Tortugas y VacaZIHonistas

We walk Playa la Ropa very early each morning. So far this season, the number of haul outs, counted by the sets of tracks, is very low. In the past, during September, we have had many mornings with over 50 sets of tracks. So far this season our highest count is 6. We don't have any new lights.

What is the difference? The temps have been a bit lower, the rainfall lower, and maybe it's just Mother Nature doing her thing!

Hopefully the count will pick up dramatically. It's not just on Playa Principal.

They return to where they were born, and if they can't desovar they lose their eggs in the water. The tracks tell a story. When they rise straight up from the sea to a level well above the waterline and return directly, that's a healthy normal experience. But when they wander erratically and run parallel to the water's edge it's a sign of problems, and most of the tracks on Playa Principal have been erratic, though I haven't noticed the presence of dogs that spend the night on the beach nor their tracks that appear to suggest they harass the turtles. I did see the Bomberos checking last night for turtle nests but I don't know if they recovered any eggs and I don't know where they would take them if not to the incubation area by the Sector Naval where eggs from Playa Principal should be deposited.