Friday's Foto

Birds are not the only animals that migrate around Brooklyn. From late-May until early-July female Diamondback Terrapins are migrating to their nesting grounds around Jamaica Bay to lay eggs. One of only a few worldwide species (and only one in the New World) of turtle adapted to brackish marine habitats, they are found along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts from Cape Cod, MA, to Corpus Christi, TX. Classified on the IUCN Red List as "near threatened", this animal's main threats are from habitat destruction and drowning in crab traps. Historically, they were also over-harvested for use as food ... apparently they make the best tasting turtle soup.