Turtlesinger, Inc.


is a Federal 501(c)3 Public Charity - New Jersey Charities Registration # CH2998200
Mission Statement: To educate and entertain the public about turtles with original songs and/or live turtles.



December 7, 2025



We named her “Grace”



Grace was brought to us by the grace of a neighbor who said it was the 3rd terrapin she had helped crossing the road that day on June 7th. That was a banner day for terrapin activity: we counted 7 terrapins in our yard and 4 in the water.


Another friend brought 2 injured terrapins that day, too, and we got them to the experts who could help them at the Wetlands Institute, and we saw at least 20 turtles on our way there and also on the grounds of the Institute!


Here you can see the first 3 nests, including Grace’s nest #3, on our sand pile. Grace laid 6 eggs.


Want to see one of her hatchlings? Just SCROLL DOWN…



December 7, 2025



Grace’s Eggs Hatch!



Grace’s 6 eggs started hatching on October 6th, the day of the Full Hunter’s Moon! They say turtle nesting and hatching can coincide with the lunar cycles so we try and keep track of when ours do.


Five of the hatchlings emerged one by one over the course of the day on October 6th. Here you can see the first hatchling! The last hatchling waited to emerge a few days later and early in the morning on October 8th after a rare and substantially rainy night.


To see the fourth advent sea turtle ornament, SCROLL DOWN…



December 7, 2025



The Fourth Day of December



On the fourth day of December, we found a sea turtle holding a candy cane and wearing a Santa hat ornament!


Candy canes make us think of sweets, and our Turtlesinger turtles all enjoy sweet fruits as part of their diet. Gracie loves any kind of berry and all 3 of them love blueberries, watermelon, cantaloupe, clementines: they have a sweet tooth for fruit (although we don’t feed them fruit only).


To see the fourth diamondback terrapin to lay eggs in our yard, SCROLL DOWN…



December 7, 2025



We named her “Andrea”



Andrea was brought to us by another neighbor: named Andrea!


We had 4 terrapins in our yard that day on June 9th. We love teaching people about turtles, and our neighbor Andrea was surprised to learn that day that diamondback terrapins can and do lay their eggs not just in dirt or sand but in shells and in clamshell driveways, although our turtle Andrea laid her eggs in our sand pile that day.


Terrapins are good at fitting into tight spaces, and Andrea wedged herself right inside a cinder block in our yard!


Six hatchlings would emerge from her nest. Want to see five of them? Just SCROLL DOWN…



December 7, 2025



Andrea’s Hatchlings



We found Andrea’s hatchlings on September 14th during a routine before-breakfast check of the nests—what a great way to start the day, looking for tiny turtles, right?


A visiting friend of ours was concerned about this nest because of the presence of so many anthills in it—but 6 tiny turtles emerged nonetheless!


We have webcams on the nesting site and our property, and a skunk was seen digging around the nests…this year we saw evidence of skunks, foxes and raccoons! We’re always grateful when yet more hatchlings escape the clutches of these predators.


To see the fifth advent sea turtle ornament, SCROLL DOWN…



December 7, 2025



The Fifth Day of December



On the fifth day of December, we found a sea turtle dressed like a Hawaiian hula dancer ornament!


We were lucky enough to visit Oahu, Hawaii and kayak with sea turtles there! In Hawaii, sea turtles are considered sacred. Karen The Turtlesinger wrote a song about the green sea turtles there called “Honu.” The Hawaiian name for a hawksbill turtle is “honuea.”


To see the fifth diamondback terrapin to lay eggs in our yard, SCROLL DOWN…



December 7, 2025



We named her “Georgina”



"Georgina" got her name after neighbor Andrea’s partner, George, who pointed out this terrapin and then Andrea brought her from across the street (also a woman from my former opera company was named Georgina so I was familiar with the name).


We think Georgina was fresh from the marsh because her shell was still muddy and hadn’t dried yet. Georgina started laying her 11 eggs quite quickly on June 10th.


Can you see the 5 nests laid so far in our sand pile? Two of them are very close together!


Want to see 2 of her 11 hatchlings? Just SCROLL DOWN…



December 7, 2025



Georgina’s Hatchlings



Georgina’s hatchlings all had such beautiful and intricate markings! Sometimes the patterns on the backs of terrapin shells include heart shapes and smiley faces!!


Here you can see two of them getting their first looks at the world from their nest hole!


Thanks for celebrating Advent and the 3rd, 4th and 5th days of December with our sea turtle advent calendar AND our celebration of the turtles that were laid and hatched in our yard! We’ll be sharing more days of December and this past terrapin season with you…thanks for reading!





Contact Us:



turtlesinger@hotmail.com | Phone: (609) 205-9248