Turtle Journal

Eastern Box Turtle and Diamondback Terrapin

By Tuesday morning, June 4th, all Massachusetts SouthCoast turtles were on the move in nesting sites.  At dawn, we encountered snappers and painted turtles digging near wetlands.  As the sun rose, we found diamondback terrapins at Buzzards Bay nesting sites and Eastern box turtles nesting in the same general location.

Female Eastern Box Turtle on Nesting Run

This lovely lady crawled just upland of the Aucoot Cove barrier beach as she scratched the ground for a suitable nest.  She sported the most dazzlingly bright yellow carapace.

Female Diamondback Terrapin on Nesting Run @ Cove

We spotted female Terrapin #70 scratching the compacted, graveled path at  The (Hammetts) Cove private dock.  The marginals along her entire front quadrant had been broken in an earlier encounter with a vehicle.  During our longitudinal study of terrapins on the SouthCoast, we learned that this pathway had once been a dense nesting area for threatened diamondback terrapins before it was compacted and graveled by The Cove.  Since then, terrapins have largely been unsuccessful in penetrating this hardened surface.  Each year the number of viable nests at the Cove decreases.

Nesting Diamondback Terrapin @ Aucoot Cove

Back at the Aucoot Cove barrier beach for a second morning patrol, the Turtle Journal team discovered a 13-year-old female nesting a few feet upland of the nursery salt marsh.  Terrapin #68 had not been observed previously and was unmarked.

Female Diamondback Terrapin on Nesting Run @ Aucoot

As Terrapin #68 headed back into Buzzards Bay, she paused to survey her barrier beach, hoping that the sign hovering over head truly does mean that this fragile spit will be preserved as a wildlife refuge for this threatened species.

Rufus Shows How to Herd Terrapins

An integral member of the Turtle Journal team, Rufus ensures that turtles are protected while on land and they make it back safely into the bay.  She notes that almost any dog can herd sheep or cattle, but it takes a special canine to herd turtles.

Diamondback Terrapin Nesting Run Tracks

The Turtle Journal team patrolled a SouthCoast Buzzards Bay nesting site early this morning in hope of finding signs that nesting for threatened diamondback terrapins had begun.  Along the full 1/2 mile length of this barrier beach, Sue Wieber Nourse and Don Lewis discovered several fresh terrapin nesting tracks, indicating that the hot weather and pre-dawn high tide had enticed these turtles to kick off the nesting season on June 1st.

Dinosaur-Like Snapper Nests at Sunset

An exquisite evening in SouthCoast wetlands on the last day of May.  Steaming hot with a brilliant sunset.  Bullfrogs bellowing, wood frogs croaking, red-wing blackbirds screeching … and dinosaur-like snappers nesting.

Dinosaur at Sunset in SouthCoast Wetlands

In a calm trance state fueled by oxytocin, this beautiful gal allowed us to lie beside her within inches to photograph her chiseled profile and to document the nesting process.  And, yes; I know.  It’s deuce difficult to distinguish between video and still.  They’re that slow and deliberate.

Snapping Turtle Posed to Deposit Eggs

We remain in awe of the power of these living fossils.  This lass dug through layers of rocky gravel to create her nest, using her tail to anchor her body.

Gorgeous Nesting Female Snapper

Some say a face that only a mother could love.  Heck no.  This lovely lass is a mother herself, and any self-respecting dinosaur would find her perfectly appealing. 

Painted Turtle Nests at Sunset

As the Turtle Journal team explored a sunset bathed wetlands off Sippican Harbor on the Massachusetts SouthCoast, we spotted this small painted turtle, completing her nest.  Facing directly into the setting sun, she slowly carved the egg chamber, deposited her eggs and carefully covered the nest.

Painted Turtle Nest Covered

Except for discoloration caused by mixing moist bottom soil with dry top sand, the nest completely disappears.  Somehow she even managed to place a piece of plastic debris over the egg chamber.  This color change, of course, fades in a short while, making the nest invisible to mere mortals.

Five Pink and Perfect Painted Turtle Eggs

Excavating the nest, we quickly discovered the “sweet spot,” the entry hole for the egg chamber, and harvested five perfect pink eggs for protection.

Eastern Box Turtle Peeks through Mostly Closed Shell

Joining snappers and painteds and spotteds, Eastern box turtles are now nesting on the Massachusetts SouthCoast.  This gorgeous lady, in her peek-a-boo pose, comes from Hammetts Cove in East Marion.

Female Eastern Box Turtle #66

Hammetts Cove hosts a terrapin nesting site where we have usually found the first Sippican Harbor nester each year.  When we begin checking for terrapin nesters, we often encounter box turtles on nesting runs a day or two before the terrapins arrive.

Eastern Box Turtle in Marion’s Hammetts Cove

When Sue Wieber Nourse and Rufus investigated the Hammetts Cove site this morning, they discovered an ancient female box turtle crawling through the area after completing her nest.  As you can see in the photograph above, despite their gaudy colors, box turtles blend perfectly into their surroundings, making them extremely difficult to detect.

Female Eastern Box Turtle #66

This morning proved our first encounter with this ancient female.  We marked her #66 and recorded morphological and scientific data to track her into the future.

Eastern Box Turtle #66 after Nesting

Female Eastern Box Turtle #66 measured 14.6 centimeters straight-line carapace length, and she weighed 566 grams after nesting.