Western Painted Turtle - Osoyoos, BC - Turtle Crossings on Waymarking.com

While motoring down Road 22 a few kliks north of Osoyoos I noticed a small pond to the right of the road. While gazing at the lovely little pond (actually an "Oxbow", a remnant of the original course of the Okanagan River before it was "Channelized" many decades ago.) I nearly ran over a "bump in the road". "OMIGOD!! That's a turtle", slowly and labouriously making its way to the other side. Why did the turtle (try to) cross the road? In any event, he didn't.

Realizing there was a little painted turtle in the middle of my lane, I pulled over and stopped as soon as I could, which was about 100 metres away. Grabbing my camera, I exited the vehicle and jogged back to the turtle which, fortuitously, was just where I'd seen him.

Soooo ... I picked the li'l guy up and placed him on the other side of a row of concrete barriers, and pointed him toward the pond. Being in such a hurry to go back and rescue the guy, I forgot to get coordinates at his location. Several minutes later, when I returned to take coordinates, he was nowhere to be seen - likely cooling off in the pond - it was pretty hot that day.

This fella is a Western Painted Turtle, a species known to be endangered in The Okanagan Valley.

Species Link: [Web Link] How often turtles cross: Months most seen crossing: March to June

Visit Instructions:
Describe what happened. Example
"Mother Blanding had made her nest between the goldenrod and bluestem outside my window late last June.
By chance we were sitting on the porch when we noticed little blandings in the same location we had seen the mother take 2 months earlier."

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