Some of you know that when I sit at the little desk in the kitchen I have a view of the creek. There is always something going on in the creek this time of year. Little fish, bigger fish, Great Blue Heron, Snowy Egret, Osprey and a host of other characters are all in action. Last night I had the best view of a very reclusive creature. A HUGE Snapping Turtle!Charlie and I ran out to get a better look, me without my camera. Upon his insistence I hustled back in to get the camera...thinking 'by the time I get back that turtle will be under the mud'.
Tide was low and on its way out so unless this turtle decided to hide in the mud we were going to have a great view of its trek down the creek.
See him look at me??? Whoaaa
I kept snapping pictures as he (she?) slowly worked its way through the remaining water. Here he is really struggling to make headway.
Once it was clear we were there, he started pulling his head in and dove into the muddy bottom. He waited until we went in and then under the cover of the mud, continued to work his way along.
Guess I should say its shell was close to 2 feet long, though I have no photo that contains a point of reference.
I have updated my tab 'About the Queen'.
words and photos by Janet,The Queen of Seaford.
So cool! Such a prehistoric creature and how nice you got some shots.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great thing to be able to do...sit and look out at a creek and see creatures like that!! Thanks for sharing..that's great! That one was really hugh!! Lots of love, Debbie and Holly
ReplyDeleteHuge, creepy, and cool!!
ReplyDeleteVery cool! And LARGE!
ReplyDeleteGreat shots.
Why do I have the line "Mr. TurTELL is down at the well" stuck in my head now? :)
Neat! What a great sighting and extra nice that he "stuck" around long enough for you to get some good photos for us. A 2' long shell is one BIG snapper!
ReplyDeleteWhat a big boy! I've never seen a turtle that large. Great capture.
ReplyDeleteWhat great pictures! It does look like a big one. It must be a lot of fun looking out and seeing what wildlife is visiting.
ReplyDeleteDear Janet, you were so lucky to take those great pictures! I can imagine the adrenalin rising when you hurry inside to get the camera - and then: luck, the enormous turtle is still there! Wonderful AND exciting - a real treat! (In Hamburg you have to go to the zoo to see a turtle at Hagenbek). Thanks for sharing! Britta
ReplyDeleteThats a big turtle !!!
ReplyDeleteWizz :-)
Cool shots, glad you were able to get your camera in time to capture him. :)
ReplyDeleteyikes! he looks like a crazy old man... you must be fast on your feet to get those shots! You're so lucky to have such wildlife just outside your window!
ReplyDeleteThat is such great picture work Janet. They must dig down fast in the mud. Make some good soup. Maybe. I remember eating some turtle meat when small but I cannot remember now what it tasted like. I use to be scared when I was swimming in the creeks I would step on one. LOL! They use to tell stories of them biting and not letting go until the sun went down. Fact or fiction? I don't know. ;-)
ReplyDeleteNow that is something! A 2-foot shell length suggests a very old turtle...I wonder how old it is! Good thing you don't have a tiny little dog playing out in your backyard;-) Or worse, a child! It looks like it could snap something small like that right up...eek! Really great photos. I showed them to Mike and Michael and they both "ooh'd and awe'd"!!
ReplyDeleteThat's a big one!
ReplyDeleteWe once saw some folks (who had never encountered a snapper) stop to move one out of the road. My husband slammed on brakes and told them not to pick up that turtle! Ouch! When I was growing up, I'd go fishing with my father. Snappers would sometimes cut the bait and hook right off the line.
They don't mind fresh water either. Maybe you could catch him or her, put it in a box and take it to the lake.
ReplyDeleteDo you think maybe she was laying eggs? This is a pretty remarkable sighting, Janet. Lucky gal. Now keep that camera at the ready. LOL
ReplyDeleteThat's a biggun', Janet! Romie and I were coming home from church a couple of weeks ago and a big snapper was at the edge of the road, so we stopped. Romie picked it up and took it down into the ditch. It tried to bite him, but couldn;t turn his head back far enough. They have big mouths!
ReplyDeleteWow. That's amazing! So exciting to have access to such wildlife all the time. I don't know how you get anything else done, I'd be glued to the windows 24/7.
ReplyDeleteVery awesome! I like all these close-ups. Better than Nat geo anyday.
ReplyDeleteSounds bigger than the turtle that I see heading to the neighbor's pond most springs. Of course I can't be sure it's the same turtle, it could be one of two. One is a female for sure, because she laid eggs in the back of the garden one year. I'd guess that she has a 16" shell. She always stops when I approach her, and doesn't move on until I leave. It's a little eerie. Needless to say I don't get too close.
ReplyDeleteHope you didn't get too close to him! They are such prehistoric-looking creatures.
ReplyDeleteJust read your update about "the Queen." I love your husband's sense of humor:) I hope the moving plans are going well.
At first I thought it was an alligator! What a huge, huge, turtle.
ReplyDeleteVery nice!
What a look you got! There's a great snapping turtle episode in Lillian Hellman's "Pentimento"--you might like it.
ReplyDeleteWhoa, what a huge snapping turtle, and how fortunate you were to see one for so long!
ReplyDeletehi folks!! Thanks for visiting, I am goofing off-- should be getting the house prepped for another showing.. oh well.
ReplyDeletetina, I was really happy with the pictures I got.
Debbie, it is amazing to see what lives in this creek..big and small.
Ginger, yes!
K- I had the same thought! Mr. Rabbit.....
Kathleen, it is one big snapper for sure. They don't usually hang around above the mud if we are there.
Nancy, thanks.
Catherine, I really enjoy the wildlife.
Britta, I could tell you stories about the decadent sightings at the Berlin zoo. What a hoot!
Wizz- indeed!
Racquel, I am glad too.
Chick- fast or lucky? hmmm??
Lona, I wouldn't want this guy to bite me whether he hung on till sundown or not...that would hurt!
Jan, pretty incredible for my little creek!
Cameron, I agree!
Les, you can catch him then we will talk!
Grace, not sure about the eggs-- but have had the "mommy what are those turtles doing?"
Kylee, I don't think I would want to pick one of these babies up!!
Mega, I am watching a lot!
Rosey, thanks! Nat Geo. :-)
Sweetbay, they sure are cool to see!
Rose, no we didn't get too close!
My husband does have a good sense of humor.
K & V, kind of looks like he is related to the alligators!
Charlotte, will check it out!
Phillip, I know!
Lisa, it was great to see him!