Phinn's Fotos

05/29/2026

Gray Catbird, Fielding Park, Sudbury, ON

05/25/2026

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World Turtle Day reminds us to act quickly for these creatures. You have about five seconds to ensure safety.

The entire guide:

🐢 Step one — identify:

- Snapping turtle (large, spiky tail, aggressive posture): do not grab near the head — her neck reaches two-thirds of the shell length. Use a towel, floor mat, or flat object slid underneath to push her across. Or grip the very back edge of the shell only. Lift briefly. Set down. Not by the tail — it damages vertebrae

- Painted, box, spotted, or any smaller turtle: pick up by the shell sides, one hand on each side behind the front legs. Keep low to the ground

🐢 Step two — direction:

- Always move her to the side she was heading. If you move her backward, she turns around and crosses again. She's going somewhere specific

🐢 Step three — release:

- Set her down on the far shoulder, off the pavement. Then leave

🐢 Two exceptions:

- Box turtle (high dome, orange markings) — she's terrestrial. Do not put her in a pond. She can drown. Move her across the road only

- Turtle sitting on the shoulder and not moving — she may be nesting. Leave her. She'll finish on her own

Five seconds. One decision. A life that may be older than yours.

05/21/2026

Just a friendly reminder to watch out for turtles crossing the road.

Please do not straddle them with your vehicle, try to pass in the other lane if you can do so safely.

Even better, if it can be done without risking yourself, help them cross in the direction they are travelling. If you try to send them back from whence they came, they will only try again. They are crossing to lay their eggs and continue the speciesm. This instinct is stronger than you think.

Smaller turtles can be picked up like a sandwich or by grabbing the sides of the shell between the front and back legs.

Snapping turtles can be moved with a shovel, floor mat or by picking them up like a pizza with one hand under the shell and the other holding the back of the shell for stability and control. DO NOT place your hands forward of the midpoint of the shell as theh have a long necl and will snap you. Be careful to not get scratched by the bavk legs, they are strong.

If you have questions about a rescue, please text me for advice at 705 562 8063. I will be happy to help.

If you see someone practicing "turtle popping" where they purposely run over and kill turtles, get a plate number and a description of vehicle and driver if possible and call the MNR, 18778477667. I was told by a local CO, the fine is $350, but if the accused contests it in court the judge can increase that number.

The turtles need all the help we can get. They are suffering from habitat loss, road kill and low reproductive rates. A Common Snapping turtle takes about 25 years to reach breeding age.

P.S. A Snapping Turtle will bite your finger off, right? NO. A myth that comes from a related species, the Alligator Snapping Turtle from the southern US. Common Snapping turtles, native to the area, have a bite strength slightly less than a human. Yes, it will hurt, but will not cause any permanent injury ot amputation.

05/21/2026

A Ruffed Grouse from a few weeks ago.

05/13/2026

An American Kestrel I spotted near Verner, ON last week.

05/05/2026

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Has anyone ever told you a snapping turtle is aggressive and can bite off your finger?

Well it’s important to know that these are ❌FALSE MYTHS!

Is a snapping turtles snap dangerous? ✅ yes

Can they bite off your finger? ❌ no

Will they attack if they feel threatened? ✅ yes

Are they aggressive? ❌ no

So let’s get some things straight about the Ontario common snapping turtle (we are not talking about the alligator snapping turtle)

✅ has a bite capacity less than an adult human. Thus, a bite will hurt but it cannot take off your finger in one bite.

✅ they bite and release so if you are bitten it won’t last long but their snap is very easy to avoid by keeping your hands to the back of their shell (above their back legs)

✅ they snap because they feel threatened and cannot pull themselves inside their shells like other turtle species.

We know that even with these myths busted it can still be intimidating to help a snapping turtle. So what to we recommend?

If you ever need to move a snapping turtle and you aren’t confident use the drag method.

1️⃣Get an item such as a shovel, car mat, or towel / blanket (don’t drag them without soemthing underneath)

2️⃣Grab the turtle from the back shell above the tail (never grab them by the tail)

3️⃣Gently pull the turtle onto your item and drag them across the road in the direction they were headed.

https://www.turtleskingston.com/moving-turtles

04/28/2026

Cool! My little buddies are amazing creatures.

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04/27/2026

Such a happy day.

I went for a walk with my grand-daughters this morning and we found a total of 25 Midland Painted Turtles. This is the earliest in the year that I have ever seen them.

04/24/2026

Lines and patterns near Martindale transformer station on Maley Drive, Sudbury.