult is around 35 inches and 300 pounds. WOW! Talk about a growth curve.

It was one of the most magical things I have ever, ever seen.

All of our conservators had never seen both, in one night.

We had neglected our poor mama while this was going on. She was still laying eggs! One group headed back but mine elected to wait. Finally done she covered her nest.

Wiggle wiggle wiggle
Wiggle wiggle wiggle

It was fascinating and a bit frantic. Actually in a way, she kind of goes like this, flipping, flapping and almost spinning as she covers, covers, covers



We backed up to avoid the flying sand. How she had the energy for it after laying all those egg...was beyond me.

After she was done, back to the surf she went. Back to the center and to our car we went.

It has been a late night, it was midnight before we got back to the resort (and found our garage full as well as the outside lots, kind of ended up in a weird unofficial spot) but a truly magical and unforgettable one. A tremendous highlight of the trip and a once in a lifetime kind of experience.

With that, we headed to bed.

Boys, balls, bikes and bars

 

[SunLuvr321]

The turtle walk sounds like an amazing experience!

Recently started reading about your trip. We are heading out on our first Disney Cruise in February and can't wait to read about that part of your trip too. We will also be on the Dream.

 

[Mndisneygirl]

Wow! How cool was that turtle walk? Was there a bright moon that you could see things - like how did that 5 year old spot the hatchling?

Sorry about the bug bites - that would happen to me too. Sarah's probably the worst in our family - she has bites all the time!

 

[glennbo123]

Wow!!! How awesome that you saw an egg-laying and a hatching. Definitely worth the mile walk, and the destruction of a sandal or two. I'm glad that you didn't have to go through the disappointment of a dud turtle walk.

We still had a little bit of light and were able to find that parking lot on the first try, but I can see how it'd be nearly impossible to see in the dark.

 

[dizneeat]

Great update, Cynthia!
I hadn't known about the turtle walks but will inquire into it. This sounds so interesting. Thanks for sharing!

 

[mickeystoontown]

The Turtle Walk sounds like an amazzzzzing experience! How neat that you got to see both a mother turtle laying eggs and tiny turtles hatching. We have turtles who lay eggs in our garden every year and we've marked the area but we've never seen them hatch.

 

[Poolrat]

Cool to see an egg laying and a hatching all in the same night.

I can imagine how special that was.

So sorry you are the bug magnate and attracted some bites in no time.

 

[pooh'smate]

The turtle walk sounds amazing!!! I want to stay in VB just to go on that. What a great update and I think it is really neat that you got to see both the laying and the hatching of eggs.

 

[MeMom]

They had us gather around the back of mama turtle as she laid her eggs.

As you can see in the picture above, they lay a LOT of them.

Plop. Plop. Plop.

Pause........

Plop. Plop. Plop.

Pause........

Plop. Plop. Plop.

Pause........

They shine an infrared light that doesn't bug the turtle into the nest and at her rear so you can see the action. The kids were VERY into it.

Plop. Plop. Plop.

Pause........

Plop. Plop. Plop.

Pause........

Plop. Plop. Plop.

Pause........

It went on.

And on.

And on.

The conservators joked it was the slowest egg laying they’d ever seen. It went on so long that they actually offered to take a group back.

Just then we heard

"Look! It’s a hatchling!"

From a little boy, maybe about 5.

At first, I don’t think anyone believed him. One of the conservators when to check.

And sure enough. Just down the beach from where we were, a full blown emergence was happening. Hundreds of teeny tiny baby turtles racing to the ocean. You could see them climbing out of the nest! As the group meandered over to watch you had to be amazingly careful not to step on one! We had to halt Evan in his tracks as one raced past his feet. They were SO tiny! Like little sand crab tiny! According to Wikipedia (lol) Upon hatching, they measure approximately 4.6 cm (1.8 in) and weigh about 20 grams (0.71 oz)! An average adult is around 35 inches and 300 pounds. WOW! Talk about a growth curve.

It was one of the most magical things I have ever, ever seen.

All of our conservators had never seen both, in one night.


It has been a late night, it was midnight before we got back to the resort (and found our garage full as well as the outside lots, kind of ended up in a weird unofficial spot) but a truly magical and unforgettable one. A tremendous highlight of the trip and a once in a lifetime kind of experience.
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SO VERY COOL!!!! I would love to see this in person, as would Brooklynn.

 

[Chilly]

Wow how special that must have been.

 

[Connie96]

Hi Cynthia! I've been lurking for just a bit and thought I'd finally say "hello".

Sounds like yall had a truly exceptional turtle experience. Very cool stuff!

 

[KatMark]

All I can say is WOW!!!! That would definitely be the highlight of a trip for me. What an amazing experience for you and your family.

 

[natebenma]

WOW!!!

What an awesome experience for your family!!! Loved the update and all of the info.

In February, we are staying at a resort in the Riviera Maya, Mexico. This is the third time we are staying there and the place has excellent snorkeling and a reputation for snorkelers to see turtles. In our previous two trips, we have not been successful seeing them in the water, but we hope the third time's the charm. Especially now that Ben loves snorkeling, too.

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

It was a $15 "donation" per person and I booked it the minute I had that number in my hand as they sell out fast. Apparently they reserve certain nights just for Disney Vero guests though I didn't learn that until later, Weds and Thursday are open to the public on a first come first book basis. I'm now confused as to how the lottery plays into it as it is the same center Glenn went to with the lottery, but we were able to book ahead of time (but it was all Vero guests). Go figure.[/QUOET]

I've read both yours and Glenn's TR's and I'm still a little confuse.

Driving up the A1A we realized something.

It was DARK! And not well lit. At all. Deliberately.

Turn your headlights on.





Just kidding!

And got not one, but three bug bites immediately on my stomach!

Wow. Sounds like it could be miserable!

I stole some info as I think it's very very cool!

No, you just borrowed it, and promised to give the info back. Right?

It is very cool stuff!

This is why you can’t have any lights on! The hatchlings will run towards the light, not the ocean. At night, the efflorescence of the surf is the brightest thing and they run to it. Lights confuse the little guys. With such survival rates, all those blinds, and rules helps what little it can. At least they have a chance of making it to the ocean.

It all makes sense now. Is it bad that I read all this stuff about sea turtles and kept thinking of Jack Sparrow escaping the island in the POTC movie?

As our info session ended (which was good, it was kind of dark....slide show...I started to get sleepy) we got the news that Mrs. Crush had been spotted.

Dude!....Sweet.

I started to think by the time we got to the cruise he'd have nothing left to wear at the rate he was going.

Then he'd have to get on the Carnival boat instead.

They shine an infrared light that doesn't bug the turtle into the nest and at her rear so you can see the action.

Guess what? Turtle butt!

"Look! It’s a hatchling!"

From a little boy, maybe about 5.

And sure enough. Just down the beach from where we were, a full blown emergence was happening. Hundreds of teeny tiny baby turtles racing to the ocean. You could see them climbing out of the nest!

Wow! That sounds amazing!

It was one of the most magical things I have ever, ever seen.

So awesome!