The job we all hate to do: morning census. Why you ask? First of all, waking up at 4 am is horrible no matter how early you go to sleep. Second, you’re usually carrying a mesh with you to put in a new nest from the night before. Finally, the worst thing about morning census, you do not get to see any turtles. It is like night patrol without the magic. Yet we do it without complaint. Most the time. So why is morning census so important? Why are the people that do it the unsung heroes?
Without morning census, most nests would probably be predated. It is true that we cannot catch every turtle that nests the night before, but we try our best. So the next morning, right after the last patrol gets back, morning census starts out on the beach at first light to put mesh on top of new nests so that dogs cannot get through to the eggs, and to cover turtle tracks so night patrol won’t confuse them for new tracks in that nights’ night patrol.
We also check every nest we have triangulated during night patrol to record the state that it is in. Most nests appear to be in their natural state, which is good. Some happen to be below the high tide line, which if it is only a little wet that is okay, but sometimes nests can be flooded. Others can be eroded, like nests that have been dug into cliffs. Then the other unlucky ones could be predated or poached. You can tell when nests have been predated by paw prints, dug holes with sand spray, an empty egg chamber with broken eggshells around. Poached nests are a little different, the egg chamber will be empty with no eggshells around, and there will be foot prints and stick holes where they had been searching for the egg chamber. So the mesh helps to deter dogs, most the time they cannot dig through it, and they make it harder for poachers to find the egg chamber.
I am not completely sure that I like the mesh, and I will explain the reasons for my dismay in a different post but they definitely help keep predation and poaching levels low.
In conclusion, morning census is important. No matter how much we do not like it, and how it seems unnecessary at times, it is needed for the hatchlings safety Morning census was one of the first jobs I did whenever I arrived. I have now realized how detrimental it is and I am happy to do it. Even if it means getting a few hundred ant bites, or digging in bushes. It is for the turtles!
Here are some pics of MC and turtle tracks! Also a Scarlet Macaw flying away because they wouldn't let me take a closer picture :(.
Without morning census, most nests would probably be predated. It is true that we cannot catch every turtle that nests the night before, but we try our best. So the next morning, right after the last patrol gets back, morning census starts out on the beach at first light to put mesh on top of new nests so that dogs cannot get through to the eggs, and to cover turtle tracks so night patrol won’t confuse them for new tracks in that nights’ night patrol.
We also check every nest we have triangulated during night patrol to record the state that it is in. Most nests appear to be in their natural state, which is good. Some happen to be below the high tide line, which if it is only a little wet that is okay, but sometimes nests can be flooded. Others can be eroded, like nests that have been dug into cliffs. Then the other unlucky ones could be predated or poached. You can tell when nests have been predated by paw prints, dug holes with sand spray, an empty egg chamber with broken eggshells around. Poached nests are a little different, the egg chamber will be empty with no eggshells around, and there will be foot prints and stick holes where they had been searching for the egg chamber. So the mesh helps to deter dogs, most the time they cannot dig through it, and they make it harder for poachers to find the egg chamber.
I am not completely sure that I like the mesh, and I will explain the reasons for my dismay in a different post but they definitely help keep predation and poaching levels low.
In conclusion, morning census is important. No matter how much we do not like it, and how it seems unnecessary at times, it is needed for the hatchlings safety Morning census was one of the first jobs I did whenever I arrived. I have now realized how detrimental it is and I am happy to do it. Even if it means getting a few hundred ant bites, or digging in bushes. It is for the turtles!
Here are some pics of MC and turtle tracks! Also a Scarlet Macaw flying away because they wouldn't let me take a closer picture :(.