What a turtle-y awesome day!
A neighbour I don’t know well came by our place this morning for help with a couple of snappers. Apparently she’d noticed our “watch for turtles” sign and our bumper stickers. (It pays to advertise.)
She had one turtle in her pool, and another on her driveway that she thought was about to cross the road. It turns out the crossing turtle was actually laying eggs! Yaaaas!! Later on she had *another* snapper lay eggs elsewhere on her driveway. Word of a good neighborhood spreads quickly…
The pool turtle was a little tricky, but nothing that couldn’t be solved by a willingness to go swimming in your jeans with a pool skimmer… I went on a brief wild turtle chase to the deep end, but in the end I convinced it to get out. (…By lifting it out.)
By wonderful coincidence, we already had an appointment in Peterborough today, so we swung by the magnificent Ontario Turtle Conservation Centre and picked up a couple of nest protectors. Which are now installed over both nests, keeping the eggs safe from diggy little raccoon paws (and mouths).
The neighbours’ kids were amazing of course. Kids just get it. Adults often need help remembering. But kids are like “TURTLES!!” And I’m like “YES!! TURTLES!” Because that is *always* the appropriate reaction to turtles.
Have a wonderful week folks! May we all be lucky enough to see and help many turtles this month. Go team turtle!
~Kate