Soaking Up The Sun

photograph a turtle sunning on a rock in the James River by Doug Couvillion

A great time of day to spot turtles in the river is at dawn.

Since they are cold blooded the turtles need the warm of the sun to really get moving.  Rocks in the middle of the river provide a great opportunity to soak up the sun’s energy in a place where they won’t likely be disturbed.

When I found this Eastern River Cooter warming on the rocks the sun’s rays had just made their way over the trees on the river bank.