Finally I find some time to proclaim the official
start of our nesting season, and I hope that you are already anxiously awaiting the news-feeds from the field.
We have also got some new features this season on the page. You can sign-up as follower as well as comment on the posts.
We have also got some new features this season on the page. You can sign-up as follower as well as comment on the posts.
The field team arrived in Ostional on the 15th
of October, and threw themselves right into the work. Even though no
Leatherback females had nested so far equipment needed to be organised and
cleaned, and new staff members needed to be trained.
Luckily our fortress to defend the area for our
hatchery against nesting Ridley’s was intact, and we were able to hope that
this year the sand would be free of Ridley nests.
A nice treat was that we've got greeted by an arribada, so that we got right into the
Ostional mode. It was raining hard these days though, and while we were doing
our first surveys, no living soul seemed to be on the beach only vultures and
dogs that claimed it fiercely as their territory. The rain and the rivers also exposed hundreds
of nests, and the arribada left its
exhausted victims behind, which altogether meant a feast for the vultures.
And while breathing in the odour of rotten eggs,
sea salt, and decaying flesh one thought: “yes we are back in Ostional!” ;-)
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| Playa Ostional in the morning hours. |
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| Exposed Ridley nest, and happily feasting vultures. |
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| An arribada victim. |
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| Our fenced hatchery area. |
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