With the days getting shorter and cool weather settling in, the field season has come to an end! We have been diligently tracking juvenile Blanding’s turtles using radio telemetry equipment in several beautiful bogs, marshes, fens, and vernal pools. Our field team was led by Toby Rowland, and included Kelton Adderley-Heron, Kirstin Pellerin, and [...]
There are many things that can go wrong and tamper with our day, things that can make getting through a day a lot harder than it needs to be. And, sometimes, there are what we like to call “The Little Things”. These are the things that help bring a smile to our face after [...]
I am a small wild Blanding's Turtle, and I’ve lived in a small vernal pool for most of my life. Not too long ago I was captured by some humans who took me on land, measured me, weighed me, and attached something to my shell, I'm not sure what it was. I was let [...]
Sometimes words can't express what our eyes can see and our hearts feel...enjoy these beautiful moments captured at our field site by one of our field crew members, Kelton.
June 30, 2016 By: Megan Miller - Lead Field Technician OTCC So I landed my summer dream job this year. For the past month I've been tracking Blandings turtles for a headstart program with the Ontario Turtle Conservation Centre (formally known as the Kawartha Turtle Trauma Centre). I've been volunteering with this nonprofit for a [...]
As a boom of thunder rolled across the lake, the first day of the work week had come to an end. I had never yearned for a heavy rain so intensely before in my life as I had when I saw the first signs of the coming storm. For weeks previous to the deluge, the [...]
By: Dylan Cook May 16, 2016 This past week the OTCC started back up with their turtle monitoring; studying the behaviour, habitat use and survival of juvenile Blanding’s turtles in eastern Ontario. This is my first time working with turtles in the field and it has already proven to be quite the adventure. I had [...]
Blanding’s turtles travel quite a bit and love every type of wetland. Some wetlands are a bit easier to traverse than others. When I am out tracking, every moment brings out a new adventure, and that’s what I love about tracking so much. There is nothing like spending your days in such circumstances as these: [...]
Turtle season is in full swing and May is slipping away. The primary goal for this spring season was to find juvenile Blanding’s turtles. It has been a successful season so far, with the findings of two new Blanding’s Juveniles. This is no easy task, as juveniles are very good at hiding under logs, sticks, [...]
Spring has begun and we are back 'turtling'. It’s good to be back!! Springtime is busy…checking on overwintering turtles, looking for new wild juveniles and doing population surveys. My first weekend, I typically feel like I’m floating on a cloud… My excitement is boundless and my senses are honed in on all the springtime happenings. [...]
It has been a while since our last post about the little Blanding's turtles that we search through the wetlands to find each week. We had an incredible season last year- every turtle that was raised at KTTC and released into the wild made it in to hibernation. Our staff and volunteers will be posting [...]
The art of tracking turtles…let me set the mood. I have just canoed to a sweet gale swamp thicket wetland, which was where I last saw the turtle. I am standing in my canoe, antennae in hand. I begin to point and hammer down the antennae from left to right. Listening to the sounds of [...]
