So here I was, heading to a friend's place to go for a little walk (hopefully to see a broad-winged hawk's nest) and have dinner. As so often happens, a mere half hour after making the plans earlier in the afternoon, I was hit by a wave of fatigue and all I wanted to do was go to bed for a nap. Instead, I was leaving home.
I admit, I was dawdling. This is absolutely no reflection on the person I was going to see. It's just something that I do. You see, I'm a loner. I could happily go for a week without talking to a single other person. I have no craving for human companionship; the animals here keep me more than acceptable company. I find, in particular, that I become overloaded when I allow myself to be too busy. And this Sunday had followed a busy Friday and an even busier Saturday.
So while going out again had seemed like a good idea while we were on the phone making the plans, the need to be alone hit me shortly afterwards. Thus the dawdling. Fortunately, nature came to my assistance.
Just a short way down the road, I had to stop to allow a ruffed grouse tiptoe its way across the road. Have you ever encountered a tiptoe-ing grouse? I think they think they can't be seen if they go slowly enough. It is hilarious to watch.
Then further down the road was a snapping turtle sitting on the road. Now I've encountered turtles that needed rescuing before and I don't mind stopping. There was the painted turtle earlier this year. I encouraged it off the road just shortly before a heavy equipment transport truck came roaring over the hill.
Then there was the Blanding's turtle last year. I was returning from Orillia, travelling at my usual speed - a bit over the limit. By the time I realized that I had passed a turtle sitting in the opposite lane on this very busy highway, I was quite a bit past the spot. I parked the car on the shoulder and crossed the road, speed-walking back to the turtle. Then I could hear the sound of a vehicle coming and I broke into my Donovan Bailey 100 yard dash. Believe me, no World Records were broken by my run. With no time to spare, I swooped down on this poor turtle, grabbing it by its sides. The startled creature gave out a huge hiss and then pulled everything as deeply into its shell as it could. It was a close call as the car passed by just as I got off the road.
With my first snapping turtle, I stupidly picked it up as I would any other turtle. It was huge and heavy and fortunately she was so tired from having laid her eggs that she made no attempt to bite me. She just accepted the help and shuffled off into the ditch when I put her down on the other side.
Another huge snapper on another occasion - I had just come back from a Native Plants workshop and had a shovel in the trunk of my car. This one was feisty but I was able to tuck the shovel under it and heave it forward a few inches at a time until it was off the road.
Last year was yet another large and feisty snapper. No shovel this time so I tried to encourage it from behind. It turned to attack me, moving further onto the road and into danger. I circled around and realized that if I stayed in front of it in the direction it had been heading, it would lunge forward towards me and thus move off the road. Back up a step, another lunge, another six inches closer to the shoulder. It was slow but effective.
The snapping turtle yesterday was not overly large. Fortunately, a week earlier I had learned that the safest way to pick up a snapping turtle is by the shell, one hand on either side of its tail. Definitely keep your hands behind the back legs as the turtle is quite flexible and can reach very far back. During this educational session put on by a representative from Scales Nature Park just south of Orillia, we were told that the reason snapping turtles snap is because their shell on the underside is pretty small and so the turtle is quite vulnerable on land. They will not bite while in the water because they can safely swim away. But that vulnerability on land makes them snappy. Sometimes I feel snappy too, but I've got no shell (or lack of) to blame it on.
So I grabbed this turtle in the right location but it was just large enough that I was having trouble lifting it. Then I remembered that same session where we were told that you could sort of wheelbarrow the turtle off the road. The turtle will pop up onto its front feet when the back end is held up. Push until it starts walking - just watch the back feet as they will be kicking trying to get you to let go. So here was this turtle, back legs kicking, trying to lock its front legs to prevent it from being pushed and stretching its neck around trying to snap me. Eventually, we both made it safely to the side and I was back on the road to my friend's place.
And it turned out to be a great evening. We saw the hawk nest and heard a wood thrush singing its beautiful song. And I ended up staying until 11:30 as we sat and talked after dinner.
Ah nature!
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