The Hunt for Ridleys

Well, I moved to Playa Grande, Costa Rica about 3 weeks ago. Moving was a chore but it is exciting to finally be here and working on my Master's project! The beach is beautiful and the people are soooooo friendly. Fortunately it is the rainy season, so the weather is staying relatively cool for turtle work...nothing like it was working with the turtles in Florida. Also, the bugs are no where near as bad, at least not yet, so hopefully it remains that way.

Upon my arrival I found the "lab" where I would be working was nothing more than a storage unit with an ATV inside making it impossible to get to the sink. I managed to clean myself off an area, and eventually the park guards moved the ATV to another location. However, I still have some supplies to order before I officially start my project. I have my permit though, so as soon as any turtle decides to show up, I'm ready for collecting some data!

It has been just Tera and myself at the station, with a few people coming in and out. Most recently the kid doing his Master's with iguanas showed up with his field crew and advisor, Bibi (who also happens to run the station down here), as well as two girls who graduated from Colorado College studying how development influences the local communities and biodiversity.

Other than that, there have been no turtles so far, there is a bat living in my lab, I'm having difficulty obtaining blood for blood agar, and I'm walking 6+ miles of beach a day. My mom and cousin Casey come next week and I will finally get to do some fun activities like surfing and ziplining...so I should have more to post then!