You know the turtle season has started when.....

.....  your phone rings at all kinds of odd times of day. 

Yesterday early in the morning Nicky Salvini phoned me to say that her sister, Patrizia was on the beach of Costa Fragata and thought she had found something that looked like a turtle track.  Rushing over there I met Pat on her way back.  From what she described (scoops in out of the sand going round in circles and back down to the water) it could only be one thing.  Our first track of the season! 

Up track

This is the earliest track we have recorded on Sal and fooled almost everyone who entered our sweepstake competition.  Everyone that is, except Betania, the first Ranger to arrive, who correctly guessed that the first turtle would show up on the same day as she did!  Instead of having the honour of the first nest in the hatchery, Betania has chosen a head-torch as her prize since she forgot to bring her own (whoops!)

There was no nest, the turtle only had a bit of a wander around, but we anticipate finding either another track or a nest this morning in the same area.

The dogs help to identify the down track