Back in the Saddle June 22nd and 23rd.

We missed a weekend. On Saturday, the 15th, my band shot a video. On the 16th, I was very sick (cellulitis) and had a number of days in bed with antibiotics. I was OK to go by the following weekend and though the weather was not so hot, we went to a nearby spot just to put our hiking shoes on. We got out well after noon, after some rain.

We saw nothing before the Alley but once we got there, we saw a slumbering Garter high up on the rocks.

Bunnies were everywhere, enjoying the overcast afternoon. Birds, too, were out in force. I added four to my year count, including this Common Yellowthroat (#47).

We sat down by the river for quite a while, just watching the water ripple. The longer we sat, the more we could see. This Killdeer (#48) glided in for a look around a mudflat.

A trio of Painted Turtles miraculously appeared.

Heading back, I had my lens extended to photograph two Eastern Cottontails when a Northern Flicker (#50) buzzed into frame, giving me a far better shot than expected.

A matched pair of Goldfinches enjoying a puddle.

This Broad-necked Wood Borer was on the side of the path. I checked to make sure it was OK. It was.

Our last sight of the hike was the best... a board was missing on the boardwalk; it had broken off and flipped up against the reeds. This small Garter took full advantage and had the best hidden basking spot of them all.

The next day (Sunday the 23rd) was far warmer and had some sun but it was the most humid day either of of could remember having in years. We went to a spot deep into Norfolk County that is often too human-filled for our taste but we wanted to use my new free-parking-for-geezers pass, so we went in. Not too bad, crowd-wise. The humidity had scared a few folks off.

We had instant gratification when we saw a small Garter slide under a rock. I lifted the rock and there he was!

I gave him to Andrea while I replaced the rock and he  did some of the most impressive pooping into her hand that I have ever seen. Extraordinary amount for such a lil' fella. Luckily, it was right behind the rest rooms so she could clean up.

We headed down to a stream that juts out from the main pond. We have a secret spot there. More instant gratification; a Green Frog and a Bullfrog, not 3 feet apart, were guarding the path. Well done, frogs!

Out on the peninsula into the pond (my names, not really what they are), a large Water Snake head was peering in from the edges.

From the same spot, we could see some Painted Turtles hoisting to bask on a muddy clump.

Well, that was all very easy. Five species (I'd said 10 would get us ice-cream) right away. But it then got a lot tougher. A few distant Painters held us over for a while.

This one was walking along the path. Looking to nest? Just taking a stroll? Who knows?

We got our eyes on a decent sized Garter in the brush... a real looker.

A few more sun-worshipping Painters.

We were poking through a field that is known for turtle nesting (and Ringnecks, and Four-toeds and Peepers and...) and finally got our first Pickerel Frog of 2024. I'd missed a photo earlier in the year so I had to resort to a hand shot. I don't like doing this for frogs, but under the circumstances...

We'd chosen this place partly because of an earlier visit a few years back where we'd seen waves of tiny toads. We weren't sure if it was time yet or not. Maybe we were too late, as I found just one, up on a hill. This guy had travelled a bit, so he can't be too freshly minted.

A very fortunate sighting... we turned a corner and this gorgeous, reddish White-tailed Deer was just standing there munching, walking around finding choice leaves. She paid us no attention, just looked at us and went about her way. We had a lovely moment in time watching her.

Up in a field, we noticed some Milkweed coming in and decided to look for Monarch Caterpillars. None here, but we discovered the Red Milkweed Beetle, an aptly named critter.

Remember the Broad-necked Wood Borer earlier in this post? Here are two of them going at it.

Some distant Painters soaking up the sun.

A very full Garter looking like his hand was caught in the cookie jar. I wonder where all of the tiny toads were at...

With the seal now broken, we could see Pickerel Frogs at our leisure.

Back towards the front, we always check for snoozing late-afternoon garters. We were not disappointed this time out. A bigger gal all stretched out and a neatly folded in-the-blue fella.

We ended the day with another patch of Milkweed and our Monarch Caterpillar.

We were soaked with sweat, the humidity was just so thick. We got ice-cream anyway, even though we only checked in with seven species of reptile and amphibian. We're rule breakers. Not a bad day getting back into hiking shape.