Splash of Colour
One of the first turtles to emerge from hibernation, a red-eared slider lends a much-needed splash of colour to the lagoon, still brown and desolate from the long winter.
Old Man T
A toad relaxes on Third St., completely unperturbed by the various cats circling around it a wary distance.
Bumps on a Log
Painted turtles tie the ducklings with a score of five, in the “we can fit more on a log than you” category.
Arch
One of the first turtles to emerge in 2010, this little fellow basks on a log off of Doughnut Island, the background showing a still-total lack of green in the environment.
Ancient Waiting
Taking a page from the old “Is it live, or is it Memorex?” ads, a large painted turtle leans into the sunset light of a gorgeous August evening.
Up Close and Personal
A tiny painted turtle fills the camera’s entire frame, hovering just inside the minimum focus distance of the lens.
Mirror Image
A painted turtle basking on a log reflects perfectly in the calm waters of Snug harbour.
Gimpy Returns 2008
A three-and-a-half legged turtle first photographed in 2006, surfaces again in 2008 in a different body of water, connected briefly during the high-water mark in spring. In 2006 I wasn’t sure how this fellow would do in our environment, happily it seems to be doing just fine. Tagged as a b-roll shot, focus and lighting […]
Gimpy 2006
A three-legged painted turtle basks on a log in 2006 near Hanlan’s Point. What happened to this fellow’s front-right leg is still a mystery, but subsequent sightings in later years confirm that, despite the missing leg, it’s doing just fine.
Amphibian Information
A red-eared slider turtle basks on a log in Snug Harbour. Sliders are a non-native species, usually introduced to an area by people releasing unwanted pets.
Wet Meadow Action (audio)
[audio:wet_meadow_action.mp3] The ponds behind Ward’s Beach have enough water to actually kayak through the beaver channels. If you haven’t heard our local toadsong recently, it can be a wonderfully alien sound (2.3MB MP3). Note: if the audio player doesn’t appear, click the title (Wet Meadow Action) to view the actual post.
Lazy Reflections
The first painted turtle of 2008 basks on a log in the strengthening sunlight of late March. There’s still ice on the water at this point, and I’m always amazed that they can come out of hibernation at a time when full winter paddling gear is still required. Gloves, pogies, paddling jackets and PFDs are […]
