Friday, September 12, 2008
This Common Snapping Turtle is taking a peek at me as I drift past him on the Lower Carmans River. This river – the lower half – is just fantastic for reflections. The water is generally calm and peaceful and makes for a great mirror as long as the wind doesn’t mar the surface. JK
Sunday, May 18, 2008
An eye very much like like this one saw dinosaurs. I went out for about four plus hours this morning. I found this Common Snapping Turtle just south of Terrapin Station. He and four others were pulled up along the bank. Everyone but this guy made for the river as soon as they saw me. At first this one was oblivious to my presence. He was out cold. I was even beginning to think he might be dead. And then, when he finally did raise his head to look me over, he didn’t care. I was three feet away and he just lay there eyeing me. I’m pretty sure that he is fairly old because of how smooth his shell was. Snappers are born with very keeled (jagged) shells that grow smoother as they age. Handsome brute, ain’t he? JK
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
Monday, April 14, 2008
I hit the river again yesterday morning. Launched at 7AM and got out at 10:30 to beat the afternoon storms. I had a nice, sunny, morning heading out but I caught some wind and chop coming back. Nothing terrible, just enough to make it fun. Missed a chance at three pairs of Mergansers on the way home. My camera was stowed away due to the waves so I just slowed down and enjoyed the sight
I wanted to go into Sunken Meadow Park since the tide was high and that’s the best time to enter the inlet there. The entrance to the park is right at the mouth of the river and when the tide is near low the current will push you around pretty good. Sometimes I think it’s easier to get in and out of the river than it is to get into Sunken Meadow. So, to get back to my story, the dredge – the river (or parts of it) is being dredged – and it’s accompanying boats were parked just inside the mouth of the river and I didn’t want to navigate past them, especially since I knew bad weather was coming and the return trip might be less than fun. Call me a coward. I’m comfortable with that.
So, instead, I decided to head upriver to Terrapin Station to see if I could find some turtles. Terrapin Station is not just a good Grateful Dead album it’s also a moniker of mine for a set of small islands are about halfway up the river that is usually good for a Diamondback Terrapin sighting or two. Alas, there were no terrapins waiting for me, so went a bit further. While exploring a narrow channel off the main part of the river I came across a Snapping Turtle. He headed for the mud as soon as he saw me, but it was cool seeing him anyway. I like those big ugly guys.
That was the good news. Heading back towards Terrapin Station, and feeling lucky, I startled a turtle sunning himself. I only heard the splash but I caught sight of him before he got too deep and I’m 90% certain that he had yellow striping down his legs. And that’s the bad news because that yellow striping probably makes him a Red-Eared Slider, a common but non-native species to Long Island waters. I didn’t see the red ear but but the striping is enough to make me think the worst. In the three years that I’ve been kayaking on the Nissequogue River, this is the first time I’ve seen a turtle that wasn’t a diamondback or a snapper. Unfortunately, you can find them all over in the Carman’s and Peconic Rivers. Other places, too.
Red-Eared Sliders are usually those cute little green turtles that are commonly, if illegally, sold in pet stores. When they grow up, and they do grow, they’re often released in waters where they don’t belong. Like here.
Here’s a pic a took of some cormorants sunning themselves. It’s just an okay photo but I want to cheer this post up some. JK
