Pre-surveys Ready for Gnaraloo Turtle Season 2016/17

Believe it or not tomorrow is the start of our real scientific surveys along the beaches of Gnaraloo Bay. And we couldn’t be more than ready! Today we had a pre-survey day to mark off any old turtle tracks. This, however, meant we had to wake up and be ready to leave at 5am! This will be our normal start for the next 4-5 months.

At 5am, after a quick (needed) coffee, we were out, heading to our survey spots on the beach. In two teams of three we started at each ends of the beach, to then meet halfway. As the sun was rising we walked our kilometres and HELLOOO! What did we see!? A green turtle and a loggerhead track, plus their nests!! This is a sign that the nesting season 2016/17 has begun! What is also good news is that we encountered the green turtle. Gnaraloo has not had a green turtle sighting for the past 3 years. Which also proves the theory that females come back to the same beach every 3-4 years. Our green turtle female has returned!

As my group (Imogen Webster, Jess Gaudry and Sophia Dahl) was waiting for the other team to meet us at the halfway point, we had a giggle making shadow silhouettes. From Turtles angels to lock-ness monster. When the others arrived we tested our new homemade quadrat for our nesting surveys and our new investigations with excavations. We shall be updating you all with an explanation with our excavation procedures. Now happy Halloween to everyone! Hope your weekend was scarily amazing and today will be even more thrilling!

Sophia Dahl