It has been just about a week since I arrived at the Caño Palma Biological Station, yet so much has happened already!
First of all, I started my night patrols for sea turtle monitoring. This is probably one of the most challenging things the station does. There are usually three groups of three with one leader that are staggered throughout the night, one that is from 8-2am, another from 10-4am, and the last from 11-5am. So I have been training myself this week to try to nap as much as I can during the day so that I will have plenty of energy at night. It makes me sad to have to nap a ton during the day when I could be out exploring and seeing more, but being energized during the patrols is very important.
The first night I went out was Friday, August 21st. The attire that we wear fits the landscape. We dress all in black. I have been trying to wear dry fit clothes as much as possible because no matter how long you hang them up, nothing ever seems dry in this area. So for our shoes, the station said in their volunteer package guide that everyone just wore black crocs and socks. Whenever I first read it I was like “What?!” I had not worn crocs since I was in high school. But lo and behold, they are the best to wear on the beach because they are not so dense that they sink into the sand and you can easily make your way across the beach. Well I probably would not use the word easily. I had been on the beach during the daytime and let me tell you, this is not the clear vacation beautiful sandy beach that you are picturing in your head. The beach is filled with debris, logs everywhere, and seaweed so thick you can bounce on it. So picture that, then picture it being nighttime and having to walk through it without any kind of light. That is what the night patrol is. We try not to use light at all because it could give our location to poachers if they were out scouting that night, and it could frighten a turtle, and we only use red lights because the white lights have been proven to frighten them more.
So my first night went okay. I was exacerbated that the leader of my group could see anything, let alone tracks dug by a turtle on a dark beach full of seaweed. That is the main thing you look for when you’re trying to see if a turtle has come up on the beach. I have been on 4 night patrols so far and it has gotten easier to see the tracks every time. Depending on the sea turtle, they will either make symmetrical, or asymmetrical tracks, and since the turtles are pretty dense, the tracks are cut deep into the ground making them easy to see even if it is at night. That night I finally saw my first sea turtle, it had just come out of the ocean, but went straight back in without nesting. We call those half moons. Sometimes the females will come out of the ocean, look for a place to nest on the beach, decide that this is not the right place, and go back to the ocean to try to find a different spot. So I did not end up working a turtle that night but just seeing one in person was good enough for me. The way the turtle moved down the beach almost seemed machine like. I do not really know how to explain it, but her moves were so mechanical, it was beautiful.
The next few nights I saw a few more half moons, then the third night came. Our leader found a turtle trying to find a place to build a nest. We sit over on the side trying to stay out of the way while she got her groove and started building a body pit. Our leader would check on her every now and then, and when she saw that she was almost done building the egg chamber, she called us over. I was given the duty of counting the eggs that night. The station has the interns count the eggs by making a place for the counters arm and shoving it under her back feet near where the eggs exit her body. So my leader gave me a glove to put on my hand and a counter in my other hand to click while I felt the eggs fall into the body pit. I was full of adrenaline, ready to finally work a turtle. Then suddenly…she started disguising. Disguising is when the female starts to cover up the egg chamber with sand, so we knew that she was not digging this spot to lay her eggs. We watched her as she threw a little sand in then pushed her turtle butt back into the ocean. I’ll admit I was a little downtrodden. I had been so ready to count those damn eggs!
But tonight, the reason I am staying up to type this out after being out till 2 am, is the night that it happened. We came up to tracks. My leader went to check to see if they actually led to a turtle or just another half moon. It was a Green turtle. I was again given a glove and an egg counter. My leader made a hole for my arm and I stuffed it under there where I could feel the contractions. She laid about 130 eggs. The average for Green sea turtles is about 80-100, but this turtle was definitely above average on her size so it makes sense that she would be above average on her egg laying also. I had no idea that it would be so great. You just feel so close to nature in that moment. I felt like I was making a bond with the turtle, even though I’m sure if she knew I was there she would have just run away or tried to mess me up with one of her flippers. It’s a feeling that I’m not articulate enough to describe in words really. Just one of the best moments I have felt in my life. After she had finished laying her eggs, we gathered the rest of the data we needed. We triangulated the nest so some other researchers could come back the next morning and cover it with mesh to lower predation risk. We acquired the egg depth once she started disguising her nest. We then measured her curved carapace length, and width, tagged her, and did a body check to see if she had any barnacles, fibropapillomavirus, or scars of any sort. After we had gathered all that, we went to the side and waited till she finished disguising her eggs. It took her about 15 min, then we watched as she glided back into the sea. It was “fulfilling” to watch her go back after she had done all that work to further her fitness. She had done an amazing job. I knew right then that this is a moment I will never forget. This is why I came out here. To try and help increase the survival of these beautiful creatures. I feel honored to have been able to be so close to such a gentle giant during such an important moment in her life.
Sorry for getting cheesily sentimental, I just can’t help myself. I am so happy.
Will update in a few days, thank you all for reading.
+ Here are some cool pictures I’ve taken at the station so far! They are not the best but they are something
First of all, I started my night patrols for sea turtle monitoring. This is probably one of the most challenging things the station does. There are usually three groups of three with one leader that are staggered throughout the night, one that is from 8-2am, another from 10-4am, and the last from 11-5am. So I have been training myself this week to try to nap as much as I can during the day so that I will have plenty of energy at night. It makes me sad to have to nap a ton during the day when I could be out exploring and seeing more, but being energized during the patrols is very important.
The first night I went out was Friday, August 21st. The attire that we wear fits the landscape. We dress all in black. I have been trying to wear dry fit clothes as much as possible because no matter how long you hang them up, nothing ever seems dry in this area. So for our shoes, the station said in their volunteer package guide that everyone just wore black crocs and socks. Whenever I first read it I was like “What?!” I had not worn crocs since I was in high school. But lo and behold, they are the best to wear on the beach because they are not so dense that they sink into the sand and you can easily make your way across the beach. Well I probably would not use the word easily. I had been on the beach during the daytime and let me tell you, this is not the clear vacation beautiful sandy beach that you are picturing in your head. The beach is filled with debris, logs everywhere, and seaweed so thick you can bounce on it. So picture that, then picture it being nighttime and having to walk through it without any kind of light. That is what the night patrol is. We try not to use light at all because it could give our location to poachers if they were out scouting that night, and it could frighten a turtle, and we only use red lights because the white lights have been proven to frighten them more.
So my first night went okay. I was exacerbated that the leader of my group could see anything, let alone tracks dug by a turtle on a dark beach full of seaweed. That is the main thing you look for when you’re trying to see if a turtle has come up on the beach. I have been on 4 night patrols so far and it has gotten easier to see the tracks every time. Depending on the sea turtle, they will either make symmetrical, or asymmetrical tracks, and since the turtles are pretty dense, the tracks are cut deep into the ground making them easy to see even if it is at night. That night I finally saw my first sea turtle, it had just come out of the ocean, but went straight back in without nesting. We call those half moons. Sometimes the females will come out of the ocean, look for a place to nest on the beach, decide that this is not the right place, and go back to the ocean to try to find a different spot. So I did not end up working a turtle that night but just seeing one in person was good enough for me. The way the turtle moved down the beach almost seemed machine like. I do not really know how to explain it, but her moves were so mechanical, it was beautiful.
The next few nights I saw a few more half moons, then the third night came. Our leader found a turtle trying to find a place to build a nest. We sit over on the side trying to stay out of the way while she got her groove and started building a body pit. Our leader would check on her every now and then, and when she saw that she was almost done building the egg chamber, she called us over. I was given the duty of counting the eggs that night. The station has the interns count the eggs by making a place for the counters arm and shoving it under her back feet near where the eggs exit her body. So my leader gave me a glove to put on my hand and a counter in my other hand to click while I felt the eggs fall into the body pit. I was full of adrenaline, ready to finally work a turtle. Then suddenly…she started disguising. Disguising is when the female starts to cover up the egg chamber with sand, so we knew that she was not digging this spot to lay her eggs. We watched her as she threw a little sand in then pushed her turtle butt back into the ocean. I’ll admit I was a little downtrodden. I had been so ready to count those damn eggs!
But tonight, the reason I am staying up to type this out after being out till 2 am, is the night that it happened. We came up to tracks. My leader went to check to see if they actually led to a turtle or just another half moon. It was a Green turtle. I was again given a glove and an egg counter. My leader made a hole for my arm and I stuffed it under there where I could feel the contractions. She laid about 130 eggs. The average for Green sea turtles is about 80-100, but this turtle was definitely above average on her size so it makes sense that she would be above average on her egg laying also. I had no idea that it would be so great. You just feel so close to nature in that moment. I felt like I was making a bond with the turtle, even though I’m sure if she knew I was there she would have just run away or tried to mess me up with one of her flippers. It’s a feeling that I’m not articulate enough to describe in words really. Just one of the best moments I have felt in my life. After she had finished laying her eggs, we gathered the rest of the data we needed. We triangulated the nest so some other researchers could come back the next morning and cover it with mesh to lower predation risk. We acquired the egg depth once she started disguising her nest. We then measured her curved carapace length, and width, tagged her, and did a body check to see if she had any barnacles, fibropapillomavirus, or scars of any sort. After we had gathered all that, we went to the side and waited till she finished disguising her eggs. It took her about 15 min, then we watched as she glided back into the sea. It was “fulfilling” to watch her go back after she had done all that work to further her fitness. She had done an amazing job. I knew right then that this is a moment I will never forget. This is why I came out here. To try and help increase the survival of these beautiful creatures. I feel honored to have been able to be so close to such a gentle giant during such an important moment in her life.
Sorry for getting cheesily sentimental, I just can’t help myself. I am so happy.
Will update in a few days, thank you all for reading.
+ Here are some cool pictures I’ve taken at the station so far! They are not the best but they are something