Aunt Nancy

Conservancy of SW Florida Keewaydin Island Turtle Tracking Project

A project of Conservancy of SW Florida Keewaydin Island Turtle Tracking Project.

click map for full-size version Aunt Nancy (Loggerhead) is 88 km SW of the coast of United States and 192 km from Key West

Full-Size Map (41KB)
Animated Map (347KB)

Species: Loggerhead
Life Stage: Adult
Gender: Female
Release Date: 2012-06-08 06:00:00
Release Location: Keewaydin Island
Last Location: 2013-02-05 07:56:48

Adoptive Parents:
Sheila & Megan McInerney
Shane Haviland
Linda & Jim Junk
Gina Badolato
Alex Hafley
Joel and Mag Stein

Background

We were very pleased to find Aunt Nancy nesting on Keewaydin Island again this year. She's an old acquaintance as she's been visiting our beach regularly. Since 1989 when we first met her, she's been back six times (1992, 1994, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2007, and 2012). Over the years, she's laid 17 known nests plus a few more that we missed. Our records tell us those nests contained 1,718 eggs, which resulted in 1,400 little loggerheads reaching Gulf waters to give it a go. So far this year she's laid one nest. Of course, we hope to find her nesting several more times this summer.

A donation from Conservancy members John and Ann Wolfe made it possible for us to satellite tag Aunt Nancy this year. With a little luck, the satellite tag she is now carrying will tell us where she goes to forage once she completes her nesting efforts this August. Will it be in the northern Gulf of Mexico, Florida Bay, the Bahamas or somewhere else? Stay tuned!