January 8, 2013

What a day yesterday was! At 3:00 p.m. we met in groups to conduct the “beach work” that needs to be done on the existing nests. I went with the group that measures temperatures of the nests. The scientists are able to record the temperatures of the nests because they insert a temperature-detecting wire device when the turtle lays her eggs. After the turtle finishes nesting and covers up her eggs with sand, the biologist then records the location in a log book and places several sticks in the sand in order to know that a nest is at the particular location. 

The scientists keep records of the temperatures in a log book. From this information, they can tell several important items, including: when the eggs will approximately hatch, if the eggs have been overtaken by bacteria and will not hatch, and whether the hatchlings will be females or males. Yes, whether a turtle will be a female or a male depends on the temperature of the eggs during a certain point during development. Students, can you guess if the warmer eggs will be either females or males?

 

After we finished the temperature recordings at 5:30 p.m., I witnessed one of the most beautiful sunsets I’ve ever seen.  I told the biologists that they work in one of the coolest “offices” possible.

 

After dinner, we again separated into groups of three for our nightly turtle walk. We left a bit later this night; I learned that the precise time of nightly walks are dependent upon when high tide is. The turtles like to come out of the water around high tide. This makes sense. The last time the leatherback sea turtles were on land were when they were hatchlings; now weighing more than a ton when they come to nest, it cannot be easy to flip their way out of the water to nest. They have to get to dry sand to dig a nest, and they have a shorter distance when it is high tide.

No leatherbacks came to the beach last night. My team, however, did see 2 olive ridley turtles! Students, do you know of other types of sea turtles there are?

Olive ridleys are not nearly as large as leatherbacks. Nonetheless they were magnificent to watch. These particular beauties were about three feet long and weighed about 150 pounds. Once these turtles found their way to the dry sand, they dug sand with their flippers to form a nest and laid about 100 eggs. We helped count these eggs and marked them for later observation. The biologists also placed a temperature wire during the nesting process so that they could monitor the nests during incubation. After thirty minutes, each of these olive ridley turtles scampered back to the sea, not to return to the beach until next year.

Unfortunately, we are not allowed to take pictures during the night walks, due to the disturbance the flashes cause to the turtles. We returned to the Marine Biology Field Station at 2:00 a.m., exhausted. My feet ached from the constant patrolling. Blisters sprouted from the six-mile treck tonight. Nevertheless, I went to bed peacefully.

January 7, 2013

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Yesterday late afternoon, I met the Earthwatch team. There are approximately 8 biologists and 7 volunteers, including myself. The Field Coordinator gave us a tour of the facilities and explained what our role as a volunteer would be. We soon found out that we would be leaving for our first turtle night watch in just a few hours! Leatherbacks are still nesting this time of year, and they only come to the beach at night the lay eggs.

The night patrols are an essential component of the scientists’ research. The scientists monitor how many turtles come to Playa Grande to nest each night and how many eggs are laid, among other things. The scientists tag each turtle that comes to the beach, so they can monitor her behavior and keep track of her nesting abilities (don’t worry; this tagging process doesn’t hurt them). A mature female leatherback can lay 60-70 eggs in one clutch. I also learned that the same turtle comes back to nest again in approximately 10 days. And she does this about 8 times a season! The scientists actually have a “turtle calendar” and can predict approximately when each turtle will come to nest.

At 7:00 p.m., we split into groups, each with a biologist and two volunteers. Each group patrolled a different section of the beach. We were looking for leatherback tracks. How incredibly dark it was! Playa Grande is a national park, so no tourists are allowed on the beach at night. Also, building is restricted. The few buildings that dot the beach are also supposed to use red lights on their porches, instead of the usual bright lights. Students, do you know why?

Walking in the sand at night proved to be much more of a challenge than I realized! My eyes finally adjusted to the dark before I tripped over any rocks. We walked our section carefully, scouring the sand for tracks, but no luck. We walked for twenty minutes, and then rested for twenty minutes. We continued this cycle to ensure no leatherback would go unnoticed.  It was fascinating to chat with the biologist as we searched for the giants.

At 12:30 a.m. our shift ended. Although I was not witness to any leatherback nesting this night, the other two groups each saw one. Hopefully, I will be lucky to cross tracks with a leatherback tonight!

January 6, 2013

January 6, 2013
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I’ve arrived in in Costa Rica! What a beautiful country! Palm trees sway in the gentle breeze, and the sun shines gloriously. The ocean glistens, and the slow-rolling barrels of the waves beckon the surfers. Locals greet me pleasantly with a "Buenas Dias."  I respond in the same friendly manner, but immediately I wish I had visited Senor Mauser and Senora Cambara’s Spanish classes more frequently before I left!

I’m waiting in Tamarindo in the Guanacaste Province in the northwestern portion of the country. This sleepy town is 15 minutes from Playa Grande, my ultimate destination.  Playa Grande is one of the most important remaining nesting beaches in the world for leatherback sea turtles. Here, scientists conduct studies on the behavior, physiology, genetics, and migration patterns of these endangered giants. My rendezvous with my Earthwatch team occurs this afternoon at the Goldring Marine Biology Field Station in Playa Grande. I’m very anxious to learn what the scientists do on a daily (and nightly) basis and what they have learned.