Weekly Wildlife at the Garden: By the Lakes

Posted in Wildlife on April 21 2016, by Patricia Gonzalez

Patricia Gonzalez is an NYBG Visitor Services Attendant and avid wildlife photographer.

Wednesday, March 30th was a great day for shooting. Cloudless blue skies greeted me when I entered the Garden grounds. I went to Twin Lakes in the hopes that I’d get to see some of my reptile friends sunning themselves, and I was not disappointed.

This painted turtle gave me quite a challenge. The reeds were moving in the wind, blocking a clear shot. One of the hurdles of wildlife photography is shooting subject matter that can fly, crawl, or swim away in the time it takes to focus. In this case, it wasn’t the turtle moving, but its environment.

I wanted to get closer, but didn’t want to run the risk of invading his space, which would result in him dropping into the water. So I waited a bit for the wind to die down, then pressed the shutter. Mission accomplished!

Painted turtle (Chrysemys picta) at Twin Lakes – Photo by Patricia Gonzalez