Wildlife photography is a passion of mine, and I recently had the pleasure of spotting and capturing the elusive Mississippi Mud Turtle on camera.
I was minding my own business, driving my pickup truck, when I spotted a pair of Box Turtles getting busy right in the middle of the road. Talk about some…
This Box Turtle came out of Goss Slough into the asphalt parking area located at the Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge in Oklahoma.
I placed my bean bag on the ground and used it to support my camera and lens to get this photo.
This Red-eared Slider was crossing the auto tour road at the Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge in Oklahoma. I made a blog post twice before regarding reasons these turtles are out of the water. The first blog post I made, I thought could be a Red-eared Slider Searching For New Habitat and the second post was of a Red-eared Slider Laying Eggs. This time I think it was looking for a new habitat.
Red-eared Sliders leave the water and travel across land for several reasons, including:
Basking: They need to warm themselves under the sun to regulate their body temperature and metabolism.
Nesting: Female Red-eared Sliders will leave the water to find a suitable location to lay their eggs.
Exploring: They may leave the water to explore their surroundings and search for food or mates.
Fleeing danger: They may leave the water to escape predators or adverse conditions in their aquatic habitat.
Thermoregulation: Red-eared Sliders will move between sun-exposed and shaded areas to regulate their body temperature.
These are just a few of the reasons why Red-eared Sliders might leave the water and travel across land.
While driving the auto tour road [Read More…]
I was photographing a Green Heron at the Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge in Oklahoma when these two Snapping Turtles showed up and started mating.
The process of mating for Snapping Turtles is an interesting and complex one. Male Snapping Turtles often engage in aggressive behaviors to win over a mate, such as ramming and biting. Once the female has accepted the male, the two turtles engage in a unique and fascinating dance.
The male Snapping Turtle will climb on top of the female, who then rolls over to allow the male to insert his cloacal opening over the female’s. The two then mate for several hours, during which the female can lay her eggs.
The Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge provides an ideal habitat for snapping turtles to mate and lay their eggs. The refuge has a variety of ponds and wetlands, providing a suitable environment for the turtles to mate and lay their eggs in safety.
I parked on the side of the auto tour road at Miner’s Cove. I had my camera resting [Read More…]
