Saturday, June 20, 2009

Hawksbill turtles are here!

With the leatherback season quieting down, some turtle newcomers have arrived on the scene. Hawksbills have been flipping their way onto the beach, with these beautiful turtles being recorded on about five consecutive nights.

On one of those nights, the team of Cody, Kelsey, and Thea were able to work a hawksbill. The team had low expectations going into the night as they saw the beach with the tides reaching up towards the vegetation. They encountered an up-track right in front of the house at 1 6/8, which became a bit of a situation for the team. When they began preparing to work the turtle a dog began barking at the team creating a stressful environment and the team was tense as they saw a light moving about in the distance.

The team worked the turtle low key, as they used their red torches a minimal amount. Adding to the difficulty of trying to stay unnoticed it started to pour down rain but Thea and Kelsey counted eggs and triangulated wonderfully. Cody was also able to tag the turtle which was the first one tagged this season and the team would be forever associated with the turtle, named Britney. In the following nights a few more hawksbills would be worked and another newly tagged by Sarah Durose.
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