Nesting turtles turn heads

DOZENS OF CURIOUS onlookers converged along the shoreline of the Hastings Rocks Beach off the boardwalk in Christ Church on Saturday night as two Hawksbill turtles dug their holes and lay their eggs a few feet away from each other.One, two, three . . . 17, 18 . . . the laying went on. But soon everyone watching lost count of the ping-pong-sized eggs dropping into the hole dug by the first of the female turtles.On location was field volunteer Craig Gun-Munro who said it was his duty to tag the turtles and measure them before ensuring their safe passage back into the water.While it was not unusual for this endangered species to turn up on the shores of Barbados and lay their eggs during this time of the year, it was quite surprising and emotional for some folks witnessing, for the first time, not one but two turtles on shore.One couple from Singapore said it was their first time seeing a turtle laying its eggs and it was truly “amazing”. They, like the couple visiting from China, were strolling along the boardwalk and were attracted by the spectacle.Gun-Munro said most eggs were laid in summer.“It is usually an average of 150 eggs in a nest. In one night we may see up to ten turtles.” He also said it was estimated that only “one in 1 000 hatchlings actually live to adulthood [age 25]”. (MM)