Stay in the know about wildlife, water quality, and ecosystems on Sanibel and Captiva Islands and in Southwest Florida
Team Encounters 2 Loggerheads on First Night-Tagging Patrol
The SCCF sea turtle nighttime tagging team has officially completed their first patrol of the season.
From May through July, the team conducts nightly beach patrols on Sanibel Island to intercept, identify, tag, and monitor nesting sea turtles. Each encountered turtle is checked for existing identification and, if needed, is outfitted with flipper tags and a microchip known as a Passive Integrated Transponder (PIT) tag.
Related Story: Nighttime Tagging Documents 167 Unique Sea Turtles
During the first patrol, the team encountered two nesting loggerhead sea turtles, both of which were known individuals previously tagged on Sanibel.
The first turtle, Striate Bubble, was originally tagged in 2016 during the “shells” naming theme. She has since been documented nesting twice in 2021 and three times in 2023. The second turtle, Butter Pecan, was originally tagged in 2017 during the “ice cream” theme and has been recorded nesting three times that year and once again in 2020.
“By tagging and identifying nesting female sea turtles on Sanibel, we can track long-term trends among individuals — such as where they choose to nest, how frequently they return, and how successful their nests are,” said Sea Turtle Biologist Savannah Weber.
To learn more about our sea turtles from this upcoming season and their individual stories, there’s still time to participate in our wildlife adoption programs:
Adopt a Sea Turtle: Follow the journey of a nesting female throughout the 2026 season! Your donation directly supports sea turtle research and conservation. At the end of the nesting season, you’ll receive an adoption certificate, a detailed summary of your turtle’s nesting season, and data on her nests, false crawls, hatch success, and nesting locations across the island.
Adopt a Sea Turtle – Lifetime Edition: Take your support a step further by following one turtle across multiple years. This exclusive program allows you to rename your turtle and receive her full detailed nesting history since she was first tagged. Each year she returns, you’ll get an update with her latest stats and movements. You’ll also receive a custom keepsake featuring her unique ID number — a lasting tribute to your commitment to sea turtle conservation.