Morning Beach Survey July 20th

We arrived at Avithos Beach at 6:30 and met up with Maud and Ruby, who were just beginning the survey.  While taking the GPS coordinates we saw a local fisherman just sitting on the beach.  That's when we noticed buoys floating in the water close to shore which meant a cast net was in the water.  We took pictures and recorded this in the morning report.

Walking to Megali Petra at the start of the patrol.

As we walked back along Avithos beach we had to knock down lots of sand castles and fill in holes left by tourists.  Hatchlings can be blocked from the water by sand castles, are fall into a hole on their way to the beach and therefore never make it.

Filling in a hole on Avithos 

In Florida, the nest discovery date and number were labeled on the stakes, but here this important information is written in black marker on smooth rocks found on the beach, and then they are buried on the turtle left and turtle right of the nest.  It took about one and a half hours to complete the survey, but little did I know this was just the beginning of my turtle filled morning.

Maud and I checking a nest