I came across this native Beetberry plant (Blitum capitatum) on November 14 while hiking in the Jeffrey-Cowan Forest Preserve on Stoney Lake. Bet Curry
On November 8, I saw 16 Sandhill Cranes fly over Oakwood, ON. Gavin Hunter
On November 9, we had a visit at our feeder from a female Pine Grosbeak. She was the first ever that we had on our lot; too early for the Winter list , but perhaps she’ll be back. Michael Gillespie, Keene
We’ve been seeing Evening Grosbeaks at our feeders since the end of October. They are sporadic with their visits and are in smaller flocks then we have seen them in the past. We also get Wild Turkeys on a regular basis. Here’s a couple of pictures from last February. The turkeys can be as frustrating as the squirrels! Dennis Johnson, Northey’s Bay, Stoney Lake
Wild Turkeys at our feeder – Dennis Johnson
The Jack Lake area is known to support six different species of turtles. Members of the Jack Lake community have participated in the Ontario Turtle Tally since 2014 (see References). This report has been prepared to summarize observations recorded during 2022.
2022 Observations
Individual turtle sitings are listed in Appendix 1. As in previous years, most turtle observations occurred during June when turtles were moving to search for nesting sites and lay their eggs (Table 1). In several instances, turtles were moved off the road. In one instance (June 7), eggs were removed from a Blandings turtle, which had been killed on the road, and were taken to the Ontario Turtle Conservation Centre in Peterborough for incubation.
Table 1. Temporal distribution of adult turtles observed during the 2022 Turtle Tally on Jack Lake.
| Species | April | May | June | July | August | September | October | Season Total |
| Blandings | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 |
| Midland Painted | 0 | 0 | 15 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16 |
| Snapping | 0 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
| Unidentified | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Monthly Total | 0 | 1 | 32 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 34 |
Only four turtle nesting activities were observed in 2022 (Table 2).
Table 2. Observed turtle nesting activity observed during 2022 in the Jack Lake area.
| Date | Species | Activity observed |
| June 10 | Blandings | Nest digging |
| June 10 | Snapping | Nest digging |
| June 17 | Midland Painted | Egg laying |
| July 1 | Midland Painted | Egg laying |
For the first time, there were observations of young turtle hatchlings leaving their nest. On the morning of September 5, at least thirty snapping turtle hatchlings were observed (and photographed) leaving their nest on the south shore of Sheeps Island and entering Jack Lake (Mary Derks, pers. comm.)
Comparisons with Earlier Surveys
Compared with recent years, there were fewer participants and turtle observations in 2022 (Table 3).
Table 3. A comparative summary of turtle observations from Jack Lake, 2014-2022.
| Year | No. Participants | Blandings | Eastern Musk | Midland Painted | Northern Map | Snapping | Spotted | Unidentified |
| 2014 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 32 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 0 |
| 2015 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 58 | 0 | 20 | 0 | 0 |
| 2016 | 17 | 5 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 16 | 0 | 0 |
| 2017 | 31 | 6 | 0 | 60 | 2 | 21 | 0 | 0 |
| 2018 | 33 | 7 | 0 | 43 | 6 | 34 | 0 | 0 |
| 2019 | 30 | 11 | 1 | 51 | 4 | 17 | 1 | 0 |
| 2020 | 20 | 4 | 1 | 48 | 3 | 13 | 0 | 0 |
| 2021 | 40 | 6 | 0 | 64 | 0 | 22 | 0 | 0 |
| 2022 | 14 | 9 | 0 | 16 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 1 |
| 2014-2022 Mean | 21.8 | 5.9 | 0.2 | 42.9 | 1.7 | 18.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 |
Acknowledgements
Individuals who participated in the 2022 turtle tally included (listed alphabetically):Heather Bee, Tim Cork, Ruth Davenport, Mary Derks, Alex Kostiw, Elizabeth Kroeker, David Lean, Colleen Louise, Marlo Loeb McQuaker, Marni McQuillan, Michael Mastroianni, Pat Phillips, Tina Porter and Alan Quarry.
References and Additional Reading
Kerr, Steven J. 2016. Turtle observations from the Jack Lake watershed, 2014-2016. Jack Lake Association. Apsley, Ontario. 2 p. + appendices.
Kerr, Steven J. 2017. 2017 turtle observations in the Jack Lake watershed. Jack Lake Association. Apsley, Ontario. 4 p. + appendices.
Kerr, Steven J. 2018. 2018 turtle observations from the Jack Lake watershed. Jack Lake Association. Apsley, Ontario. 3 p. + appendices.
Kerr, Steven J. 2019. 2019 turtle observations from the Jack Lake area. Jack Lake Association. Apsley, Ontario. 3 p. + appendices.
Kerr, Steven J. 2020. Results of the 2020 turtle tally on Jack Lake. Jack Lake Association. Apsley, Ontario. 4 p. + appendices.
Kerr, Steven J. 2021. Results of the 2021 turtle tally on Jack Lake. Jack Lake Association. Apsley, Ontario. 2 p. + appendices.
Ontario Turtle Conservation Centre. 2022. How to build a turtle nesting site on your property. Peterborough, Ontario.
Ontario Turtle Conservation Centre. 2022. Nest protection – Improving the odds for eggs and hatchlings. Peterborough, Ontario.
Toronto Zoo. 2011. Turtles on your property – What to know and do. Adopt-a–Pond Wetland Conservation Programme. Toronto, Ontario. 11 p.
Toronto Zoo. Undated. Ontario turtle tally. Adopt-a-Pond Wetland Conservation Programme. Toronto, Ontario.
Appendix 1. Individual turtle observations recorded in the Jack Lake area during 2022.
| Date | Turtle Species | Observer | Site/Location | Details |
| Early May | Snapping Turtle | Tim Cork | Centre Bay (north shore) | Very large speciman. |
| June 2 | Midland Painted Turtle | David Lean | Hwy 504 (near McCoy Road) | Adult turtle. Photo taken. |
| June 5 | Unidentified | Michael Mastroianni | McCoy Road | – |
| June 7 | Midland Painted Turtle | Ruth Davenport | McCoy Road | Turtle moved off the road. |
| June 7 | Blandings Turtle | Ruth Davenport | McCoy Road | Turtle had been killed on the road. A total of 8-10 eggs were removed and taken to the Ontario Turtle Trauma Centre in Peterborough. |
| June 8 | Midland Painted Turtle | Tina Porter | Jack Lake Road (1 km past 4 corner stop sign) | Turtle was moved off the road. |
| June 8 | Midland Painted Turtle | Tina Porter | Jack Lake Road (near Anchorage) | – |
| June 8 | Snapping Turtle | Marlo Loeb McQuaker | Jack Lake Road | |
| June 9 | Snapping Turtle | Elizabeth Kroeker | Jack Lake Road | Large turtle which was moved off the road. |
| June 10 | Snapping Turtle | Pat Phillips | Jack Lake Road | Photo taken. |
| June 10 | Blandings Turtle | Marni McQuillan | McCoy Road | Turtle was digging nest. Photo taken. |
| June 10 | Snapping Turtle | Marni McQuillan | McCoy Road | Turtle was digging nest. Photo taken. |
| June 12 | Blandings Turtle | Heather Bee | Jack Lake Road | Turtle was moved off the road. Photo taken. |
| Date | Turtle Species | Observer | Site/Location | Details |
| June 12 | Blandings Turtle | Heather Bee | Jack Lake Road | Photo taken. |
| June 13 | Blandings Turtle | Alex Kostiw | Jack Lake Road | Turtle was moved off the road. |
| June 13 | Blandings Turtle | Alex Kostiw | Jack Lake Road | Turtle was moved off the road. |
| June 14 | Blandings Turtle | Alex Kostiw | Jack Lake Road | – |
| June 14 | Blandings Turtle | Alex Kostiw | Jack Lake Road | – |
| June 14 | Midland Painted Turtle | Alex Kostiw | Jack Lake Road (west of marinas) | Turtle moved off the road. |
| June 14 | Midland Painted Turtle | Alex Kostiw | Jack Lake Road | Turtle moved off the road. |
| June 14 | Midland Painted Turtle | Alan Quarry | Sharpe’s Bay | Photo taken |
| June 14 | Snapping Turtle | Alex Kostiw | Jack Lake Road (near Shady Lane) | Very large specimen. |
| June 15 | Midland Painted Turtle | Alex Kostiw | Jack Lake Road | – |
| June 15 | Midland Painted Turtle | Alex Kostiw | Jack Lake Road | – |
| June 15 | Snapping Turtle | Alex Kostiw | Jack Lake Road (FR 52B) | Large specimen. |
| Mid June | Snapping Turtle | Colleen Louise | McCoy Road | Turtle was crossing the road. |
| June 17 | Midland Painted Turtle | Tim Cork | Centre Bay (north shore) | Approximately 8 inches in length. |
| June 17 | Midland Painted Turtle | Tim Cork | Centre Bay (north shore) | – |
| June 17 | Midland Painted Turtle | Tim Cork | Centre Bay wetland | Approximately 10 inches in length. Turtle was laying eggs. |
| June 17 | Midland Painted Turtle | Tim Cork | Jack Lake Road | Turtle was moved off the road. |
| Date | Turtle Species | Observer | Site/Location | Details |
| June 17 | Midland Painted Turtle | Tim Cork | Jack Lake Road | Approximately eight inches in length. |
| June 17 | Midland Painted Turtle | Tim Cork | The Cranery | Approximately ten inches in length. |
| June 25 | Blandings Turtle | Ruth Davenport | McCoy Road (FR 85) | Turtle was approximately 10 inches in length. Photo taken. |
| July 1 | Midland Painted Turtle | Tim Cork | Centre Bay | Turtle, approximately 12 inches in length, was laying eggs. |
| September 5 | Snapping Turtle | Mary Derks | Sheeps Bay (south shore of Sheeps Island) | Approximately 30 hatchlings observed leaving their nest and entering the lake. |
Today, November 28, a flock of 50 Sandhill Cranes flew over my house in Omemee. Gavin Hunter
