Turtle Nest Conservation

Infographic explaining where a DolphinEar hydrophone fits into the conservation cycle for turtle nest conservation. TURTLE NEST CONSERVATION Check Viability Find the nest, ID the turtle type, count the number of eggs, plant a data logger, cover back up. Protect and Monitor Monitor the nest, protecting it from unwanted visitors. Hydrophone Plant a DolphinEar hydrophone just under the surface. Keeping an ear out for movement helps those long hours pass much quicker. Predict Emergence With the hydrophone, you can hear movement in the shell, hatchlings peeping to coordinate emergence, eggs cracking and the sand shifting as they begin to dig. It is possible to predict the date of emergence to within one or two days with this technique. Hatchling Walk Mobilise people for the turtle's furst steps into the world.

Plant one of our Hydrophones in the sand during the protect & monitor phase of a nest’s cycle.

This will help volunteers hear intruders and, nearer the point of hatchling emergence, you will be able to hear peeping from the eggs as hatchlings communicate with each other to coordinate their emergence.

You can accurately predict the date of emergence to within a few days using this method. Which means more hatchlings making it to sea while more onlookers get to experience the magic.

Turtle vocalisations from inside their eggs
Shells cracking
Waterfall of sand as hatchlings start to dig

Here are some snippets of sounds captured from our friends at N.E.S.T.

"I have been volunteering with NEST for about 13 years. When I first joined we would start to sit with a nest at approximately day 55 and sit with the nest until it emerged. (It takes 50 to 70 days on average). Warmer nests would emerge in a shorter time than cooler ones but we had no way to gauge that (except air temperature) so volunteers were sometimes sitting with a nest for a long time. A couple of us decided to try listening with stethoscopes. We could hear movement, but could only listen a few minutes at a time, which was not ideal, so we formed a Science Committee and started looking for a better way to listen.

I found DolphinEar and we started with a couple. We now have 18, which is enough for there to be one available for all the nests as they come due. The DolphinEar hydrophones are placed about 6 to 8" deep, 12 to 18" from the center of the nest. A typical nest is roughly a foot to the top egg and there are anywhere from 80 to 120 eggs per nest (although we have seen variations on both sides of that).

We also now put temperature data loggers in every nest. Between data loggers and DolphinEar hydrophones we have greatly reduced the amount of time volunteers spend at any one nest. "
- Peggy C, N.E.S.T

"I am part of the Ocean Isle Beach Sea Turtle Protection Organization volunteer team members! I absolutely love using the Dolphin Ear to hear the hatchlings in the nest—it adds another layer of knowledge and education when it comes to protecting the sea turtles."
-Leila, Ocean Isle Beach Sea Turtle Protection Organization

"We ordered two of the DolphinEar DE200 series to use on the beach to listen in on sea turtle nests."
- Michele L, Atlantic Beach Sea Turtle Project

"We are a non-profit sea turtle protection group located in North Carolina US. We have purchased a number of DolphinEars from you over the years. We are so happy to have them!"
- Margaret J, Southern Shores NC

"We are in love with our first DolphinEar DE200. We heard turtles chirping away 2 nights ago! Wow!!! We are ordering more."
- Dale B, Emerald Isle Sea Turtle Patrol

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We recommend a DE200-8

For turtle nest monitoring, an DE200-8 with its 8 metre/26 foot cable is ideal. There’s enough cable to sit on a deck chair in the shade with your earphones – no special equipment is needed. We also recommend an earphone splitter, so multiple people can listen at once without disturbing the nest by playing it out loud. For remote monitoring, an FM transmitter or bluetooth adapter can be a suitable addition over short distances. 

DE200-8 Hydrophone set

DE200-8 Hydrophone set

Hydrophone with 8 metre (26 foot) cable, headphone amplifier, earphones, manual and spectrogram software download

£269.00

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Create custom bundles

Not all turtle conservation organisations use our hydrophones in the same way. So, we’re trialling a pick and mix system where we offer individually priced items. So, if you want 5 hydrophones, 1 amplifier and 2 earphones, you can get exactly that. No point spending more to throw stuff away.

Click here…