A male painted turtle shows off his claws
This week was all about Painted Turtles! John, the conservation biologist from last week, and I set up Promar traps in ponds to test for any uptake of lead in turtles caused by their use of the varied habitats surrounding the area. This information is valuable to inform environmental efforts at a site where a remediation fix is in the works. While we hoped to get some spotted turtles in these areas, I think the ones we handled last week told their friends to resist the temptation of delicious sardines, because we didn’t see a single one all week.
The painted turtles were super cool though! They had gorgeous colors and were slightly sassier than their spotted friends. John and I agree that, with the mottled red and black design on the bottom of their shell and their freakishly long claws, these turtles are basically a combination of Darth Maul and Wolverine (new character for our turtle screenplay??). These long claws actually serve an important purpose, for male turtles display them during courtship to attract females.
Say cheese! These turtles really know how to work a camera
We work rain or shine, but the rain actually worked in our favor this week, and our traps were VERY successful in catching all sorts of critters! We trapped 24 turtles which is more than the weekly totals of the previous 2 weeks! In addition to turtles, we also trapped some frogs, fish, diving beetles, and somewhere close to a million tadpoles. These friends got to snack on some sardines before being released from the trap every day. We also were accompanied by a very curious ruffed grouse who followed us around the pond, and one day she hung out with us on the shore as we were taking samples!
I think I’m finally getting used to walking in the water with waders…I haven’t dunked them yet (oh gosh did I just jinx myself?) but both John and I took some falls this week as we navigated the uneven floor of these ponds. Even though our waders didn’t fill with water, John’s binder and thermometer weren’t so lucky.
Total Turtle Count = 66
