Stepping behind the scenes, we see how skill and luck and patience were aided by technology to produce the best documented dune emergence sequence. The Pentax Optio W30 enabled us to get within inches of the action as tiny hatchling poked through the sand and then scrambled down slope like Olympian skiers.
Pentax Option W30 Documents Hatchling Emergence
Their very first view of the world after more than two months buried under the sand is hampered by the blindingly bright high noon sun. They pause to get bearings which appears for all the world as though they are mugging for the camera.
Hatchling Mugs for the Camera
The clip below documents how we capture these events for the Turtle Journal.
Getting Close to the Action
And finally these ten beautiful little miracles are released into the relative safety of the nursery marsh.
Ten Hatchlings Head into Marsh under the Camera’s Gaze