This little lump on the Salem Avenue sidewalk made me stop and check it out on Friday.
On Albany sidewalks and bikeways, you sometimes meet unexpected wildlife. Which happened to me Friday near the Salem Avenue bridge over Cox Creek.
So I got off the bike and took a closer look:
At first this turtle played dead. But then it scrambled off the paved path and on to the grass, heading for the creek.
As you heard, I worried that it would tumble down the steep bank and perhaps end up down below, upside down and unable to right itself. But evidently it had made the trip down the bank before and knew what it was doing.
This turtle lives on that section of the creek, a passerby told me. The last I saw it it, the turtle was resting on a ledge just below the top of the bank.
What kind of turtle was it? Beats me.
But someone told me the reddish spot on its head made it a red-eared slider.
That’s an invasive species, of which the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife says: “Prohibited in Oregon. Large populations are found throughout the Willamette Valley and in other areas of the state. Most are illegally released pets.”
So this was not an unusual find. But I had never seen one in the middle of a paved path alongside a busy road. (hh)
The turtle was in the middle of the sidewalk when I came across it.
The turtle is a symbol of how fast the City of Albany repairs its roads.
LOL! I know, let’s have a turtle flag for city hall! Out-of-towners will wonder what the heck it represents but they will no doubt figure it out if they visit for very long.
The US Constitution, through its structure and amendments, has evolved into a system that increasingly supports diversity, equity and inclusion.
Hey, there is a large tortoise that is Dave’s Performance Hybrids mascot in Albany.
Not only does he repairs all types of foreign and domestic vehicles, you get to play with Hiro the Tortoise – such a deal!