Happy Mother's Day: First sea turtle nest of 2016 found on Anna Maria Island
Volunteers with Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch & Shorebird Protection on Sunday morning -- Mother's Day -- found and verified the first sea turtle nest of the 2016 nesting season on Anna Maria Island.
A loggerhead turtle laid the nest late Saturday or early Sunday at the end of Spring Avenue, near the Sandbar restaurant in Anna Maria Island.
In 55 to 70 days, the nest will hatch, and as many as 100 or more hatchlings will crawl to the Gulf of Mexico.
The official nesting season, which started May 1, ends Oct. 31.
This story was originally published May 8, 2016 at 2:33 PM with the headline "Happy Mother's Day: First sea turtle nest of 2016 found on Anna Maria Island."