Turtles awaken from winter slumber

I counted over 40 Midland painted turtles sunning themselves on logs, stumps, and grasses at the McKenzie Marsh in Aurora, today. It seems they have awakened en masse from their hibernation. They share the waters with snapping turtles, Canada geese, ducks, swans, several species of herons, the odd muskrat, and a multitude of migratory songbirds - all of which have graced this photo blog over the years (and my wife's blog, too). I love how they overlap each other. It was sunny and about 14C so it was a good day for Linda and I to visit and do some shutterbugging.

My Matt Damon blips of the past couple of days have gone viral. Over 3,100 views for one set, and over 26,800 views for the other set! Somebody posted my links onto reddit.com and it's gone bonkers from there.