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May 7 We got an early start and covered the beach from mile 15 to mile 2 5/8. We were able to collect from three stranding sites, two green and one leatherback. It was our most successful day yet.
Dana with a jaguar kill. Two strandings were the result of jaguar kills and had to be recovered by walking a few meters into the jungle. We were fortunate that we ran into one of the park guards who was very interested in helping us and happened to know exactly where these stranding were. He also pointed out some of the wildlife to us, including oligos.
Hasta
pronto,
The station kitchen was low on meat so Kent and Joey got up very early and ventured out with a local fishermen into the Caribbean to catch some fresh fish. And boy did they. Five large mackerel and one 20 lb barracuda were brought back, cleaned and cooked up for lunch. Thanks guys! While the boys were busy providing fresh fish for the CCC, Dana and Diana covered the beach three miles north of the station. No strandings were found.
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Unfortunately,
oligos love to raid the fresh nests of sea turtles. From mile 15 to
about mile 8, we observed jaguar tracks everywhere, but no cats were
seen. We think that is a good thing because we heard that one of the
jaguars has a new cub. One of the highlights of the day was on our way
back when we came upon a nest of hatchlings that were, once again, emerging
from the nest too late to survive the heat. However, only a few had
expired and we dug the remaining turtles out of the nest and carried
them to the surf in time to save them. 
As
the surf washed over them, they began their swimming frenzy and,
one by one, flapped their way into the ocean to begin their great
circle of life. It was a true turtle moment for us.
Our
journey back was hot but we had a couple of quick refreshments when
the park guard used his machete to cut into a couple of coconuts to
help quench our thirst.
After
lunch, Dana and Kent began exhuming dead turtle parts (just imagine
turtle con queso), that were buried by CCC researchers weeks earlier
so that the flesh would decompose by the time of Dana's arrival here.
The afternoon was spent tagging the bones, entering data, and labeling
barnacles. 
This
evening we treated ourselves to the local pizza joint and had a true
Costa Rican pizza. They even threw in a chocolate cake. Muy deliciosa!