Turtle Nests

It seems if you are a mama turtle our backyard is the place to be.  Over the past 2 weeks we have seen 2 turtles lay eggs in the backyard and have found 7 nests total.  The turtle in the picture below is a huge soft shell turtle that we were able to watch for about 30 minutes as she laid her eggs.  Her shell circumference was over 24".  It was so beautiful to see!

Immediately after she laid her eggs I noticed 2 black birds flying around.  After about an hour they landed and started digging for the eggs.  I couldn't believe it!  I went into mommy mode and scared them off!  Those are my baby turtles!  I decided to cover the nest and we headed out for gymnastics.  By the time we got home the cover had been moved and there were several holes dug.  I dug around myself and was never able to find any eggs after that.  I'm not sure if all of them got eaten or if she laid them in several spots.  She had dug and rested in over 8 spots.  The last one she stayed for the longest time.  We keep checking the nest area for egg shells in hopes that at least one or two little hatchlings survived.   



Older nest with a few remaining shells pieces.


I'm no turtle expert but these look to be boxer turtle egg casings.  I was happy to see quit a few hatchlings survived from this nest.  We are keeping a journal of the nest locations and types of turtles we see laying so we can monitor their activity for years to come. 

We only found evidence of one survivor from this nest. 

We have also had an otter that visits regularly, 2 deer that frolic in the backyard as if they own the place, and wild rabbits. 

Nature study is going to be a breeze this summer!