Spotted Turtle Found While Land Surveying

Yesterday I was cutting line for a roughly 40 acre survey I’m working on when I came across this Spotted Turtle. He or she – we really didn’t get to know each other that well in the short time we visited together – turned out to be the shy type.

Spotty can’t be blamed for being defensive and shy; a six foot tall humanoid carrying a machete would be reason enough. Two woods travelers crossing paths, a few words exchanged, a couple of pictures snapped, and then we parted ways. OK, so I did all the talking, but I could tell that Spotty was warming up to me and was just about ready to open up.

I could focus on yesterday’s heat, humidity, and thickness of the woods, which all made for a challenging day of cutting line and setting up my surveying traverse lines, but instead I choose to focus on, and fondly remember, my new friend, Spotty.

OH, and did I mention the bees? Shortly after leaving Spotty the turtle I stepped on a Yellow Jackets nest. I then put on an impressive display of evasive maneuvers and somehow escaped getting stung (I wasn’t so lucky on Monday).

These are a few of the trials and tribulations in the everyday life of carrying out a survey. It doesn’t add anything to the pay of a professional land surveyor, but coming across an interesting creature like Spotty the turtle is a nice bonus.