A Turtle Watcher's Diary
2011 Season
June 12, 2011
2011 season underway
Students have been at the Goat Shed in Alagadi since May 21st and so
far the season has been very successful, with many green turtle
nests on Alagadi and three satellite transmitters deployed so far.
They can be
tracked
here.
The team are on the beach all night every night and we're now taking
bookings for night watch
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
We are finally online!
A huge hello there to all our trusty turtle followers!
We apologise for the delay in getting the blog up and running, we
had some technical issues that needed to be sorted out before we
could log on and update you lovely people. The season so far has
been booming with an encouraging sign of clean turtles (no flipper
tags of microchips) coming up so far to lay their clutches. Alagadi
nesting and our west base nesting is looking very encouraging
possibly showing the early signs for another record year! While our
north coast seems to be in a period of calm with few nests, the
totalling to date, reaching 26. Do not fret however this is most
likely to be due to females having their 'break seasons'. We will
just have to wait and see what happens next year!
Our nesting excursions are still in full swing, so for those who
wish to come and join us for one night, can either book via visiting
the Goatshed, or by telephoning us on : 05338798533.
Our first nest of this season is due to hatch within the next couple
of weeks, so keep an eye on the blog for news of our public
excavations and stories of volunteers experiences on the project.
July 9, 2011
Alagadi update
Hey bloggers!
Today we'll be giving you an update on the turtle nesting at
Alagadi. We've just passed the midway point of our nesting season
and we currently have 115 nests. Last season we totalled 123 nests
so it looks like we are on the way to an impressive nesting season.
Of these 115 nests, 86 are from green turtles and 29 from loggerhead
turtles; 23 of these greens and 1 of these loggers are first time
nesters. The volunteers are being kept busy during their nightwork,
as females seem to be synching their laying - we had 8 nesting at
the same time during one night!
Our nightime nesting excursions are still occurring and will
continue to until the end of the nesting season (early August). If
you would like to join us, please drop by the Goatshed or give us a
call on: 05338798533. Please note, we fill up quickly so book your
night as soon as possible!
In the following weeks, volunteers will be writing little profiles
to inform you about the individuals doing the hard work of turtle
conservation and research.
Until next time.
~JB
Sunday, July 17, 2011
Hello Bloggers!
So it’s been another busy week at the project, it seems many of the
females have finally decided to come up to lay one last time and our
sleeping patterns have felt the effects!
The week kicked off with a magnificent Green ‘dawnie’ that only
ascended at 5am and stayed until 7! Brilliant for me as I won a can
of cold drink for correctly guessing her descent time, and everyone
got some great photos. She seemed to pass this message on to fellow
females as we’ve had dawnie’s nearly every morning this week.
Sadly, a message from our volunteers up North relayed that one nest
they’d found had been fully predated by what looked like a fox, the
news of which hit us all hard at Alagadi seeing as a fox has also
been spotted roaming the beaches here. Spirits remain high though
with the anticipation of our first hatchlings as the laying season
draws to a close. The Goat Shed is manic with 25 volunteers making
cages for nests, notices for visitors and beach users, and generally
promoting our work here which has been so well received by our
recent visitors – Thank you!
Thanks goes to the stunning full moon on Thursday night for making
our night work a stealth operation. Everyone was fully trained in
the tuck-and-roll ‘SAS style,’ and following females became a covert
operation. One particular Green that made four separate ascents onto
Iki Beach was renamed ‘Scary Mary’ as it didn’t matter how far away
we were or how little we moved, somehow her sixth sense kicked in
and she failed to lay (despite a multitude of body pits).
Five new volunteers have joined the group at the Goat Shed, with
some being trained next week to head out West to help with day work,
as from the sounds of things they are swamped!
Watch this space as our first hatchlings will be any day now – we
have five nests ring caged on Alagadi and one on Iki that are due to
hatch soon and are being checked every night. Keep an eye out for
our first hatchlings bloggers! We’re sure to put some photos up for
you. Till next week – Rhi.
Monday, July 25, 2011
Public excavation tonight - meet at Goatshed 6PM!
After a slow start, the hatching season seems to have finally kicked
off. One green and one loggerhead nest hatched last night, meaning
we can do our first public excavation of the season tonight.
Meet us at the Goatshed at 6PM to walk down to the nest site on
Alagadi Beach. There we will dig up the remains of one of the nests
that hatched last night and show you what we find inside. This will
mainly be hatched egg fragments but usually also includes live
hatchlings that didn't make it to the surface yet. Excavating the
nests allows us to increase the number of hatchlings that make it to
the sea in an attempt to boost numbers to combat other pressures
such as fishing net entanglement of the adults. It also reduces
predation, as a hatching nest can easily be located by stray dogs
and foxes by the smell emerging from the sand with the first
hatchings to come out.
Any live hatchlings that we do find in the nest will be kept until
after dark for release when predation risk in the sea is lower.
Please make a booking at the goatshed if you would like to see
hatchlings released later in the week. We are currently booked up a
few days in advance for nightwatch as we are still in the overlap
period between laying and hatching. You are welcome to make a
booking to see a hatchling release but we will not know until the
day whether or not we will have any hatchlings to release, so please
call back on the day of your booking to find out.
Thanks and see you later!
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Excavation Tonight & Weekly Update
Hello Bloggers!
I hope you've all had a great week and have been keeping an eye on
all the activity going on here at the Alagadi Turtle Project.
EXCAVATION TONIGHT 6PM:
- Meet at the Turtle Project Base in Alagadi at 6pm
- Please no flash photography as this does tend to show up the dirt
on the volunteers
- The excavation is open to all the public so please feel free to
come along;the more the merrier!
- Please no dogs to be brought to the excavation
- Donations are greatly appreciated! - As the hatchling season gets
into full swing we're all incredibly busy and with your help we can
buy the essential equipment that we need in order to sustain our
work here.
WEEKLY NEWS:
It's been another crazy week with both Alagadi 1 and Alagadi 2
having multiple activites during our night work. We've had 11 nests
hatch as well as many Green females still coming to the beach to
nest. There are obviously still Loggerheads in the area as we've had
several Logger FCU's (False Crawl U-Turns) but we're yet to see one
lay.
Watch this space bloggers, i'm sure the next phase of work is only
just getting started so if you're interested in coming to one of our
excavations or spending an evening/night with us, pop by our office
'The Goatshed' in Alagadi (follow the signs to Turtle Project) or
give us a call on 009 0533 879 8533. 1
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Excavation for the Nation!!!!
Hellllloooooooo trusty turtle bloggers,
Sorry this post is a little late reaching the net, but it’s been
another busy morning none the less down at the Goatshed. As we
prepare to say a very sorry farewell to Niall, an old returnee
volunteer of at least 4-5 years who originally bargained for a two
week stay after Robbo's wedding, turning into a 2 month stay, is
sadly packing for his return home this evening. He has been backbone
to the project and a brilliant mentor to the new volunteers
arriving, and we all feel extremely sad to see this wonderful person
leave.
However through the sadness comes a glimmer of hope, as we have and
excavation on this evening. Last night 3 nests hatched, and the
excavation will be held on our second bay of Alagadi. The nest is a
green nest, being the female's first clutch of the season, although
many hatchlings have already started their great adventure to the
sea, we hope to find a few stragglers left behind.
An invitation goes out to everyone to come down to view the
excavation, we meet at the Goatshed (HQ) for 5:30pm where we will
take you down to the nest from there. May I remind you that no flash
photography can be used during the excavation as not only does it
potentially damage the eye sight of the hatchlings but will also
show up the grubbiness of the volunteers!
If you are unable to make it down to our excavation this evening, do
not fear we have plenty of nests still to hatch. If you would like
to give us a call on the morning that you are hoping to see an
excavation to see whether we have one on, please feel free to on:
05338798533.
August 2, 2011
Another excavation!!
Good morning followers,
We have another excavation on this evening down on our second bay.
As usual the drill is to meet at the goastshed for 5:30pm where we
can take you down to the nest from there.
Tonight the nest that we will be excavating is a loggerhead so we
won’t be losing any volunteers head first into the egg chambers
trying to reach the bottom of the eggs.
Excavations are coming thick and fast at the moment so if you cannot
make it this evening do not fret, we will have plenty more this
week. Last night’s turnout was brilliant, and we hope that tonight
will be just as big, as without your help and support the project
would not be running in top form as it is today. With your generous
donations, we are able to afford all the necessary equipment to keep
the project going. SO any donations that you would wish to give are
greatly appreciated.
As always no flash photography can be used during the excavation,
but you are more than welcome to take as many pictures as you wish.
So that’s 5:30pm down the GS and down to the excavation site from
there.
See you then Collsyxxx
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
Another excavation!!
Good morning followers,
We have another excavation on this evening down on our second bay.
As usual the drill is to meet at the goastshed for 5:30pm where we
can take you down to the nest from there.
Tonight the nest that we will be excavating is a loggerhead so we
won’t be losing any volunteers head first into the egg chambers
trying to reach the bottom of the eggs.
Excavations are coming thick and fast at the moment so if you cannot
make it this evening do not fret, we will have plenty more this
week. Last night’s turnout was brilliant, and we hope that tonight
will be just as big, as without your help and support the project
would not be running in top form as it is today. With your generous
donations, we are able to afford all the necessary equipment to keep
the project going. SO any donations that you would wish to give are
greatly appreciated.
As always no flash photography can be used during the excavation,
but you are more than welcome to take as many pictures as you wish.
So that’s 5:30pm down the GS and down to the excavation site from
there.
See you then Collsy xxx
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Public Excavation today at 5.30 PM!
Hello everyone,
We have another excavation for you at half past five today. Meet at
the Goatshed in Alagadi and our volunteers will take you down to the
nest site on the beach.
Now that laying season is pretty much over, we are not taking any
more advance bookings to see the laying females at night. Each
morning we collect up hatchlings from hatched nests that didn't make
it out in order to boost the numbers that make it into the sea to
combat other pressures on the population such as conflict with
fisheries. We release these hatchlings and any from the public
excavation after dark so they have a higher chance of surviving
predation. If you would like to join us on a hatchling release then
please call the Goatshed on +90 0533 8798533 around 12pm to see if
we have hatchlings that day.
Friday, August 5, 2011
Excavation tonight!
Good morning tursty turtle followers,
This afternoon we have another excavation on Alagadi at the same
time of 5:30pm meet up at the Goatshed before heading down to the
site. The nest that we are excavating this evening is a green nest,
being the females fist clutch of the season. As with every
excavation we ask that no flash photography to be used during the
excavation and any donations that you can give are greatly
appreciated. As without your generous donations we would not be able
to buy all the cage materials that we are getting through this
season!
With this excavation under the belt that make a total of 29
excavations so far this season with well over 170 more to do, making
the total of 191 nests this season!!!Definitely one of our record
years!
I am afraid to say that we do not have any release on tonight, both
the day hatchers on Alagadi and North returned from morning work
with no hatchlings thus making a hatchling release impossible. Also
I would like to remind people that we are no longer taking any
pre-bookings, as we will not know till 12 o'clock whether we have
any hatchlings to release. You know our number by now:05338798533.
We hope that we can have another large turnout this evening and hope
may can attend!
See you there.
Collsyxxx
Sunday, August 7, 2011
Excavation this evening
Gooooood morning turtle followers,
We will be having an excavation on this evening at 5:30pm, meet at
GS, where we will be taking you down to the nest from there. The
nest today is a loggerhead so hopefully an nice easy excavation for
the volunteers later!
Last night it happened, we had an eruption of 7 nests, thus the
meaning for this early blog update, me and my fellow day hatcher
have a very busy morning ahead of us!
Don't forget to call up at 12pm for a chance to book yourselves in
for a release, which I am sure we are going to have plenty of
hatchlings for you this evening.
Hope to see you later,
Collsy xxx
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Excavation this evening
Good morning turtle followers,
It’s another busy morning down the Goatshed, hence the early blog
update, which makes me happy to say that we do have a public
excavation on this evening. Same drill as every other night, we meet
at the Goatshed for 5:30, where we will give you a small talk before
heading off down to the beach to the nest.
The nest this evening is going o be a green nest so there is a
possibility of losing a volunteer down the egg chamber so make sure
you bring your camera! All we ask is that no flash photography is
used during the excavation and any donations are greatly
appreciated. If people who have mobility issues, and cannot walk for
long distance, the nest is on our 3rd bay, so you can drive straight
to the beach bar and when you see a load of red t-shirts making
their way across the beach, follow them to the site.
We hope that many of you can attend.
See you then
Collsy xxx
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Excavation on Iki
Good morning turtle followers,
I am happy to say that we do have an excavation on this evening, and
everyone is welcome to come view it. The nest that we will be
excavating is on our second beach (Iki), so a car is going to be
needed to transport people to the site. As usual we meet at 5:30pm
at the Goatshed and then will take a convoy of cars round from
there.
The nest this evening is a Green nest, and is the second clutch of
her season. May I remind people that no flash photography can be
used during the excavation, and donations are greatly appreciated.
Also if you are interested in coming to one of our releases, then
the hatchling hotline will be open from 12pm. Please do not call
before this time, as we will be unable to pre book anybody in, but
do call before if you are interested in the public excavation.
Hope to see many people there tonight,
Collsy xxx
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Excavation for the nation
Goooooood morning turtle bloggers,
I am happy to say that we do have an excavation on this evening,
which is located on our first beach, 3rd bay (bay on the right hand
side of the beach bar). As usual if people can meet at the GS for
5:30pm, we can take you down to the nest from there. Alternatively
those of you already thinking of heading down to the beach, if you
keep your eyes peeled for red t-shirts followed by a (fingers
crossed) large crowd, you are more than welcome to join them.
Our shop will be open before and after the excavation for and turtle
related souvenirs or alternatively, a bucket for donations will be
passed round during the end of the excavation, and any money would
be greatly appreciate. Without your generous donations the project
would not be running today. This project is a charity based
organisation, and without your generous donations and the fee that
each volunteer pays, we could not be able to run this project, so
please give generously to keep this good work going on the
conservation of these magnificent creatures.
We hope that many of you can attended this evening,
See you there
Collsy xxx
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Excavation this evening
Good morning bloggers,
Sorry it has been a while since our last update, it’s just been one
of those manic weeks, with many hatchlings, excavations and turtle
fun in the sun. I am happy to announce that we do have an excavation
on this evening, and we will be taking people down at the usual time
of 5:30pm at the HQ. Our release is fully booked up for tonight but
please try again tomorrow for your chance to book yourself a space.
May I just remind people that no flash photography can be used
during the excavation as the intensity of the light can damage the
sight of the newly hatched hatchlings. Also that although we do not
charge for these life time experiences, we do ask if you could be so
kind enough to leave a donation, as we get no external funding, and
we are a charity based organisation. Without your generous
donations, our project would not be able to continue to run every
year. So thank you so far for all you donations, but please continue
to give to allow us to give you these magnificent opportunities to
see this stunning creatures still within their natural environment.
Our information centre is open every day from 9am so please feel
free to come down and visit us and find out some more interesting
turtle information.
We hope to see you there
Collsy xxx
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Gooooood morning everyone,
You'll be pleased to know that last night was yet another successful
night on Alagadi so we will be holding a public excavation at the
usual time of 5.30, meet at Goatshed. We may also be holding a
public release so please do call us just after 12 if you want to get
on.
May I just remind people that no flash photography can be used
during the excavation as the intensity of the light can damage the
sight of the newly hatched hatchlings. Also that although we do not
charge for these life time experiences, we do ask if you could be so
kind enough to leave a donation, as we get no external funding, and
we are a charity based organisation. Without your generous
donations, our project would not be able to continue to run every
year. So thank you so far for all you donations, but please continue
to give to allow us to give you these magnificent opportunities to
see this stunning creatures still within their natural environment.
Our information centre is open every day from 9am so please feel
free to come down and visit us and find out some more interesting
turtle information.
AAmy x
Saturday, August 27, 2011
Sorry for yesterday, no excavation or release today!
Dear followers,
We'd like to apologise for the excavation yesterday as it didn't go
according to plan. We had a large group from Turkcell, who kindly
donate money towards our petrol bill each year, who came to the
excavation. They arrived after the information speech was given by
our volunteers, so were given another talk in English and Turkish by
Project Leader Robin and Turkish speaking volunteer Errol. By this
time, however, the original group had been waiting for some time in
the heat on the beach for the second group to arrive. We are sorry
to those of you who did not have an enjoyable excavation experience
because of this.
We have another large group coming today, this time from the US
Emabassy, and we've decided to make this a private event to avoid a
repeat of yesterday with mis-timings. It is very unusual for us to
take group bookings and we have only made these two special
exceptions so far this season. Therefore there is no public
excavation or hatchling release on tonight, but hopefully we'll be
back on again as usual tomorrow.
Thanks and see you soon
Kim
MTCP Project Leader
Sunday, August 28, 2011
Excavation and Release Today!!
Good Morning Blog Followers,
Normal service resumes today and there will be a public excavation
and a release. For a place on the release please call the goatshed
number from 12pm, places are limited and it will fill up very
quickly so for those who miss out today please keep checking the
blog and try again.
The excavation however is open to all, it is on bay 3 today very
close to the beach bar. You can either drive to the beach bar and
watch out for the volunteers in red t-shirts or meet us at the
goatshed at 5.20pm.
We hope to see you all today and we are sure you will all have a
shell of a time here at the Marine Turtle Project in Alagadi!!!
September 1, 2011
Excavation for the nation!
Good afternoon turtle bloggers,
I am sorry that it has been a few days since our last update, a few
slow internet mornings means that it has been hard to connect to you
lovely people. I am happy to say that this afternoon that we are
having a public excavation on at the usual time of 5:30pm meet at
GS.
We are fully booked for our hatchling release tonight, but don't
worry there is still plenty of opportunities to book on. Just a
little reminder that we can not take any pre-bookings or bookings
before 12pm. We also would like to remind people that we are only
taking 15 booking spaces in person, and the other 10 spaces will be
allocated to those that call the hatchling hotline.
We are well into the hatching season now, but still have plenty of
excavations in the remaining month.
Its been a sad day for us at GS today with a farewell to both Nat
and Kirsty, star volunteers who will be sourly missed by everyone on
the project. Whose going to make my cups of tea now, and promise to
do some sand samples hay?!? - sad times! I would like to thank them
for their brilliant efforts this season, and they presence will be
greatly missed. Safe journey home girls!
Hope to see you round GS!
Collsyxxx
Friday, September 2, 2011
Excavations on this evening
Good morning turtle followers,
Today we are having two excavations both at the same time but one
will be held in Turkish, while the other in English. This is to
encourage the locals to come to this special event, and see a vital
part of the islands heritage. Both will still the usual time of
5:30pm meet at thee Goatshed, where we will split everyone up into
the correct excavation groups.
I am afraid that we do not have a public release on this evening, as
we have had no excavations on this mornings work, so we have no
hatchlings in order to release. But please don't worry we will still
have plenty within the remaining few weeks of the project- we will
still be here for another 4 weeks.
We hope to see a big turn out tonight!
See you there,
Collsy xxx
Sunday, September 4, 2011
Public excavation and mini-release tonight
Dear turtle followers,
We have a public excavation on tonight at 5.30, meet at Goatshed, or
if you prefer to meet us on the beach it will be on Alagadi 2, the
far beach over the headland from the Beach Bar.
We only have a few hatchlings so far today so will take provisional
bookings in case more come out of the public excavation.
Thanks and see you later
Monday, September 5, 2011
Hey bloggers.
I apologise for the lateness of today's update but our computers are
acting a bit slow nowadays. We're in the last part of this year's
turtle season, with only around 50 nests left to hatch on Alagadi
Beach. Our west base, in Akdeniz, is in a similar situation with
around 60 nests left to hatch.
I'm happy to say that today we do have a public excavation! 2 nests
hatched last night and today's excavation location is on Bay 3 of
Alagadi. Either meet us at the Goatshed at 5.30 or wait at Alagadi
Beach Bar and look out for volunteers in red t-shirts.
We are taking bookings for a hatchling release but today's may
possibly be cancelled due to lack of hatchlings to release. We will
know for certain after our excavation today.
If you'd like more information about today's events of the project
please drop by the Goatshed or give us a call on 00905338798533 -
we'd be happy to answer your questions.
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
A rare treat: Loggerhead excavation
Hello bloggers.
I am happy once again to inform you that we do have a public
excavation and hatchling release today. Daywork blessed us with many
hatchlings, so those lucky people who get onto the release are in
for a treat.
Today's public excavation is a loggerhead nest; a rare sight this
season due to small numbers of nesting loggerhead females. The
excavation will be located on Alagadi 1, Bay 2. A short walk from
the Goatshed or for those who want to meet us on the beach, it is to
the left of the Beach Bar.
Meet us at the Goatshed at 5.30 as per usual or look for volunteers
in red t-shirts on the beach. Come with lots of questions and
hopefully you'll get to see small little loggerhead hatchlings.
'til tomorrow!
Thursday, September 8, 2011
No Excavation on this evening!
Good morning turtle followers,
I am afraid to say that we do not have any public activities
happening this evening. Last night was a very quiet night for our
night workers, but a nice easy morning for our day hatchers, with
not a single nest hatching.
Today we lose another key member of our team, Hannah, so I would
like to take this opportunity to thank her for all her hard work,you
are absolutely fabulous darling!I am sure that I can say on behalf
of everyone that you will be greatly missed. We hope that you have a
safe journey home and don't forget us!!! Miss you already!..Hello
would you like some Hellim?!
Anyhow... we hope that we will be back to normal tomorrow night, but
keep an eye on the blog for more details.
Until then trusty followers,
Collsyxxx
Friday, September 9, 2011
Back to normal!
Good morning trusty followers!
I am happy to say that we will be having and excavation on this
evening. As to yet we are unsure whether there is going to be a
hatchling release, as our morning workers are still working hard on
the beaches. So give us a call at 12 noon where we will know whether
or not we have any hatchlings for you this evening.
We have sadley noticed that a lot of the visitors visiting the
project are starting to go home with the beginning of schools and
back into the real world, so the Hatchling Hotline on: 05338798533
is generally quieter. This means for all you lovely people still
with us who wish to book on for our releases can call the hotline
with relative ease. We will be continuing our work up until the end
of September, which is scarily come round the corner, so don't miss
out on the opportunity to see some live hatchling excavations and
releases for this year.
We hope to see meany of you tonight at our excavation, you know the
time and place by now (Goatshed for 5:20pm)from which we will take
you down to the nest from there. Please feel free to give us a call
at 12 noon to see whether you can book on for the release.
See you'll soon
Collsy xxx
Saturday, September 10, 2011
An excavation for the nation!
Good morning one and all,
It's another beautiful sparkling day here at Alagadi, and to make
the day seem even brighter, I am glad to say that we do have a
public excavation on this evening. In a slight change to the usual
settings for our excavations, today the nest is situated on the
beach just over the headland past the beach bar (for those of you
that know, Iki). Therefore to make things easier, we will be doing a
convoy round to the beach, and we would greatly appreciate it if
those with vehicles could offer potential visitors that do not have,
a lift to the sight.
As only the one nest hatched last night, we have currently no
hatchlings. Therefore we will still be provisionally booking people
on for a release, but they will need to maybe give us a call after
the excavation this evening to check that we got any hatchlings, or
if they turn up be prepared to be set away. In the event of some
hatchlings being collected but maybe not enough for everyone to
hold, each group will be issued with a hatchling, and children will
get priority over holding them.
So summary, there is an excavation on at the usual time of 5:30pm,
where we will convoy everyone round, and we will be booking on for a
release but you will need to check with us before making your way to
us this evening. The number to call is: 05338798533
See you all soon,
Collsyxxx
Sunday, September 11, 2011
Don't miss out!
Good morning turtle followers,
Another day means that we do have another excavation on this
evening, at the usual time (yes you guessed it) of 5:30pm meet at
the GS where we will all go down to the nest from there. For those
of you that either know the beach, or who will already be down on
the beach, we will be excavating a nest that is on the furthest bay
from the beach bar (bay 3). If you are confident as to where this
site is, you are more than welcome to meet us down on the beach.
Although we still have around 30 nests left for excavation, they are
starting to slow down hatching, so don't miss out and come down to
grab a chance of seeing these magnificent creatures before its to
late.
We only had the one nest hatch last night, so as yet we do not have
any hatchlings for the release. However, same plan as yesterday, if
you book in for a space and then check with us around 6:30ish we
will be able to tell you whether or not we are having a release.
Alternatively you can meet us down at the GS for 8:30, but be
prepared to be turned away if there are no hatchlings.
Hope to see you there,
Collsyxxx
Monday, September 12, 2011
Excavation this evening!!
Afternoon all!
Sorry for the delay in the update of the blog, internet connection
issues meant a delay in the update this morning. I am happy to say
though that we have got an excavation on this evening at the usual
time of 5:30pm meet at the GS, where we will take you down from
there. Also as a total of 3 nests hatched last night, and morning
walkers excavated two this morning, we know that we will be having a
release on. As yet we are still not full booked, so if you would
like to book on for one of our releases, please call us on
05338798533, or alternatively book at the GS if you make it to our
excavation. I will be advertising the remaining places if we still
have some during the excavation, so please don't wait until it is
too late.
We only have a remaining 26 nests still to hatch for this year, so
please don't miss out on coming down and seeing the hatchlings being
excavated from the nests and the opportunity to hold and release
them during the night. Also our base is still open for any
information you may need, so please feel free to come for a chat and
a browse at the merchandise we sell.
Hope to see some of you lovely people tonight,
Collsy xxx
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
To all the turtle huggers out there!
Good morning fellow turtle lovers.
Exciting news today down in Alagadi. We are not only having an
excavation at 17.30 but it is a special tie dye excavation. Tie dye
is not compulsory but rather than our usual red uniforms please look
out for us wearing some lovely tops that throw the senses back to
the 60s. As for the excavation itself it will be taking place on
Alagadi 2; we will be running a convoy there at just after 17.30.
For any more information please call our hatchling hotline on
05338798533. To book on to our release at 20.30 you need to ring
12.00 midday onwards. We can book up quickly so don't hang about!
Look forward to seeing you all later!
Samuel x
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Excavation for the Cyprus nation.
Hello bloggers!
Only one of our nests hatched last night so that's what we will be
excavating today at 5.30! It's locate on Bay 3 of Alagadi 1, just to
the right of Turtle Paradise, Alagadi's delightful beach bar.
Turtle season is quickly drawing to an end. Out of our 202 nests on
Alagadi, we only have 17 left to hatch and excavate. If you're
contemplating coming to an excavation come sooner rather than later
before we run out of nests.
We are taking provisional bookings for tonight's hatchling release
as we have none to release at present. Call 05338798533 to book your
place but please be aware you'll have to call again at 7pm to
confirm that we have collected hatchlings from the public
excavation.
Within the last few weeks of this season, we shall posts about the
activity and events that have passed. including number of nests,
activity on the North and West coasts as well as insights into
additional work that the volunteers of Turtle Project get up to.
'til tomorrow!
Thursday, September 15, 2011
The season is winding down but excavations are still
happening!
Hello bloggers.
Just a quick post today. We've got a public excavation today,
located on Bay 2 of Alagadi 1. We had 3 nests hatch last night and
today we will be excavating a Loggerhead nest for you. We'll be
leaving the Goatshed at 5.30 and starting the excavation around
6.00.
We currently only have 7 hatchlings to release; we are taking
bookings as well as provisional bookings, with the hope that we will
rescue more hatchlings from the public excavation.
Hope to see there!
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Final countdown!
Hello!
We are down to our last 6 nests on Alagadi; one on Alagadi 1 and 5
on Alagadi 2. Today's public excavation is located on Alagadi 1,
just to the left of the Beach bar. It's one of our final logger
nests and perhaps the last of our public events,as unfortunately it
seems the rest of our nests are on the way to failing.
Meet at the Goatshed at 5.30 to walk down, or wait on the boardwalk
of the Beach bar and a volunteer will collect you. We will also be
taking provisional bookings for the hatchling release tonight as we
have only had 10 hatchlings emerge from this particular nest. Call
us on 05338798533 to book a place.
The volunteers will also be doing another beach clean today and
later on today, we will be posting about the litter and consequences
of it on the beach environment, volunteers and turtles.
Bye!
Thursday, September 22, 2011
No Alagadi hatchlings.
Once again, we have had no nests hatch during the night. This means
no public excavation or hatchling release tonight. This inactivity
suggests that the remaining nests we have left are unfortunately on
their way to failing, which is usually the case with a females last
clutch.
Instead, the volunteers will be working hard to remove the cages
from the beach. We are starting with Bay 3 of Alagadi 1 today and
will have all the cages removed by the end of the season. Alagadi
will most definitely look different without 202 white dome cages
scattered across it.
Hope you've enjoyed this season as much as the project has. We will
hopefully post some season summaries of Alagadi, North and West
beaches so that you know what's happened.
Libby's Summary
Ants plague any fool who leaves their Maryland cookies in a
non-airtight container. Swallows fly in and out of the sleepy house
emitting piercing cries into your sleep deprived brain. Nightly you
are peppered with the various stabby appendages of the native dune
flora, accosted by the local strays, and mildly frozen on the
exposed point of land known as midpoint on Alagadi beach. Why then
would I, a volunteer for the Northern Cyprus Marine Turtle
Conservation Project, return to these seemingly hellish conditions
for two years in a row? Quite simply, it is because it has been one
of the best experiences of my life. There is nothing more majestic
than seeing a female turtle haul herself out of the sea, the moon
glancing off her shell. There is a flicker of happiness for each
hatchling you see reaching the relative safety of the same sea a few
weeks later. The landscapes of this country are spectacular, the
stars startlingly clear and the people some of the most kind
hearted, genuine, tirelessly enthusiastic and hard working people I
have ever met. Coming here makes you fully appreciate the positive
impact that a few individuals can make. It is unbearably cheesy to
state that this project has changed my outlook on the world.
However, undoubtedly it is true.