I enjoy this time of year. If you happen to be in the right place at the right time, you can see some new arrivals.
It’s fun to come across babies, even if you don’t particularly want them around. Raccoons, squirrels, even the occasional porcupine can all be pretty entertaining when they are newly arrived and not quite used to the world. Baby birds can be pretty interesting as well. It’s just fun to see some of these as the bumble and stumble into the world.
What I wasn’t quite expecting was a baby turtle. This is egg laying time for turtles, not hatching time. They tend to hatch in the fall. Or maybe in the spring. It depends on the weather. But this time of year is time for mature adults to start climbing the beaches and crossing roadways, ignoring crosswalks or any proper safety rules, searching for a place to lay eggs.
I did not expect to find a baby turtle last weekend. Not that baby turtles are uncommon, you just don’t tend to see many this time of year. And this was possibly the smallest painted turtle I have every seen. Slightly smaller than a loonie.
Not the baby animal I was expecting, but still very interesting to see. He (or she) has been released back into the wild, where I hope he manages to avoid being a snack and comes back to see me at some point in the future.
Maybe next week I can see a raccoon. Or maybe a hummingbird.
