Yesterday afternoon I set out to photograph turtles. I don’t usually shoot mid-afternoon but they like to bask in the sun and morning at this time of the year is too cool. I found them in a couple of places along the rail trail but especially liked this foursome.
Click the image then at the lower right a second time for a larger view.
I first saw this scene from further to the left and made some images while there were just three. But as I walked along I noticed the one to the left climb onto the log and got this neck stretch. Maybe he was checking to see what the traffic tie up was. Also, from this angle it looks like I got four images at different times of the same turtle. I guess it got too crowded for the guy leaving.
Stephen Gingold Nature Photography Blog 
Looks like they’re in a queue, but they’re not observing the correct social distancing…
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No masks either. Silly turtles.
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Hehe!
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And then I right-clicked to open in a new window and got an even larger view! so worth it too, the colours of these creatures are amazing – they really do look painted! Stunning!
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also, I shared on twitter: https://twitter.com/ExploringColour/status/1386256439333687297
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Thanks for sharing it, Liz!
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They are beauties and quite common. Sometimes common is beautiful.
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Definitely .. and for me there’s nothing at all common about them hehe!
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Astonishing red and yellow war paint on their necks and faces visible when zooming in. Wonderful image, and so well aligned.
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I imagine they do have turf wars over these logs. Thanks, Sel!
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I see a little mud still hanging on the shells of these turtles, as if they just emerged from the winter season. There’s much to love about this image – reflections in the water, layers of texture in the shoreline, poses of the turtles and rich, earthy tones. I see these four as juveniles venturing out to check out the sunning digs after a long winter of being cooped up!
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They are just emerging although for about a week or so now. We had a few days of cold weather and I think they probably buried themselves in the mud again until things warmed up once more. Eventually they’ll wash up nice and clean. Thanks, Lori!
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Yesterday, I went for a walk at a local park and we saw so many of these little turtles lined up on logs! So cool!!
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Yes, sometimes there can be quite a few. For a whole bunch, see Steve’s link below your comment for a nice crowd.
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I’ll check it out!
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Consisting of four turtles, this is a much more orderly group than the more than two dozen I documented six weeks ago. The most I ever found lined up on a log was 14:
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WordPress has begun turning links into rectangular boxes. I wish it would make the boxes smaller.
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I haven’t seen that happen before. Liz shared a link to Twitter and I shared two for Linda all without boxes.
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I get the impression it happens only for links to WordPress posts.
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My first link to Linda was to one of my WP posts.
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Hmmm. I wonder if the difference has anything to do with the different WordPress themes we use.
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Possibly. Maybe you should ask one of the “happiness” engineers.
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That log was obviously prime real estate in that pond. While I do like neat and orderly, I would happily photograph fourteen.
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See how the one with the stretched neck has a rear foot and leg extended? They do that to increase the amount of body surface available to soak up sunlight and warmth. I’ve seen them with all four legs extended while they balance on their shells. If the one at the left had just come up out of the water, it probably was cooler than the others on the log.
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I’ve seen them do that warming up a few times. Here are two. I’ve never figured out the behavior in the second. “Hey, you, get off of my log”. Turtle halitotsis. “I am turtle, hear me roar!”
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Nice Steve! Like the reflections!
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Thanks, Reed. I was happy for that.
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Wonderful image of the log being visited by the turtles, Steve! I guess they need the warmth of every bit of sun they can get. Our lake would be too cold for them. Tourists rarely go swimming in it even in the hottest summer weather.
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You need to attract some of those “polar bear” swimmers as tourists, Peter. 🙂 Thanks!
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Emergence is a heartening sight! Warmer days ahead. 🙂
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That they are, Eliza! I’ve been walking the rail trail waiting for a few turtles to rise from the mud. Yester was successful. 🙂
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Turtles are close to my heart, as we travel in a similar mode, with our shelter wrapped around us😀 I have a tiny collection of tiny ones, sadly never living, although they live for me. Still, not quite as beautiful as your line-up.
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I collect, surprise, little frogs, Annie. 🙂 So I share your appreciation of small collections.I do have one turtle that I picked up which has its front legs slightly curled so it can hang on the edge of a bowl which we keep on the dinner table. 🙂
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😀👍
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