Oozy Low Tide Drained Marsh Channel on Indian Neck
This morning’s low tide offered a chance to sweep the Land of Ooze for potentially lethal debris. As we slogged through the Indian Neck creeks, we found two dead five-year-old females within a few feet of each other south of Fox Island.
Two Nearly Identical Dead Five-Year-Old Terrapins
One of these “twins†measured 8.7 cm, the second 8.65 cm carapace length.
Location of Three More Dead Terrapins in Fox Island WMA
Three more dead terrapins were discovered in marsh channels north of Field Point, bringing the total to 20 dead terrapins in the Fox Island Wildlife Management Area the last two weeks.
Dead Male Last Seen Healthy and Vibrant on 30 September
One, a six-year-old male of 11.85 cm length, had last been observed on 30 September swimming through Blackfish Creek. He had apparently experienced such a good season that the researcher noted, “Chunky . . . hardly fits into shell with summer fat.â€
Dead 10-Year-Old Female Last Seen Heatlhy on June 3rd
Another, a 10-year-old female of 17.9 cm, was last seen on 3 June as she, too, swam through Blackfish Creek in seemingly perfect condition.
Bob Prescott Examines “Ghost” Netting Seining Tidal Flow
A little way further upstream, the main discharge channel on Field Point was blocked by netting, seining the tidal ebb and flow from the entire marsh area south of Wise Hill. While this blockage appeared the most serious threat, we also pulled scattered pieces of debris from throughout the Fox Island Wildlife Management Area marsh system. Still, the amount of material found this year falls far short of the last spring’s haul. Our hope is that we are gradually recovering this habitat from years of neglect and as we persevere, the terrapin death total in the marsh will decline as well.