Wednesday 19 April 2017

Turtle love

Green Sea turtles are the largest hard shell sea turtles. Sightings are not rare in Hawaii, but neither are they abundant; I was excited every time I encountered one of these gentle creatures.
 
 
They can be seen in the water around reefs, grazing on algae in shallow water or on the shoreline soaking up some sunshine.
 
 
 
"The green turtle is listed as endangered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. In 1978, the Hawaiian population of the green turtle was listed as threatened under the U.S. Endangered Species Act of 1973. "
 
"Green turtles were a source of food, tools, and ornamentation for early Hawaiians. With the arrival of western culture, however, the level of exploitation of this resource increased dramatically. Large numbers of green turtles were harvested throughout the Hawaiian Islands through the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. In 1974, the State of Hawaii finally passed a regulation providing some protection, but this was virtually ignored until 1978, when the Hawaiian green turtle was placed on the list of threatened species."


"In other parts of the world, green turtles face a serious threat from the destruction and loss of nesting sites. Fortunately, over 90% of nesting activity for the Hawaiian green turtle population occurs at the French Frigate Shoals, inside a National Wildlife Refuge System administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. This, combined with its threatened status under the U.S. Endangered Species Act, has created an environment in which the Hawaiian green turtle should prosper."



 


 
I was pleased to get several videos of turtles. here are my you tube videos of turtles:
 
 
Eating:

 
 
Swimming:
 
 
Swimming:
 
 
 
Moving up the beach:
 
 
 
This is a longer video and at the end the turtle yawns (I think)?
 
 
 
That is it for turtles today.
 
I have been busy very busy painting and gardening recently, the garden is coming along, now just need some slightly warmer weather.
 
 
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I have completed a number of paintings, unfortunately I have only photographed one of them.
 
Here it is "Notre Dame Watcher":
 
It is a painting (watercolour) of a grotesque or chimera, most would recognize it as a gargoyle but since it does not drain rain water it isn't a true gargoyle. This one is high up on Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris.
 
 
 
It is an odd bird or penguin like creature in a shroud.
 
 
Thanks for dropping by, happy Wednesday,
 
with whimsy,
 
Gillian.
 
 
 
 
 


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