We monitor and document the nesting and hatching activities of turtles on the eastern foreshore of Bribie Island. We’re out there every day (either on pushbike or foot) checking the beaches for turtle tracks and nests.
Each season we monitor over 100 turtle nests, protecting them from predators and humans whenever possible.
Which Turtles Nest on Bribie Island?
Primarily loggerheads and sometimes green turtles, nest on the eastern beaches of Bribie Island between November and April.
Nesting season is between November and April. Female turtles nest near where they were born. They can lay up to 125 eggs per clutch several times in a season.
Loggerhead turtle
Green sea turtle
Nest Protection
Turtle nests are at the mercy of predators such as goannas and foxes, as well as human intervention. Unfortunately, it is legal to drive on the beach at Bribie Island. So our trained volunteers move nests to safer ground when necessary.
The nests are then marked and caged to protect them until the hatchlings emerge.
Only 1 in 1,000 hatchlings survive to adulthood. So each nest is vital.
Threats to Sea Turtles and Their Future
Sea turtles are vulnerable to human disturbance. Threats to turtles and hatchlings include:
- marine debris like plastics and discarded fishing gear
- boat strike
- accidental catches by fisheries
- damage to nests caused by vehicles
- predation of nests by feral animals such as pigs and foxes
- artificial lighting.