We were on the water of the Moira River early this morning (7 AM) having seen that the next few days would bring unsettled weather. It may shock you to hear that we were all alone as all other paddlers were missing the best part of the day.
As we moved toward the mouth of a stream into a maple swamp I noticed a sizeable stick protruding just above the surface of the water so turned slightly to avoid it. Except that it wasn't a stick and it moved toward my kayak. This was the head of snapping turtle and I could see it's shell beneath the surface. They are inclined to be curious and it came quite close before disappearing.
As longer term readers will know, I never waste an opportunity to give a shout-out to turtles and yesterday was World Turtle Day. In Ontario there are eight species of turtle and seven of them are at risk, including snappers. Still, we've seen half a dozen or so snapping turtles so far this season, one Blandings turtle, and a gazillion painted turtles. I'm glad that they seem to flourish in our area.
Part of my appreciation for turtles is connected to the Indigenous notion of the Earth as Turtle Island. And I've commented perhaps too many times on the wonderful turtle-shaped baptismal font in the M'Chigeeng (former West Bay) Roman Catholic Church, on Manitoulin Island.
I've included photos (poor ones) of my turtle shrine at the top of our stairs, along with the A Drifting Moment of Grace print in our dining room. They are actually an homage to the Creator as well as the Creation. I better make our annual donation to the Ontario Turtle Conservation Centre near Peterborough, Ontario. They admitted 2,000 injured turtles to its hospital last year and also cared for 7,000 eggs. https://ontarioturtle.ca/
I keep our collapsible snow shovel in our vehicle until turtles-crossing-the-road season is over. Humans make what are often perilous pilgrimages, so surely we can offer up prayers for turtles.
Oh yes, I proved yesterday that in retirement I rarely know what day it is!
3 comments:
I've got a soft spot for turtles too. The recent tragedy of two women who were killed trying to rescue a turtle on a road brought back memories of my many work trips in the north when I, too, helped turtles. On one occasion, a motorist did not slow down, even though I was on a straight stretch of road with my hazard lights flashing.
There's a video that's gone viral recently of a turtle being released back to the sea after being nursed back to health. There are crowds of people lining the beach cheering it on as it swam away. For me, it feels good to see something like this.
These days, I'm trying to make a concerted effort to focus on these positive things rather than the daily debacle of the orange thing and his inane, absurd speeches.
I thought I was the only one that has a turtle shrine! I have spent time at a turtle sanctuary working years ago on Padre Island. Have hundreds of turtles ( made out of many types of materials) given to me . Turtle Island is a beautiful place to live, as Roger says- ignore the orange thing with his absurd words and focus on the positive- turtles 🐢 are positive 😀
I'm grateful for both your responses and the affirmation that we should all "go green, not orange." It's encouraging that there are like-minded turtle-philes around. A few years ago I wrote about stopping traffic on busy Dundas St. in Belleville and with the help of a guy who looked at though he had just come from the drop-in moved a turtle across the road. He carried said turtle down to the Bay of Quinte, God bless him.
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