Friday, June 5, 2015

Turtle time at Falling Downs

It looked like the turtles were done. As in done in by the brutal winter we just had.

Global warming be damned, it's getting colder in these parts. Normally we see the turtles climbing out of the marsh and laying their eggs around the middle of May.

This year, there were no turtle sightings around the middle of May. In fact, we're damned near the middle of June before we see any turtles, but at least we're seeing them, finally!

There's gotta be something in turtle genetic code that compels them to walk over at least one road before they can lay their eggs. That's what I saw this morning. On the morning hike with the hounds, I saw a big old moss-back snapper heading back to the swamp on the south side of the road after laying her eggs on the north shoulder.

Meanwhile, another old moss-back is busy laying her eggs on the south shoulder, and as I head home I see her lumbering across the pavement to the creek on the north side of the road. A turtle's date with destiny is not complete until they have crossed a paved roadway.

Not that it matters.

The raccoons will get all those eggs no matter which side of the road the old mama moss-backs bury them on.

That's why we shoot the raccoons.

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