The turtles are in Bagley Lake. A lot of turtles. So many turtles that it could be re-named Turtle Lake and that would be accurate.
Bagley Lake is the little lake on the right as you head up Ridgewood Road in the village of Old Mission. If you go past Haserot Beach and keep going until you’re on Ridgewood Road, you’ll see the little lake on the right before you head up the hill. It’s where I accidentally met the Gray sisters a few years ago.
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Every spring, a pair of swans nest there faithfully year after year. And year after year, it’s a struggle for them to keep their babies from being eaten by turtles. I don’t think they accomplished that this year, because shortly after the babies arrived, suddenly the swans were gone. I’m guessing their babies didn’t make it.
I don’t know how we came to the conclusion that the baby swans were being eaten by turtles. Something we heard somewhere along the way, I guess.
But that’s the circle of life and all that. And the turtles are very entertaining. They’re kind of hard to see from the road, but I managed to find a few through my telephoto lens. You’ll see them sunning themselves on logs and piles of twigs on sunny days.
I don’t know what kind of turtles they are, but they’re colorful – you can see red and yellow on their neck and legs. According to the California Turtle and Tortoise Club, it looks like they might be Painted Turtles. And if so, they’re the official State Reptile of Michigan! How about that?!
If you know anything about these turtles, tell us in the comments section below.
They appear to be “Yellow Bellied Sliders”. Beautiful Markings and a nice find! Finally getting up there in early August from northern Indiana. Best wishes
Jane, is this a Private Lake? Could I pull off on Ridgewood to observe things there for a while? Wife and I are spending more time with “boots on the ground” this visit. TY!
[…] fall air, the same pungent smell of wet fallen leaves. The same excitement when, walking beside Bagley Pond, a brace of Teal or Mallards explode out of the pond under frantically beating wings. The busy […]
My father , Bud Andrus, owned the property surrounding bagley lake when I was growing up, using the water from the lake to irrigate his strawberry field. As children we were not allowed to swim in the lake or play in it but I do remember Howard Terry asking permission to catch snapping turtles that were in it..when he did catch one he presented my parents with a sample of his snapping turtle soup. I know these turtles shown in pictures arent snapping turtles but I wouldnt be surprised to find that there are still some in there