Turtle Nesting

I know you can't see them but several turtles were swimming here today.

It is nesting season when female turtles return to the same beach on which they were hatched to lay their eggs. They come up at night, dig a hole, lay up to 150 eggs then bury them. Eggs hatch in September/October but some get picked off by birds as they make their way down to the sea, others are eaten by predators in the sea. Only a small percentage make it to adulthood. Happily numbers are growing again due to the conservation measures in place.

Heard a very sad story on a walking tour we did last night about a very large 30 year old turtle that came up the beach nearby just 2weeks ago to lay her eggs but got distracted by the bright lights of the Hilton Hotel and wandered on past the beach into a dark lane. A speeding 4 x 4 struck the turtle, her shell split in two and she died. One sac of eggs remained intact and were taken away for incubation. So very sad. Tragic.