is easily recogized from repeated sightings.
chewing their cud in the shade at the mouth of a side-creek canyon.
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Out In The Noon Day Sun 6 August 2019 |
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| Beatiful day to visit the lake. | ||
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| Path through the forest very quiet. Not a lot of seasonal color. | ||
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| Saw a few clumps of "Farewell to Spring" Clarkia. How appropriate! | ||
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| Found evidence of a Stellers Jay kill, probably by a Cooper Hawk. | ||
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| Going my way? | ||
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| Found a spot to settle in the shade of a towering oak. | ||
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| Handful of dragonfly species were active along the shore. | ||
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| And damselflies were busy depositing their eggs. | ||
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| Active too were some of the lake's pond turtles. | ||
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| Pond turtles have excellent eye sight above and below the water line. | ||
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| Rising to the surface to breathe, any disturbance will cause them to instantly submerge again. | ||
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| They can be surprisingly tolerant if they feel safe. | ||
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| While foraging underwater for food, pond turtles can stay submerged for 10 minutes or more. | ||
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| Hmmm, what's wrong with its right foot? | ||
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| The lake's shallows are sometimes cloudy with drifting debris due to cattle wading in to drink. | ||
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| Wonder what the floating green vegetation is? | ||
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| None of the lake's turtles are tagged, making individual identification nearly impossible. | ||
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| However, a damaged shell, or in this case, a missing foot is easily recogized from repeated sightings. |
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| "Stumpy" has put in an appearance for at least five years. | ||
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| But this visit, sighted another turtle with a missing foot. | ||
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| A missing front foot doesn't seem to impede these turtles ability to swim or forage for food. | ||
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| Another oddity, was what appeared to be a turtle with a fungal skin condition. | ||
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| Turtles with this skin condition have been seen/photographed at the lake before. | ||
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| In recognizing individual turtles, perhaps face markings can provide a clue. | ||
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| Or maybe the pattern has more to do with the age of the turtle rather than the individual. | ||
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| Throat markings, shape of snout is a way to distinguish males from females. | ||
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| "Stumpy" takes a closer look at me. | ||
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| What a sweet little face! | ||
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| Saw no turtles hauled out in the usual basking sites on the opposite shores. | ||
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| Foreground churned up by cattle. On hot days they enjoy settling down, chewing their cud in the shade at the mouth of a side-creek canyon. |
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| What an enchanting place to spend an afternoon. | ||
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| Set aside for the public. Protected from development. A haven for wildlife. | ||
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