Considering how well we did with turtles the day before, we got a little cocky and headed out to our Wood Turtle spot on Sunday. What could possibly go wrong?
We headed out early, knowing full well that it was going to be super hot later on. We got there and the grass was dewy and the air was fresh. It was lovely. We didn't see any Wood Turtles. You know, this is why I'm a lousy trophy herper... I'd rather see some common stuff than nothing at all. When we target less common species, it's either all or nothing. It wasn't until well over an hour in that I saw this American Toad and risked a huge amount of blood-loss due to mosquitoes to get this photo.
Since it was still relatively early, we went to a nearby area on the same river to do recon. It sure looks good for Wood Turtles and it connects to what we think might be a well known spot where entitled twats think they own the turtles... but I'm not sure. Nor do I care, really.
I saw a Garter, who outsmarted me, there and managed to photograph two Redbacks in the woods. We haven't been seeing many lately due to the temps, so they were welcome sights.
Heading back, we stopped near a spot where we'd been talking to a guy on the river, resting in a chair behind his house, enjoying watching the water. We wanted to bid him farewell, but he wasn't there. Then we heard a massive SPLASH and saw a White-tailed Deer swimming across the river and getting up on to the guys property. I could only get a shot as it appeared in a clearing before disappearing.
Pretty exciting!
Well, we were hot and tired and admitted relative failure so we rewarded ourselves with ice cream. We'd made Milk Snakes our "ice cream snake" this year and wouldn't you know, we've had a freakishly low Milk count... as in ZERO. So, we got ice cream on credit. We'll find one soon enough.
The next day was Memorial Day and we tried to stay pretty close. We went to a spot deep in Norfolk County for a leisurely walk. Right off the bat, before we parked, we saw two rangers standing next to a grassy spot in the parking lot. I looked and saw a Snapper climbing over a rock, looking for a spot to rest or nest. We parked and ran back. She had settled in under some leaves.
As always, there was lots of Barn Swallow action going on. I caught this pair gathering nesting material. They are #84 on the year.
While I was doing that, Andrea had spied a large Water Snake who was down in between two rocks and she couldn't get a photo. Nor could I. There was a young family there that wanted to see her, too, so I pulled her up.
Of course, the family then wouldn't come within 30 feet of her so what's the point? At least we got this nice voucher shot. The last 3 inches of her tail was hanging by a thread with a recovering injury. I suspect the next time we see her, it will be a stub.
A bit further along the pond, we saw this lovely candy-cane Nerodia. We kept the sight to ourselves.
Next, we saw this guy resting his head on his food-lump.
Standing next to the pond, I looked out for turtle perches, but saw none. But, Andrea pointed out a massive Bullfrog on the edge that I somehow managed to miss.
At a different spot, I could finally see a Painter doing what they do best.
I made the proclamation that "first one to see a garter gets a kiss". I won. What a cute little cinnamon shoestring!
Andrea tried to get out of it but I got my smacker.
A couple more Painters, who obviously would only be turning up one at a time.
This Garter slithered across our path and was nice enough to stop for a photo.
We had reached the halfway mark and the promised heat was starting to rear it's hot head. Walking the back road to get to the place to resume the trail, we saw another couple walking towards us. The woman yelped and jumped to the side. I know that sight anywhere... snake! Much to our delight, it was our first Milk of the year.
Sneaking ice cream a day early worked! The couple stayed to listen to us talk about the snake and I'm sure they thought we were daft. But what a beauty, if a tad slim.
From there, things got pretty slim everywhere. It had become quite hot and even the turtles weren't up very much. This one distant Painter was all we could muster.
Back to the beginning, we were pretty tired but saw some stuff on the way out. This Water Snake has a big day in front of him!
This Garter found a nice spot to digest the morning meal.
While these two water Snakes decided to take a tumble. It seems late in the year to me, but maybe this was just recreational. The female is more than twice the size of the male. He likes big cloacas and he can not lie.
On the way out, we checked our Snappy friend. She looked pretty happy, whatever she had decided to do there. Shady and cool... likely just a rest until the humans all leave.
So, the weirdness of 2022 continues. Finally got that Milk, barely made it in May. Still no Ringnecks. That's just bizarre. But we got out four days in a row and we're happy about that. Twelve species of Reptiles and Amphibians on the long weekend and I added six birds to the count. I'm happy with that.
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