Camp Kreitzer Critters

There is never a dull moment at the Camp Kreitzer nature center. Yesterday, Larry found a little turtle on the pool cover. He rescued the little fellow and, since we were going to our daughter's house for Mother's Day dinner, we took him along. He was the hit of the night with our two little granddaughters. There was nothing about him all that was slow. Every time we took him out of the bowl he took off in escape mode.

We had a little debate about his family background. Larry insisted he was a baby snapping turtle. I said he didn't look anything like a snapping turtle and insisted he was a baby painted turtle. After looking up the two species on the internet the vote went for painted turtle. He had the yellow striped markings on his neck, an orange undershell, and yellow spots on his face. The photo is a little too dark to see his colorful markings, but he definitely did NOT look like a baby snapping turtle.

Now, THIS is a baby snapping: longer tail, bumpier shell - definitely a little more sinister looking. We do have snapping turtles at Camp Kreitzer. One huge one (probably ten pounds at least) migrated from the pond next door into our yard and hissed at us when Larry tried to pick him up with a shovel and return him over the fence. We decided to let him find his own way back.

Snappers can grow up to about 35 pounds and even larger if overfed. At Huntley Meadows in Alexandria, the snappers were eating the baby ducklings. They are definitely carnivores.

So much for our reptiles, my favorite Camp Kreitzer critters (well, tied with the bees) are the bluebirds. We have a pair who have decided to nest in a little birdhouse outside my office window. It's not an official sized bluebird box, but they don't seem to mind. They are building a nest and are back and forth all day with materials. I look forward to seeing the little birds arrive and fledge.

Occasionally, the daddy perches on my feeder stand to pose for a picture. Considering that the photo is taken through a screened window, I think it's pretty clear. I am always happy to pause in my work to admire him. This morning he paused there for breakfast as he ate a little worm of some kind. Yum!

Today is bee feeding day at Camp Kreitzer although it's chilly and breezy so we'll wait awhile until the temp hits the high (an unseasonally cool 60 degrees) before we lift the lid. Poor bees, the spring has definitely not been ideal for them.

Bob and Betty

One of the things I love about living in the country is the parade of wildlife. This afternoon we startled a deer in amongst our apple trees. Every afternoon when we're swimming, Marianna asks about "the skink." We saw the little blue-tailed fella one day and ever since we keep a watchful eye out for him. Then there is the bird life. The Phoebes have a nest in the rafters of the pool house and are having their second brood. They come and go and come and go. A baby catbird out front fell into the window well and Larry had to rescue the bitty birdy. Neither baby nor mama was happy, but there was no way that baby was going to fly out of the well on its own.

And then there are the baby bluebirds. They are growing and Marianna and I go out every day to peer into the birdhouse and say hello. Marianna even started singing a song to the tune of Frere Jacques. I had made up a song about her, but she changed it on her own, substituting "baby bluebirds" for Marianna. Here's how it goes.

Baby bluebirds, baby bluebirds, I love you, I love you

I love baby bluebirds, I love baby bluebirds, yes I do, yes I do.

But the most exciting wildlife story, at least from Marianna's point of view, was Bob...and later Betty.

A few weeks ago, Larry saw someone stop in the road and move something to the side and presumed it was a turtle. We all went over and rescued it and gave it a temporary home in a box where we fed it salad, a little turkey, veggies and fruit. Marianna named him Bob. She was a little afraid of him when I took him out of the box, but gradually warmed up. A few days later I was weeding the garden and took a wheelbarrow full of refuse to the woods. When I pushed it into the undergrowth there was another turtle. We named her Betty.

By this time Marianna was the fearless reptile hunter and had no problem handling the critters like a pro. I, on the other hand, was experiencing critter fatigue and we decided to send the two turtles off to find their families. Now every day we have to answer the compelling question, "Where Bob and Betty go?"

Home to their mommies!