Two Days in Early April. 4-4 and 4-6-2015

Friday the 4th was a beautiful warm and sunny day. Unfortunately, Andrea was working. But she was working from home, so for her lunch, we took a spin over to the local dens to see if any critters were enjoying the warm Spring sun.

We checked the Valley and Robles' Den first and surprisingly, there were no snakes. We managed to flip a few Redbacks, though, including our first Leadback of the year.

With little time left, we headed towards the Cottonwood Den, always keeping our eyes peeled for a Garter on the crawl. Over by a small pool of water (I hesitate to call it a vernal, though it is usually there but it's just a 15 X 15 foot ditch that always has water in it) we did see a Garter on the crawl. I watched him for a while, trying to get a shot, then saw him start under a root and start to disappear underground. Then he came back out and was face to face with another Garter that was basking right there.

The closer we looked, the more periscopes and noggins we saw.

It seems we had discovered a new hibernaculum and the sleepers we just starting to wake up.

We were pretty happy as we headed on towards the Cottonwood Den. What to call the new spot? The Pool Den? The Ditch Den? The call of a Northern Flicker alerted us and we got bird #37 on the year.

The Cottonwood Den was good for one more Garter, a wee skinny-mini who had the most adorable periscope ever!

That was a good lunch break but we had to hurry home now. We were exiting on the park/ cemetery access road when we saw a lump up ahead. I swear Andrea bounded out of the car before I even put on the hazards... our first Snapper of the year! And you know how she loves Snappers!

It's got a healed wound on the beak that gives it an Edward G. Robinson sneer. Being in the road, Andrea gave it a helping hand to the grass.

What a lunch break!

We'd made plans to go to a spot in Middlesex County on Sunday, when it was supposed to be in the 50s but cloudy. We wanted to check the vernals for Spotted Salamander evidence and also hope to see a turtle that is usually pretty reliable at that spot. The problem was, it was damn cold! Low 40s and, although the rain had just stopped, it was very dark out. The likelihood of any reptiles was slim. Mmmm... look at that inviting path! Hah! I doubt anything would be up.

We saw no evidence of Wood Frog or salamander eggs in the vernals, nor any emerging turtles so we decided to just make it a birding trip. I got my best ever (but still not perfect) shot of a Ruby-crowned Kinglet (#38).

Most of the place was flooded out thanks to beaver activity. There was even a fallen Beaver ID plaque that had fallen into the flood. (Wish I'd photographed that! It was hilarious!) Eventually, a few Painted Turtles came out to bask despite the cloudy coolness.

It has been cold since then, in fact nights have been below freezing and the upcoming weekend is calling for more wet, cold weather. Just as soon as this year looks like it's ready to start, things get hung up and we backtrack again. Hopefully, the Summer will bring us much joy in the natural world.