Free Range Photography

Western Pond Turtles are always a treat to see. They are a sign of spring when they first appear in and along the river, hauling out onto rocks or fallen trees to bask in the sun, motionless until something startles them and they abruptly plop into the water for cover.

If I’m out early enough and well hidden, I can catch them climbing out of the water, an act which is not always so deftly achieved. Once a basking spot has been reached, the turtle may rest there for hours, only occasionally repositioning, I guess to better catch the sun’s rays.

Our turtles are omnivorous, eating plants, snails, other aquatic invertebrates, and larvae of frogs and salamanders, among other things. They can slow their metabolism down in the winter, burrowing underground to wait for warmer temperatures. They don’t reach sexual maturity until 8-10 years of age and they nest on dry land where the eggs can be warmed by the sun, so maybe this basking thing has its origins in the egg for this cold -blooded species. Western Pond Turtles are thought to live up to 70 years. They grow to be about 8-10 inches long.

While quite territorial about their basking spots, this turtle I’ve been watching has been hauling out on the same rock for a couple weeks, apparently enjoying its solitude.

Western Pond Turtles are threatened by habitat destruction and have become extinct in part of their Oregon and Washington range. The invasive American Bullfrog, and the Red-eared Slider, a non-native species of pet turtle that either escapes or is released from its artificial home, feed on Pond Turtle hatchlings.

The next time you are at the river and you hear a mysterious plop with no evidence of its cause, it may be that a Pond Turtle has seen you before you saw it and slid into the safety of the water. Turtles have been around for over 250 million years, so I feel like I’m looking into the past when I see one. Let’s hope they have many more million years to enjoy their slow-moving success on this earth.