LUCKY

One of the many things I love about the Tin Star Ranch is the "nature sightings". These have included wild turkey chicks, newborn fawns, foxes, and all manner of other surprises from the animal world.

Today I was shredding weeds with Big Dawg (my Kubota tractor) at the pond. I looked under a cedar tree where no grass was growing and saw a red eared slider turtle that measures about 12 inches from stem to stern.

The female was very slowly using her back feet to laboriously dig a hole in the ground. Each time I made a round on the tractor, I would check on her progress.

When the hole was of the prescribed depth/size, mama turtle began to lay leathery looking, sticky eggs in the hole. When she finished, she then began to slowly move her back legs to cover the eggs with dirt.

When she started creeping away from the nest, it amazed me that it was difficult to know where the hole had been dug. The only hint was that the soil was a bit wet looking over her chosen spot. Otherwise, she had perfectly disguise the clutch of reptilian ova.

To save the new mom some effort after her "delivery", I picked her up and carried her to the edge of the pond.

If I was expecting a thank you, it didn't happen as she quickly scooted into the water and went under with a bouquet of rising bubbles.

OK sports fans, this is the second time I have watched a turtle dig a hole and lay eggs on the Tin Star. AIN'T I LUCKY!!