Dear Friends,

Our female Green turtle, 'STINAPA', has turned to the north and is headed directly at the small island of San Andres. Although off the coast of Nicaragua, the island is actually part of Columbia. Yesterday 'STINAPA' traveled another 60 km and is over 1400 km from Bonaire.

We are still hoping to fit one more satellite transmitter on a turtle this season. If the Hawksbill that we have missed twice in the past month is still in the area, she may attempt to nest again Monday night. Staff from STCB will again be anxiously waiting for her on Klein Bonaire.

We will keep you posted.


Best regards,

Andy Uhr
Sea Turtle Conservation Bonaire

PO Box 492
Kralendijk, Bonaire
Netherlands Antilles

phone (599) 717 2225
cellular (599) 790 0433
email stcb@bonaireturtles.org
website www.bonaireturtles.org

If any place comes close to being just like Bonaire, San Andres does. I was there several years ago for a week near the end of November. Like Bonaire, it has a small airport, it rained for the whole week, it has some nice beaches as well as great scuba diving - although you need to do it by boat. And the cars on the island, almost all of them were toasters. As a matter of fact, my friends got sick and tired of me saying that the place reminded me of Bonaire.

Maybe that's why STINAPA is heading there, for a visit. Just wish I could swim like these turtles do. Looking forward to reading the updates and good luck with looking for that last elusive Hawksbill.

John

Dear Friends,

Our female Green turtle, 'STINAPA', continues to swim to the northwest and is slightly past the island of San Andres. 'STINAPA' traveled approximately 65 km yesterday and is about 1450 km from Bonaire.


Best regards,

Andy Uhr
Sea Turtle Conservation Bonaire

PO Box 492
Kralendijk, Bonaire
Netherlands Antilles

phone (599) 717 2225
cellular (599) 790 0433
email stcb@bonaireturtles.org
website www.bonaireturtles.org

Andy...how long they use to stay in Central America ?

As adults, the sea turtles we regularly see here in Bonaire, stay in their home feeding grounds for the remainder of their lives, only leaving to return to the area where they were born to breed. Typically adult females will breed every two to four years while it is thought males breed every year.

Andy

Dear Friends,

'STINAPA', our female Green turtle, turned to the west once again, moving past San Andres, and has entered a shallow shelf that is known good habitat for Green turtles. Earlier this year, Extra', the female Loggerhead, returned to the same general area, just to the north. Yesterday, 'STINAPA' covered over 80 km and is currently 1540 km from Bonaire.

Fortune smiled on us last night when the last nesting female came ashore at No Name Beach and we were waiting for her. Her name is "Funny' and she is a 65 kg Hawksbill turtle. Hopefully we will start getting satellite data tomorrow. When she departs Bonaire we will begin sharing the tracking information with you.

Best regards,

Andy Uhr
Sea Turtle Conservation Bonaire

PO Box 492
Kralendijk, Bonaire
Netherlands Antilles

phone (599) 717 2225
cellular (599) 790 0433
email stcb@bonaireturtles.org

Andy,

How exciting that you were able to be waiting for Funny!! I am anxiously awaiting the information on her travels.

Thank you so very, very much for sharing these wonderful journeys with those of us so far away - it is a fantastic link to Bonaire and the sea creatures that we love.

Belinda

Dear Friends,

'STINAPA', our female Green turtle, is continuing to the northwest and getting closer to the coast of Nicaragua. Yesterday she covered slightly more than 50 km and is now approximately 1580 km from Bonaire.

We have received some signals from 'Funny' but it is still too early to know whether she has departed from Bonaire. The following information regarding 'Funny' is from a press release issued yesterday by STCB:


"A hawksbill turtle (karet) nesting on No Name Beach, Klein Bonaire, was fitted with a satellite transmitter Monday night by a team from Sea Turtle Conservation Bonaire (STCB). This is the fourth turtle to be tracked during the current nesting season, and the second hawksbill, after 'Tom' the male hawksbill was tracked moving towards the northeast Caribbean earlier.



Based on the pattern of turtle nesting activity observed on No Name Beach during the last two months, STCB staff predicted the possible return of a hawksbill to the beach for Monday night. However, an early morning survey on Monday morning revealed that a turtle had already been active on the beach on the previous night, but due to sand conditions did not manage to lay a nest. A field team consisting of Hanny Kalk, Gijs Hoogerkamp, Andy Uhr (volunteers and STCB webmasters), Gielmon Egbreghts and Robert van Dam (STCB staff), and others, set out at night to monitor No Name Beach for nesting activity. Around 8:20 p.m. a large hawksbill turtle was found digging a hole on the beach for placing her nest. She soon began laying eggs and was then measured (92.3 cm curved carapace length) and tagged on her front flippers. After completing her nest, the approximately 65 kg animal was intercepted by the team and a transmitter applied to the top of her carapace. At 10:45 pm the hawksbill turtle was released and she quickly departed into the sea.



Hawksbill turtle ‘Funny’ will be the fourth turtle to be tracked from Bonaire during the 2004 nesting season. Tracking of this hawksbill is made possible by a sponsorship provided by Hanny Kalk and Gijs Hoogerkamp."




Best regards,

Andy Uhr
Sea Turtle Conservation Bonaire

PO Box 492
Kralendijk, Bonaire
Netherlands Antilles

phone (599) 717 2225
cellular (599) 790 0433
email stcb@bonaireturtles.org

Dear Friends,

'STINAPA', our female Green turtle, is continuing to the northwest and getting closer to the coast of Nicaragua. Yesterday she covered slightly more than 50 km and is now approximately 1580 km from Bonaire.

We have received some signals from 'Funny' but it is still too early to know whether she has departed from Bonaire. The following information regarding 'Funny' is from a press release issued yesterday by STCB:


"A hawksbill turtle (karet) nesting on No Name Beach, Klein Bonaire, was fitted with a satellite transmitter Monday night by a team from Sea Turtle Conservation Bonaire (STCB). This is the fourth turtle to be tracked during the current nesting season, and the second hawksbill, after 'Tom' the male hawksbill was tracked moving towards the northeast Caribbean earlier.



Based on the pattern of turtle nesting activity observed on No Name Beach during the last two months, STCB staff predicted the possible return of a hawksbill to the beach for Monday night. However, an early morning survey on Monday morning revealed that a turtle had already been active on the beach on the previous night, but due to sand conditions did not manage to lay a nest. A field team consisting of Hanny Kalk, Gijs Hoogerkamp, Andy Uhr (volunteers and STCB webmasters), Gielmon Egbreghts and Robert van Dam (STCB staff), and others, set out at night to monitor No Name Beach for nesting activity. Around 8:20 p.m. a large hawksbill turtle was found digging a hole on the beach for placing her nest. She soon began laying eggs and was then measured (92.3 cm curved carapace length) and tagged on her front flippers. After completing her nest, the approximately 65 kg animal was intercepted by the team and a transmitter applied to the top of her carapace. At 10:45 pm the hawksbill turtle was released and she quickly departed into the sea.



Hawksbill turtle ‘Funny’ will be the fourth turtle to be tracked from Bonaire during the 2004 nesting season. Tracking of this hawksbill is made possible by a sponsorship provided by Hanny Kalk and Gijs Hoogerkamp."




Best regards,

Andy Uhr
Sea Turtle Conservation Bonaire

PO Box 492
Kralendijk, Bonaire
Netherlands Antilles

phone (599) 717 2225
cellular (599) 790 0433
email stcb@bonaireturtles.org

Dear Friends,

'STINAPA', our female Green turtle, is now moving due north and paralleling the coast of Nicaragua. She traveled about 75 km yesterday and is now approximately 1640 km from Bonaire.

We received additional signals from 'Funny' yesterday and it appears that she is off the north shore of Klein Bonaire. For now, it appears that she will stick around and nest again.

We will keep you posted.



Best regards,

Andy Uhr
Sea Turtle Conservation Bonaire

PO Box 492
Kralendijk, Bonaire
Netherlands Antilles

phone (599) 717 2225
cellular (599) 790 0433
email stcb@bonaireturtles.org

Andy

Thanks for taking time to post this, it brightens my day.

Regards

Brian

Andy...."Stinapa"is close to the Nicaragua coast, how long they use to stay swimming paralleling to the coast of Nicaragua and Panama ? J.J.

Andrew, I find this tracking truly amazing! Thank you so much for taking the time to do this!!!

J.J.,

I really can't say how long 'Stinapa' will continue along the coast. The shallow shelf she is on continues quite a way north, all the way up to Honduras.

Andy

Dear Friends,

Female Green turtle 'STINAPA' continues moving due north right along the coast of Nicaragua. She traveled over 60 km km yesterday. It has been 25 days since 'STINAPA' left Bonaire and she is now approximately 1640 km away.

Yesterday we received only one additional data point for 'Funny' and it places her just to the north of the island. We'll wait for at least for one more day's worth of data to see if she has indeed started for home.

We will keep you posted.



Best regards,

Andy Uhr
Sea Turtle Conservation Bonaire

PO Box 492
Kralendijk, Bonaire
Netherlands Antilles

phone (599) 717 2225
cellular (599) 790 0433
email stcb@bonaireturtles.org

Andy...Thanks I`ll bring all this information to the school...j.j.