I laughed out loud when looking through photos from several days ago, not realizing that at the time when taking snapshots of these beautiful Painted Turtles at Niles Pond they were not only basking, but also rubbernecking, and mostly all in the same direction. The turtles were on a rock adjacent to the Snapping Turtle (below), which at first glance looked like two rocks, a smaller stone (its head) and a large stone (body).
The Snapping Turtle was about a foot long, unlike the Snapping Turtle furtively gliding through the murky water several weeks ago at Henry’s Pond. The stealthy one in the last photo was huge and appeared to be just shy of two feet!!
Turtles are ectotherms, relying on sunlight to warm and regulate their body temperature.
Good Morning Gloucester 
What a lovely scene! And the colors are so beautiful.
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Thank you Pat, I thought so too–the colors of the turtles mirror the water and foliage 🙂
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Very nice and you got a good shot – we had to learn to take it easy on the approach because they would all go in the drink! very detailed and great color! 🙂 Dave & Kim
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I find that too with turtles; they are one of the most skittish and difficult of all to approach.
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Very astute to sound and movement – you did good to get them all like this 🙂 Dave
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Terrific photos, Kim. Once again, thanks for a great start to my work day.
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Thanks so much Linda, very sweet thing to write 🙂
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This is a great shot! And I love that it was a little bit of a surprise for you! Awesome!
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Thank you Paula–I get the best surprises too when filming butterflies, especially the tiniest ones with one-inch wing spans. Its always wonderful fun!!
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OMG Kim – these photos are TERRIFIC. I just love turtles and I didn’t think they could be “seen” on the rocks this late in the season. Thanks for sharing your photos – they are great.
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They Love these warm fall days, as do we all 🙂 Thanks so much Terry.
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