Lots of Turtles Out Today In the Pond at Stewart Park

Seven turtles were out basking in the sun in the north pond in Stewart Park this afternoon. There were six Western Pond Turtles and one invasive Red-eared Slider turtle in the group. The Red-Eared Slider is a turtle from the eastern U.S. It has a dark shell, yellow stripes on the neck and legs, and a bright red patch just behind the eye. As an invasive nonnative species in Oregon, they compete with native turtles for food and habitat, especially nesting sites. They can spread diseases to which Oregon’s native turtles have no immunity. - (Via ODFW) Western Pond Turtles prefer marshes, streams, rivers, ponds and lakes. They need sparse vegetation nearby for digging nests and like to bask on logs. Population declines are due to habitat loss, degradation of nesting areas by invasive plants, competition from non-native turtles and disease. Predators include raccoons and invasive bullfrogs and fish. Photos by Abraham Finlay Here's more information on the invasive Red eared slider turtle: https://www.dfw.state.or.us/conservationstrategy/invasive_species/docs/red-eared_slider_fact_sheet.pdf