Turtles, Turtles....

... I love Turtles!  Not just the chocolate ones, but real ones too! 

This little guy was basking in the sun today partly on the rock and partly in the water...and he stayed there for ages despite being endlessly photographed.

He is a Northern Map Turtle..one of  8 different turtles in Ontario designated as "Species of Special Concern"... meaning these turtles may become threatened or endangered because of a combination of biological characteristics or identifiable threats. The other two types of turtles we have seen here on our island  - the Snapping Turtle and the Painted Turtle - are also in that group.

Habitat loss is obviously one reason for the population declines in turtles, but another cause in Ontario is road mortality! A major cause of death for a turtle is being run over by a car! Who knew?  So, one interesting project to help preserve Ontario's turtles is the construction of ecopassages  - tunnels under highways combined with low fencing to guide turtles to the tunnel entrances..offering turtles the option of safe crossings! A similar idea to those wildlife bridges over highways for deer and moose etc...

So..that was exciting....

The other highlight of the day, apart from the fabulous weather suitable for lounging on docks, was having my daughter, SIL, and brother here for dinner - one that I did not have to cook! My daughter and hubby are very talented cooks and I am not, so in the best interest of all of us, they took over that job! 

It was a lovely evening, no spectacular sunset, but still beautiful..with calm water and just a hint of colour in the sky... a perfect ending to a good day...