Found Turtle Nest

[inkling13]

Tis' the season for wild turtle hatchlings! This is the second nest I've found this week at the farm where I board my horse. I'm not sure what species they are, I know we've got snappers and Red Earred Sliders up here in Upstate New York and undoubtable others I'm not as familiar with. At first I thought they might be snake eggs but they're usually oblong rather than round. These looked and felt exactly like popped ping pong balls. There's a stream running through the property about 100 feet from this nest, you can see it in the third picture, thats about a quarter mile downstream. Usually it's about 3ft wide and 3ft deep and while I've never seen a turtle I'm sure they're around.

 

[ascott]

That is awesome....looks like the horse is interested as well...lol.

 

[diamondbp]

I'd say snapping turtles eggs based off of the shape and quantity

 

[inkling13]

I'd say snapping turtles eggs based off of the shape and quantity

Yeah I figured they were the most likely candidate. Whenever you see a turtle around here, 9 times out of 10 its a snapping turtle. Then again, thats usually because they will stay put and stare you down, comfortable in the knowledge that they can defend themselves. Any other species of turtle you're likely to here the plop of them hitting the water before you ever see them.

That is awesome....looks like the horse is interested as well...lol.

lol I think he was just curious why I was poking around in the mud instead of paying attention to him.

 

[Jacqui]

So your finding them scattered on top of the ground and opened like that?

I love the horse, is that yours?

 

[inkling13]

So your finding them scattered on top of the ground and opened like that?

I love the horse, is that yours?

Yeah, in both instances I came across them just as it is in the first picture., although it looked like there might be a hoof print deepening the hole in this one. It had crossed my mind that they could have been dug up as a snack for a raccoon or something but either way it shows that there's an active breeding population in the area.

And yes, that spotted beast is mine . He's an 19 year old Appaloosa / Thoroughbred cross named Red.

 

[Redfoot NERD]

Snappers and softshell turtles are the only water turtles [ native to NY ] that come from "ping-pong balls"! All other turtles do come from "oblong" eggs.

 

[inkling13]

Snappers and softshell turtles are the only water turtles [ native to NY ] that come from "ping-pong balls"! All other turtles do come from "oblong" eggs.

I didn't know that, neat! I just searched up some nesting info on both for comparison. I found that snappers mate from April-November with peak laying in June-July and incubate for 9-18 weeks. Spiny Softshells are found in NY, more commonly in the western part of the state but some maps stretch to the center area, including Lake Oneida which is less than 5 miles from where I found them and where this stream empties out. The softshells lay in sandbars or gravel banks close to the water in August and September and they hatch in the spring. In all likely hood, the nests I found were probably newly laid snapper eggs that got dug up and snacked on by a raccoon or something but it would be really cool if they were spiny softshells and had actually hatched. The fact that I found both of them less then 100 feet from the stream makes me wonder. Most of the snappers I've seen over the years travel much further to dig nests. I'll keep an eye out and hopefully sometime this summer I'll see an adult and know for sure.

 

[Yellow Turtle01]

Aww! Soon they'll hatch and be all cute wandering around your farm!