Well, it HAS been a while and I promised to write more about the turtle work, and why I feel it is important to do, then, guess what, we hit that point in every season when the workload starts to escalate exponentially, usually around the end of July and beginning of August. That is because the first of the nests start to hatch (end of July) and the last of the adult females are still coming to nest (until just past the middle of August - last nest in the Messara this year was laid on 19th August).
Each nest that is laid requires regular checks on its progress and, once it hatches, on the emergence of the hatchlings. After a short while the nest is then excavated to see how many eggs it contained and, occasionally, to free any remaining hatchlings. Where nests are laid in places that are affected by light pollution they also have to be "shaded", which means building a narrow alleyway to the sea so that hatchlings emerging at night on not attracted by the lights, which are usually at the back of the beach and hence in the opposite direction to the one they should be going.
I think I was a little ambitious to propose more philosophical posts at this time of year with so much beach work coming up and, on reflection, I think I will return to the theme of why I am doing this work once the season is over. Then we will be heading into the autumn and winter, which is a natural time for taking stock and reflecting on the year's events. However, in the meantime, I would like to provide a link to a talk by Charles Eisenstein which he gave earlier this year in London, as I think he speaks to the deeper and more profound reasons why more and more people are being moved to take part in healing the planet (and each other). I don't think I could put it in any better way.
a talk given by Charles Eisenstein
Each nest that is laid requires regular checks on its progress and, once it hatches, on the emergence of the hatchlings. After a short while the nest is then excavated to see how many eggs it contained and, occasionally, to free any remaining hatchlings. Where nests are laid in places that are affected by light pollution they also have to be "shaded", which means building a narrow alleyway to the sea so that hatchlings emerging at night on not attracted by the lights, which are usually at the back of the beach and hence in the opposite direction to the one they should be going.
I think I was a little ambitious to propose more philosophical posts at this time of year with so much beach work coming up and, on reflection, I think I will return to the theme of why I am doing this work once the season is over. Then we will be heading into the autumn and winter, which is a natural time for taking stock and reflecting on the year's events. However, in the meantime, I would like to provide a link to a talk by Charles Eisenstein which he gave earlier this year in London, as I think he speaks to the deeper and more profound reasons why more and more people are being moved to take part in healing the planet (and each other). I don't think I could put it in any better way.
a talk given by Charles Eisenstein
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