the beauty of flight

Menominee Marina, Menominee, MI
taken with a Nikon D50 on July 7, 2007 by jls
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the recluse revealed

now do you see him?

by the river, Man-made Lake Park, Wausau, WI
taken with a Nikon D50 on June 19, 2007 by jls
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friendly recluse

do you see him?

by the river, Man-made Lake Park, Wausau, WI
taken with a Nikon D50 on June 19, 2007 by jls
See more photos at fourpointedstar.smugmug.com

the definition of alert

park on the lake, Antigo, WI
taken with a Nikon D50 on June 12, 2007 by jls
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mrs. turtle

I was out for my typical walk along the Wisconsin River when I saw this goliath. At 15 to 17 inches long, she is larger than average. She was passive in nature, but I was very careful to keep distance and always be very alert. She hid when I first walked up to her; retracting her entire head into her shell; but the longer I sat there the more 'comfortable' she became with my presence. I walked away for 15 minutes, and when I got back she had moved almost 30 feet (hence the change in scenery for the last photo).
For more information about the Midland Smooth Softshell Turtle, try these links:
Herp.net about softshell turtles
Wisconsin DNR site for Midland Smooth Softshell Turtle
(Male turtles of this species are typically only 7 to 9 inches long while females are typically 14 inches long. This led to my assumption that the turtle was female.)


about 120 feet from the Wisconsin River and .4 miles north of the Brokaw Bridge
taken with a Nikon D50 on June 7, 2007 by jls
See all of the June 7th shoot (there's more than just a turtle) at fourpointedstar.smugmug.com

a little family

Lake Wausau in Wausau, WI
taken with a Nikon D50 on June 2, 2007 by jls
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