C'mon Turt3! Get truckin back to the reservoir.

So my 10am shift was fairly eventful. Turt4 is still tucked up in the swamp at the north end of the HP swale, hard to tell if she is aquatic or terrestrial since it meshes together right there. Scanned the area, but saw no sign of any other turts, so I headed up (stealth style) to the reservoir for a look through the binocs.

First thing I notice is our single dot pink (turt1) that got tagged in the HP swale last friday is now in the ERes basking on the old rock area (previously the best basking site in the pond, now second best to our new addition). She's pulled up there, pink dot showing up perfectly and enjoying the sunshine when The Beast (turt8) emerges onto her rock and rams into her a few times. She gapes and postures, but he just roughs her up a bit more and tries to mount her. At that point, she flees for the water with the B right behind her and he turns on the charm (swimming over the top of her and fluttering his claws). They disappear into the murk and that's that. go beast.

Next I catch turt6 (the other tragged male - whose tag has been decimating unsuspecting eardrums for a few days now). He's parked up on the big log with turt 10 (the other marked male who does not have a tag) and a juvie whose dots I cannot see. A short while later Turt5 (the girl who was burrowed under an oak near the barracks) emerges onto the log, as well. She looks good and in the weaker morning light her dots (and their colors) are clearly visible and easy to read, so I take back some small portion of bitching about not being able to use the dot system.

Next I go to check on turt 3 (burrowed in the back of the berm) and find her about a foot out of her burrow, although when she sees me, she retreats back into it, facing outward.

The signal from turt7 is coming from the water under the big willow and turt 2 hasn't moved an inch from her thicket, so there you have it.