Amazing bird sightings on Sal!

Alexander's Kestrel

On a slight tangent, we had a pool of water near the hatchery for some weeks after the rain.  A guest from the UK, Steve Payne who had his telescope with us was kind enough to share his bird sightings.

For 14 days between 14 - 28 September this is what Steve recorded:

At the temporary pools at the rear of RIU hotel
Black Winged Stilt
Turnstone
Sanderling
Kentish Plover

Greenshank

Ringed Plover
Grey Plover
Greenshank
Whimbrel
Little Egret
Alexander's Kestrel
Osprey
Grey Heron
Purple Heron
Yellow Wagtail
Turtle Dove

At other locations

Kentish Plover

Wheatear
Greater Hoopoe Lark
Bar Tailed Desert Lark
Hoopoe
Iago Sparrow
House Sparrow
Swallow


Who knew?!!!


No all we need is a bit more rain each day and to persuade the RIU not to fill up the pool with diesel after they have finished pumping all the water out of the hotel!!

Thanks for sharing the information Steve.

Miracle Turtles Born

One day around four weeks ago some guests at the RIU hotel were walking on the beach and found one or two turtle eggs.  Looking around they realised that due to an exceptionally large swell there was an entire nest about to be swept into the sea.  Rushing up to the hotel they were given a black plastic bin bag and they quickly put the eggs inside and handed them to the receptionist.  Unfortunately that's where they stayed all day!

Around 4pm the brother of a driver that we work with somehow obtained this unlikely package and around 5pm he brought them down to us at the hatchery.

Looking inside Neal didn't hold out much hope for them.

Several weeks in the sand, washed over by waves, inexpertly bundled into a black plastic bin bag, sitting on the floor in an air-conditioned room all day.... could any hatchlings really be born after this?

Well, we'll try anything!  So the team put them into the hatchery and we all stopped worrying about them.

12 nights later and none of us can believe it - a solitary hatchling was born.  We waited impatiently another day, nobody daring to hope more would be born - but we were wrong!  The following night another 24 were born!

We estimate that this nest of 59 eggs was laid by the turtle on the 13 August and spent 40 days on the beach before being relocated.
 
Later that night on 5 October 2010, 25 miracle baby turtles were released into the sea in front of a cheering group of guests and Rangers.

The killing fields of Mont Leão

SN = Serra Negra, AL=Algodoeiro, CF=Costa Fragata, ML = Mont Leão

As the nesting season draws to a close, we have time to reflect on both successes and things that did not go so well.  One of the disappointments in 2009 was the number of turtles killed at Serra Negra and one of the main objectives for 2010 was to make sure that this critical beach was well protected.  Happily, despite severe transport issues, (a Landrover that rarely runs, a three year old quad bike and our back up quad bike stolen by joyriders and destroyed), we managed to cover this beach throughout the night and the number of turtles killed was dramatically reduced.

One of the season's last nesting turtles brutally killed on Mont Leão

The story was not so happy on Mont Leão however, an area we used to patrol regularly with the help of the Camâra Municipal who provided a driver.  This year a driver was not available but they did provide some cover with the military.  The number of turtles killed on Mont Leão this year are shocking and are probably not the whole picture - some would have been taken away by pick up and we have found many shells buried.  One of the problems is the lack of suitable habitat since the ground has become rock hard with so many cars driving there, this means the turtles spend a long time ashore looking for a place to lay - giving hunters plenty of time to find them.

Another worry is that more and more turtles are being driven to this beach as the areas further south on Algodoeiro become less and less available because of construction and lighting.  It has been proven that turtles will choose less suitable habitat if their usual beaches are not available.  So while it seems that there are still enough beaches on Sal for turtles, the beach with the best conditions has always been the southwest and the beaches they are now forced to choose are much more hazardous and may not have a very good hatching success rate.

Eggs that were still inside the turtle are taken from the oviduct

Blood drained from the body to be drunk later

In a somewhat random event,  two of our Rangers were unfortunate enough to witness the death, at Mont Leão, of one of the very last turtles of the 2010 season.  The yellow undeveloped eggs, which are the eggs preferred by people on Sal, were being collected and the blood was being decanted into a bottle.  The blood, we are told, is added to wine as an aphrodisiac.

Mont Leão will be a priority for 2011 if we can work out a way to have more reliable transport and how to support more volunteers and soldiers at this beach.

Fishing net nearly kills hatchlings

Here's a perfect example of why we try our hardest to get all the fishing net off the beach.  Not only is it a terrible eyesore, but it traps hatchlings in the nest and when they try to get to the sea.  Peter & Linda found this nest the day after it had hatched and these lucky babies were saved after much patient untangling.

From Libby (aged 6)

Hi Neal

I am really happy about the number of turtles that hatched, the success rate of 94% is brilliant. Thank you very much for sending me the photos that you took of the baby turtles, I especially liked the one of the turtles heading towards the sea. I am going to print them and take them in to school to show my friends.

Me and my Mam and Dad think that you and your team are doing a great job in helping the baby turtles.

Thank you

Libby  (aged 6)

Friends of Calhau & FC Panthers start a protection campaign

News reaches us that Friends of Calhau, a small settlement on the east coast of São Vicente is starting a campaign to protect nesting turtles.


From September 1, 2010, the two associations will have a camp in Praia Grande with the aim of not only monitoring the species and protecting their nests, but also to raise awareness of the importance of preserving this species.

It is estimated that nowadays only 1% of Cape Verde's turtles are found nesting on São Vicente, a figure much lower than in previous years, highlighting the urgent need for more protection.


This activity is funded by the GEF (Global Environment Facility).

SOS congratulates our colleagues on this action and wish them every success! 
Amigos do Calhau

Hatchling season well under way

Hattie releases 43 newly born turtles

Yesterday was a great day if you like baby turtles!  During an afternoon patrol on the beach we found two hatched nests.  One still had 43 turtles inside, all of them trapped by a big rock in the middle of the nest. 

The second one had also hatched the previous night and a surfer called Clovis had found 12 babies at the back of the beach, all were dead from dehydration and exhaustion.  Tracing their tracks back, he had opened the nest and found another 35 inside and he immediately put them in the sea.  There were 25 unaccounted for and it was clear that none of them had gone the right way, but instead had followed the bright lights of Santa Maria and in particular the new residential zone of Antonio de Sousa. 

A hatch nest with tracks to the sea

Meanwhile at the main hatchery, a nest exploded with 50 babies during evening while there were still plenty of people around to watch.

At this time of year we have afternoon patrols to mark and find nests - you can clearly see when a nest has hatched as there will be a mass of little tracks - hopefully going towards the sea.  Anyone can join on these patrols, just send an email on info@turtlesos.org if you would like to help.