A Three Turtle Day; Two Snapping and a Painted Turtle

When I awoke this morning I knew I wanted to go to the Currie Pond in the Currie Woods and look for snapping turtles and Lady slippers there.  It seems its still a bit early for Lady Slippers as we didn't find any It has usually been  during the 20's of June when I  usually find them there, so I will wait for a couple more weeks for some serious searching.  But did we find Snapping turtles? Yes, we did ! Two of them! The first snapper I found is shown above and it didn't appear to be at all disturbed by my presence there.  Of course I kept my distance from it as a snapper can be quite a chunker eater... in a snap!.  I must learn to be more observant though  for as I was concentrating all of my attention on the snapper I had found, I heard a loud splash and as I turned I saw a second turtle, (this one appearing to be quite large) jump or move into the pond. After we moved away from the pond area we returned  later and I then saw the second turtle swimming about in the pond.  My camera had to contend with the glare on the water from the day's sun and light and the details are not too sharp or clear but here it  below, a picture of the one that had gotten away.  It was quite special to have found and seen these two snapping turtles this morning as it is the beginning of our snapping turtle season.  In the coming weeks there will be many sightings of these turtles laying their eggs around our village:  along the railroad tracks and the river banks.  Then the waiting and watching begins to monitor the nests until their hatching in the early fall. The first year I had discovered snapping turtles laying eggs we monitored the nest closely and we watched 20 tiny baby turtles leave their nest and immediately head for the river and once there, they jumped in and swam away. That was  fascinating experience to observe!

So the snapping turtle sightings were this morning's excitement and I could hardly believe my luck when I came across a Painted turtle this afternoon crossing the highway. I got out of my car as the turtle turned to go back the way it had come.  It was a much safer idea too.  The Painted Turtle has a beauty that cannot be said of a Snapping Turtle.  Mother Nature liberally applied her yellow and red paint brush in a joyous application of colour and details on this creature as you can see in the pictures  above  and below..