About Milton Blue Hills

Every spring, there is an increase in activity among the local wildlife along the Pine Tree Brook. So, when I noticed a neighbor crouching with his iPhone, capturing an image of a dark, rounded object near the Thacher Street Bridge. I immediately recognized what had captured his attention—it must have been Bertha. 

For over a decade, a local snapping turtle, who I named Bertha, has annually returned from the Pine Tree Brook to lay her eggs. In most instances, she will successfully lay her eggs and return to the brook. But on this day, she decided to cross Thacher Street which I felt compelled to intervene. Snapping turtles possess no natural predators apart from motor vehicles, and they are at significant risk of injury or killed when struck.

Having assisted her numerous times in the past, I needed my wheelbarrow and shovel. Although there exists a method for safely lifting a snapping turtle from the rear, I felt it was safer and better to pick her up with the shovel and transport her in the wheelbarrow. The rest was easy and I returned her back into the brook and she quickly swam off.

A word of caution never attempt to pick up a snapping turtle. They are not aggressive and only react when threatened. There are many snapping turtles in Pope’s and Turner’s Ponds and along the Pine Tree Brook.

Late Fall