The Beast

Today we had another record breaking high temperature - well over 80 this afternoon.  This gives us 7 days of record highs this March in Albany.  There have never been so many record highs in any one month in Albany.  Everything is sprouting, blooming, budding ...  So while I was out with Blackie I thought I would check the pond to see what critters were enjoying the oddly warm weather.

Garth the Gargoyle

After finding the pond full of tadpoles and minnows I started back to the house and that's when I located The Beast.  He was moving as fast as possible towards the pond.

Luckily fast for a snapping turtle gave me time to find a bait cage to stop him from actually making it to the pond where he would have spent the summer dining on the fish and tadpoles.  This particular snapping turtle is quite small but I can tell you, when pissed off he really did look beastly.  I did not have the presence of mind to get a picture of him with his mouth open - trust me when I say that it was sufficiently terrifying to keep me from getting my fingers anywhere near him. 

   

So The Beast has been humanely moved far from the pond.  And I am still in possession of all fingers.