Turtle! Help its a TURTLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[MarkJ]

Hi folks

We just arrived in the Whitsunday Islands after a brief soujourn at Lady Musgrave Island, off Bundaberg, Queensland, Australia.

Its turtle nesting and hatching time and so I dinked Nicolle to shore the other night to see what we could find.

Photos below should be self explanitory unless you are a goose

Mark

[Greenman]

Careful there Mark, it looks like that little turtle is getting the upper hand on you!

LOL Hard to believe those cute lil buggers grow into great big sea turtles. Nice pics.

[James S]

Cool pics
I thought this thread was going to be about your boats performance ;-)

[Hud3]

Ha! Good one, James!!!

[stevensc]

Don't try that with the Momma, you'll be missing a finger, or hand!
Steve

[MarkJ]

Originally Posted by stevensc

Don't try that with the Momma, you'll be missing a finger, or hand!
Steve

OK here's Momma with Neva-2-B-Momma.

Febuary is a great month for turtles here because you can see the late Mommas laying eggs and the early hachlings poppin' out

[Wotname]

How do those little Tykes find their way to the water without a GPS .
You reminded me of the first time I saw them; can't remember exactly what island but somewhere in the Capricorn group that you have recently passed through.

It was about 3 pm and dozens and dozens of them climbed out and headed to the water. We had seen all the wildlife films and KNEW that soon there would be birds, dingoes, fish, sharks and what have you getting their evening meal.

What a disappointment, not a predator in sight. ALL of the little guys raced a couple of hundred yards into the water and from we could see, swam peacefully away - at least for the first hour .

Thanks for the post and the memories

[starfish62]

Awesome! It's amazing to think of those little guys hundres of miles from shore in thousands of feet of water eating jellyfish & whatnot.

[SV Someday Came]

Screw the turtle. I want a tan like Mark's.

[Ex-Calif]

Mark - Absolutely awesome - It's amazing what you get to see and do when crusing.

Just put my deposit down on Hamilton Island Race week for this year. We have 6 confirmed and 2 tentative on a Jeneau 36. I was iffy at first but now the money is deposited I am excited.

PS - Nothing's final in the reproductive department. Not judgin' just sayin'. My dad became a new father (again) at 63 and then again at 70. Enjoy the cruisin' and don't even think about making any permanent decisions in the kiddie dept....

[MarkJ]

Originally Posted by Ex-Calif

Just put my deposit down on Hamilton Island Race week for this year. We have 6 confirmed and 2 tentative on a Jeneau 36. I was iffy at first but now the money is deposited I am excited.

You will love it here! Most of the crocodiles have been at least partially trained....



(In reality, the sharks are at the marina $80 per night!)

[Robertcateran]

[quote=Wotname;258327]How do those little Tykes find their way to the water without a GPS .

I've been told it is from the difference in the light of the sky. They get confused if there is too much shore light and go the wrong way

[starfish62]

[quote=Robertcateran;259216]

Originally Posted by Wotname

How do those little Tykes find their way to the water without a GPS .

I've been told it is from the difference in the light of the sky. They get confused if there is too much shore light and go the wrong way

That's the received wisdom. Down here in S Fla in the summer we have "blackout" periods where streetlights & businesses close to the water try to minimize light so the little guys can at least make it to the water. Mortality is incredibly high.

[Wotname]

[quote=Robertcateran;259216]

Originally Posted by Wotname

How do those little Tykes find their way to the water without a GPS .

I've been told it is from the difference in the light of the sky. They get confused if there is too much shore light and go the wrong way

[quote=starfish62;259312]

Originally Posted by Robertcateran

That's the received wisdom. Down here in S Fla in the summer we have "blackout" periods where streetlights & businesses close to the water try to minimize light so the little guys can at least make it to the water. Mortality is incredibly high.

Interestingly in the only instance I have observed, it was about 3 pm, at least 4 hours before dusk (therefore full daylight) and the mortality rate was zero; at least while we were watching, maybe that changed after they were in the water.

[starfish62]

[quote=Wotname;259509][quote=Robertcateran;259216]

Originally Posted by starfish62

Interestingly in the only instance I have observed, it was about 3 pm, at least 4 hours before dusk (therefore full daylight) and the mortality rate was zero; at least while we were watching, maybe that changed after they were in the water.

It's good to hear that the little guys made it into the water. The "high mortality rate" I was referring to was just the stat on survival to sexual maturity. Don't remember the # off the top of my head, but it was a fraction of a percentage point.