Cool story. It's funny - some turtles "get in the zone" when they start digging and nothing phases them. You can watch, photograph, even move 'em around - and they just keep on digging. Other turtles will quickly abandon their efforts on the slightest sight of a human.

I had a box turtle this year that had just finished laying her eggs and was in the process of covering them up. It was late, I was ready to go to bed, I was getting eaten by mosquitoes, and I just wanted to get the eggs out of the ground and bring them inside to incubate. I gently lifted her off the nest and set her to the side. As I carefully dug-up the nest, she sat where I had placed her and continued to work her rear legs in vain, trying to cover up the nest she was no longer near. For fifteen minutes she continued to "sweep" the surrounding ground, pulling it to the center where she was convinced her nest was. Instinct is a strong motivator.

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