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What has been learned about turtles which nest on Bird Island        Latest Project News 

Conservation       Birds            Tortoises       Beach

Georges Norah, the Island Manager  was responsible for setting up the monitoring programme on Bird Island in 1995, this was done in collaboration with, and under the guidance of Dr. Jeanne A Mortimer.

Dr. Mortimer is a leading authority on sea turtle biology and conservation with extensive international experience working on turtle conservation projects in some 20 countries on six continents.  Her primary interests include turtles of the western Indian Ocean, particularly those of Seychelles.  Since 1981, she has lived in Seychelles for about 12 years, most of that time employed as Consultant to the Seychelles Government to assist with national turtle conservation programmes. She has authored more than 120 publications & reports that range from technical publications in scientific journals to conservation awareness booklets for school children.

Several members of staff also take part in the monitoring programme which is presently being looked after by Steven and Robbie, with Rose-May, Elsa, Lizanne, Juliette, Maurina and Georges helping.

The island is divided into sectors with marked posts which makes it easier to record the part of the beach the turtle came up on.

The majority of turtles which lay on the island are Hawksbill Turtles and Seychelles (& a few other sites in the western Indian Ocean) is the only place in the world where they come ashore to lay during the day, which makes monitoring fairly easy. Green turtles lay at night.

If a track is discovered during a routine beach patrol and no turtle is present we still record the fact that one came up and in which sector. The track width is measured and evidence of a nest is looked for.

 It is important to measure the width of the track when there is no turtle present as then we can decide whether or not it was a Green or Hawksbill, Green turtle tracks are much wider than a Hawksbill's.

If a nest is found it is marked with a numbered post and the date recorded.
 

When a turtle is present and has begun to lay, she can then be checked for tags, and her tag numbers recorded. She normally has one tag on each front flipper. Damaged or missing tags are replaced and if she has no tags she is tagged. Her carapace is measured and her general condition is noted.

Regular beach patrols are carried out by the team. It is very important to carry out regular beach patrols to check for turtle because occasionally a turtle may become trapped in vegetation and be unable to return to the sea. If this happens in the heat of the day the turtle may die from dehydration, or  even in the evening she may become stressed and die when trapped and unable to free herself.

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During the Hawksbill nesting season all guests are briefed as part of their introductory welcome talk on arrival at the Island on what they should do if they see a turtle whilst walking on the beach. This is so that she is not disturbed and so that they can enjoy this wonderful sight.

As all the monitoring team have their normal jobs with the Lodge, it is not always possible for them to do  regular patrols when we are busy, so guests are encouraged to report any sightings to reception so that any information can be recorded.

It is unusual for a guest who stays 3 or 4 nights during the peak months of mid-October to mid-January not to see a turtle laying and likewise from mid-December to mid-March not to see hatchlings emerging.

As we know precisely when eggs were laid we know approximately when they will hatch. We are able to check nests for hatching readiness and take guests to see the baby turtles making their way down to the sea. Depending on the temperature, eggs take on average 58 days to hatch, with some nests hatching as early as 55 days and others as late as 62 days. Warmer nest temperatures will produce more females and cooler nest temperatures more males.

Hawksbillls turtles which lay eggs on the beaches of Bird Island usually lay eggs from 1 to 6 times in a season, but may come ashore more often in unsuccessful nesting attempts.  Typically a female lays between 150 and 200 eggs at a time, separated by two week long intervals. At the end of the nesting season, they travel to distant feeding grounds, returning to Bird Island again after an absence of approximately two to three years. Usually they will lay as the tide is rising so that the return journey to the sea is not as far.