2019 Summer Season Data, Eastern Box turtle

M63, Female This 424 gram, old adult turtle was found on July 4th, at 7:40p.m. in the middle of my own driveway (aphalt) after a shower, and stayed near the grassy edge of the drive for many days, coming out onto the drive after every rain. Although I have seen at least one other turtle cross the road here (M36), this find seemed very odd. Maybe this turtle was found elsewhere and left by someone in my drive, but no one has yet come forward.

July and October 2019, were the warmest on record, both globally and for this region. The hottest day of the entire summer was in October but all study turtles were deep in hibernation by the last week of the month. The summer was mostly heat wave after heat wave separated occasionally by 2 or 3 days of tolerable temperatures. Consequently, less telemetry was completed, especially tracking study turtles located at longer hiking distances.

At least 7 study turtles (3 females and 4 males) made successful road crossings and two study turtles (M15 and M51, both males) were killed by vehicles while making road crossings. Male M8, tracked since 2009, died in hibernation this season.

Turtle M1(female) was tracked less this season than any prior season. She stayed in the western part of the south facing slope which was too far to track during this summer's heat waves. She did not cross the road this year, but climbed up-slope to the power line ROW where she was often seen in past years mating with turtle M16(m) , now dead. 1.3 GPS miles tracked this season

Turtle M3(male) stayed well within his normal activity area the entire summer, except for the site selected for hibernation. He traveled into the woods a number of times, which he does when to find mates. 1.6 GPS miles tracked this season.

Turtle M4 (female) did not travel the ROW as often as she normally does in a season. She had a slow start out of hibernation, possibly a result of being found ill, and subsequently treated late last season. She hibernated close to her normal Hibernation sites in the woods adjacent to the ROW. 0.9 GPS miles tracked this season.

Turtle M6 (female) crossed the road, as usual, and after nesting, returned to the exact place she hibernates every year. She was tracked less this season because of the hot weather and long tracking distances. 1.2 GPS miles tracked this season.

Turtle M10 (male) travels within a relatively small primary activity area, and stayed mostly within this area this season. With turtles M8(m) and M9(f) dead in recent years, M10 was observed meeting and mating less than in previous years. 1.6 GPS miles tracked this season

Turtle M11 (female) usually considered a meadow resident, spent most of this season in the woods. She still traveled to the normal wooded locations she has traveled to in the past, but not from the meadow. She hibernated in the ditch near the road as usual. 1.3 GPS miles tracked this season.

Turtle M12 (male) spent most of this season on the north facing slope of the drainage, but returned to the south slope before hibernation.

Turtle M13 (Male) spent nearly the entire season on top of the high ridge, traveling within a small activity area, alternating between the north and south sides of the ridge, where his radio could be heard from below.

Turtle M15 (male) was killed by a vehicle while crossing the highway this season. This was the first time he was ever observed attempting to cross a road. He was a long distance traveler, but stayed mostly in the hollow where he was found and on the north slope just across the steep ridge where he was observed mating a number of times. With his death and the deaths of 2 of the other old male residents of this hollow (M19 and M51), this now leaves the area with an overly large female to male ratio. 1.1 GPS miles tracked this season

Turtle M18 (male) is primarily a meadow resident, but usually hibernates in the woods. This season hr stayed in the lower meadow and chose an exposed hibernation site nearby. 1.2 GPS miles tracked this season.

Turtle M24 (female) made 2 successful road crossings this season into the meadow to nest, a normal summer travel behavior for this turtle. 1.5 GPS miles tracked this season.

Turtle M27 (male) spent most of this season near the top of a ridge close to a power line ROW, and within the tall, unmowed grass of the ROW. He hibernated close to the spot where he emerged, and where he hibernates nearly every season. With the death of several large, Edsel Hollow resident males the past 2 years, M27 is the only male left, except those that travel here from other areas, and then return. 2.2 GPS miles tracked this season

Turtle M40 (female), again this season made the very long trip from the sheltered cove to the Cabin Meeting Area location. She made it back to the cove for hibernation. 0.8 miles tracked this season.

Turtle M41 (female) has been a primary resident of the north face since first found, but this season, crossed over the ridge top into the hollow where she spent most of the summer season and hibernated. 0.9 GPS miles tracked this season

Turtle M42 (female) is primarily a resident of the sheltered cove and south slope where she hibernates, but travels to the meadow, crossing and re-crossing the road during some summer seasons. Found close to M53(F) this June 12th. 1.7 GPS miles tracked this season

Turtle M43 (female) hibernated in the woods close to the Cabin Meeting Area in 2018 and traveled over the ridge top at emergence to her primary activity area where she spent most of the summer season. Oddly, during the summer M43 traveled back to within feet of her 2018 hibernation spot and retuned only 2 days later. 2.0 GPS miles tracked

Turtle M46 (male) appears to have spent nearly this entire summer season on the lower slope near the protected cove where he have been found before. But this area is an arduous hike from any access, so he was not tracked often this season, but his radio could be heard from adjacent ridge tops.

Turtle M48 (male) Primarily known as a ridge-top resident, M48 traveled downslope and crossed the road early in the season, eventually re-crossing the road and climbing to the ridge-top where he remained for the season. 1.7 GPS miles tracked this season and hibernated.

Turtle M49 (female) Another large female M49 was originally found in the drainage in 2017. She has spent most of her travels since in the hollow across the ridge, and has hibernated at the smae place on the very top of the ridge for 2 seasons. 1.3 GPS miles tracked this season

Turtle M50 (male) hibernated last winter on the south slope of this hollow, but was originally found crossing the road into the meadow 2 years ago. M50 is a possible transient. M50 was tracked this summer until she was near the ridge under some steep cliffs where she was lost. She was refound already in hibernation in December.

Turtle M51 (male) a very important male resident of this hollow, was killed by a vehicle while attempting to cross the private gravel road in his primary activity area. He traveled 2.3 miles this season, nearly all within the hollow's south facing slope. M51 spent a number of days during the hottest part of the summer under the mud in a small spring a few feet from turtle M49(female). 2.3 GPS miles tracked this season

Turtle M52 (male) This photo shows all 3 seasons this turtle has been tracked. During the 2019 season M52 stayed almost entirely within the " sheltered cove" area (yellow) shared with several other older adults. This cove is located a very long walking distance from any access point, so doesn't get the amount of tracking other areas of this study area do.

Turtle M53 (female), a large and colorful adult, spends nearly all of her time on the very top of the ridge in the woods, only observed in the meadow on one occassion, close to M42,. another large female. 1.0 GPS miles tracked this season

Turtle M54 (male) was found new in the meadow in 2017 mating with M50, and was tracked 2.1 miles this season. It's not yet known if he is a transient, but in 3 seasons has been tracked 4.9 GPS miles, over a large area. 2.1 GPS miles tracked this season

Turtle M57 (female) was found new last summer and tracked into hibernation at the edge of the power line ROW. After emergence, she spent nearly the entire season on the high part of the ridge, except for one long excursion across the ridge and down the ROW. She was found mating with M27 several times, but not observed nesting (maybe the forray was for nesting). 1.0 GPS miles tracked this season

Turtle M58 (male) was tracked out of hibernation on top of the ridge, but was lost, refound, re-tagged, and lost again in early summer in the meadow.

Turtle M60 (male) was found new last summer, and tracked into hibernation. After emergence, M60 was tracked and lost despite having 2 good radios. It is likely that M60 is a transient.