Counting eggshells....
...and finding the ratio of hatched, fertile eggs to non-fertile ones.
National Park Service Rangers patrol the 12+ miles long National Seashore beach each day. They set up protected areas for piping plover and sea turtle nests. Here is one of the Rangers, checking the status of a loggerhead turtle nest that had hatched two nights ago. She dug up up the nest and brought out all the egg shells - this nest had a terrific success ratio: 115 hatched shells, 23 infertile eggs and 0 dead hatchlings.
Counting eggshells....
...and finding the ratio of hatched, fertile eggs to non-fertile ones.
National Park Service Rangers patrol the 12+ miles long National Seashore beach each day. They set up protected areas for piping plover and sea turtle nests. Here is one of the Rangers, checking the status of a loggerhead turtle nest that had hatched two nights ago. She dug up up the nest and brought out all the egg shells - this nest had a terrific success ratio: 115 hatched shells, 23 infertile eggs and 0 dead hatchlings.