November 23

We had checked the evening before at the National Wildlife Refuge Hacienda Baru and found out that some turtles might hatch that night. So we left early to be there for their release on the beach. We arrived and sure enough some turtles had hatched and we could witness their release which we documented with numerous pictures!!


We were fortunate that during the night a nest of turtle eggs hatched. There were approximately 100 eager baby turtles in the laundry basket.	As soon as they were released the young turtles headed for the ocean. It seemed very far away but Carlos, the park ranger, told us that it was important that they spend enough time on the beach to "mark" this place in their memories.	It took at least 30 minutes for the turtles to reach the waves. There were some stragglers which gave us all something to worry about while we watched.	Brigitte's colorful shirt made an impression on this wet sand.


Here's a close up of a young Olive Ridley turtle born on November 23.	Here the tide was starting to rise and the waves washed the turtles out safely	here is the nursery where the nests of turtle eggs are buried until they hatch in safety.	Here is another view of the nursery. Carlos gave us a complete tour and shared his data sheets with Mark.

After the turtles release we headed for the Manuel Antonio National Park. On the way, a trip which took about two hours, we saw:


We saw many large lizards in the park	Mark by one of the large trees in the rain forest.


Oil palm plantations	Road improvement, Tico-style