Our motion detector kept going off the other night and we could see a deer out in the yard. It wasn’t until the morning when it got light outside that we could see him in my garden… ready and waiting!
Oh No! He ate the tops off of all of my Roses and Zinnias! Guess he had a good meal… and I have a lot less flowers!
There is never a dull moment in our yard on Cape Cod! We awoke early the other morning and saw a little commotion out by our bird bath. Quietly we looked out the window and there were 3 baby raccoons in the bird bath with mom and dad standing nearby. (Click on blog link to see other photo.)
It really was adorable! What do you think?
There is never a dull moment in our yard here on Cape Cod! When we saw the Box Turtle lay her eggs the other day, we thought that was really cool. Then yesterday we had a Diamondback Turtle just walk through our yard. It was so awesome!
“The Diamondback Terrapin is a species of turtle native to the brackish coastal tidal marshes of the eastern and southern United States. The common name refers to the diamond pattern on top of its shell. Adult Diamondback Terrapins mate in the early spring, and clutches of 4-22 eggs are laid in the sand dunes in the early summer. They hatch in the late summer or early fall.” We wondered if this one had come by to find a place to lay her eggs. We did not see that happen.
Diamondback Terrapin are classified as Near Threatened, so care is taken to make sure they can make it. If you see one on the side of the road, you are supposed to pick it up and help it get to the other side. If it is near the salt marsh and there is a wire fence by the road, put it over the fence closer to the marsh. This will ensure that they won’t get run over by other cars.
I posted the 2nd photograph so you can see the distinct coloring on the underside. He was resting in the shade of a rock in our back yard.
Love it!
Yesterday was an unbelievable day as we watched this Box Turtle sauntering around our yard for quite a while early in the morning. We watched it from time to time. Then she stopped and began burying herself in the wood chips. Hmmmm. (Click on blog link to see additional photos.)
Little did we know that she was going to dig a nest right next to my Zinnias and lay her eggs. What a treat! I’ve never seen this ritual before. Amazing… We first saw her about 7:30 am and she finished up covering her nest about 3:30 pm. Wow! She must be exhausted!
The sequence of photographs is: 1. Looking for that perfect spot in our yard (They like their nests in the sun.) 2. She’s digging her nest with her back legs. You can see the dirt in the back. 3. She’s laying her eggs. 4. She’s covering up her nest with her back legs. 5. The nest all covered up. You wouldn’t even know it was there. Wow!
Box turtles usually lay an average of 5 eggs and lays several clutches. Eggs hatch 70-120 days later, so I will have to put that on my calendar! What an experience!
Phil and I were taking a new hike for us on the John Wing Trail in Brewster, which is on the grounds of the Cape Cod Museum of Natural History, when we saw this mamma deer and her new little fawn. It sure didn’t look very old.
I’m not sure who surprised who more as they were right on the trail. We stood there and clicked away while they checked us out as well.
So cute, don’t you think?
