On July 3rd at about 7:30 pm I came across a Blanding’s Turtle and a traffic jam on my way to some fish and chips at my favourite chip truck. Two young girls were keen to assist the turtle off the road. The girls were correct to bring her to the marsh side of the road, as on my back from the chip truck the turtle was nesting in the road shoulder. I phoned our Wildlife Road Watch crew volunteers on duty that night – Patti and Jim Moore – who watched over the turtle for an hour or so.
Because Blanding’s Turtles take so long to nest – as they are picky often crossing the road several times – and spend hours stomping and packing in the eggs – Lauren Rego our University of Waterloo student finished the shift by excavating the eggs at 1:42 AM. Excavation was necessary because her eggs would likely be predated and or trampled by cars parking on the roadside. Her hatchlings will be released back into the marsh and hopefully next year we can assist her again!
