September 2024: Terrapins, Blue Lobster, Montreal, Ottawa, Adirondacks
Monday September 2 Love this view over the salt marsh, just out of Ptown. Tuesday September 3 I joined Susan on her shift at the Wellfleet Audubon sanctuary this evening, checking to see if any of the terrapin hatchlings had dug their way out of their nests and needed to be released from the wire mesh protecting them from predators. When we stopped to check on one of the self-releasing nests (that hatchlings can get out of on their own) there were hatchling tracks in the sand leading away from it - fun to see the tiny footprints. Terrapin tracks Jess, the Audubon staff member leading the volunteers, removed the mesh and dug into the sand with her fingers to search for other hatchlings. Unfortunately, she only found one alive; the others had been attacked by maggots and didn't make it. Another group of volunteers, checking a different area, did find a nest with several hatchlings ready to be released. Our group caught up with them and helped carefully dig the hatchlings out from...