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Joy of Life

Gallery: Weekly ChallengePosted March 18, 20165,651 views5 comments

I witnessed several Joys this day. I had just spent one hour under a camouflage sheet waiting for an eagle to return to the nest. Once that happened and I got a picture, I returned to the cottage.
Then: I discovered this river turtle building her nest. (joy) She dug out three holes. First reaching down to grab dirt in her back claws, dumping the dirt, then shifting her body to the next hole, three in all. Once the digging was complete, she starting laying her eggs, (joy) first in one hole, shifting to the next, then to the third. Amazing to say the least. Once that task was complete, she began the process of filling each hole with dirt and grass. (joy) She would grab clumps of dirt and grass in her back claws, wiggle her claws to unload the dirt then move to the next hole. She would press the dirt with her claws along the way and continued till the holes where filled. Once done, (I'm sure joy for her) she returned to the river, never to see the results of her amazing ordeal. I felt so excited and blessed to experience this wonderful event.

File name EMH_0115.CF7
Camera Model Canon EOS-1D
Shooting Date/Time 3/6/2016 2:36:27 PM
Author Elizabeth Holbrook
Copyright Notice EMH Images.com All Rights Reserved
Shooting Mode Aperture-Priority AE
Tv(Shutter Speed) 1/80
Av(Aperture Value) 7.1
Metering Mode Evaluative Metering
Exposure Compensation -1/3
ISO Speed 400
Auto ISO Speed ON
Lens EF100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM
Focal Length 100.0mm
Image Size 5184x3456
Aspect ratio 3:2
White Balance Mode Shade
AF Mode AI Servo AF

Comments

5 comments

Comment posted by Dennis Plank on March 19, 2016 at 7:22 PM

Excellent, Elizabeth. I'm sure you took a ton of frames and I'm glad you chose this one to present with the half buried egg in it-it really tells the story. Definitely a joyful event on both your parts.

devil

Registered on January 28, 2008, 1767 Posts, 23192 Comments

Comment posted by Jim Zablotny on March 20, 2016 at 7:25 AM

Hi Elizabeth,

These turtles work hard getting those eggs buried. The scene is filled with lots of complex patterns which gives it an abstract presentation. The turtle's shell is very interesting. The protruding egg is placed in the right spot in the frame crying

.................Jim

Registered on January 17, 2004, 705 Posts, 3594 Comments

Comment posted by Albert Darmo on March 20, 2016 at 11:02 PM

Hi Elizabeth crying

Ah! the joy of planned er planted motherhood . well captured showing mom making the future materrnity site

Albert Darmo
Canada

Registered on November 25, 2008, 1386 Posts, 11978 Comments

Comment posted by Mark Seaver on March 24, 2016 at 10:17 AM

Watching a turtle lay her eggs is always a fun experience, Elizabeth, it also looks like hard work as the snapper that I watched would take occasional breaks. I like all the greens/yellows and it's neat that you've got an egg showing. I do wonder if it would have been possible to get a side view for a better look at her head while still seeing the egg.

Registered on January 23, 2011, 1103 Posts, 17270 Comments

Comment posted by Elizabeth Holbrook on April 2, 2016 at 8:56 AM

Hi Mark, other than this image I didn't get her head and an egg in the same frame. I was so surprised and excited to have the opportunity to watch this amazing part of nature, that I probably missed some truly great angles.

Registered on May 6, 2015, 43 Posts, 221 Comments