Yesterday was turtle day. As I was driving home from work, I approached something that looked like a rock in the road. As I drove closer, I noticed it was actually a turtle tucked into its shell, so I pulled over and got out of the car to take a look. It was an eastern painted turtle (Chrysemys picta). Lucky for the turtle that the Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary was on the other side of the street. Hopefully the relocation worked out. Around 4 PM I received a call from a neighbor who said she had a turtle in her yard that had been there all day. Would I mind going over to take a look?
Sure, why not? The kids grabbed a bucket and we headed over, expecting another painted turtle that probably had wandered from the nearby creek. What we got was something completely different.
This mama snapper had decided that the mulch in my neighbor's front yard was a good spot to lay her eggs. While my son distracted her front end with a large stick which she snapped at furiously, I was able to maneuver her into a large bucket and get her back to the nearby stream that leads into a larger body of water. The neighborhood kids got a chance to see an amazing creature and witness her strength.
Huge snappers on the move are awesome. I usually see a couple every year, but have yet to see my first this year.
ReplyDeleteHi Steve! About 4 years I came across another larger snapper on the side of a busy road. That one was much feistier and it was a battle to convince it to head back to the pond. I think yesterday's snapper was quite hot and tired. We're having hot - in the 80s - weather. I'll be checking your blog to see when you get your snapper.
ReplyDelete