Daily Archives: May 9, 2008

Common Terns

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Friday, May 9, 2008

It’s a dark and rainy day out there today so I’ll do another post. These Common Terns were enjoying the sun on a floating dock off San Remo. In a few weeks the tops of their heads will become all black as they slip into their breeding attire. They look cool either way. I love to watch these acrobatic birds. I’ve seen them share (maybe steal) food in midair and later in the season I’ll get to watch them bring whole fish to their older chicks. At the end of last July I was lucky enough to get several shots of them doing just that. JK

Correction: These birds are not Common Terns. They are Least Terns. Go here for the whole sordid story. I apologize for any inconvenience my incompetence may have caused. JK

Big Snapper

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Friday, May 9, 2008

This is the big Common Snapping Turtle that I mentioned in my last post. Ordinarily, I would not post a shot that includes trash but in this case the discarded wood helps to show just how big this guy (or gal) is. That’s a 1×4 piece of milled lumber next to our friend. Turtles are measured by their shells, the head and tail are not included. I estimate this guy’s shell at about 16 inches. According to my Peterson’s Reptiles and Amphibians Field Guide the average size for snappers is 8 to 14 inches, with the record coming in at just under 20 inches so this is one good sized snapping turtle. JK