Northern Red Bellied Cooter

 

Today I "chased" a turtle species. When a rare bird is reported, listers and birders go to see that species. Today I did the same for a turtle, though it wasn't "reported" I researched them.

   When I went to North Carolina, Laurie and I stopped at the Yorktown Battlefield. As we drove around the battlefield we came upon this swampy weedy pond. We pulled over and explored it. There were some turtles on a log on the other side of the pond. I wasn't really sure what they were but got some photos. Even after I got home and put the photos on my computer I wasn't positive of the ID. 

   So I joined a Reptile ID page on Facebook. After posting the photos, within minutes someone said they were Northern Red Bellied Cooters. This excited me because they were the first I had seen. Reading up on them a few weeks later I found out there is a small population in Massachusetts. It turns out that Plymouth County has Red Bellied Cooters. Interestingly, there isn't another population for two hundred miles. The next closest ones are in New Jersey. The ones that live in MA are not invasive. In fact, they are an endangered species and protected by law. 

   There is a national wildlife refuge in Plymouth specifically to protect Red Bellied Cooters. Unfortunately, it is off limits to the public. I looked at a map and noticed multiple ponds just outside of the refuge. Today, Laurie and I went "a turtle huntin'" (hopefully you read that in an Elmer Fudd voice).

  We did not have any luck at the ponds by the refuge because there wasn't any public access at any of them. However, we did find some turtles at a publicly accessible pond on state land. We ended up seeing five Northern Red Bellied Sliders. One was basking on a log while the other four were swimming. 

   

None of my photos came out very well. The one on a log was surrounded by sticks and branches. The ones in the water reflected back with a glare. Still, mission accomplished. I got to see an endangered turtle that most Massachusetts residents have never heard of and even fewer ever see.