GULF SHORES, Ala. — Editor’s note: The Islander will be publishing a series of articles about sea turtles and the nesting season, which concludes Oct. 31. Watch for this column throughout the summer, or for more information, log onto alabamaseaturtles.com or fws.com/daphne.

At the beginning of sea turtle nesting season, one of nine Share the Beach team leaders, Debi Gholson, asked her volunteers to do a “turtle dance.”

Well, apparently, it worked. So far, volunteers have already discovered 35 nests in all, and there are still have more than three months to go!

With the sun barely peaking over the water, the Fort Morgan team scours their assigned 13-mile stretch of sand.

One of the main things volunteers look for is a turtle crawl. A turtle crawl is a pattern left behind in the sand after a sea turtle crawls out of the gulf to nest, then, back into the water.

Last week, Garrett Lloyd, an intern with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, learned the importance of turtle crawls first hand.

The lucky intern tagged along with trained refuge staff and other volunteers on Fort Morgan. The group found a crawl in Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge, leading volunteers to a nest less than 40 feet from the water and unfortunately within flooding range of the next high tide.

The momma turtle decided to nest in a low spot. After careful review of the Alabama sea turtle conservation manual, and concern for the eggs, trained volunteers delicately moved the nest. They counted 109 eggs — not bad for a new intern.

“It was a neat experience,” Lloyd recalled. “I know volunteers don’t always find nests right away. I was lucky enough to find one on the first shot.”

Sometimes, volunteers spot turtle crawls that don’t always lead to nests. In fact, they often lead to empty chambers.

This is called a false crawl, and volunteers have found their share of them this year.

As of July 13, turtle trackers have spotted twenty false crawls on Fort Morgan alone.

“But false crawls still indicate that a sea turtle has touched the sand, (there are still some of these imperiled creatures trying to nest) which is a good thing,” Gholson said.

The crew spotted five false crawls the day before we celebrated our nation’s independence.

“Patrol had a busy, busy morning,” Gholson said. “The turtles basically did a U-turn with no nesting attempt.”

After a full day of tracking false crawls, volunteers finally spotted a nest holding 144 eggs. Volunteers carefully moved the eggs to an area in front of a vacant lot, which is no easy feat. While three people moved the nest, a slew of volunteers finished the beach patrol for the day.

“We could not do all of this without dedicated teamwork,” Gholson said.

Moving eggs is just one way to protect them. Another way is by placing a protective screen over the nest to keep predators away. Each discovered nest will get its own screen made of a wide mesh utility wire secured with wooden stakes.

Unfortunately, volunteers can’t always make it to the nest in time. The last nest of the night was discovered about a mile east of Mobile Street. But apparently something had gotten to the nest long before the volunteers.

“When patrol arrived, the chamber was completely open and it looked as if a coyote or fox got to it,” Gholson said.

The raided nest is just a reminder of how important it is to continue the mission of Share the Beach, giving volunteers even more drive and determination to save these mystical creatures. If you spot a crawl or sea turtle nest, call 1-866-SEA-TURT.

Denise Rowell is the public affairs specialist for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Alabama Ecological Services Field Office. She can be reached at 251-441-6630 or denise_rowell@fws.gov.