Softshell and Cedars

We haven't seen many turtles this year, so when I saw something out of the corner of my eye and heard a splash, I paused to see who was there. A Snapping Turtle, Chelydra serpentina, pretty big, had been basking on a log and slid into the water as I approached. Soon I saw him/her cruising in the murky water.

Then another appeared but there was something different about this one. S/He climbed onto a partially submerged log and I could see that it was a softshell, probably an Eastern Spiny Softshell Turtle, Apalone spinifera. As big as a large dinner plate and nearly as flat, this is a pic from a different sighting:

Like clockwork, Cedar Waxwings come through every spring and strip the Juneberries of their fruit. But a hot flash ripened the berries prematurely and the birds missed them altogether. We were delighted to see them back in August, bathing in the spray of the garden hose during the drought.