After some clear tracks were spotted on the beach on Friday, the Saturday walkers were the lucky ones who uncovered the first nest of the season, which also turned out to be the first of the year on Crete. She had come well up the beach, about 25 mtrs from the shore, and flipper measurement was 70cm, 20cm the shell, so could have been the same turtle who had emerged the day before.The tracks were anti-clockwise and the signs she left were quite confusing. The area looked like a body pit at the western end, and had a small 'camouflage' towards the exit. There were also tracks in the direction of the small bush 4 m away.
We marked out an area of about 2m by 1m (possibly 1.5) and explored from the eastern, exit end. We were soon finding hard sand and fairly large pebbles which seemed unlikely to have been disturbed, and we were starting to get disheartened when Hilary felt softer sand, about half way along our marked area, and quite close to the edge nearer the sea. The top egg was finally spotted, more or less in the centre of the area directly behind her exit point.
We marked out an area of about 2m by 1m (possibly 1.5) and explored from the eastern, exit end. We were soon finding hard sand and fairly large pebbles which seemed unlikely to have been disturbed, and we were starting to get disheartened when Hilary felt softer sand, about half way along our marked area, and quite close to the edge nearer the sea. The top egg was finally spotted, more or less in the centre of the area directly behind her exit point.