Just about the time the loggerhead sea turtle egg laying tapers off on St. Vincent NWR, the turtle program volunteers really get down to business. The first nests of the season are ready to be inventoried for the all-important hatch out data. We excavate the marked nests and record the number of successfully hatched eggs, as well as the total number of eggs laid. Turtle biologists use this information in all sorts of ways, but it is one very strong indicator of future subspecies population trends. It is often the emotional climax of the season, as well. Although it can be satisfying to find a large, successful clutch of 150 hatched eggs,at times, we find nests that have been totally inundated with storm tides and erosion. And rarely, as you\'ll see here, we find a laggard hatchling at the bottom of a nest. As we release those stragglers into the Gulf of Mexico, it is a bittersweet parting. While it gives us concrete knowledge that we have helped at least one, handling their fragile little forms is a tangible reminder that the odds against their survival are great.For more information, visit our volunteer website at:http://st.vincentvolunteers.googlepages.com/homeor for more refuge and volunteer photos go to:\nhttp://www.flickr.com/photos/stvincentvolunteers/sets/ "Sea, "St., Apalachicola, conservation, endangered, hatchling, island, nature, nest, NWR, refuge, Turtle", USFWS, Vincent", Volunteer