Turtles in January

[ecampbell]

On that beautiful, warm Thursday I just couldn't sit still so I decided to paddle Oswego Lake. What a great day. I was exploring way in the back shallows when a turtle swam by me about 6 inches under the water. It looked very happy and didn't notice me and was very clean. Later on exploring upstream I noticed a big dinner plate sunning on a log. It was very muddy.
Now I always thought they hibernated in the mud on the bottom and one warm day wouldn't even be noticed, but there they were.
There were fish swirls and bugs also. And yesterday (Friday) I heard peepers.

Ed

 

[woodjin]

Ed, Glad you enjoyed that great weather! Some of us were in Mt. Misery a while back and saw a turtle (painted) in the water in Janurary or Feb I'm not sure. It stuck me as very odd. The fish are active (though sluggish) all winter. and I can see bugs coming out on warm days, but I'm with you on the turtles and frogs, seems odd but I guess a warm day doesn't go unnoticed.

Jeff

 

[dragoncjo]

I think in a winter like this were temperatures have been up and down, turtles aren't going into as much of a deep sleep. Therefore on a nice warm day they will come up for some sun. Seeing turtles sunning themselves on a warm winter day isn't as uncommon as you would think.

 

[daved]

turtles in winter

I have a pond in my back yard with turtles in it. A few years back after a snow storm and a really cold cold snap I was clearing the snow of the ice to melt a hole in the ice so carbon dioxide wouldn't build to much and swimming under the ice was a painted turtle. Many years ago a friend of mine found a painted turtle frozen in the ice of a local pond. He chiped the ice from around the turtle took it home and thawed it out. And yes it did survive! Painted turtles are the only vertabrae more highly evolved than a fish to survive freezing. Also this time of year with these temps can be fatal for turtles it is to warm to hibernate but yet to cold to eat.

 

[NJSnakeMan]

Bobbleton found a painted turtle in Brig, as for me- just bugs and saw my first opposum of the year a few days ago.. yay.

 

[Bobbleton]

Bobbleton found a painted turtle in Brig, as for me- just bugs and saw my first opposum of the year a few days ago.. yay.

Yeah . . . a few years ago i might have thought it weird. But I've noticed herp activity at unusual times alot since i started actually paying attention. I few years back my friend and I were walking on the ice at one of our local cranberry bogs and noticed a painted turtle . . . crusing around under what was probably six inches of ice. And not slow . . . he was moving.

and of course the turtle in brigantine the other day . . .

and peepers . . . i've heard them at all times of the year and times of the day. I've been hearing them for a week or so now (prior the freezing weather of course). I'm coming to learn that this isn't all that unusual.

Oh and there are amphibians that can survive freezing too . . . don't forget our infamous wood frog---also i think northern grays can freeze w/o ill effect also. Nomatter what it makes for some fun to break up the long winter.

-Bob

 

[dragoncjo]

Bob what kind of camera do you have that took those pictures on your website. Primarily the pics of the red tail and the pics of the downy and chickadees.

 

[Bobbleton]

Bob what kind of camera do you have that took those pictures on your website. Primarily the pics of the red tail and the pics of the downy and chickadees.

Its getting easier to tell the difference isn't it?

My new camera is a Canon Powershot S2IS. Hopefully I'll come across enough things to eventually be able to replace everything with crisp pictures from this camera.

-Bob

 

[dragoncjo]

Yeah I have a canon eos rebel, I think I need to buy a different lense to achieve good close ups. Maybe I should have went with the power shot, that zoom is pretty damn good.

 

[NJSnakeMan]

Those are good pictures, i could tell right away. And with the Common Loon too, and Harlequin Ducks.

Are the Harlequins still there? How long do they usually stay, i missed out on my chance to get a glimpse of them a few weeks ago.