The above was filmed last night at the beaver dam. A turtle was cautiously watching ‘the gap’ and seemed to want to go over so I started filming. Half way through the turtle appears to change its mind and come back, then started this weird back-and-forth rubbing on the surface. The way the legs are moving i wondered if (she) was digging a hole and laying eggs? Now i wonder if (he) is more likely marking his territory and telling no other turtles to cross here. It is a pretty smart investment of turtle resources, since nobody gets to the pond without using the gap. Our beaver friend who knows all about creeks asker her friend whose a turtle expert and he says turtles don’t scent mark which means we really have no idea what he or she was doing.
The Hokey Pokey? Meanwhile, all three kits were seen last night: you can even see their telltale ripples in the water.
The turtle unfortunately isn’t one of our many pond turtles, but looks to be a red-eared slider, a released ‘pet’ that has bred in the wild and has become a pretty invasive species. It’s the same breed that laid eggs near the bridge two years ago, hatching 13 babies, one of which is now lovingly cared for in the office of the county recorder. Looking at this turtle choosing the most traversed part of the entire creek to mark you can understand why aggressive sliders have been more successful than the gentler western pond turtles. Cheryl tells me that there is even a program to reintroduce and foster pond turtle sponsored by the Oakland Zoo.
Just in case any reader needs a ‘gap refresher course’ I suggest you take a look at this video. (Footage shot by Cheryl Reynolds). You can see that every species, be they beaver or bird, crosses the dam in the little depression we call ‘the gap’. In fact, in 2008 when Mom and Dad beaver first let their kits into the pond, Jon saw them lay ‘sticks’ over the gap – in effect closing the door and making a water-safe playpen for their children!
I will end with apologies for the weirdness of the website of late. The server was down yesterday and depending on the browser you use some viewers have been getting incomplete or dropped posts. I assure you we are working on figuring out the solution, and feel free to drop me a note if any thing inexplicable appears on this site.
