There have been over 110+ rescues of the cold-stunned sea turtles on the beaches of Cape Cod Bay in the past week. You could feel the dramatic drop in temperatures in just the past few days. (Click on blog link to see other photos.)
We were at Boat Meadow Beach the other morning when a car pulled up next to us. A couple got out and were dressed for extreme temps and with rubber boots. It was frigid with 25 mph winds. I thought perhaps they were here to walk the beaches and see if they could find any cold-stunned turtles.
They were out on the grasses when we saw them pick up 2 turtles and bring them back up to higher ground. They put one of them under the bench near us, covered it with dry grass and then went out to look some more. They were out there searching for a long time. The turtles will be treated at the Sea Turtle Hospital in Quincy, MA.
Thanks to all of the volunteers and workers who give up their time looking for these turtles. They really are life-savers!
When we saw this animal swimming in Little Cliff Pond, we definitely thought it was a beaver. And when it put its tail up in the air while it swam, we knew it must be a beaver. Wow! How cool was that?! (Click on blog link for other photos.)
To verify the animal’s identity I asked our good friend, who is also the director of Wild Care Cape Cod, if this was truly a beaver swimming at Nickerson State Park. I’m sure she got quite a good chuckle when she saw our photos.
She replied, “That’s a muskrat! There are no beavers on Cape Cod!” And we thought we had scooped her. She certainly got the last laugh!
We were so surprised to see 2 seals swimming about in Arey’s Pond. We thought it must be a fluke, but we’ve seen them there several times now. That’s a long swim from the ocean through Pleasant Bay and Little Pleasant Bay and down the river to Arey’s Pond.
It was so cool the other day to see this eastern Box Turtle laying her eggs in the sand on the side of our house. We saw her when she was almost finished so we got to see her cover up the nest with sand and then hide it. She did an amazing job. You could never tell where she had been. (Click on blog link to see other photos.)
Good thing I marked it with sticks as it rained so hard that night it would have been hard to find. In order of photos: 1. Laying her eggs. 2. Filling the hole where the eggs were laid with sand. 3. Covering the entire area so it looks untouched. 4. Walking away from the nest into the woods, never to see them again. 5. Wire cage to protect the eggs and hatchlings.
It takes 70-90 days for the turtles to hatch, so it should be at the end of August to the middle of September. Because we don’t want any predators to get the eggs, Phil made a wire cage to protect them. So exciting! I can’t wait to see the little ones when they hatch. Two years ago we had 6 Eastern Box Turtle hatchlings in our yard. It was so cool and they were so tiny!
Cape Cod daily articles on the wonderful Cape Cod places to hike, experience and photograph. A Cape Cod Outdoor Adventure Series.
