Red Bellied visitor

We have heard a mysterious loud knocking in the backyard but hadn't been able to catch sight of this visitor until last night. A woodpecker is banging away at the back porch overhang.  He isn't making much progress but we are doing what we can to discourage his overtures.  Today I hung (everso sightly) wire cages over the shingles and in front of the places where he is hammering.  So far so good.
The robin that was pestering the carriage house windows gave up when she built her nest, but returned to her task when the babies fledged.  It looked like she was going to fill the nest again, but hasn't yet.
Hummingbirds are busy fighting and protecting their feeder.  The most we see at one time is 3, but summer isn't over.
A different lady turtle greeted us at the carriage house door tonight.  No dog interventions and not the same one that was on the patio in the rain 2 days ago.
No cow sightings or evidence.

Remington, the turkey hunter

Paul, Buddy, and Remington were at the far end of the walnut grove when a loud ruckus ensued.  Remington had a hand-sized poult in his mouth.  Paul said drop it; Remington did.  The hen was 12' away cackling her heart out.  There may have been other poults in the vicinity, but they were hunkered down. 
Meanwhile, at the top of the grove, Gambol sniffed out a male turtle.
No cow sightings today.  Matt Hall, of hoagie and fireworks fame, apparently lost this animal (maybe a steer, bull, or heifer, a couple of weeks ago.  Gambol barked late nights several times, and we found 2 cow patties in the backyard.  (I will admit to thinking that one dried patty was a coiled rattler, at first glance.) Two days ago I saw it on our early morning walk in the walnut grove so I posted it on "Lost and Found pets". A neighbor gave me the owner's phone so I can call anytime I see it, but he doesn't seem to eager to retrieve the bugger. Yesterday we saw the animal in the lower forest above the walnut grove.  It doesn't seem very friendly.

FOY: 2 Eastern Box Turtles today

Gambol's was about 5" front to back (f-b) and almost all black with a few yellow finger-like designs, at the top of the Walnut Grove. No camera.
Mine was near the fire pit/camping platz and was only about 3.5" f-b.  She (perhaps) had bright red markings.

FOY: Eastern Box Turtles

Remington found this small female at the top of the hill.
Gambol, not to be lout done at his own game, found this old male in the meadow later in the day.

Late fall turtle

I took the boys on a quick walk down to the fire pit before the rain.  Gambol and Kilo found a small male turtle just past were the 3 paths converge.  Markings on his shell was bright orange, but I never would have spotted him. Both Kilo and Gambol sniffed in the area where this guy was hiding, but it was Gambol who found him.  He is small but good weight male with bright orange markings. He was kind of shy as he didn't come out of his shell from the time Gambol picked him up, through his photographs, and then when I dropped him back where we found him.  We expect thunderstorms here shortly, so I was in a rush to get the dogs a last minute walk and then get the turtle photographed and returned.  It was just starting to spit (probably blowoff ahead of the line of showers) as I walked the turtle back to his spot in the forest.

More Fall wildlife

The dogs flushed 5 or 6 turkeys today in the upper meadow. I'm sure they were surprised by the thunder of wings.
When took a walk in the rain to the fire pit, I noticed that Gambol was acting "birdy," running around with his nose on the ground, as if searching for something.  He ran by a spot a couple of times and finally just stayed in place, picked up a turtle, walked over to me and put it in my hands.  It was a male, a fairly good sized one.  He did not come out of his shell for his pictures.

Fall turtles

Sept 3
Gambol found this little female turtle by the wood pile next to the carriage house.  I think he found her stuck under the front pallet that supports the firewood.  At least it looked as if Gambol had to yank the turtle up to bring it to me.  She was tightly withdrawn into her shell and didn't emerge even after I took these pictures and replaced her next to the pallets.  In fact, I checked on her a hour or two after the pictures and she still had not moved.  I was afraid that she was sick or injured and dying. I splashed her with water a couple of times during the day and put a few pieces of banana pepper around her, but she didn't seem to be interested in the food.   Late in the day Leslie checked on her and she had moved several feet from her original position.  The next morning she was still close to the pallets, but by midday she had moved on and I couldn't find her, so hopefully she is feeling better.  I wonder if the very dry conditions had caused her to search for a place to dig into and shelter for winter.

Sept 4
This little guy was picked up by Gambol on the third leg of the Shannon Curl.  Although he wouldn't come out of his shell while I took the pictures, he did emerge as I carried him in a bucket back to release him.  I tossed a few tomatoes and some water into the bucket as we drove in the RTV back to his release point.  He did not withdraw back into his shell as I picked him up and put him on the ground.  I put the tomatoes all around him, but he seemed to be more interested in getting away from me.  He is a smaller male, and he seemed to be light in weight.

Eastern Box Turtles

We took a walk to the fire pit, the dogs running ahead, of course. When I caught up, Kilo dropped this guy at my feet.  I thought he might be the same turtle Gambol found yesterday on the Jennifer Trail, but that would have meant a 24-hour trip downhill about 100 yards.
Comparing the photos, I have to say this is a different male.  His underside is colored differently and looking at his shell head-on, he is also quite different.  Coloration on the top shell is also slightly different. All three are about the same size.  These are the first we've found in this area.
July 28

July 27 Kilo dropped this guy (above) at my feet as we walked through the forest past the old Ailanthus grove. His shell has a notch cut out of it in the front and he had a deep recess in his lower shell, which was almost black. Like the first turtle today, this one did not come out of his shell. I guess getting carried in a Brittany's mouth will make you reluctant to come out of your shell.

July 27 We found this boy just off the Jennifer Trail almost all the way down towards the sand mound. I think Kilo found him, Buddy joined Kilo but got distracted, and Gambol retrieved him.

July 22

July 5

July 1

June 19

male

Female

June 15, Gambol and Kilo each found one in the Walnut Grove along the fringe on our after dinner walk in the rain. I wonder if these EBT are related since their marking are so similar.  They are of different year groups, but could they be bro and sis?

June 11
This lady turtle was just off the path near the rock wall.  I carried her back to the house and splashed some water on her shell to clean it up for the pictures.  She did not come out of her shell at all.  I enlisted Kilo's assistance in taking her back to the walk where we released her.

June 9, 10:00

Gambol found this little lady in the fringe area about halfway down the row of fruit trees. This turtle is the smallest I have handled this year so far.

June 9 early morning Walnut Grove;  cracked but healed plastron

June 6 after dinner
June 8 evening walk by apple trees, female

June 6, mid meadow, evening; faded or washed out, dry looking shell
June 4, evening It's interesting that the black pattern shows up when looking directly over it, but at a side view it almost disappears to just faded yellow.