From the information sign at the trail head to Hidden Lake in Kikomun Creek Provincial Park: " Western Painted Turtles: When hot weather sends most marsh dwellers into hiding, painted turtles come out to sunbathe. Turtles take full advantage of the sun to remain active throughout the summer. They survive the winter in pond-bottom ooze where little oxygen exists.
Female turtles reach maturity after 9 to 10 years. In June, they dig nests in open ground and lay 6 to 18 leathery eggs, which they promptly cover with gravel. Those eggs not lost to predators hatch in early September and the young remain in gravel until spring, enduring winter temperatures. These remarkable hatchlings survive despite being partially frozen with their heartbeat and breathing stopped.
Kikomun Creek Park is home to the most concentrated population of turtles in BC. Smaller numbers are only protected in two smaller provincial parks. Despite their ability to adapt to their surroundings, western painted turtles are threatened. "
Today, the turtles came out to sunbathe in droves by laying on logs in shallow water. They are not even all that shy and you can get quite close to them without scaring more than one or two away. I was waiting for over half an hour for the sun to go behind a cloud so that the belly of the turtle would not be in the shade, but the sky was nearly cloudless. Thus, I fired a flash as fill light, which worked beautifully.
1/250s @ f/9.0 ISO 200
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