Turtle

As my son was about to pull into the driveway he saw a turtle in the middle of the road. Worried the little fellow was going to get smashed, he quickly parked his jeep and rescued the turtle by placing him in our front yard. We now know you cannot keep them as pets, and the best thing you can do for a turtle about to be squashed is place him in a safe area facing the direction he was heading. When the kids were young, we knew nothing about turtles and actually built an outdoor habitat for two of them. They escaped. I wondered if this was Thunder or Lightning. The little guy was not afraid of us at all, and was a fast mover in the grass. Hopefully he found his way home without getting eaten or squashed...

 

 

 

Drop That Turtle!

As I was strolling along the trail in Garst Mill Park I came upon this little fellow...



I took the pic with my phone so it's not a good shot and you probably can't tell how big the turtle is, but he was a tiny little thing no larger than two or three inches. I had never seen a turtle in the creek at Garst Mill so was happy that there was a good possibility I would begin seeing a turtle family during my future strolls.

I continued walking to the end of the trail, looking forward to seeing the little guy again on my way back. When I did my turn-around to head back I saw a woman far ahead of me. She spotted the turtle too, but she did not leave him where he was. She stooped down and picked him up. Now, I know a little about having wild turtles as pets from years ago when my kids found two in our yard and decided to built an outdoor habitat for them. After researching it we realized it was not fair to Thunder and Lightning and the best thing we could do was put them exactly where we found them, facing the way they were headed. We never got the chance because they escaped and went on their merry way alone. We realized wild turtles do not make good pets so anytime we'd see one crossing the road, we would help them get across to safety, always facing the way they were heading.

Anyway, I stepped up my walk to a sprint to catch up with the woman who had picked up the little guy. Out of breath I caught her as she was talking on her cell phone in Chinese or Korean. I hoped she would understand when I said, "Miss, excuse me, but you really should put that turtle back where you found him. He's so tiny he needs his mother and if you don't he'll most likely die."

She gave me a dirty look and said, ok, ok. I continued my walk and then after a couple of seconds turned around to see if she had put the baby back. At first I couldn't see her but then noticed someone walking through the grass towards the parking area. It was her. She had something in her hand and I couldn't tell if it was a cell phone or the turtle. She got into her car and left.

I looked at the ground where the baby turtle was originally and didn't see him. I scoured the grassy path from where I had first seen him to where I had confronted the woman. Nothing. I can only hope she did put him down, somewhere in the grass and not in her pocket.

The Rascal Returns

This weather has been perfect for strolling along the Roanoke River in Salem. I wish I had a camera that was capable of zooming in optically more than 3x. Since I don't, these are the best I can do for now, but Christmas isn't that far away, hint hint.

With the cooler weather approaching I have a feeling I won't be seeing this turtle...



or this blue heron for too much longer.



Alas, I fear I'm going to be seeing a lot more of this rascal who seems to have returned from his extended vacation. Wonder where he spent it? Bet the food wasn't as fresh as it is in this sushi bar...