You never know what you might come across when you enter a natural setting. Today I took a lunchtime stroll to one of my regular haunts, the Stouffville Reservoir. Near the start of the trail there is a swampy area, where a small brook runs across the trail. This time of year it is particularly mucky and tricky to navigate.

Generally, the water flows through at barely a meander and you might see some water-striders or the occasional frog. As I was jumping from log to log, crossing the muddy path, I looked up to see this magnificent creature. A snapping turtle about two feet long, lying in a small pool, sunning itself. The tiny water hole seemed barely large enough to sustain a creature of this size, and I can’t believe this would be its full-time habitat, but I sure was nice to see. The turtle did not seem to be bothered with me and I had the opportunity to make several photos before it slowly buried itself in the mud, leaving not a trace that it had ever been the. It was an amazing thing to watch.

Nikon D300
Nikor 70-300 mm f/4.5-5.6 @ 86 mm
1/100 sec @ f/5.0, ISO 250