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My steps once again echoed down that old boardwalk in a place tucked away from the public eye.
Its location; A secret well gaurded, one that I would never reveal, even as it revealed its secrets to me. I walked
through a sea of mangroves, broken up only by the path I followed and the small tidal canals that my quary called home.
Another spring, and another opportunity to view Diamond-backed Terrapins as they went about their daily business in this concealed,
undisturbed, brackish paradise.
I walked over one of the small canals and heard the plops of Terrapins hitting the water long
before I was around to see them. They then resurfaced just out of my camera's range. Vowing to come back if better
photo opportunities did not arise, I moved on. Assuming that there were Terrapins awaiting my approach, I lowered my
profile and crept out to a small overlook above a shallow backwater area. I slowly readied my camera and brought the
viewfinder to my eye. As I scanned the water for movement, I watched a pale figure materialize out of the murky water
like an aquatic ghost.
Malaclemys terrapin ornata Ornate Diamond-backed Terrapin
I stayed as still as I could, but this female seemed very wary and quickly submerged again.
Luckily, her male companion was much more sociable and I was able to watch him as he floated amongst the jutting mangrove
roots for quite some time.
Malaclemys terrapin ornata Ornate Diamond-backed Terrapin
So as not to disturb the turtles further, I backed away as silently as I had come. I decided
to go back to the area where I had first frightened all of the basking Terrapins. If I was to get a good photograph
of a basking turtle, it would be there. This time I decided to be sneaky about it. I got down on my belly and
crawled towards the bridge that crossed the premiere basking area. The sun beat down hard on the wood that I crawled
upon and with each short movement the sun's burning effect hit me harder. By the time I could see some of the turtles,
my arms were starting to get a very painful burning sensation from prolonged contact to the hot surface. I pressed on
a bit further with the beautiful turtles dead ahead to spur me on. All but one were quick to jump off even with my desperate
attempt to stay out of sight. The last female finally slipped off of her log, but to my surprise quickly lifted herself
back on, only seconds later. It was as if my presence had only caused her a momentary fear that faded as quickly as
it had arisen. She stayed like that for a long time, even after I had stood up, allowing for plenty of good photographs.
Malaclemys terrapin ornata Ornate Diamond-backed Terrapin
Later that day I found myself walking along another familiar path, this time of sand and
shells. Near the beach that we stayed by, I remembered, well, the burrow of a Gopher Tortoise I had seen many times
and decided it was time to pay him a visit. I slowly crept back toward the large thicket his humble abode was hidden
under. Sure enough, that large tank of a turtle was standing in front of his burrow surveying his surroundings.
Gopherus polyphemus Gopher Tortoise
Near our condos, a shallow lagoon cut the dry scrubland in half. Just across the lagoon
from the burrow, the open scrub of seagrape and prickly pear flowed down to the bare sandy beach which, in turn, ended in
the ocean. I spent much of my time in this area between the lagoon and the beach, as this was where another old friend
dwelled. I walked through the patches of grass and small bushes with my dad as we scanned the area for a certain snake.
We split up and went on both sides of a small path that lead out to the beach. After a long time of seeing little more
than the occasional Six-lined Racerunner darting to a fro, I was about ready to head out to the beach for some relaxation
time. Suddenly I heard my dad say "Snake!". He was standing on the path and looking just off the path. I
got around to the other side of the bush that he had seen the snake go in to and readied myself. The snake did not seem
to be there anymore, but as I turned around I caught sight of a long, tan tail slipping further away across the sand.
I quickly took chase and was in grabbing range within a few seconds. In a typical fashion, the mighty Coachwhip turned
around and rose off of the ground to meet my gaze. His mouth slowly opened and he began to hiss. Then, the great
lunges began. At my face, at my eyes; the snake struck repeatedly. My dad ran over to try to help me get the head
pinned down, but this only served to cause more confusion. At one point I thought the snake's attention was concentrated
on my dad, as he seemed to be watching him closely, but in the blink of an eye, the snake made a lightening fast strike and
hit my hand from a couple of feet away. While the bite was more painful than others I had recieved, it wasn't as
bad as I thought it would be and it inspired me to quickly get him under control. After three or four years, this seven
foot male that I had seen and captured every year finally managed to get a little revenge.
Masticophis
flagellum flagellum Eastern Coachwhip
While walking, along the sandy path to that beach on any given day I kept an eye out for Skinks
and Anoles going about their business on the sides of palm trees. It's always a fun sight to see a Green Anole showing
his bright throat patch or a large male skink with that big reddish head (even though they are very difficult to photograph).
Anolis carolinensis Green Anole
Eumeces
inexpectatus Southeastern Five-lined Skink
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