TIMES RECORD (Brunswick, Maine) 28 September 06 Baby turtles' long, slow journey offers life lesson by the bay (Michael Reagan)
Bowdoinham: Dawn Estela was mowing the lawn last week when she spotted what looked like a rock. It was a baby turtle.
She stopped mowing.
Since making the discovery, she and her two children have spotted nine snapping turtles that have hatched in and around their yard on Bay Road. They were between an inch and a half and two inches long.
"They fit in the palm of my 2-year-old's hand," Dawn Estela said.
For the past three years, the Estela family has seen female snapping turtles try to lay eggs in their gravel and sand driveway and garden in mid-June. The Estelas have warned their children if they see a snapping turtle to run off and tell them. Adult snapping turtles can be a foot and a half in length, Dan Estela said.
This is the first year they have seen baby turtles. Dawn Estela believes eggs from previous years may have been eaten by skunks or raccoons.
The newly hatched turtles have one goal in mind.
"Instinctively they start heading to the water. It's an amazing thing, I think," said Dan Estela, Dawn's husband.
The property is about 300 feet from Merrymeeting Bay. Carson Estela, 4, decided to help the turtles and has brought them to the water's edge to let them go. He also has taken three of them to his preschool before their release.
"They all wanted to touch them, but there were 20 in the class. We wanted to give them (the turtles) a fighting chance," Dawn Estela said.
Carson's teacher, Stephanie Bernier, read a book to the class about turtles as part of the lesson. Each child at Pejepscot Day School did get to hold the bucket holding the three turtles.
Carson Estela likes watching the television program "The Crocodile Hunter" and talks about sharks at home. His parents have not told him yet that Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin has died. They will tell him in the future.
Avery Estela, Carson's sister, prefers watching "Dora The Explorer," but her mother says that she gets interested in anything her older brother does.
Newborn turtles have often appeared in the yard in the morning, going on their long walks. Both Carson and Avery Estela look for them after rising.
"It's pretty much the last thing they talk about before going to bed and the first thing they talk about when they wake up," she said.
Avery Estela has also mentioned the turtles in her prayers.
Baby turtles' long, slow journey offers life lesson by the bay