Summary

Description

This paper presents results from the sixth annual study of nesting along the Atlantic Oceanfront by the loggerhead sea turtle Caretta carettd in Virginia Beach, Virginia during 1998. All surveys were carried out by staff of the Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Virginia Beach, Virginia, throughout the sea turtle nesting season. Two seasonal, fulltime biological technicians were hired through funding support from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Norfolk, Virginia, to search twentyfive miles of beach along the northern periphery of the nesting range of the Loggerhead. Refuge biologists investigated two nesting attempts during 1998. Of the two nesting attempts, both were functional nests. No false crawls were located during 1998. Both nests were located on Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge. No nests were located along the oceanfront of the Virginia Beach Resort area, south of Fort Story, this year. No nestingloggerhead sea turtles were captured by Refuge personnel, since the Virginia Institute of Marine Science had to return a defective transmitter during the best turtle capture period late Julyearly August. Nighttime patrols were carried out by numerous volunteers and Refuge personnel during August 913, however, no sea turtle was located.