Update From The Field

 

Aerial photo of a nesting leatherback! *All images were taken with the approval of the USFWS and FWC under conditions not harmful to this or other turtles. Images acquired while conducting authorized research activities pursuant to FWC MTP-21-205

I'd like to start this note to thank the backers of this project after Week #1! Every dollar/euro/pound will make this project a reality, and I sincerely thank all those who have contributed and shared my project up to this point!

Now to what everyone is waiting for: news from the field! The 2021 leatherback nesting season is wrapping up here in south Florida, however our work is just beginning. First and foremost, I have successfully captured the first aerial photos of nesting leatherbacks for this project! Using a DJI Phantom 4 Pro drone, supplied by our collaborator Upwell Turtles, I was able capture these images of nesting mamas following oviposition, the nesting stage when she lays her eggs. Using just three headlamps fitted with a red light, these photos could not have come out any better! But just as important, I was also was able to measure the distance between her medial ridge and the dorsal ridge to her immediate right using Image J within 0.3 cm of the measurements taken directly on the individuals!

 

The DJI Phantom Pro 4 drone used to photograph these nesting turtles, graciously provided to us by Upwell Turtles

These two turtles are just the beginning, and I hope to capture at least three more nesters before the season ends on June 18th. However, the preliminary results give us hope that drone photography can be an effective method to assess leatherback body condition.