However, after today, this may have changed a little bit. Today we had to excavate two nests that hatched two days ago. The first nest contained two live hatchlings which was amazing, and the second wasn't nearly as gnarley as the first which gave me hope for future excavations.
Basically, excavations of the nests are done after they have either passed their incubation date by a certain amount of time, or if they show signs of hatchings - ie. hatchling tracks coming from a big hole in the sand that looks like a volcano - we excavate after two days. The excavations happen in order to check the nest success.
What it involves is first finding the "volcano" where the nest erupted, and then digging down with your hands until you reach the egg chamber. Sarah has been really good at this - me not so much. It generally smells really awful and in some cases there are a lot of natural predators - ie. maggots - helping the decomposition process of the unhatched eggs.
What the volcano like once the digging process has begun. |
Pictures from our first attempt at excavation - it may look like I am digging here, but Sarah was in with her ankles hanging out by the end of it! |
Eggies separated into piles - from the top down, unhatched eggs, shells greater than 50%, and yolkless eggs. |
Our first little friend as they returned to sea! |
A special thanks to Melissa Coakley for taking these pictures.
Check out her website for more: www.snakehuntingchick.com
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