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The second morning Peter found tracks. I got my first look at turtle tracks as well. 57K JPEG |
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Well it finally happened. We never thought it would but it did. We finally got to see a sea turtle nesting--and we mean lie down in the sand directly behind her and watch those ping-pong sized eggs drop straight down into the egg chamber.
It started with a phone call from George Balazs asking us if we'd mind checking for turtle tracks along a stretch of beach where the female had previously nested this season. The second morning Peter found tracks. I got my first look at turtle tracks as well.
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The second morning Peter found tracks. I got my first look at turtle tracks as well. 57K JPEG |
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There were three tracks in all carved along the beach early July 10th. Being complete novices, we misinterpreted one set as the turtle having nested--two days early. We knew George had high hopes for this turtle and would be hugely disappointed, so it was with a bit depressing to relay the "bad news." Imagine our delight when we showed George video freeze-frames of the supposed nest, and his expert eye told him everything he needed to know. The turtle hadn't nested. It was another false crawl.
George was ecstatic. This turtle had a history of false crawls the night before she nested. He had originally planned to come over to Maui one day later, which would be a normal nesting interval--and would have been a day too late. Fortunately, we'd seen the false crawls, meaning she was probably a day early. George quickly booked a flight over to Maui so he'd be on the beach that evening to await the return of female 5690.
Turtle 5690 is special and not just because she nests along West Maui instead of East Island in the French Frigate Shoals like 80% of Hawaiian green turtles (honu) do.
5690 was raised in captivity in her first year of life and then released by George as a yearling back in 1981. Now, just over twenty years later, she's grown up enough to lay eggs and for reasons known only to her, she's selected West Maui as her reproductive Ground Zero. Two years ago, she nested on Maui and someone was alert enough to notice and read the single tag she carried. Miraculously, not only had the tag--originally attached to a relatively tiny seven pound juvenile--stayed on, it was not fouled and could be read! When George was notified that a turtle was nesting on Maui, he was astounded to discover that it was one that he'd released so many years before.
This meant that more was known about 5690 than almost any other honu--except one thing. What George really wanted to know was where 5690 calls home. Does 5690 live around Maui? Or does she call another island home? Either way, true to form, once George ponders a question, he does his best to answer it.
George's primary purpose for intercepting 5690 this week was to attach a satellite tag to her carapace. She would then be tracked as she made her way back home from her migration run. So George planned to wait on the beach for her for as long as it took.
He asked if we'd like to come along. Would we! We simply couldn't hide our delight. Last summer's wait for a nesting turtle at another West Maui location carved up for us too many late nights and early mornings and no turtle! So maybe this summer would be The Summer.
Well, we got to see a sea turtle lay eggs. We got to see that most private of acts. Under a shroud of darkness, she crept up the beach totally unnoticed--mere yards from us. It was Aka (Hawaiian for "smart") the Labrador retriever, owner of Alex the person who lives in the house behind the nest, who first alerted us to a something-presence.
George investigated what Aka was looking all intent about and then confirmed the turtle was on the beach. At that point a whole lot of people suddenly shut up and listened.
SNAP! KERRACKK! SNAP! SNAP!
"Cripes," I thought, "She sounds like breaking branches!" So I was left to sit in the dark and wonder exactly what part of a turtle can sound like stepped-on tinder.
After several careful checks George finally told us the turtle was ready to lay eggs and then we were allowed an ever-so-quiet peek at her.
She'd dug directly under a large pile of branches and twigs. No wonder there was so much snapping! They were branches breaking!
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Maui biologist Skippy Hau was kind enough to aim his light so I could really see her eggs. Video frame capture courtesy George H. Balazs 47K JPEG |
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Now that she had entered into her egg-laying trance, the branches were quickly cleared away and 5690 was fully revealed. While all eyes were intent on her, she was by now oblivious to our presence. Eggs were dropping. Maui biologist Skippy Hau was kind enough to aim his light so I could really see her eggs. It was a sight I thought I would never see. I was very grateful.
Then came the protracted period of egg covering where a mother uses her rear feet to gather sand over her eggs and then knead and fuss and knead some more. With front flippers she'd scrape more sand and with quick powerful swipes WHHHACKKK! propel the stuff behind her. Then her rear flippers kneaded some more.
WHHHACKKK! (flippers strike carapace) More sand. Video frame capture courtesy George H. Balazs 53K JPEG |
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WHHHACKKK! (flippers strike carapace) More sand.
WHHHACKKK! More sand.
Then quiet--rest (she was getting tired).
HISSSSSS... A breath. HISSSSSS...
Flippers reach forward, scrape and WHHHACKKK! More sand hurled to the rear.
This flipper activity worked the turtle's body forward away from the now-covered eggs.
Then she simply decided it was all enough. She pivoted, turning to leave. That's when George called for the carpet-lined restraining box, which we placed over the turtle. George put a towel over her head to calm her, but it wasn't really necessary. Fortunately, 5690 proved to be a laid-back and cooperative honu.
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George attached the satellite tag on her back. Video frame capture courtesy George H. Balazs 40K JPEG |
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George attached the satellite tag on her back--a long and tedious process, as we were now past even the wee hours of the morning. George was tired but he ensured all aspects of the attachment procedures were followed to the letter. I learned a lot watching him work.
Others watched that night too. People on the beach looking into a box attracts attention as only people on the beach looking into a box can do. All expressed delight and fascination at seeing such a splendid animal.
Stars shone on. When we first settled to wait for 5690, Scorpio rode high in the sky. By the time 5690 completed covering her eggs, Scorpio hugged the horizon and the Milky Way glowed above.
I'll never forget that night--and that entire honu maternity thing. I expected a feeling of awe, perhaps even tears, but nothing like that happened. For the longest time I sat right beside 5690 as she swiped front flippers WHHHACKKK!
I watched her eyes and tried to imagine what she may be experiencing. She was just so beautiful and her task so arduous for her. WHHHACKKK! HISSSSS... head up, GULP HISSSSSSS...
Rest...
Motherhood is such a private act that I felt an Intruder through the mere act of observing. For this was her night, not mine. Her beach. Her stars. Her ocean.
What a special special turtle! The First. Imagine. Twenty-five years from now, 5690's hatchlings, now grown, will crawl up this same beach and continue what mamma started a generation before.
Long life to 5690--and lots of ocean!
Last week we reported seeing a badly tumored turtle with fishing line wrapped around its right front flipper. We had stumbled upon it accidentally as we altered our usual route as we kicked towards North House. While the line wasn't tight around the flipper itself, there was a loose end trailing underneath the plastron that could potentially draw it tight.
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Last week we reported seeing a badly tumored turtle with fishing line wrapped around its right front flipper. 59K JPEG |
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Although we had a dive knife, it simply wasn't practical to try and cut the line. We needed something smaller and definitely more subtle. So next dive we brought a small pair of scissors with us in the hopes that we would see the turtle again.
Well, we did. She was resting at same location as if she hadn't move. This was no surprise really, considering how sick and weak this turtle was. As Ursula approached, the turtle made no effort to move. The scissors cut the fishing line easily but the line hadn't fallen off!
The turtle, feeling a disturbance, lifted and Ursula could see that the line under the plastron had fused into the tumours. She cut line connecting one tumour to another (she felt the line would pull and hurt as the turtle swam) and then cut the remaining line that trailed down the plastron.
She cut line connecting one tumour to another (she felt the line would pull and hurt as the turtle swam) and then cut the remaining line that trailed down the plastron. 65K JPEG |
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Ordinarily such a successful "operation" would have left us feeling wonderful, but as we proceeded on our way a lingering look-back at the turtle made it clear she wouldn't live much longer. Such frightfully weak, algae-blighted turtles aren't long for this world.
Sad to say, what she really needed was to be humanely euthanized.
It's always gratifying to resight a turtle--any turtle. Here, however, we have some honu we call "Old Ones" because our relationship with these animals reaches back to the early 90s. We know that they have at least ten years of residency.
This week we resighted Raphael, known since 1992. We hadn't seen her since Summer 2000 but Raphael appears to take a break every few years and then just pop back into our lives.
We were eager to get a good look at Raphael because the last time we saw her, she looked as though her FP might be returning. Thankfully, the lump she'd developed back in Summer 2000 did not grow into a tumour. So Raphael is still very much a successful regression case. Whatever has swollen her lower eyelid remains a mystery. The good news, though, is that it hasn't gotten worse.
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This week we noticed our first sea hare "rain." The thousands of tiny hares drifting in the current signaled yet another LetGo. It appears that when sea hares no longer have food available in an area they'll "let go" of the bottom and rise into the water column. They then drift with the current in hopes of finding new pastures on which to graze.
These sea hares, Stylocheilus striatus, feed primarily on Lyngbya majuscula and there is plenty of that algae growing around our dive site. Most summers this plant material reaches nuisance levels, encouraging the sea hares to reach belligent numbers.
As their population rises, there's an obvious decrease in the amount of Lyngbya about. Sometimes there'll be little "brown" on the bottom as the sea hares devour any hint of the weed. When that happens the hares will turn their attention to other seaweeds, including traditional sea turtle forage.
We've observed honu here feeding on Halimeda, Acanthrophora spicifera, and Melanamansia. This week we whacked a lot of bushes shaking these algae to determine the number of sea hares infesting each plant.
In shallower waters 25 feet or less, some Halimeda plants were thick and gray with sea hares.
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In shallower waters 25 feet or less, some Halimeda plants were thick and gray with sea hares. 54K JPEG |
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When we shook a Halimeda plant, dozens of sea hares catapulted out each one.
When we shook a Halimeda plant, dozens of sea hares catapulted out each one. 56K JPEG |
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Acanthrophora (another turtle forage) also attracted more than its share of the kritters.
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Acanthrophora (another turtle forage) also attracted more than its share of the critters. 70K JPEG |
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Our interest in the Stylos continues. Do they play a role in the etiology of fibropapilloma if honu ingest these creatures accidentally during their nighttime forage runs?
Are these cute little dudes bio-amplifiers of phycotoxins--or just cute little dudes? Inquiring minds want to know...
In the meantime, we do know one thing. They're easy to sneak up on, easy to capture, and best of all--they don't bite.
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They're easy to sneak up on, easy to capture, and best of all--they don't bite. 50K JPEG |
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Here's a collection of images from our first 15 dives. They don't adequately convey the underwater Honokowai experience, but they do give you some idea of what's going on.
Sometimes the honu play leapfrog. 43K JPEG |
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Sometimes the honu play buzz-the-human. 49K JPEG |
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We see them feeding... 52K JPEG |
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...and we see the results! 39K JPEG |
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Wana (Hawaiian for "ray of light") gets way too close to a boat for our liking. 40K JPEG |
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"There's the THROW! And there's the slide.... And he's SAFE! SAFE AT THIRD! WOW! WHAT A PLAY, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! 30K JPEG |
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Week 3 Summary | ||||
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Summer of '02 at Honokowai | ||||
Turtle Happenings
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Who's Who Underwater at Honokowai | ||||
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Table of Contents | ||||
