Indeerpendence Day July 4th- 2010

We realized that we had accidentally started a sort of tradition by going to the Blue Hills (non-Ponkapoag) on the Fourth of July. (Here is last years entry) So, why not go again this year?

We were a bit baked from the day before and the heatwave was still cooking away but we are nothing if not intrepid warriors. Well, maybe a bit daft as well.

We got there at 11ish and had pretty much written off snakes again as it was hot hot HOT already! Whatever. This is our thing, so we headed into the woods.

The polar opposite the day before, we double-teamed a hapless garter snake while still within sight of the car. This fellow slid under a log I had just lifted so... well... I lifted it again!


A fine figure of a young checkerboarded garter snake! He promptly musked the fuck out of me. Whatever! We took pictures and enjoyed his cuteness. We released him and he went right back under the log, looking something like this.


Pumped up, we carried on. It was to be a Wood Froggeriffic day for sure. We'd not seen any yet this year but we found a fine specimen right away.


More soon followed.




Redbacks were also present, of course! This little guy was all crooked for some reason...


There was this guy as well, a Leadback!


While trying to find a pond that was very fruitful last year, a fellow hiker said to be on the lookout for deer... he'd just seen a few.

Hey- he was right. These tow good sized females were frolicking in the woods, stopping only to stare at us while we snapped these (poor) pictures!



Pretty exciting, I say!

We found that pond but due to the heat and lack of rain lately, it was dry. I did see a snake scoot out of sight and I couldn't find him. But we did find out why he was there... tons of mini newborn Wood Frogs!




If yesterday was the day of the Toad, then surely this was Wood Frog Sunday!

Satisfied, we started back to the car. We'd been in for about 3 1/2 hours and were getting weary. Andrea decided to check a cool drainage ditch next to the road for potential redbacks or frogs. Guess what she found?



A way handsome garter snake! (Who musked the fuck out of her!!)




OK... this was a good day! We went up to the "zoo" area (some local avian and turtle species, as well as a swell duck pond). There are some wild painted and snapping turtles in the duck pond. The painteds were out sunning and swimming.



But in the end, we were hot and tired and the captive river otter had the best idea.


We went home to find a hollow log to sack out in.