As a youngster growing up in New England, my choices for turtle species was minimal. Even still, they were my favorite animal to get outside and look for. Maybe because I could get in my grandparents canoe and go somewhere by myself. Once on the lake I felt a sense of freedom. To this day I make frequent trips to water bodies in Florida to see turtles. And to escape household chores, of course.
On this particular day I had very little planning, but I knew I wanted to go kayaking and photograph map turtles. I left the house well before the crack of dawn and headed for the Florida panhandle for the closest map turtle species; the Barbour's Map Turtle (Graptemys barbouri).
The closest river these turtles reside in is the Ochlockonee River, but at the time I had never been on this river and had no inkling as to where to put the kayak in. How hard could it be? I found a dirt road that looked to dead end to the river via my iPhone map app. This road did, in fact, lead right to the river. Unfortunately, it was a 15 foot sheer drop to the river and I was feeling particularly lazy this day. I set out on foot to see if there was any other way to get down and was able to find what looked like a feeder channel that led to the river. This channel was easier to get to, so I opted for this. I set the kayak in the channel and started paddling in the direction of the river. After a short distance I realized this may be a channel, but the water was low and this was now a small pool. I stumbled, and fell, and swore through three more of these little pools until I finally was able to see the actual river. By this time I was already drenched in sweat and covered in mud and was hoping that the old saying "it can only get better from here" was true.
I paddled up river, reckoning that later I'd be tired and the current could bring me back. The river was winding and had numerous sandbars with log snags everywhere. I could see turtles on many of the snags, but they were extremely skittish and would drop to the water before I could get my camera ready. Not to mention, this was the weekend and there were copious amounts of motorboats zipping past me. That didn't help in keeping the turtles on the logs. I determined my best plan of attack was to pull the kayak onto a sandy shore, pull out my folding chair and sit and wait for turtles to arrive. As I was docking the kayak I saw a Redbelly Watersnake (Nerodia erythrogaster erythrogaster) resting in the water under the shade of a willow. I took advantage of a subject to photograph while waiting.
In-situ Redbelly Watersnake (Nerodia erythrogaster erythrogaster).
A posed shot of the Redbelly Watersnake (Nerodia erythrogaster erythrogaster) along the river.
There were snags and partially submerged fallen trees on the far bank and I just knew eventually there would be a turtle basking on them. And eventually, they did. First came an adult male Suwanee Cooter (Pseudemys concinna suwanniensis) than a few more smaller individuals and a large Yellow-bellied Slider (Trachemys scripta scripta). It took another 10-15 minutes before the first Barbour's Map Turtle climbed out of the water. Soon after a Gulf Coast Spiny Softshell Turtle (Apalone spinifera aspera) climbed out of the water and onto the near-vertical far bank. I thought it was going to sit and take in some UV light, but instead it climbed up the bank to the top. It looked unsettled and started sniffing the sand and circling like a dog at the foot of the bed. It then found a location that looked sufficient and started digging with it's hind legs. I was happy to see her drop about 15 eggs into the cavity.
Suwannee River Cooter (Pseudemys concinna suwanniensis)
Adult male Barbour's Map Turtle (Graptemys barbouri).
Juvenile Barbour's Map Turtle (Graptemys barbouri)
Left: Barbour's Map Turtle (Graptemys barbouri); Middle: Yellow-bellied Slider (Trachemys scripta scripta); Right: Suwannee River Cooter (Pseudemys concinna suwanniensis)
Gulf Coast Spiny Softshell Turtle (Apalone spinifera aspera) egg laying.
The best part about all of this, I could photograph them while sitting in a chair, in the shade on a sandy beach. Which was extra enjoyable since I knew I had to eventually retrace my torturous, if not comical, route into the river.