Sea turtles are nesting in greater numbers along the southern coast this season, a trend scientists attribute to unusually quiet beaches. With fewer visitors, the animals appear more willing to come ashore to lay their eggs.
Nesting typically takes place under cover of darkness: the females haul themselves onto the sand, excavate a nest, deposit their eggs, and return to the sea before dawn. Each morning, teams of volunteers patrol the shoreline, logging fresh nests and marking them to protect them from foot traffic and vehicles.
Conservationists are cautiously optimistic. "Every nest is good news," one volunteer noted, adding that the coming weeks should bring a wave of hatchlings scrambling toward the waves.