This week I documented 28 more depredated terrapin nests, 4 road-killed birds, and 8 live diamondback terrapins. Surprisingly, no new road-killed terrapin carcasses were observed. However, 2 occurrences of somewhat recent shell fragments were documented. It's not clear whether these fragments were from a previously documented carcass, or road-killed terrapins that may have gone undocumented. This could occur if road-killed terrapins are carried away by scavengers, or if the terrapin is able to crawl out of sight from the road after being struck by a vehicle.
Five of the live terrapins observed were swimming around in a large creek running through the marsh, one was swimming in a smaller creek, and one was actively nesting on the side of the road. The last terrapin I observed was just starting to cross the road when I saw her. There were some vehicles approaching, so I quickly jogged over to pick her up. I let a car pass, then carried her across the road in the direction she was heading. After quickly snapping a photo, I set her down about two meters away from the road. She hastily made her way into the safety of the marsh. This was our first terrapin road crossing assist of the season.
I also discovered a newly-installed turtle-crossing sign put in place by some unknown, creative individual. It's nice to see that others are concerned. In addition to this, I also chatted briefly with a local resident who was riding his bicycle at the start of my survey. He expressed a desire to see "a bunch of turtle crossing signs" put up here.
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