We went on our annual research camping trip a few weekends ago in search of the Western Pond Turtle. The campground closest to the research site is Jellystone Campground, so we had a Yogi-riffic time.
This is what we were looking for. A pond turtle nest.
Here's a flag for marking the nests.
Do you see her? She's marked with a yellow flag.
After waiting for them to lay eggs, the turtles are collected and brought back to camp to be processed.
None of the turtles we found over the weekend were successful at laying, but they were all gravid. Here's Victor feeling for eggs.
Size and weight info is collected and if the turtle is new, it is given identifying shell notches.
This gal wanted to chart her own stats.
Biologist in training.
Down time in camp.
Don't worry, the turtles are released again. There's another young biologist watching the process.
We found this young kingsnake.
And some ant lions.
Doesn't everyone feed ant lions on their vacations?
We also had some fun splashing in the creek.
Even in camp, big construction equipment is a hit.
We went over to watch and the camp manager asked Noah if he'd like to drive the backhoe. How can a kid resist that?!
Driving heavy equipment is serious stuff. He really did have a great time, though.
It is a Jellystone campground, so Noah made some new friends.
He also did some mining for treasures.
Look at those beautiful rocks!
We went for a ride on crazy pedal dune buggies.
Noah stopped to fix the tires. Also, note the Boo Boo hat. The guy who gave him the backhoe ride also gave him a new hat. Noah loves it.
A pond turtle at camp!
It was a lovely fun filled weekend!
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