The only recorded turtle nest in the country this season is expected to hatch around mid-September, Nature Trust Malta President Vincent Attard told The Malta Independent.

Around a month ago, volunteer Serena from Wildlife Rescue Malta spotted turtle tracks at Ramla l-Hamra in Gozo, during early morning checks on the beach.

Attard explained that generally, turtle nesting season starts late May, lasting until the end of July, beginning of August, and would hatch between mid-July and October.

He continued that turtle eggs take roughly sixty days to hatch, but it can vary depending on humidity levels, temperatures and ongoing heatwaves.

"Between day 50 and 70 we increase monitoring of the nests. Generally, a hole in the sand is the first sign that the eggs are ready to hatch, as it means that they would be moving," he said.

Asked whether having one nest per season was the norm, he said that in total there was only one recorded this year, but this does not exclude the presence of others which have not been reported.

"In terms of nests, although there was only one recorded - which happened to be in Ramla l-Hamra, we are monitoring the area as it is possible that there was another turtle which nobody caught which laid its eggs in the bay," he said. Attard said, however, that they started monitoring the beach in May, which is earlier than usual.

Attard explained that the temperature under the sand determines the sex of the hatchlings, which means that the ones on top which are exposed to a temperature of 33 to 30 degrees are usually born females, whilst those at the bottom, exposed to 29 degrees or lower are born male. The sex of the hatchlings, he said, is something which has been shifting due to rising temperatures.

"It has been noticed around the world that, because of climate change, since temperatures are rising, it is leading to fewer male turtles hatching" he said.

2020, he said, was an exceptional year in terms of the number of turtle nests in Malta, adding that there were a total of seven turtle nests spread around Malta. Since the mentioned year was during the Covid-19 pandemic, NTM does not exclude the possibility that this happened because beaches were more quiet than usual, since "turtles search for a quiet place to lay their eggs because of supposed predators".

Emphasising that people need to specify the spot when they report turtles laying their eggs, Attard said that this is important as, apart from the need the check the levels of humidity and the general temperature of the spot, one must also look out for 'ghost crabs', as they feed on turtle eggs.

"We have to pay close attention in order not to lose any eggs since they (turtles) are an endangered species" he said.

Attard explained that for this year, there were more turtle nests reported in countries such as Sicily, Italy and Spain as "generally turtles tend to follow their food - fish - which are always in search of cooler waters".

Asked whether Malta could expect more turtle nests, he said that it is highly unlikely this year as the season is almost over.

He said that the number of eggs laid would not be known before they hatch as the nest is not to be disturbed.

Attard explained that the nest is uncovered and retrieved around two to three days after the first appearance of turtles hatching, as it needs to be ensured that those turtles who could come out on their own would have done so.

Turtles that would have managed to eggshell, but are not at the top of the nest and are still alive, would be taken under intensive care until they recover. Commenting on the whole operation, Attard said that Nature Trust Malta has a high success rate in salvaging baby turtles this way.

Currently Nature Trust is conducting a study on turtle nests, where apart from the collection of information about the DNA of the mother turtle to verify spot egg laying regularity, studies on its eggs are also conducted to see how many were laid and how many managed to hatch.

All these tests help to answer future questions, he said.