Dont mind if i do

9/16 - Park - 12:20-4:35am - Andy & Gigi

Turtle tracks have been slimming, fortunately, finding the few emerged ones perfectly staged have not. Feeling very lucky -- if there was a casino id put 100 on 11.

Two nights in a row of breaking previously set records.... Tooting my own horn? Dont mind if i do.

Andy and i left our site feeling groggy, half of me still laying on my pillow trying to figure out why i was dreaming of my childhood nanny and juancho the iguana here in tortuguero. So fogged out, that when Luis called to inform us that we forgot the callipers back at camp, we were practically measuring our first candidate with ur arms and not even realizing we were missing our duck looking measurattus haha (jk). Back we go... This time thru the town (our little secret).

Rush back where we eft off, 3.2, and identify a couple Mrs Bodypits. No miss camou, no miss eggchambers. On to jaguar territory, and Fuuuuaaa (as the drunk mexican from youtube wld say), the holy grail of tracks. Off to work go. The work part was pretty usual. Happy to now realize that we've reached a usual feel: professional, efficient, on it, ninja style. All but my forgetfulness and one miss sensitive nesty lady.

Forgetfulness- Besides the caliper incident, after worked far ms. Mile 4.3, and begignning to work on the other back to backs, Andy discovers the tag bag missing. Off to my second would-have-been-unnecesary-otherwise jog back. (as my mom wld say when i was a child about my being distracted, "if i didnt have my head attached, i would loose that too" or "if there was one puddle in the world, i would somehow manage to fall in it" although the latter invites a whole other story).

I find the turtle still camouflaging, and a 2 foot high pile of heavenly soft dark sand where we once stood. Oh boy! A new record only a sand bath and spring away, Dig in i go.meanwhile mrs #1 sand mound splashes me everywhere! Spit cough cough. (q tips were quite the venure this morning). I find it. Run back and voila, we reach our target #. Nueve!

- hyper sensitive momma: left me flabberghasted. With my mastered oh so sentive touch handling nests, i cant explain why she left mid lay :(. There was this freakishly persisent crab that popped out next to me which made both me and then turtle fuss a bit, but id be surprised that that would be the cause ofnher early departure. Being in jag territorry, maybe she sensed a feline nearby... Which in that case, me being the softer and easier meat access lady, i am eternally grateful for her taking one for the team. Still, not a proud moment. Mama slowly and half transically headed back to ocean, laying an additional 40ish eggs on route. We fetched, egg chambered, covered, and finished flagging nest. Odd, a mean,,, soooo tortuguero. ;)

And theeeen, on our after curfew stroll back we encounter multiple flashes on then beach. We found the dad from hunny inshrunk the kids (or lokalile), wearing a baseball sized LED head lamp, full flashing confidently.... "i wanna see me some turtles." big nono. A nice old nerdy city traveller (relieved it wasnt a poacher), but very clueless on the disturbance he was causing. We hand hold him back to his lodge.... And rush back home.

Wish u cldve seen our record breaking, sand covered exhausting faces. It was priceless.

Aspiring to be the turtle whisperer of the season! Aslong as i keep breaking my own record (curled up hand rub on chest), i think i will stay on the board a bit longer afyer i leave next thursday!