Autumn Red-eared Slider Turtle on a log – Nikon D500, f10, 1/1000, ISO 640, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light
Even when I don’t have any birds to view or photograph I am always looking for other subjects and yesterday my “other” subject was a turtle sunning itself on a log at one of my local ponds.
These are the turtles found in Utah:
- Common Snapping Turtle (Chelydra serpentina serpentina)
- Texas Spiny (Softshell Apalone spinifera emoryi)
- Red-eared Slider (Trachemys scripta elegans)
- Western Painted Turtle (Chrysemys picta bellii)
We also have one tortoise:
- Desert Tortoise (Gopherus agassizii)
This may be a Western Painted Turtle but it could also be an introduced Painted Turtle from the eastern U.S. that someone released when they became tired of having it as a pet.
I’d never seen a turtle at this pond before and I was quite surprised when I spotted it. I wish it had been closer so that I could have had a better view of the turtle for identification purposes. This image is about a 50% crop of the original file.
When I lived back east I saw turtles quite often but in Utah I see them so infrequently that they stand out to me. The only other turtles I can recall seeing here have been at Glover Pond near the nature center at Farmington Bay WMA.
We have had a few warmish days here lately and that may be why the turtle was on the log sunning.
Note: Someone who is excellent at turtle identification has said this is most likely a Red-eared Slider. They were introduced here to Utah.
Life is good.
Mia
I thought if it was introduced I hope it finds a mate.