To see some pictures of a hawksbill turtle hatchling rescue I was lucky enough to witness yesterday on Klein Bonaire, please take a look at:

http://www.VirtualBonaire.com/KleinBonaire.html

Jake

Jake,

Great pictures. We now know where the Sandy Beaches are on Bonaire.

I could not see the turtles? Where should I be looking?

Jake,

I found them!!! How Neat.

Thanks.

Good luck little one's..... thanks Jake

jake, how wonderful! I was just thinking if the kids had ever seen turtles! guess my question has been answered. bas looks like he is getting taller!

ok marine biologists/aka/knowledge ones...what are the predators of the turtles? baracuda?

Those are great shots Jake. Thanks for sharing them with us!

Fantastic and interesting lesson...Thanks for the photos...

Bobby

Wow, Jake! Thank you SO much for sharing that with us. I'm almost in tears, and so grateful to people like Robert (and you) who make such an effort to protect little creatures like those turtles. I'm looking forward to seeing them in the lovely waters of Klein Bonaire when they grow up!

Josie

Great photos, Jake...I particularly like the close-up of Bas looking at the little hatchlings.
Wonderful that you were able to take such advantage of the opportunity.

These pictures are amazing,
photographic poetry, I would say,
I am wondering are is there permanent abundance (like a hundred thousand) of these mini turtles or is it just luck to have an encounter with them on klein Bonaire. What species is it?, does anybody know?

I think the Terns will get them

I think Robert told me that there were about 35-45 nests made on Klein Bonaire this year, a very small number, really, as such could be made by as few as 10-20 turtles.

He monitors the island, walking around it, to find nesting attempts, and if he believes an attempt resulted in a nest based on the ground markings, he notes its location and then approx. 60 days later starts to survey the same location, waiting for it to hatch.

Let me invite him here to share a little more.

Jake

Hi to all,

We try to keep track of when and where the nests are laid, then follow up on them after they've
hatched.

Typical predators on land are a variety of crabs, in the sea any predatory fish capable of swallowing a hatchling. Frigatebirds and ospreys probably also snatch a few now and then.

Robert