A recently published study that examined changes in the size structure and reproductive activity of loggerhead turtles in the French Mediterranean over a 30 year period (1990-2020) has found that larger turtles are increasingly using the area, particularly during the breeding season. They nested in 2002, the first time in fifty years, and nesting has become more frequent since. Since 2014, loggerhead turtles have nested annually in France. While the clutch size and hatch success varied between sites, they fell well within the range reported at established Mediterranean nesting sites. The increase in turtle nesting attempts is not unique to France, with attempts also noted from Italy, Spain, Morocco and most recently Algeria. While nesting is now well-established in parts of Italy, it is too early to say if the other sites will also result in establishment. The authors suspect this increase in nesting turtles may partly be due to increasing surface water temperatures in the northwest Mediterranean. The full paper is included here: Shift in demographic structure and increased reproductive activity of loggerhead turtles in the French Mediterranean Sea revealed by long-term monitoring | Scientific Reports This paper, also from 2021, documents the westernmost recorded nest of a loggerhead turtle in the Mediterranean. In August 2020 a turtle was found nesting on a beach in Malaga. Because the nest was low down the beach and the beach is a popular tourist spot, it was decided to move the clutch. Of the seventy-two eggs, sixty were moved to a beach in a nearby protected area while the remaining twelve went to Fuengirola Bioparc for artificial incubation. In the wild nest, 82% of the eggs hatched and 77% of hatchlings successfully emerged from the nest. The twelve eggs at Fuengirola Bioparc had a 92% hatching success. All the hatchlings were transferred to a head-starting programme in Andalusia to ensure as many survived as possible and help enhance the colonisation effect. The full paper about this event is included here - if the PDF does not work, the paper is entitled 'The westernmost nest of a loggerhead sea turtle, Caretta caretta (Linnaeus 1758), registered in the Mediterranean Basin (Testudines, Cheloniidae)': file:///C:/Users/Owner/Downloads/67320.pdf
