“The road that leads to nowhere for others might just be the road that leads to somewhere for you!”
~ Mehmet Murat ildan
The power is back on, the river is down, and so yesterday afternoon we headed out to buy a few supplies.
On the way back home, on a meandering one-lane bitumen road with more potholes than bitumen, we were stopped by a tiny spiky bundle ambling along the middle of the path.
An echidna was slowly shuffling along the road towards the narrow bridge ahead of us. Echidnas are small, egg-laying mammals. They are very shy creatures, and easily distressed.
This one hadn’t noticed us. He was on a mission!
We stopped our car and waited.
On he trundled.
First he walked pressed hard against the edge of the bridge.
Then he changed his mind and wandered to the other side.
He stopped and sniffed the air. Scratched a bit, and then continued.
Finally, having made the crossing he ambled down the grassy slope towards the rushing water.
He found a nice cool place in the dirt, and nestled down in the shelter of some rocks. He looked quite tired after his long walk.
We watched him for a little while longer and then headed home with our groceries.
I love living in a place so rich with wildlife.
Please, if you’re ever driving through the Byron Shire, or anywhere else where the roads are narrow and the wildlife is plentiful, slow down.
One of the biggest threats to echidnas is cars. They won’t be fast enough to get out of your way, but if you’re driving slowly, you’ll be able to get out of theirs!
