Like any good story, this one starts with a mystery. After moving into their dream home in early June of 2018 – 60 acres along a beautiful stretch of Sand Lake; Anne Marie Batten and Derek McIntyre began noticing strange things going “bump” in the night. In the mornings they would notice that drain spouts along the side of their house were knocked down. After propping them back up along the house, the very next morning they would be knocked down again, even after quiet and calm spring nights. They also noticed that there were strange dirt mounds strewn around the massive property.
Just days later, two things happened that provided some insight to this mystery: Anne Marie and Derek began noticing broken egg shells among the little dirt mounds. Then, just days after they moved in came the biggest clue yet. They now call her “the Big Mama from the Black Bog” – a giant prehistoric looking snapping turtle spotted meandering slowly across their lawn, bumping the spouts down as she crawled past the side of their house and across their acreage at a glacial pace towards her eventual spawning site – likely the exact same spot she herself had hatched from the ground many decades ago. Of course, a turtle of such giant size could easily be upwards of 80 to 100 years old, and her back was covered in old, black moss – truly a magnificent sight to behold.
Soon after, Anne Marie and Derek began noticing the turtle hatchlings themselves coming up out of the ground. At times, they could see dozens of tiny turtle hatchlings slowing making their way down the property towards the edge of the water along the north shore of Powells’ Bay on Sand Lake. When they realized the amount of hatchlings and remaining nests, they took it upon themselves to get educated on turtle behavior and to provide protection for the remaining nests they could locate on their property while helping any hatchlings they found towards water on the first steps of their amazing journey.
The Turtle Intensive Care Unit (ICU)
Of course, the late spring season can still have some chilly nights, and for newly-hatched turtles this can spell trouble. Sometimes, you may see a turtle at the side of the road, roasting itself in the morning sun. Typically they are trying to warm themselves. New hatchlings are no different. Those that hatch on an overly-cold night are often unable to get on track right away – but moments spend at the hatch site become an extreme vulnerability as they are left totally exposed to any sort of predator that may happen to come along. This could be any sort of animal that roams around the Rideau Lakes area, including Fishers – a stealthy predator few people have much experience with and that happen to love baby turtles as a tasty snack.
Amazing organizations like Sandy Pines Wildlife Centre do great work with rehabilitating injured turtles, but sometimes things happen in nature that require more immediate action. Pipsqueak (or “Pip”) was the turtle hatchling that brought about the Turtle ICU, an incredibly heartwarming part of this quirky story. There were only two turtles that were named by Anne Marie. Pip was found lying on the side of the nest. In short order, Anne Marie became very prepared for this, given her background on the front lines of our health care setting as a well-trained nurse. With Derek’s help – and the watchful eye of her big St. Bernard “Luke”, they would comb the property every night and morning, seeking out hatching nest sites and rescuing the turtles impacted by the colder evenings by putting them into an incubator-styled Rubbermaid Tote outfitted with a warming light. This meant the difference between life and death for dozens of baby hatchlings. This is the “Turtle ICU” and probably saved at least 2 dozen snapper and other turtle species found at their property this spring and summer.
When it was all said and done, Anne Marie and Derek helped rescue over 200 turtles on their property, which was now clearly a turtle-crossing hot spot if there ever was one. This was a labor of love, and as Derek and Anne Marie learned more, and as their dog became more and more protective of the nests, they began sharing their story on social media. The amazing photos and Anne Marie’s unique and interesting way of sharing her personal story became quite a hit, and before long the “Turtles of Silo Road” were becoming quite a phenomenon.
As we head towards the spring of 2019, Anne Marie, Derek and Luke are all awaiting the next wave of turtle crossings. They will be ready to help ward off predators, protect nests and help the new hatchlings as they struggle to reach the shores of Sand Lake for the first time in their lives, but as generations of turtles before them have done for countless centuries. It’s an amazing story, and one that Outdoor Action Ontario was grateful to be able to capture and share with OAO Nation.
This coming spring and summer, keep your eyes open for turtles and if you own a property and start noticing some strange bumps in the night, maybe you are also in a turtle hatching zone. Perhaps you can even play your own role in helping these wonderful little creatures as they start their quest in life – Anne Marie and Derek weren’t planning on it yet it turned into one of the most wonderfully rewarding experiences they have ever had.
For more information on how to care for or bring in an injured turtle:
Sandy Pines Wildlife Centre
https://sandypineswildlife.org/
Kawartha Turtle Conservation Centre
https://ontarioturtle.ca/