Twice in the past week I have nearly run over turtles crossing the road. The first was a monstrously large snapping turtle crossing Ballfall Road in Westfield. The nearest bodies of water were two swimming pools, and the street is quite busy, so I drove out to the far western edge of Middletown, hiked down to a large body of water and let him go there.
The second turtle was a gorgeous painted turtle, crossing from a pond to a golf course in Middlefield.
Be careful as you travel the byways and highways, watch out for turtles! If you see one, it is best to help it across the road, even if it is moving away from a pond. Turtles know what they are doing.
5 comments:
Dear Mr. Muscle,
Forgive me if this is a silly questions, but don't snapping turtles...err...snap? Did you take any special precautions in your rescue operation?
-A. Nona Mouse
Mouse, you must certainly be aware of the snap, a turtle of this size could swallow you whole!
At fishmuscle they also do snap. I picked her up carefully from the rear of the shell, her long neck craned and her beak snapped, scaring the flippin' daylights out of fishmuscle. But they cannot reach the tail end of their shells. Once in the car, I wrapped her in a fleece blanket which seemed to calm her down and keep her from crawling over to snap fishmuscle's toes as hors d'oevres.
I'll never forget the day a turtle ran out in front of my car!
And May is the month when Eastern Box Turtles (EBTs) are out and about looking for companions! They are an ancient and gentle creature, and their shell is shaped like an old German helmet, except they have colorful orange, yellow or brown calico markings on the caripace. If you count the rings in one of their plates, you can get an idea of how old the turtle is.
If you find an injured EBT, like one that might be run over by a car or a piece of heavy construction equipment, please try to save them! Dr. Giddings in Kensington will accept injured wildlife over the counter for no charge, or you can reach me through Steve Devoto, and I can get him or her to a wildlife vet for treatment. Cracks in their shells can be repaired! But they must be treated quickly by a professional.
EBTs are also "listed" species, and becoming fewer and fewer in numbers. If you see one, try to mark the time, date, place and take a photograph of the top and bottom of the turtle if you can, and record the sighting using the form at the DEP website. Or if that's too much trouble, contact me through Steve, and I will record the sighting with the DEP for you.
Ya gotta love them turtles!
Cathy Branch Stebbins
RIP: a pretty little paited turtle on long lane. My friend eric noticed it while we were walking home from the farm. We buried it and said a little goodbye in turtle language.
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