northeast-flora-and-fauna

Most of the time I get pictures of turtles who are out basking in the sun, but with a few exceptions (I'm looking at you, Box Turtles ) most of our turtles are more comfortable in the water. This is presumably a safety issue, since they're both more mobile in water and can hide from terrestrial (like these guys ) and aerial (I'm looking at you, Bald Eagles ) threats better. I suppose River Otters are still a threat, though we don't have big populations of them around here. (Given their potential predators, having a shell/carapace is probably a good idea.) Anyway, I got a pretty good look at this Eastern Painted Turtle , mostly submerged but with its head out of the water. The water here wasn't crystal clear, but wasn't inundated with green muck either. September 1, 2022 at Duke Island Park Photo 238907517, (c) jpviolette, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)

This was one of my favorite animals that I spotted this year, a North American River Otter . I believe it was on August 20 that I first glimpsed them at Dukes Brook. Unfortunately I couldn't wait around that day to get a picture because I was scheduled for a volunteer shift as an Outdoor Educator. When the shift was over I went back to the brook but was unable to find them again. (I suspect they had moved someplace quieter.) A few days later I was back and looked for them along Dukes Brook. The 1st 3 spots I checked showed no signs of them, but at my 4th spot along the brook I struck paydirt. At least 2 otters were romping in and out of the water, fitting since a romp is the collective name for a group of otters. River otters will mostly eat aquatic animals, including fish, crustaceans, reptiles, and amphibians. Waterfowl are also taken if they can get close enough. Muskrats are on the menu; reports vary about whether beavers are taken. My guess is that fully grown Common Snappin...