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Published: December 1st 2017
Buenas dias chicos
Pura vida!
I am sat in my room in the Best Western Hotel in Liberia, eating nachos with cream cheese and carton of wine, finishing this blog as I have completed my first volunteer project, with the Leatherback Trust.
Just enjoyed a steak dinner and beers with some of the gang.
Thought this was going to be a boring blog BUT lots of cool things happened so bit longer than usual.
Before my normal boring updates I need to share
one two three amazing experiences I have had these last 2 weeks!
First amazing event,
I was on a night patrol with Adam and Alex, It was a moonless dark night and we had walked the beach twice, on our second break at the northern end of the beach we were chatting when mid conversation I felt something climbing up my legs and pulling me down the beach, I panicked, screamed and stood up scaring the life out of my two colleagues... they thought i was being eaten by a Jaguar or a croc!
Turned out it was a turtle climbing up my
legs, a lora (oliver ridley), she walked onto my blanket and even though the noise we had made she still went up the beach and nested laying 78 eggs. When we looked at her tracks she was heading past us and deliberately turned towards us/me!
Luckily someone (Clemence) got pictures of a morning turtle (Oliver Ridley) so at last I have a turtle picture! So you can appreciate their size.
When we looked at her tag it was Topsy! The turtle Adam and I found on her side a few weeks ago! Dont know what the chances are of a turtle crawling up your legs let alone one you saved a few weeks before! Maybe she recognised me lol! Absolutely mad!
What were the chances of that?
Second amazing event!
Javi had found a hand fishing line for me to try some fishing, some mornings you can see schools of large fish chasing lots of little fish right up close to the beach. On my one attempt I did not manage to catch anything BUT, 2 days later I was on morning patrol with Claudia and took the fishing gear, halfway through
our patrol we saw several schools of fish in the breaking waves on the beach so i stopped to get the fishing gear out, suddenly a large fish flew out of the breaking wave! Claudia stopped it with her feet and I ran over and threw the fish onto the beach! mad crazy one in a million! Plus probably one of the biggest fish I have ever caught!
What were the chances of that!
We were so excited and had to wait for everyone to get up to show them, like two kids on christmas day! Spookily it was Claudia and my turn to cook, it took several hours to fillet with my pen knife! We had steaks and a soup. It was a Pacific Jack which looked and tasted like tuna. Everyone was really pleased to have fish for lunch, except Emma the vegetarian, lol.
And last but not least!
On my last morning before leaving camp I had morning patrol with Adam. We had walked the beach and had started Adams drone survey. We stopped ready to swap batteries and noticed hatchling tracks on the beach! Counted 90 plus
tracks.
We looked for the nest and enroute found one hatchling, so we picked him up to bring back to camp (he will be released in the evening).
We found the nest and found the nest tag, it was a nest that myself and Kelcy dug and resited 136 eggs! I am a father lol.
What were the chances of that?
The nest will be excavated in a few days to determine hatchling success.
Anyway..
It has been almost 2 months since leaving the UK, which has included a 3 night stay in San Jose (2 extra due to tropical storm Nate), 50 nights at Camp Cabuyal (Leatherback Trust) with a 5 nights break in Liberia in the middle.
I became the fixer and ended as Tio Mark :o)
Some updates ref the Cabuyal project;
Early in November when returning from my Liberia break we had a few more volunteers, Mercedes and Candela, 2 vets from Spain but working in UK, plus Denise from Brasil.
The two from Spain were just here for 4 days and Denise for a week. Denise
was very lucky as on her first night patrol she got to see all 3 species of turtles seen here at Cabuyal including a Leatherback! This was the first Leatherback for this season and they only normally see 5 or 6, but may nest several times.
It meant we had 10 people here at camp, it was good to have some new faces but with the size of the camp made dinners and rooms a bit more crowded!
It was a bit strange coming back to camp after my break in that I had missed the place and the rest of the guys, however still struggling to sleep until late when it cools down.....
Even though we had 4 turtles on Denises first patrol we have only seen the odd one or two Ridleys recently and some tracks of aborted nesting attempts, mainly pacific greens, still not quite into peak season. But then we get 3 or 4 in a night.
After Denise and the Spanish girls left we had two more volunteers both here for a month, Grant from Georgia US, currently been doing a semester at an associated campus
in Costa Rica with South Georgia University and Clemence a French girl travelling for a year.
We moved to a 2 shift system in the middle of Nov, so a 2000 to 0000, then a 0000 to 0400, followed by the 0500 morning patrol, as we have more people and the research assistants are more experienced, plus moving into peak nesting season. Giving us more beach time coverage, but tiring with only one rest day.
Adam was out flying his drone second week of Nov and saw a couple of Dolphins swimming about 200 metres from shore, unfortunately no pictures on here.
On the 12th November, I was out on patrol, but my roomies thought they felt an earthquake, sure enough we checked the news next day when in town and had been a 6.8 earthquake!
In my last few weeks here went on a hike with Javi to a nearbye bay, Playa Zapotillal, about an hour hike through the forest to an amazing untouched bay. We try to come once a week to see what turtle tracks there are, 2 when we went. Missed the others due
to other duties and my knee...
The bay is beautiful and untouched, can just imagine pirates mooring here!
We also did a short hike to a local waterfall, did not expect much but when we got there wow, was bigger and more beautiful than I was expecting. We did not swim in the waterhole as crocs hang out there, we did see one pop his head up!
I have enjoyed my time here, it has been a good project to spend time on from several different aspects. Firstly to see first hand the different species of turtle and helping them in ensuring their nests are relocated as required.
Also to live in basic conditions (like going back in time 50 years or so) to appreciate what we have in life and what so many people dont have....
Learnt a few vegetarian dishes! See the homemade bean burgers and yucca fries in the pictures.
I have met many different people from different backrounds and nationalities, all of which have been great people, we all have our differences but a common goal of making a difference.
I have a lot
of respect for Javi the coordinator for living most of his life in this type of environment, the research assistants for their long periods here living in difficult conditions and also some of the younger solo travellers like Emma for doing this type of project.
OK some numbers and facts;
Walked approximately a total of 320 km for night patrols and morning patrols.
Hiked to local bay and waterfall.
Seen 22 turtles, myself.
Turtle sightings at project during my stay (new or already tagged);
⦁ 1 Leatherback, 8 Pacific Green (Black), 37 Oliver Ridleys
⦁ 23 resited nests, 16 left in situ
Participated myself in resiting 9 of these nests totalling approx 900 eggs.
Held a turtle so could be pit tagged.
Saved one adult turtle (Topsy, was on side).
Rescued 1 hatchling (it would be eaten in daylight)
Molested by 1 turtle!
Assisted Adam with some drone surveys.
Had approximately 20 insect bites at any one time, pobably totalling in the hundreds!
One wasp sting.
Repaired 5 water leaks.
Repaired 3 large potholes in drive.
Repaired wobbly bench.
Re-Concreted 3 holes in communal area.
Repaired post knocked over by truck.
Changed punctured wheel
on truck, for another flat one lol.
Seeded and cared for small allotment.
Fitted "Jamb" to main gate to make it easier to locate slide bolt.
Installed sign for the camp, using a screwdriver as a chisel..
Washed and hung extra hammock.
Couple of fishing trips, 1 suicide fish!
200 plus games of dominoes!
Unfortunately I did not get to see the large species Leatherback, missed by a couple of hours, but did not expect to.
So next part of my travels.
Shuttle van pick up tomorrow 0915 right next to my hotel, 1.5 hrs to Nicaragua border, probably an hour to cross border, then 1 hour shuttle van to San Juan del sur, should be checked in to my hotel around 1300.
So 5 nights in San Juan del Sur then another 1 hour shuttle for 2 nights in San Jorge to chill, before catching ferry to Ometepe, looking forward to seeing the island.
Seven heavenly days of private room, hot shower, wifi, AC, TV, launderette, beer and choice of food!! Then onto Bona Fide farm project on Ometepe island, for approx 72 days.
Will do a blog for
my holiday week in Nicaragua.
No more night patrols, morning patrols, or cooking, or washing clothes in a bucket, or cold showers, or hot sleepless nights..... until the next project lmao!
Nos Vemos!
Tio Mark
;o)
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D MJ Binkley
Dave and Merry Jo Binkley
Turtle nesting
What an exciting trip and experience. Turtles, fishing and tracking hatchlings.... wow. No more to say.