Saturday, April 19, 2003
It was a beautiful night. Just as we started out, the moon rose above the horizon looking like a big fiery orange ball. Chris and I headed north from the Park on the gator. A call from Shana confirmed the arrival of the first loggerhead on Juno Beach. She told us to continue north since she was detained with the turtle. We motored up the beach, expecting to see a loggerhead, when Chris yelled, "Stop!". There was a leatherback, nesting 100 meters away, with her carapace facing us, disguised as a pile of sand. Once she started laying eggs, we discovered it was "Icy," a turtle Kelly tagged on March 31. She was a tough turtle, with lots of scars around her neck and shoulders, presumably from fishing line or rope. We will post a night-vision picture of her soon. The rest of the night was bright and breezy, but no more leatherbacks nested. Two more loggerheads nested on the southern portion of Juno Beach. Guess that means our nights will be busier from now on.
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