Annual Turtle Migration

Last night we went to Bingham for supper on our way home we spotted a snapping turtle in the road.Stopping the car in the middle of the road and putting the four ways on I got out and persuaded the turtle to return to the stream.Mean while the other half is telling me I'm crazy and that we'll probaly be run over by a log truck.Another car came along and after giving me the thumbs up gaurded the other direction until the turtle was safly back in the water.This is the second snapper that I've seen in the last couple of days,which means its that time of the year to lay their eggs.I wonder where they laid them before there was hi-ways???

So I guest the moral of the story is in your travels watch out for these awesome creatures.As we all know they don't move to fast.:)

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Originally Posted by vicbiker

Last night we went to Bingham for supper on our way home we spotted a snapping turtle in the road.Stopping the car in the middle of the road and putting the four ways on I got out and persuaded the turtle to return to the stream.Mean while the other half is telling me I'm crazy and that we'll probaly be run over by a log truck.Another car came along and after giving me the thumbs up gaurded the other direction until the turtle was safly back in the water.This is the second snapper that I've seen in the last couple of days,which means its that time of the year to lay their eggs.I wonder where they laid them before there was hi-ways???

So I guest the moral of the story is in your travels watch out for these awesome creatures.As we all know they don't move to fast.:)

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They dont move fast until you go to pick them up to move them and that head comes whipping around. Becareful moving them and remember they may look like they are just sitting there but I left a snapper on the side of the road today as it was laying eggs. It was a back road so I dont think it mattered but I also moved a painted turlte of the Bradely road today only I got weird looks. Thanks for the heads up.:)

Our neighbor found a little painted turtle in the road as Donna and I were going for a walk the other day. He was no bigger than a geocoin! He was the cutest little thing I have ever seen!! Just like a regular adult turtle but all shrunk down. We put him down by the lake and he was gone when we came back 15 minutes later. I always stop to help turtles across the road, they are just too cute! :D

Seems to be lots of turtles around this year as opposed to past years. We've relocated 5 painted and one small snapping turtle. I have seen numerous turtle road fatalities and that real irks me, these creatures aren't exactly running out in front of cars as mentioned earlier so they must be targets for those less caring. I understand accidents happen but lets face it, they are not hard to avoid.

We (wife, kids and myself) always help them cross the road or move them to quiet little ponds. Hopefully, and it does sound like the case here, many other folks help them out too. Remember, turtles are known to carry botulism, Soap and Water is very effective in removing that bad as well as baby wipes.

Long live the reptiles!!!!! LOL

If you are going to Nature Walk cache in Orrington and approach the Fields Pond Nature Center via Fields Pond Rd/Brewer Lake Rd in Orrington watch carefully beyond the power lines and in the area the road runs through a swamp - turtles abound on the edge of the road in that area this time of year. Awesome creatures!

I helped a young snapper cross the road about two weeks ago and spotted a painted turtle already across the road just a day or two back -- and I'm with TRF, I can never figure out how or why so many turtles are squashed in the road since they're not darting out in front of you, don't cross at night (at least I don't remember ever seeing any cross at night) and it is pretty easy to avoid them.

When I recently did the Rest at Peace 2 cache there were three or four turtles sunning themselves on a piece of wood jutting out in the little pond leading up to the cemetery . . . unfortunately I didn't get a picture.

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Originally Posted by firefighterjake

When I recently did the Rest at Peace 2 cache there were three or four turtles sunning themselves on a piece of wood jutting out in the little pond leading up to the cemetery . . . unfortunately I didn't get a picture.

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I think I saw the exact same 3 or 4 turtles,,,LOL...

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Originally Posted by Trezurs*-R-*Fun

I think I saw the exact same 3 or 4 turtles,,,LOL...

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You probably did since I was dogging you on more than one cache that day . . . and as usual I was behind you getting the STF. :D

We ALWAYS stop to help turtles across the road. :D

But we never did get to log the locationless cache about helping turtles. :(

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Originally Posted by dave1976

They dont move fast until you go to pick them up to move them and that head comes whipping around. Becareful moving them and remember they may look like they are just sitting there but I left a snapper on the side of the road today as it was laying eggs. It was a back road so I dont think it mattered but I also moved a painted turlte of the Bradely road today only I got weird looks. Thanks for the heads up.:)

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Been there done that!!! YIKES!!! :eek: Geesh, just trying to help the turtles, they don't need to be so darn mean.

AND why do people run them over??? Poor things.

Is there a joke out there "Why did the turtle cross the road......?"

Team Teebow 2 (Cheryl)

Great job on all the turtle stories.I think you are all on the right track when you say turtles don't jump in front of a vehicle.People run over turtles on purpose,for what reason I couldn't tell you.

When I was in high school four of us friends were riding around on back roads.Just doing what kids do.One of the guys saids stop,he then jumps out of the car with his rifle.With out warning he fires at a turtle sitting on a log and kills it.I asked him why did you do that,he saids why not,whats the big deal.That same friend went on to kill his x-girlfriends new boyfriend,just one small step from turtles to people!!!

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Originally Posted by dave1976

I also moved a painted turlte of the Bradely road today only I got weird looks. :)

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I'm not sure I see how these two things are related. Are you sure the weird looks had anything to do with moving the turtle ;)

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Originally Posted by Trezurs*-R-*Fun

....
We (wife, kids and myself) always help them cross the road or move them to quiet little ponds. Hopefully, and it does sound like the case here, many other folks help them out too. Remember, turtles are known to carry botulism, Soap and Water is very effective in removing that bad as well as baby wipes.

Long live the reptiles!!!!! LOL

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If you leave turtle soup out too long you may get botulism :p
Lick your fingers after picking up a live one and you may get Salmonella ;)


Moxie and I saw a turtle today on a walk. We also saw a snake skin that was about 2 feet long !! :eek: I am glad we saw the turtle and not the snake :D

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Originally Posted by team moxiepup

If you leave turtle soup out too long you may get botulism :p
Lick your fingers after picking up a live one and you may get Salmonella ;)


Moxie and I saw a turtle today on a walk. We also saw a snake skin that was about 2 feet long !! :eek: I am glad we saw the turtle and not the snake :D

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Whew!! Thats much better. At least I don't have to wash my hands now!!!:D

Its the baked potato we have to watch out for:
BOTULISM


Botulism is a rare but serious illness caused by the toxin produced by Clostridium botulinum bacteria. This toxin affects the nerves and if untreated, can cause paralysis and respiratory failure. Each year, U.S. health care providers report an average of 110 cases of food, infant, and wound botulism to CDC. About 10 to 30 outbreaks of foodborne botulism are reported every year. Although this illness does not occur frequently, it can be fatal if not treated quickly and properly.
Transmission Often, cases of foodborne botulism come from home-canned foods with low acid content, such as asparagus, green beans, beets, and corn. C. botulinum is anaerobic, which means it can survive and grow with little or no oxygen. Therefore, it can survive very well in sealed containers. Outbreaks of the infection, however, are often from more unusual sources such as chili peppers, tomatoes, and improperly handled baked potatoes wrapped in aluminum foil.


Thanks for clearing that up...LOL

Had to go back in time to find this thread....but it's that time of year again....and unfortunately today I came across a large snapper that had been run over by a car. Hate to see this....turtles are special creatures....although maybe not the brightest of all reptiles. So just a heads up....watch out for turtles laying their eggs on the side of the road.

If you are traveling between the Togus Ponds on Route 105, watch out for snappers. One got hit today. I always put a warning out on the teacher's e-mails. One snapper was laying her eggs on the side of the road this morning. What are the chances of those eggs surviving? Does anyone ever mark the nesting sites so that cars don't park in those areas? I carry a blanket in my car, but have only moved one turtle. Those big ones scare me. There was an article in the paper last year about how to help these turtles cross the road. I can't seem to find it. I'll post it when I come across it.

I'm still scared.

http://torsrants.blogspot.com/2006/0...-in-maine.html

i saw quite a few turtles taking the highway today coming back from baileyville, saw a few really big ones too.

When my pond finally thawed out this spring after 100 feet of snow, I found our turtle dead. He looked fine but wasn't alive. Do you suppose he woke up and then drowned because the pond was still iced over? I felt pretty bad for him.

I'm not sure why the turtle died like that...:confused:
Some asked when the thread started why they lay eggs in roads...obviously we've deduced they like the sandy edges, in fact, turtles used to lay eggs on sandy soil beaches, which now have camps or second homes over them. Turtles can get accustomed to the traffic, but they don't like people, so they're more likely to lay on a road side than at your dock side.
Thanks everyone for doing your part to help the little guys out in finding more suitable places for their babies to be born! :cool:

So, have we figured out the age old question yet?

Why did the turtle cross the road?
























Opps, wrong critter!

We were hiking at Dodge Point in Newcastle, there were 8 turtles sunning themselves on logs in the little ice pond. I couldn't believe how many.

I was traveling down the 191 to Machias today and had to direct traffic around a snapping:eek: Turtle.

I saw this thread yesterday and this morning a huge snapping turtle came out of Three Mile Pond where I live and was headed across my lawn when I let the dogs out at around 5:00 AM. Nick the older of the two and a heck of lot smarter stood back from a distance and just barked. Bo, the reckless-go-after-porcupines youngster had never seen one of these and woke up the whole lake with his howling. This turtle has a head about 7 inches in diameter and makes a nasty sounding hissing noise. I took a large snow shovel and tried to get her/him on it without success. In fact it grabbed the handle of the shovel and wouldn't let go so I managed to drag it back to the lake. This turtle has to weigh 80 pounds or more! If it comes out again I'll take pictures. anyone want to come by for a swim? Yikes! I think they come out in force during the summer equinox (June 21st) It's a shame drivers are so inattentive they run over them. If anybody hit the turtle I just observed they would damage their car!:)

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Originally Posted by dubord207

I saw this thread yesterday and this morning a huge snapping turtle came out of Three Mile Pond where I live and was headed across my lawn when I let the dogs out at around 5:00 AM. Nick the older of the two and a heck of lot smarter stood back from a distance and just barked. Bo, the reckless-go-after-porcupines youngster had never seen one of these and woke up the whole lake with his howling. This turtle has a head about 7 inches in diameter and makes a nasty sounding hissing noise. I took a large snow shovel and tried to get her/him on it without success. In fact it grabbed the handle of the shovel and wouldn't let go so I managed to drag it back to the lake. This turtle has to weigh 80 pounds or more! If it comes out again I'll take pictures. anyone want to come by for a swim? Yikes! I think they come out in force during the summer equinox (June 21st) It's a shame drivers are so inattentive they run over them. If anybody hit the turtle I just observed they would damage their car!:)

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A turtle of that size would have made a great soup. Sorry I couldnt resist.

On another note.....

How do you expect us to pay attention to the road while geocaching, with all the gps, laptop, palmpilot, phone a friend going on its a wonder that cachers are the worst drivers ever. LOL:D

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Originally Posted by dave1976

A turtle of that size would have made a great soup. Sorry I couldnt resist.

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Yes!

and then afterwards you can line the shell with tin foil and wear it as a helmet to protect yourself from those alien signals!!! :eek::cool::p

Coming up rt.15 from Guildford this afternoon a sun turtle was crossing the road at there usually speed of a mile a week. Traffic was real heavy and I was afraid the turtle wouldn't make it, so I turn the truck around and headed back. My neighbor from up the road was already turning his car around and was the first on the scene. I blocked traffic with the pickup while he grabbed the turtle and carried it to safety. Nice to see a lot of us care.

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Originally Posted by vicbiker

Coming up rt.15 from Guildford this afternoon a sun turtle was crossing the road at there usually speed of a mile a week. Traffic was real heavy and I was afraid the turtle wouldn't make it, so I turn the truck around and headed back. My neighbor from up the road was already turning his car around and was the first on the scene. I blocked traffic with the pickup while he grabbed the turtle and carried it to safety. Nice to see a lot of us care.

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We've got a local turtle crossing, apparently instead of swimming under the bridge, the turtles(Sun and snapping turtles) like to portage over the road. So far we've moved 8 big sunnies, soon the little hatchlings will be found and we pick those up in great numbers and place them in various ponds in the area. My daughters get a great sense of accomplishment helping the turtles and the wife and I feel that we are passing along some great values to the kids by respecting wildlife and helping when we can...:D

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Originally Posted by dave1976

They dont move fast until you go to pick them up to move them and that head comes whipping around. .:)

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Yep, that is for sure! I tried moving a BIG one out of the road years agao and WOW, they can move that head and neck at lightening speed. Next time I will just try to use a stick or something to get them to the side.

People are so mean. Just slow down if you know there might be turtles in the area. We live near a swamp and we saw a big snapper on the side, most likely laying eggs.

My daughter wants to make turle crossing signs. I wonder how long those would last with the teens around here?

Saw a large female snapper laying eggs on the shoulder of the Barrows Falls rd. on my way home today. It is surely the season for laying there eggs. This reminded me of a story.

When I first moved to Abbot in the eighties, there was a man named John Rogers. He was known as the turtle trapper. Every summer John would show up here from his home in upstate N.Y. He owned a small camp on Davis Stream in Willimatic. Maybe some of you knew him. Each summer he would travel to all the lakes, rivers, swamps and any other place turtles reside all over this State. He would catch snapping turtles and load them into a large wooden box built on the back of his pickup truck. Then he would haul them to Iowa, Nebraska, and other Midwestern states, where he sold them to ( I believe Polish people ) for food. They considered Turtle meat a delicacy. This he did for quite a few years, but each year the market dwindled more and more, until one year it wasn't profitable any more. I believe this was due to the fact that the younger generation wasn't into eating turtles as their elders were. I have seen him leave the Abbot area with a half to three quarters of a ton of turtles at a time on his truck, only to return in a few weeks and do it all over again. Imagine the hurt this must of put on the turtle population?

Besides catching turtles, John was a fur trapper, bait fisherman, crayfish farmer, and any other thing he could do to earn a living from Mother Nature. I thought at the time he represented everything I wished to be. A true Grizzly Adams, living off the land ( cause John came from a wealthy family, had an allowance and didn't need to work ). This made this type of live style much easier, then actually making a living from these endeavors.

WOW !! How the years have changed my outlook on life. The Dali Lama has said that we will keep doing it (meaning life I assume ) over and over until one day we get it right. I think I'm getting closer all the time.

My daughter and I went for a walk last night. Our mission was to see a turtle and we were successful. There on the side of the road was a snapper, not too big. She took a picture of it and then got a stick to try to get him more off the road. He didn't like that and decided to slide down the bank to the water. We burst out laughing because that snapper just took right off down the bank. Kind of like a slip-n-slide. PLOP!!! Into the water he went. What we can't figure out is how on earth did he get UP the bank???

Why did the turtle cross the road?
To get to the Shell Station.


:D:D:D

I saw this topic mentioned in the newsletter and thought I would contribute a link to a relevant log: http://www.geocaching.com/seek/log.a...b-fbe2bb3a0dc8