Nest Placement, Nest-site Fidelity and Nesting Movements in Midland Painted Turtles (Chrysemys picta marginata) on Beaver Island, Michigan

Abstract

Abstract We studied nest-site fidelity (1995–2000) and nest predation (1997–2000), and nesting movements (1999–2000) in a population of Chrysemys picta marginata at Miller's Marsh on Beaver Island, Michigan. On average, turtles nested farther (mean = 122.3 m) from the marsh than turtles in previously studied populations, possibly because of the relatively large nesting areas (n = 5) of our study. Nest predation was 17.4% over all years and was independent of nest location (distance from water, road vs. field nests, nesting field). Many turtles showed nest-site fidelity between years in that they favored one or two nesting areas and had annual inter-nest distances (ID) that were positively skewed and significantly less (mean = 88.7 m) than IDs of randomly paired nests of different individuals. Radiotelemetry indicated that most turtles emerged during the mid-afternoon and nested during the evening hours. Nesting excursion duration averaged 11.6 h and 75% remained on land overnight after nesting. The use of...