At first we thought it was Dorota, who always comes first, but we checked old pictures and the markings don't match.
Many hours later (this all happened yesterday, I had no time to download and post the photos) – the turtle found a good spot for her nest. She spent a lot of time to determine optimal sunlight and soil condition, but she didn't take fucking humans into equation and laid the eggs on the side of a road, where cars and tractors drive. The nest will have to be moved.
Right after she laid her eggs and went back to her swamp, a bit before midnight, we secured her nest to prevent foxes from having a feast with fine wire mesh. Soil was too compacted for metal pins we usually use to hold well, so I added a couple of bricks.
All that's left of the turtle nest today – a hole in the ground.
Yesterday in the evening, one day before #WorldTurtleDay, a park ranger came by and dug out 15 eggs. They were taken to a safe place and will hatch in 3 months. Had it not been so close to the road, the nest would have stayed under our care.
@RoboticistDuck Yes! The park rangers I talked to said there are exceptionally many turtles laying eggs this year. I tell them I'm waiting for the time there will be so many of them that turtle soup will be served in the restaurant of the Polesia National Park .