turtles

Oliver came upon this turtle on his walk to school this morning and he texted me a photo.

Still raining at midday. Heading to the office. Noticed this smaller turtle at the drain in the driveway.

We’ve had nearly two inches of rain in the last 24 hours, according to one site I just checked. I know that it’s been raining all day. My brother down in Wilmington has had much more. He’s safe. We’re dry. I’m hoping to see turtles tomorrow.

Another beautiful fall day. Crows eating the corn that Sid put out for the deer. A hawk watching the crows. The hens frustrated I won’t let them out beacause of the hawk. Raccoon and opossum scat in the driveway again. This male box turtle near the house.

box turtle

Early visit to the Carrboro Farmers Market to get a variety of chiles for my annual late-summer hot sauce canning. Now drinking coffee and watching soccer before heading out for yard work and a search for box turtles (big rains yesterday).

When the rains lessened this morning, I walked down the soggy hill to check on the creek. On the way up I passed this box turtle. She will be eating worms for days to come.

Big rains = turtle sightings. This male Eastern Box Turtle was in the gravel road as I drove the recycling bins to the street. He has been through trauma. Amazing that he survived.

Turtle at eye level

Rainy night. Stepped outside to close the grill (left open by family after hot dogs foe dinner). This box turtle was against the house with an insect in its mouth.

Box turtle eating bug

Checking on the flowerbed and I noticed this tiny (about 7 cm long) box turtle.

Tiny box turtle poking its head out.

And here’s the male Eastern box turtle up close.

male easter box turtle in profile

Walking the hillside below our house, my brain registered another turtle before I consciously saw it. Can you spot it?

Eastern box turtle in the fallen leaves on hillside

Raindrops and Turtles

Another walk in the woods to find box turtles and listen to the birds and cicadas. Transcript

Decided to walk the path along my rock-wall property line. It’s been raining and dripping since last evening. Thirty seconds after thinking ‘the turtles will be out today’ I came across this male box turtle with his head against the rock.

Went for a short walk behind the house and came upon two male Eastern box turtles.

Male box turtle

This male box turtle was not happy at being bumped by the wheel of the lawn mower. He was hissing and moving away but stopped long enough for a photo.

box turtle in grass
box turtle (female)

Big rains and turtles on the hunt.

Box turtle (male)

Erin, Anna, and Malia are in El Pescadero, Mexico visiting relatives. The other day they swam near a whale shark in the Gulf of California. Today they watched baby olive ridley turtles get released to the Pacific Ocean. 🐢

baby leatherback turtle

Out in the woods again this afternoon with the chainsaw at the fallen hickory tree. This turtle crawled out of the way and under a cedar stump. 🐢

box turtle

I haven’t seen many turtles this summer during my walks in our woods. This one turned up near our front door. 🐢

eastern box turtle

Box turtle crossing the driveway last night. 🐢

I get sad to my core when I come across a smashed box turtle on the gravel driveway.

Only found that one turtle on my slow walk through our woods. Now the rain is back so I am on the porch reading Sea of Tranquility: A novel by Emily St. John Mandel 📚

Heavy rainstorm just passed over so I came out to the woods to look for turtles. In five minutes I found the first. 🐢

Finally downloaded the images and videos from the GoPro camera we took to St. Croix in March. Here’s a green sea turtle that was in the shallow water near the Frederiksted pier. #turtle

Snorkeled F’sted pier: blue tang, cuttlefish, green sea turtles, pencil fish. Now at Dorsch Beach. Playing Hapa on the bluetooth speaker, drinking a Leatherback Brewing Island Life lager (in a coozy thats says Pau Hana). Vacation days in the Virgin Islands (echoes of Hawaii).

Back on Sandy Point for the final day of public swim. Turtle nesting season is starting.

Morning trip to Oahu’s Waianae Coast for boat ride: Hawaiian spinner dolphins, humpback whales - we jumped into water to listen to them sing - snorkeling with green sea turtles and coral reef, and the most dramatic of views. Now sitting on Makaha Beach. Great family day.

I’ve worked at Duke University since 2007 (and known the editor longer), but it’s only now in the Winter issue of Duke Magazine that I’ve been able to contribute an article. This one is about sea turtle research in the US Virgin Islands. Read it.🐢