Snapper Turtle Crossing

Off and on over the years, on a warm spring day, I get lucky and catch a sighting of the old snapper turtle(s) crossing from the bog over the road to the pond.

In 2010, a turtle crossed on May 7th.  (See blog post May 7, 2010)

In 2016, there were 2 turtles crossing the same day on March 10th.  (see blog post March 20, 2016)

This year, on April 13th, I was pulling in the driveway, and there was a snapper trucking up the yard, headed for the road and pond.

My husband came up and carried it over the road to safety.  Off to the pond it waddled.

We were curious if we could find where it had hibernated all winter. 

Here clearly is the hole, where it had laid and the path from which it emerged from the bog by the vernal pond.

So, from our observations, the turtles move in the spring anytime from March until May, waiting for a warm sunny day.

Snapper crossing!

Last Thursday afternoon, March 10th, 2 female snapper turtles journeyed from the lower boreal pond and creek, over the road, to the upper pond, where they will reside until the end of summer. It was in the 60's, sunny with a light breeze.

It's a difficult and dangerous trip, as they must cross over a busy road. 

That's where I come in! 

This is the first year in 10 years, that I have witnessed 2 traveling not only on the same day, but at the same time.

The first female followed almost the exact same path as last year, traveling

  up from the creek still covered in thick, wet, black mud. 

and onto my neighbors driveway and then over the road, where 

I stopped traffic, so she could cross safely. 

After crossing the road and safely on the other side, she allowed me to approach her closely without hissing. I could then appreciate her large muscular legs and long claws as she hurried along 

with an ungainly stride.

The second snapper came straight from the pond, through the leaves, vines and branches.

Slowly, she made her way, inching across the driveway and then lumbering up the hill.

As I collected sticks from the winter's winds and keeping my distance, I noticed she continued to choose the most difficult path. 

She walked into some brambles and became tangled in an old wire fence, that took me, 

and some pulling, while wearing thick protective gloves, to get her out.

 Finally, I just carried her the rest of the way, over the road, 

as she wiggled and snapped at me.

I'm so glad to have discovered them, 

to insure their safe travels over the road 

for another season!

For previous snapper turtle encounters, see blog entries: 

May 7, 2010: 

http://vondervogelweide.blogspot.com/2010/05/on-move.html

November 20, 2009: 

http://vondervogelweide.blogspot.com/search/label/snapper%20turtles

On the Move

As I was walking on Monday in the early afternoon, I noticed a female snapper turtle heading up the driveway moving rather quickly towards the pond across the street where she will spend the summer. She still had wet mud on her shell which was almost a foot in diameter. It was a perfect day for a move - sunny, warm but not hot with a pleasant breeze. As soon as she saw me, she stopped dead in her tracks. Last year, a female was hit by a car (see entry from Nov 20^th) by my driveway and luckily lived after being cared for at the Aark. I didn’t have time to wait for her to continue on and stop traffic as she crossed so I scooped her up into my recycling container and carried her across the road. I went back to grab my camera to document the event and she was almost in the water when I took this parting photo. She has most likely already laid her eggs near the stream she left so we will be on watch for the babies next.

Where are the Turtles?

Usually I catch a peak of the snapper turtles moving from the pond up on the road down to the little creek that runs under our driveway and into the little boreal pond that is finally filled with water again. They are amazing when you see them as they are huge – some as big as a foot in circumference with a thick tail and huge feet with strong claws. They dig down deep into the mud for the winter. Maybe I have just missed them or it has been too wet or too balmy this November? We will remove the turtle crossing sign up at the road soon until spring so when it is again erected it will attract renewed attention and caution. Last year, a female was hit by a car, despite the sign. She was filled with eggs but we found her in time, gathered her into a huge plastic container using gloves and a shovel. We raced her to the Aark Wildlife Rehabilitation and Education Center, a non-profit group that rehabilitates injured wild animals, where they nursed her back to health. She was released a month later in good condition. The Aark has recently moved from Newtown closer to us up on 1531 Upper Stump Road near Tabora Farms. If you find an injured wild animal, don’t hesitate to contact them at : 215. 249.1938 and/or visit their website: http://www.aark.org/www.aark.org/Home.html. There is an excellent article with great pictures about them in the November issue of Bucks County Town and Country Living magazine. I also found a helpful British site for advice on how to care for injured wild animals at http://britishwildlifehelpline.com.