Warm Up 30 April 2001
A southwest breeze bathed the Land of Ooze with refreshing warmth.
Blue skies and lazy clouds painted Wellfleet Bay in springtime hues. Still, few
turtles have emerged from brumation. But with a string of 70°F days in the immediate
forecast, its only a matter of time. One hazard surprised me as I waded
the creek. So many pairs of mating horseshoe crabs have gathered in
the low tide rip that it has converted the rapids into a virtual minefield.
![](gallery/04-30-1.jpg)
Two male terrapins floated through the rip this
morning. Number 1052 came first; an 8-year-old with perfectly pristine carapace
and plastron, he tipped the scales at 222 grams and stretched to 11 centimeters
long.
![](gallery/04-30-2.jpg)
A few minutes later a repeat customer swam into
view. Terrapin 1047, you may recall, was first observed a week ago on 23
April in the first group of turtles seen active in 2001. In the last week,
he seems to have warmed up a lot and has become quite active and
aggressive.
![](gallery/04-30-3.jpg)
He lost 4 grams in weight with his shell peeling
off its winter covering.
![](gallery/04-30-4.jpg)
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