It’s peak nesting season for turtles in Ontario and, according to Turtles Kingston Executive Director Tara Bauer, people can expect to see more turtles crossing roads or searching for a place to lay their eggs.
“They essentially have like a month and a half where every single turtle’s gonna come and nest,” said Bauer. “Regardless of the species, they’re coming onto land to find a place that’s sandy, gravel, exposed sunlight, to lay their eggs and then they leave, they will never check on those eggs again.”
Turtles aren’t the only ones on the move. Other cold-blooded animals like frogs and snakes are also more active throughout the summer months.
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Experts, like Caleigh Beckett of Sandy Pines, are urging drivers to stay alert and watch for wildlife on roads.
“Especially this time of year, you’re looking for turtles and snakes that are more likely to be out. Snakes often, if you see kind of [a] big branch, they actually use the asphalt …in the middle of the road to bask in that nice sun too.”
If you do hit an animal, Beckett says to contact them for guidance, then safely move the animal into a container if possible and transport it for care.
“You can move them onto your floor mats if you have those rubber floor mats in your car, you can put them on there, put them in the back seat, try and keep your radio down, keep it nice and quiet and calm for them just to keep their stress levels as low as possible.”
And if you spot a turtle nest, Bauer says you can help protect it by using a nest protector to keep predators away.
“It’s essentially a hundred percent of eggs get eaten in human areas, so it’s the predation rate from animals such as foxes, skunks, anything you can think of that lives well with humans can eat and find these nests really easily.”
Nest protectors are available through Turtles Kingston and can remain on public property until October, but make sure to include your name and contact information.
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