I had the most wonderful birthday present ever! Two Western Painted Turtles!

My birthday was a hot sunny day, so after coffee on the sundeck overlooking my beautiful wetland, I grabbed my camera and binoculars and made my way to the water to see what was around.  As I slowly made my way along the perimeter spotting for frogs and tadpoles, I saw a ripple in the water.  It was a small turtle!  OMG!  There is another one resting on the tree branch!  Needless to say, I spent quite some time that day watching the turtles and taking pictures.  I was able to clearly see the belly of the turtle as it tried several times to climb on the branch.  They are Western Painted Turtles approx. 9x11cm.

I have seen them daily since then.  They are easily disturbed and one must sneak up on them or they dive in the water. A turtle nesting site was made during construction of the wetland and hopefully they will use it in future years.