Snapping Turtles on the Move
This morning I encountered five different snapping turtles along the mile and a half stretch of road that I walk. My first encounter was on the return leg of the out and back loop. I did not see this turtle or the damaged nest on the out leg of my loop. The turtle was surrounded by a destroyed nest with several of its eggs pierced open. Did this turtle accidentally damage another nest while digging her own? Or was this the sight of a grieving mother, having discovered that a predator had damaged her nest?
Moving ahead, I found the second turtle around the bend in some grass. There were no obvious signs of disturbed soil around the turtle. This one appeared to be on the move, looking for that perfect spot.
Continuing on, I spotted the third turtle on the side of the road near a large pond. This turtle had clearly dug a new nest hole in the roadside dirt. The turtle was straining somewhat as it laid a new clutch of eggs. I noticed that the turtle’s left eye was missing. I wondered if it had been born with only one eye, or what may have damaged its eye.
Near the end of my walk, I found turtles four and five on the side of a dirt banking across the street from the Keene Airport parking lot. The first of these turtles had already dug into the banking and had a good covering of dirt on her head. The second more adventurous turtle headed for the top of the banking to discover what lies beyond.
Was this a male/female parting ways while the female laid her clutch of eggs? Was this two females laying their eggs? After pondering these new questions, I crossed the road to my parked car and ended my outing.