Shhhh, turtle egg nest just ahead

I’ve always said everyday at Marsh Haven brings a new surprise. Today was no different. While going through my morning opening chores, I headed outside with a bucket of birdseed for the feeders, but was stopped in my tracks by the sight of a very large Common Snapping Turtle digging next to the drive. She was digging a hole to lay her eggs and I quickly backed away to leave her to business. 

Since we were about to open the nature center to visitors, I brought out a few chairs to use as barricades so that no one ran over her, or stumbled across her as I almost did. It was about 9:30 am when I first discovered the turtle and she was hard at work scooping out dirt, using her hind legs as a backhoe. One leg would go into the hole and come up with dirt clutched around the claws, and then the other hind leg would disappear into the hole and return with more dirt. This digging process went on for quite awhile and during that time some visitors arrived, watched, and took pictures. She did not seem to be distracted by the coming and going of people. 

Finally, the digging seemed to be done and the snapping turtle lay over the hole for another length of time, where I assume she was depositing her eggs. Common Snapping Turtles can lay 20 to 40 eggs in a clutch and they are the size of a ping-pong ball. When the young emerge 80-90 days later, they will be about the size of a quarter. The sex of the hatchlings are determined by temperature – cooler temperatures produce all females, while warmer temperatures produce all males – just right temperatures (70 to 72 degrees)  produces males and females.

She then covered the hole using those hind legs again and at about 11:15 am, started across the parking lot heading to Lake LaPresto, the pond on Marsh Haven’s property. By now there were several spectators watching, taking pictures and video. She kept marching on through the parking lot, under the fence, into the grass, and headed down the hiking trail, ever closer to the pond. 

Now that I know the location, we will try to keep it safe from traffic and will do our best against predators, but I read that up to 90 percent of Common Snapping Turtle eggs are destroyed by predators each year.

What a great experience to be part of, I do like turtles a lot and have a great respect for the snapping turtle. We have the two non-releasable Common Snapping Turtles here at Marsh Haven – Chompy and George – and I’ve learned a lot about this species just by observing and interacting with them. 

Another interesting day at Marsh Haven Nature Center, I wonder what surprises tomorrow will bring?