Before I start, I think you should know that this is not the column I had originally intended to write for today.

In my efforts to break a personal record set in 2009, I spent a lot of time watching and listening to the birds in the six acres that I call, “mine.”

The old record for June was 52 species, which was much higher than the totals of subsequent years. I knew it was going to be tough, but I never expected it to end in such stupendous, buzzer-beating fashion. On the last day of the month I was victorious.

And … I’m not going to tell you any more (evil laughter).

There is still a chance that I can get a good photo of the winning species, but it will take a lot of time to try for it. I’m willing to delay any further discussion of this matter on the odd chance that the photo gods decide to favor me with a kindness. Rest assured, however, that it’s a good story and you’ll hear about it next week, whether I have the photos or not.

So that leaves this week. By Darwin’s beard, what am I going to write about this week?

Well, the gods may have already extended their benevolence in my direction with a subtle nudge upon the mind of a turtle. That, or a random series of weather events, put me in the right place at the right time. Listen to my story and you can decide for yourself.

It was Saturday, July 2, and I was at home. Susan and I had just enjoyed a luxurious morning in our Adirondack chairs underneath the cottonwood tree that grows on the north end of our deck. There, under the thick leaves of the big tree, we sat and sipped our coffee while we read. Susan was reading a mystery of some kind, and I was enjoying a biography of Louis Agassiz.

As outstanding as this was, even an Adirondack chair can become uncomfortable after three hours. So, we decided to head inside for a staff meeting. I sat on my sofa, Susan sat on hers, and we organized our plans for the rest of the day.

I got up to make some lunch and — BAM! Fortune struck.

There, in the middle of the back yard, was a small turtle. Better yet, it was a snapping turtle (Chelydra serpentina).

Lunch was postponed, and I was out the door, down the steps and on the lawn in a flash.

The turtle was right where I thought it should be — which is good because it means that I don’t have a brain tumor that is causing hallucinations — and I could immediately tell that I had hit the jackpot. Camera in hand, I went to work.

What made this encounter so interesting was the fact that this particular snapping turtle was small, with a shell about the size of a nice pancake.

I realize this is a generalization, but I imagine that most people who have observed a snapping turtle saw one of those behemoths that can be seen crossing the road in the summertime.

Am I right?

When you see a turtle with a shell the size of a large pizza, you know what kind of turtle it is.

These parameters have defined most of my own snapping turtle encounters. Only once did I find a snapping turtle that must have been a hatchling.

A quick search of my database tells me that this was probably back in 1999? What? Well, we can discuss time travel another day, but on this special day, I crossed paths with a snapping turtle with a shell that was not much larger than a quarter.

So, how did I know it was a snapping turtle?

Well, there are two key field marks that can help you identify a small snapping turtle.

First, the hind edge of the shell sports some pretty dramatic, and rather attractive, “saw teeth.” I have indicated this feature with a red arrow in one of today’s photos.

The second feature, which is indicated with a pink arrow, is an extremely long tail that the turtle can’t really pull back into its shell.

If you see these two characteristics, you’ve got a pretty good identification.

A third characteristic that can help with identification is the turtle’s extremely long, snakelike neck, which explains the species name, “serpentina.”

This is not something you normally see when confronting a larger individual in the road. Snapping turtles in that situation usually pull their heads into their shells and try to look menacing, which is pretty easy for a snapping turtle. Because my subject was so small, I was able to place it in an aquarium and take a photo when it reached up for a breath.

So why did this particular turtle end up in my back yard?

Well, as my mother will tell you, it hasn’t rained much lately. It is extremely dry, and aquatic animals have been staying close to the water. In my area, however, I have enjoyed two thunderstorms in the past week. Each storm featured a “gully washer” that dumped much-needed water on the landscape. This may have been sufficient impetus to convince many animals that it was time for a walkabout.

In June, large female snapping turtles must leave the water to find suitable nesting sites. They really have no choice and will start their search regardless of the weather.

But the smaller turtles might wait for more favorable conditions. You see, small snapping turtles could find themselves on the menu of larger ones if food is scarce.

Small turtles in small ponds might also want to see what else the world has to offer. Their ability to travel extensively makes snapping turtles one of the most — if not the most — abundant turtles in our area.

Before I close, I would ask you to set aside your prejudices and think about the snapping turtle as a magnificent member of North America’s wild fauna. Snapping turtles have a bad reputation and they suffer for it. Even now, you may be thinking that these “monsters” eat ducklings and goslings. Well, that does occasionally happen, but that doesn’t make snapping turtles “bad.” These animals live in the world and they do what they do. They’ve been around, in one form or another, since the Cretaceous, which means they were here long before they were subjected to human opinion.

When it comes to snapping turtles, live and let live.

Bill Danielson has worked for the National Park Service, the U.S. Forest Service, and the Massachusetts State Parks. He has been a professional writer and nature photographer for 19 years and he also works as a biology and physics teacher. Visit www.speakingofnature.com for more information, or go to Speaking of Nature on Facebook.