All the best spots were taken today

The last year the Herring Run and Paddle went off in person we had an aggro swan by the Medford Whole Foods who knocked a guy off his paddleboard. Dude was enraged and attacking everything. His Queen was atop their giant nest. On the way back down river, a paddle boarder waited for me to catch up so I could put the less enraging kayak between him and Aggro DaddySwan.

On land, where they're vulnerable, they're very pugnacious. A glance at their lower shell will tell you why: they're exposed and can't pull into their shells as other turtles do. Their only defense, once they're noticed, is to act like assholes.

But in the water, they quickly flee from anything they perceive as a threat. They become big scaly chickens. Of course, they're still predators, and will attack birds, fish, and anything else they think they can eat. But a boat? They won't go near that.

If you're in Plymouth County, the red-bellied turtle gets almost as big. It's essentially an overgrown painted turtle, and comes out on logs and what not to bask in the sun, which snapping turtles never do. Unfortunately, it's an endangered species.