Tiny travellers! Għadira nest erupts with new life as 21 hatchlings make their debut
Nest 2, which was laid on 11th June reached its hatching point in the early hours of Day 58.
Exciting news from Ghadira as Nest 2 has officially joined the 2025 hatching season! Just after midnight, without any prior signs on the surface, the sand suddenly burst open; a magical moment signalling the arrival of new life.
While the hatching may have seemed sudden, it had actually been quietly underway. Thanks to the Dolphin Ears monitoring system, signs of the pipping process (when hatchlings begin breaking out of their eggs) had been detected several days earlier. However, since this process can take up to seven days, the exact timing of the hatch is often a surprise.
In just 15 action-packed minutes, 21 speedy hatchlings made their way safely to the sea, marking the beginning of their life journey. Nest 2, which was laid on Wednesday, 11th June, reached its hatching point in the early hours of Day 58; a typical and healthy development period for sea turtles.
To protect the hatchlings, all monitoring was carried out using infrared cameras, which convert footage to black and white. Only red light was used during observation, with no white light or flash, ensuring minimal disturbance to the emerging turtles.
A huge thank you goes to the dedicated volunteers and officials from the Environment & Resources Authority (ERA) who were present during the event and continue to monitor the nest in the nights ahead.
Stay tuned...more hatchlings may still be on the way!