Tagged With: Turtle

Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias)

Photograph taken on Sunday, June 26, 2022 by Henry
Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias)

Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias)

We took another trip to the C&O Canal today after stopping at Mary’s indigo dyeing event today. We parked at the end of Tschiffley Mill Road, on the west bank of Seneca Creek where it empties into the Potomac River. From there we walked a little ways behind the turning basin but decided we’d do better on the tow path. We saw three different types of heron. We saw both immature and adult black-crowned night herons (Nycticorax nycticorax), at least two green herons (Butorides virescens), and at least two great blue herons (Ardea herodias), including this one on a log along with a painted turtle (Chrysemys picta). Once again, this was taken with my new telephoto lens, zoomed out to 600mm (which with an APS-C sensor, makes this the equivalent of a 960mm lens with 35mm film).

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Pseudemys rubriventris​ (Northern Red-bellied Cooter)

Photograph taken on Saturday, October 15, 2022 by Henry
Pseudemys rubriventris​ (Northern Red-bellied Cooter)

Pseudemys rubriventris​ (Northern Red-bellied Cooter)

Cathy and I walked on the canal today, heading northwest (upstream) from Pennyfield Lock, getting near Blockhouse Point. We saw a Great Blue Heron and I got a few photos of that but thought this photo of a northern red-bellied cooter (Pseudemys rubriventris​) deserved to be seen. These are large basking turtles and are fairly common along the canal, along with the smaller eastern painted turtle (Chrysemys picta picta). Often, and especially from a distance, the color pattern on these turtles isn’t easily seen. This one, however, was particularly vivid and with the help of my long lens (zoomed to 531mm, according to the exif data), I was able to get quite close.

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Painted Turtle (Chrysemys picta)

Photograph taken on Saturday, February 11, 2023 by Henry
Painted Turtle (Chrysemys picta)

Painted Turtle (Chrysemys picta)

Cathy and I have walked many stretches of the C&O Canal together. We haven’t been to the stretch above Little Falls together. We both hiked—separately—from Georgetown back in the 1970 but decided to go there today. We saw a few turtles including this painted turtle (Chrysemys picta) and quite a few red-eared sliders (Trachemys scripta elegans). I got one photo of a turtle I don’t recognize. I’m working on identifying that one. I got a few pictures of a Common Merganser (Mergus merganser), also. It was a lovely day and it’s always good to be outdoors.

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Baby Loggerhead Turtle (Caretta caretta)

Photograph taken on Saturday, July 29, 2023 by Henry
Baby Loggerhead Turtle (Caretta caretta)

Baby Loggerhead Turtle (Caretta caretta)

Our family beach week started today. We didn’t have too much trouble in the early part of the drive, although in North Carolina we hit slow traffic a few times. Once was because people were slowing to see damage caused by a tornado less than two weeks ago. The other must have been due to a short traffic light, because once we got past that, we were fine again. Ocean Isle is a barrier island near the southern end of North Carolina’s coast. This year we had a loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta) nest right next to our house’s beach access. Most of the turtles had hatched the day before we arrived but we got to see the stragglers make their way to the water. The sun had set by the time I got this photo, so it’s a little less sharp than I’d like, but you get the idea.

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Northern Red-bellied Cooter (Pseudemys rubriventris​)

Photograph taken on Sunday, October 06, 2024 by Henry
Northern Red-bellied Cooter (Pseudemys rubriventris​)

Northern Red-bellied Cooter (Pseudemys rubriventris​)

Cathy and I walked to Blockhouse Point today and then drove to Pennyfield Lock and walked downstream about a mile. We didn’t see a lot of wildlife but did see a few ducks and turtles, including these northern red-bellied cooters (Pseudemys rubriventris​). From Blockhouse Point we saw a State Police helicopter circling the Potomac River. We learned later that they were looking for some stranded fishermen. Everyone was successfully retrieved, mostly be boat. It’s not the most dangerous part of the river but there are some significant currents if you aren’t careful (and depending on the height of the river).

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