New Year, New Bird Count.

We have managed to get out for a few short walks despite the frigid temps. Of course, I'm down with a chest cold now so maybe it wasn't the best of plans but it felt good to see some critters. Here's some of the things we saw in January, 2025.

Jan. 5th, 2025

We took a walk around a nearby pond to start our year. As often happens, the Canada Goose was our first bird on the year, #1 with a bullet.

We watched this Gray Squirrel acrobatically grabbing some buds from a tree.

#4, a House Finch. I think I missed out on these last year.

A cool tree with someone doing espionage behind it.

We found a fallen tree that someone had thrown some bird seed around so we stayed there and saw many different species enjoying the free food.

#8 Carolina Wren

#9 American Robin, sitting there looking like an orange tennis ball.

#11, White-throated Sparrow. Another one I'd missed in 2024.

We wound up with 13 birds for our first day of the bird-count. Not too bad.

January 12th was a freezing cold Sunday but we took a walk around a local Arboretum in hopes of seeing some birds. Our targeted feeders were not there so we didn't have much luck but we managed to check off two more species before calling it a day.

#14, a Red-bellied Woodpecker working on a hole.

#15, a Turkey Vulture in flight.

The following Saturday (1-18-2025) it was sunny and warmer so we decided to check a spot on Boston Harbor where we get to see sea ducks and stuff. It sounded good on paper, but it was FREEZING!!!!! The wind was whipping off the water and bit right through our clothes. We kept it quick. A couple of  bung-puppies were actually parasailing out there. We did see a number of critters, though.

#18, Snow Buntings. Always a favorite and 2024's last bird.

#20, Purple Sandpiper.

#22, a Red-breasted Merganser was bobbing out in the distance.

#23, a pair of Dunlins.

We'd seen a bunch of Norway Rats flitting around this spot a few years ago at low-tide and no sooner had I mentioned that than we saw one up on the walking path (oblivious to all humans walking or jogging by!) scrounging some clam-shells for lunch.

That's Mammal #2 already!

#24, a Song Sparrow showing you just how windy it was.

So, we end January with a bird-count of 26. Not a horrible start to the year. We're eagerly looking forward to some warmer weather and our first reptiles and amphibians of 2025. Yes, we're getting older and lazier and more sore, but we still love to get out and see whatever nature we can. This is year SIXTEEN of Hit Me With Your Nature Stick. No point in stopping now, is there?

December is For the Birds.

Hey, we made it out once in December! It wasn't going to be bone-chilling cold or storming on a Friday that we both had off! Yay! We decided to hit a South Shore beach that Snowy Owls stop at. We thought we'd try our luck but wound up seeing none. I did, however, get three more birds added to the year to wind up with a pathetic count of just 64. Not a great year for anything but that 64 is just awful. No lifers, either.

Anyway, here is what I got shots of:
#62, a Greater Black-backed Gull.

A Sanderling, #63.

My favorite bird, Andrea...

Ending on a super-cute note, #64, Snow Buntings.

That's it for 2024. Here's hoping that 2025 doesn't suck as hard as I'm expecting it to. Maybe nature will give us a break and be a suitable salve for our souls.

November

With the end of the season, desperation usually sets in. We try to get out whenever it's warm enough to bear it, knowing we'll not see a ton of stuff. But we never say never.

November 1st.

It wasn't horrible out on the first day of November. I suggested that we hit the local dens on Andrea's lunch-break. We did. And we did see a snake. Some of one, anyway. This Water Snake was half in and half out of the hole in the tree-den in the Valley. It counts, right?

One wee Redback was also on the lunch menu that day. We happily accepted our two viewings.

November 7th.

I'm off on Thursdays now, too. The 7th was a sunny Thursday. That's right, I suggested we hit the dens. We did! The tree-hole in the Valley was even more satisfying than it had been 6 days earlier!

Same Water Snake? I doubt it but you never know.

Encouraged, we moved on. Another sweet Redback was waiting for us.

The Cottonwood Den held a stripey surprise, our only Garter for the month!

Handsome one, at that.

That was it for the day but we were quite happy.

November 8th.

The next day, was a Friday and Andrea was off. We threw caution to the wind (literally) and took a hike along the dam at dear old Ponkapoag Pond. We'd hoped to see a turtle but the drought (no good rain since mid-August) had really taken its toll and even the great Pond itself was incredibly low. The edges were dry. We did a good three mile hike and save one tenacious Redback, we took no photographs.

Here is our only critter photo on the day...

Still, it felt good to get some exercise since we hadn't been getting out much.

November 24th.

We finally got some rain. A couple of heavy days worth. We hadn't gone out for a few weeks because it was cold and still very dry. This particular Sunday had some good sun, but it was also extremely windy. We checked all of our known dens and explored some new possibilities but no snakes were dumb enough to be out. I mean, it was only 45°. They're not that dumb.

We'd hoped it would be a good day for Salamanders, since we'd gotten some rain. Some of the pools had a little water in them, but it was still fairly dry under many of the logs and rocks we flipped. Our only sighting, once again, was a lone Redback, and that was after almost 3 miles of hiking again. He was a last minute find, too. It made it all worthwhile.

And that was our November.

Our October Diary. Oct. 11,12,19,20,25 and 26.

Obviously, I've been really lazy about posting our late year sights but to be honest, we haven't been seeing tons. Don't believe me? Here's what we've seen in the last three weeks.

October 11th, 2024.

We took a look at our local den spot, wondering if the snakes had returned to their winter headquarters yet. It was a sunny and warm Friday afternoon but we saw no snakes in the usual spots. Salamanders, however, were present. A Redback was (and often is) our first sight.

A Spotted Salamander is always a welcome surprise.

Redbacks... including a long, tall sally.

It was late in the day but we headed over to that school area where we'd seen some massive Water Snakes in the previous month. No snakes or frogs but I saw a distant Wood Duck, which I knew I needed on the year and got a surprise Green-winged Teal family in the bargain. They are #60 and #61 respectively. 

October 12th, 2024.

It was going to be another warm and sunny day so we decided to take one more shot for "exotic" snakes in Plymouth County. Of course, we struck out, but had a nice 4 miles of hiking. As I said, we often start with a Redback or two. And we did.

A tiny 3/4" flash went by in front of me and I was lucky enough to spot this mini-Peeper before it disappeared.

Driving to the next spot, I saw a Painted Turtle basking, so I slammed on the brakes, threw on the hazards and ran back for this shot. Dangerous? Perhaps. Worth it? Oh, yes.

At the station, we went to look for Red-bellied Turtles basking as that is a hot spot. None were up but while we were poking around the area, this massive beast was hauling up.

There is some froth in the corners of her mouth which says to me that she has a respiratory infection of some sort. Which the fluctuating temperatures of late, I'm not surprised. Hopefully, the sunny Vitamin D will help with the cure.

We went on to the peninsula and sat for a while, just watching the water. It is a peaceful spot as long as no other humans are present. I could see some distant Canada Geese and Red-bellies way out there.

While sitting there, I saw something bobbing in the water,a speck in the distance. My telephoto lens came in handy and caught this Redbell noggin. That must be one monster of a turtle.

That was our final visit to this place for 2024.

October 19th, 2024.

We had to keep it short this Saturday as my band had a show in the evening. So, we went back to the local dens for a speedy look-see. It was warm and sunny, in the 60s. Hey, guess what we started with! Redbacks. Huge, squirmy flips of five, then three!

But still no snakes at their dens.

We went in, explored 5 den sites with no snakey luck. We checked the Valley on the way back to the car and had a legit Holy Shit moment! That Nerodia gal right outside of a known den entrance was at least three feet long! Monster!

Further back in the Valley, this wee dusty Water Snake was slithering towards the sun.

Patience paid off.

October 20th, 2024.

Having played the night before, we were pretty toasted and running late by Sunday morning. Andrea's tendon was bothering her so we nixed the idea of Ponk. I did, however, convince her to take a walk on a flat gasline trail in the Blue Hills. It was in the 60s with intermittent sun.

We had a lovely hike, about 3 miles, but it was so dry that much of what we had hoped to see was not present. I did see a couple of Painters basking at one point where there was water but they plopped into the drink while I was attempting to squiggle into position for a shot. I stood no chance.

Our only sight was a pretty Garter catching some rays. There is likely a Winter spot nearby as we often see garters in this area in the Spring.

October 25th, 2024.

Andrea's lunch-break... back to the dens. It was about 60° but it was warm in the sun. Guess what we saw first? A four pack of Redbacks, all huddled together.

All of the dens we hit were snake-free until Andrea decided she had time to go out to the Rock Wall Den. We were rewarded with one Garter, enjoying itself in the sun. It's a nice long one, about 2 feet.

October 26th, 2024.

60° and sunny, but breezy. We went to our favorite spot these days, the big pond in Plymouth County. We got there at noon and headed in, hitting the woods first. Last call for Box Turtles and Gray Tree Frogs on the year. We saw neither. Guess what we started with...

There was more water here than on our last visit on September 22nd. The bogs had a little bit of water which raised our hopes of an October Spotted Turtle. We eventually did score, though he was a tough shot and then he slid into the drink, leaving me with this:

We weren't seeing too much. When we got to the Osprey path, we finally got a butt-in-the-air Painter shot.

We were nearing a traditional resting spot and Andrea reminded me that there's now a fallen tree that Painted Turtles like to bask on after the waterfall where we sit. So, we approached quietly and were rewarded with these guys.

That second guy stayed there the whole time we sat, for about 15 minutes.

While resting, I saw movement in the water below us, just a dappling of movement. The ol' telephoto went to work again and revealed this large Fishing Spider.

Andrea, as always, likes to explore nesting areas. By now, anybody coming out of eggs would be staying put.

We saw a few Chinese Mantids. This one was giving me the side eye.

I heard a few splish-splashes in a pond we call Spotted Pond. I suspect they both might have been Spotted Turtles but the guy who stayed up was a brave Painter.

We decided to go our new (longer) route at this place. Last time we'd seen a bunch of Water Snakes going that way. Also, it was pretty windy and this took us further away from the large (always windy) pond. We were happy with our decision right away when we saw some frogs on the new path. Both appear to be Bulls.

Wooly Bullies were frequently seen on the path.

I'd pretty much given up on any snakes as it really wasn't very warm at all. Still, Andrea saw this dirty girl in the shade. This Water Snake had likely fallen asleep in the sun, but then the sun shifted.

We made it to the picnic table and sat for a while. Distant Painted Turtles were few and far between, but I managed two.

And that was it... we saw no more critters on the way out. We had walked over six miles and on the last one we were starting to sag a bit. We called this our last hike at this spot for 2024. Maybe even our last non-local dens hike of the year. We'll play it by ear. But the year is rapidly coming to a hard close. We're not doing sea turtle work this year as we're not in the greatest shape and we feel that our services are probably no longer needed.

It really saddens me that those last two Painters might be our final turtles of 2024. We'll see.