Painted Turtle
Station Road, South Amherst
Photograph and text by Anne E. Ely, South Hadley
On my walks on the Rail Trail off Station Road in South Amherst I often see dozens painted turtles sunning themselves on logs and grassy tussocks. They have such good eyesight that they usually hit the water the minute I approach, so most of the time I don’t bother with trying to photograph them unless there is something special about the scene. This one, however, really caught my eye. Not only did it not dive into the water as soon as I stopped to look, it just stayed put while I set up my tripod mounted DSLR camera and captured away.
I was using a medium length telephoto lens and the result was a good view of this turtle’s amazing claws.
Anne E. Ely is affiliated with the Robert Floyd Photo Gallery, 2 East St., Southampton. Other images are on view there Tuesdays and Sundays, 1 to 6 p.m.; Wednesdays from 5 to 7 p.m. and by appointment.