Camera Trapping Massachusetts Turtles

 

Early June is the time Massachusetts turtles leave the safety of a pond or swamp on a quest to locate soft substrate to lay eggs. I coordinated a brief (one week) anecdotal study to document the different turtles that would use this ideal sandy location. When first locating this spot, the sand area (20’x20’) appeared as it had been rototilled. The disturbed sand was a result of predators digging for turtle eggs. What I found interesting is that there was no evidence of broken turtle shells anywhere. Crows/ Ravens were scavenging any eggshells that may have been left behind. The coyote and raccoon probably new of this turtle paradise year after year The young bear most likely just stumbled upon the area with its daily foraging.

Bushnell Aggressor / Browning Special Op

Jim

Turtle Time !

 

With gas prices being a concern, I’m trying to be more mindful about travelling around the state checking trail cameras. I have a couple of options

1. Change the frequency of trail camera checks to every other week This would help offset fuel costs.
2. Find  camera trapping areas closer to home . I did this last weekend and through a bit of effort located a new area.

This new area initially shows some promise. A lengthy beaver dam stretching a long distance through a grassy bog caught my attention. It’s not as remote as I would like, but certainly appears to be an interesting location to set several camera traps. A steep climb up an embankment revealed a small area with sand that showed  evidence of turtles laying eggs. Also, something has been digging and eating the eggs.

Long Shot !,  why not set a few camera traps and try to capture a turtle doing its thing and hopefully  capture a predator  robbing the eggs.

Stay Tuned

Jim