The Beach Patrol - What Does It Entail?
Each day from mid May until mid October there will always be someone from the team of volunteers walking the 3.7 Km between Kolymbari and Tavronitis looking for any sign of turtle activity.
Starting at dawn we set out looking for tracks, swims, body pits, nests and camouflages (more of these later), and in the past a turtle or two has been spotted.
If you are considering volunteering to walk the beaches please bear in mind it is uneven ground that is a mixture of sand, gravel and rocks. Good footwear is essential and walking in sandals, even with socks is not recommended.
It is also worthwhile bringing a sun hat, sun cream and sunglasses as in the summer the sun rises very quickly. To this end it is also advisable to bring a small bottle of water to sip at along the way. It may only be a 3.7 km walk but on the uneven surface it feels like more!
Another thing to consider is that if you find a suspected nest you will be on your hands and knees, scraping back the sand and pebbles gently, to try and establish the location of the egg chamber. A thin pair of gloves to protect your hands and a small towel to kneel on have both proved invaluable to our volunteers over the last few years. Another good thing about the towel is that it can be used after you have a refreshing dip in the sea at the end of the walk!
Starting at dawn we set out looking for tracks, swims, body pits, nests and camouflages (more of these later), and in the past a turtle or two has been spotted.
If you are considering volunteering to walk the beaches please bear in mind it is uneven ground that is a mixture of sand, gravel and rocks. Good footwear is essential and walking in sandals, even with socks is not recommended.
It is also worthwhile bringing a sun hat, sun cream and sunglasses as in the summer the sun rises very quickly. To this end it is also advisable to bring a small bottle of water to sip at along the way. It may only be a 3.7 km walk but on the uneven surface it feels like more!
Another thing to consider is that if you find a suspected nest you will be on your hands and knees, scraping back the sand and pebbles gently, to try and establish the location of the egg chamber. A thin pair of gloves to protect your hands and a small towel to kneel on have both proved invaluable to our volunteers over the last few years. Another good thing about the towel is that it can be used after you have a refreshing dip in the sea at the end of the walk!
How Do You Know If It's Turtle Activity
Not all tracks you see on the beach walk are going to be quite as obvious as this picture, especially if the turtle has tried to find a nesting site over the pebbley area of the beach. Luckily the volunteers have all had experience in spotting tracks and if you are a new volunteer you will be paired with someone of experience to share their knowledge.
Any tracks found are investigated to see what activity the turtle has been doing. Not all tracks will lead to a nest, the female turtles, as mentioned before, can produce swims and body pits before making a nest. These are basically tests of the beaches surface structure by the female to see if it is suitable for laying eggs. It may also be that she was disturbed before finishing her nest and making the egg chamber.
All attempted nests and tracks are recorded for future reference and are sent off to ARCHELON for their records.
Any tracks found are investigated to see what activity the turtle has been doing. Not all tracks will lead to a nest, the female turtles, as mentioned before, can produce swims and body pits before making a nest. These are basically tests of the beaches surface structure by the female to see if it is suitable for laying eggs. It may also be that she was disturbed before finishing her nest and making the egg chamber.
All attempted nests and tracks are recorded for future reference and are sent off to ARCHELON for their records.
Identifying The 4 Stages In Turtle Nest Attempts
The arrows in the following images indicate the direction of travel of the turtle.