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Beverly and John Ogelsby of the South Walton Turtle Watch group listen to weather information in their plane at the Destin Airport Sunday in preparation for a flight over South Walton County, looking for recent turtle tracks and nests on the beach.

A Walton County turtle group has managed to send an ally into the clouds to soar alongside the birds that treat turtle hatchlings like oysters on the half shell.  Every Sunday, South Walton residents John and Beverly Ogelsby fly John's homemade plane down the county's beaches looking for the telltale signs of turtle nests. 

For years, Beverly has spent her mornings walking the beach looking for nests as a member of the South Walton Turtle Watch - a group dedicated to protecting the endangered sea turtles in Walton County. 

And although the couple has made a habit of spotting marine life from John's plane for some time now, it wasn't until this year that the plane became an official part of the turtle watch. 

Why the wait? 

"To tell you the truth, a lot of it was just, 'How much can you ask of a volunteer to do?'" said Sharon Maxwell, turtle watch president. 

John doesn't see the weekly trips as an imposition at all. 

"The most fun flying around here is low on the beach looking for marine life," he said. 

Every morning, turtle watch volunteers walk the county's 25 miles of beaches looking for nests. Once found, the volunteers mark the nests, monitor them and help protect them from intruders both critters and humans. 

Although the morning walks are a labor of love for these volunteers, it is a serious business. Some turtle watch members are permitted by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection to handle both the turtles and the nests. Handling either without a permit can bring a fine of up to $50,000. 

Maxwell, who has about 30 volunteers in her group, said the Ogelsbys' Sunday trips are a great way to give some of the other volunteers a day off. She also said it is a great backup for nests that the beach walkers might miss. 

Volunteers usually find the nest by finding turtle tracks and following them to the nest. Apparently, the plane's Plexiglas doors give Beverly a good vantage point for spotting tracks -- she spots while John flies. 

"My job is basically to stay out of the birds' way and make sure I stay at a legal altitude," He said. "Beverly concentrates on looking at the beach." 

"At ground level it's not always as easy to pick them up as from the air." Beverly said. "Up there I can pick them up like that every time."