What? October? 10-5-2024 and 10-6-2024

Having missed the previous week due to feeling crummy, I wanted to make sure we got out both days on the first weekend of October. October can be a good month for seeing things that are preparing for the winter. Snakes move closer to their hibernaculums and turtles grab every bit of sun possible.

Well, having read a few things about some clod taking our Timber Rattlesnakes from where they belong and transplanting them to a place he thought would be good, we decided to go back to a place that we totally struck out on in the past. A Timber had been seen in the parking area so we figured if we saw one, we could contact the proper folks and get it put back to where it belongs before it gets too cold.

Well, we didn't see any reptiles at all, but enjoyed the walk far more this time around. We didn't go up high into the hills, we stayed low. We did see a huge Chinese Mantis on a powerline-cut path.

A few Redbacks were our only cold-blooded critters.

We'd put in about 2 1/2 miles and felt good enough about that. We got in the car and explored around the area a little before going to a nearby tried and true spot. Of course, the first thing we saw at this place was a Redback. Well, sort of. Does this wee germ of a salamander even count?

The river that runs from the main pond had all but dried up. I looked around for Two-lines but saw none. I startled a Pickerel into a puddle and while trying to find him in my camera, I saw a Green Frog face! Huh? I took the pic and was happy to have both species in the photo.

A solo Pickerel.

Andrea found us our first October snake, a neatly folded Nerodia.

The pond was very low, of course, but there were a few distant Painted Turtles up grabbing some rays.

At the waterfall, we were watching a Water Snake hunting from under a rock in the water. After things were calm for a while, I tried to noodle under the rock and only poked him and he slid into the foundation of the falls. Poop.

This lady with some rostral damage was neatly folded nearby, though.

A pair of pleasantly planted Painters.

Going back by the waterfall to continue out to the path, the Under-rock Hunter was back at it. I got this shot as he came up for air.

We sat for a while on a bench. This very distant Painted Turtle was being fabulous on the other side of the pond.

We decided that we had enough gas in us to go to a known turtle nesting spot where we have seen Snaplings before. We trudged up to it but saw no turtles. We did, however, get to photograph our First of Year Four-toed Salamander, so it was all good.

The walk back to the car was exhausting but we made it and got ice cream for our efforts. That's how we roll.

The next day was supposed to be nice again, so I stupidly picked a spot in Middlesex County that we have had amazing Octobers at in the past. It never dawned on me that it would be bone dry. Oh well, upon arrival, Andrea spotted a beautiful Garter instantly!

This guy was to be our only snake on the day.

Redbacks are sure back. I miss them in the Summer months and I'm always happy in the Fall when they are plentiful.

Water was confined to deep areas far from the shore so getting a couple of Painted Turtles photographed felt like a big deal.

This was a huge Bullfrog who owned a small piece of the pond. I like how the sky is reflected yet the overall photo is in shadow.

Our last find was a sneaky Pickerel who tried to hide from me.

Not a massive weekend, for sure, but getting out at all is good enough for us these days and every animal we see is a treasure. Those days of 10+ species get harder and harder to achieve, be it the changing landscape or my deteriorating skills and body. Either way, a day in the woods is better than a day inside.

Autumnal Nerodia. 9-22-2024

It was the first day of Autumn. Fall, y'know. It was only going to be 61-64° and cloudy but we wanted to go to that there pond in Plymouth County to look for hatchling turtles and maybe some shoestring Water Snakes. Goals. We set 'em high.

The temp was about as predicted but there was a fierce wind that cooled us off. Much of the hike was with jackets on. We checked out the woods first because it was good Box Turtle weather but our friend wasn't seen. We did uncover a couple of Redbacks while in there, though.  

We decided to not take the Spotted Turtle path, figuring that the last time we were here, it was dry and turtle-less. Not sure if we made a good decision or not but we did see a shoestring Water Snake cross the path we were on, so that was good. Little bugger avoided my camera, though. Revenge would be sought.

I was looking into a bog when Andrea called to me. She had just found a teenage Snapper! He was pretty chill, which is odd for that size!

A Bullfrog floating like so much duckweed.

I saw a Water Snake on the side of the trail. I got my camera ready but she moved on. Do I need double revenge? I looked around and she hadn't gone far so I brought her out to the path. Pissed? Yes, she was. I took a handful of musk. But revenge was sweet.

It was time for duckweed covered Painted Turtles. A few heads had disappeared on me along the walk so far, so I think these could be considered revenge turtles.

A Pickerel Frog added itself to my nemesis list. Revenge would be had. Here's another Water Snake from the path.

A Garter uncoiled and slithered out of sight. Another nemesis. It has become quite obvious that I'm not as quick as I used to be. A guy heard me say "Garter" and we talked about snakes and turtles for a while. He'd seen plenty of Water Snakes, a hatchling Snapper and baby "Milks" on his walk thus far. He told us where and it was a spot we've not explored much before. We decided that, if we had enough gas in us, we'd give it a try. It would add on another mile or so to this 5 mile hike.

Back on track, I scared up a revenge Pickerel. Sweetness.

Andrea found this good sized Fowler's that was really difficult to photograph. Not because he was slick and camouflaged or anything, he just kept hopping!

We decided that we had enough in our tanks to take the scenic route and took that left hand turn, with a whole lot of wetland trail in front of us. I saw something next to the path and couldn't figure out what it was... striped design... then it jumped. It was Pickerel Legs! Damn, I'm dumb!

Well, the guy was right. This path was filthy with Water Snakes. Some were massive and looked like they hadn't yet popped out their kids. Some went unphotographed but it was exciting to see so many.

Them's some big gals.

Here's a plump Bullfrog that was enjoying not being eaten.

What's that in the path up there? What do you think?

Andrea corralled one of those "Milks" the guy had seen. I'm 99% sure he'd seen a new Water Snake.

Vengeance was mine... a Garter, caught on my camera.

All caught up on revenge species now. *whew*

I found a wee shoestring Nerodia of my own.

The area had been getting a lot of rain of late and there were plenty of puddles to inspect. None had paid off until this one where a small Green Frog made itself conspicuous by swimming under the water and stopping at Andrea's feet.

Don't look now, but we were at 9 species. Can we get a Massachusetts Ten?

We got out to the picnic table for a rest, coming from the opposite direction that we usually come from. I looked for Racers and Red-bellied Turtles but found neither species. Here are some Painted Turtles having a cool bask.

This guy cracks me up... king of the hill.

It had become quite cool by this time and the wind was pounding us in the face. We knew we wouldn't see much for the last couple of miles back to the car. Oddly enough, a shoestring Ribbon skedaddled into the brush, only the second of the species we've ever seen here. I wasn't going to seek revenge. The likelihood of another one turning up was just about nil.

I did see one more stripe in the grass on that cool and windy pondside path. I pulled it out, got musked again and bitten by this beautiful,  decent sized stub-tailed Garter.

The flippin' rocks came up empty, leaving us at 9 species. Still, nothing to sneeze at on the first day of Fall. Would we have seen some Spotteds had we taken that particular trail? I dunno. It doesn't matter because we had a great day, hiked over 6 miles and saw loads of critters. All hail the mighty Northern Water Snake!

A Last Minute Decision. 9-14-2024

We still owed ourselves a trip into Plymouth County, having missed our opportunity last week. But we also had missed our chance to double-up on Brimfield and the Magic Tree last week. We decided to go to Worcester County and see if the tree was still standing. The split down the middle has become treacherous and the Rat Snakes that nest there might have to be looking elsewhere.

Well, the tree still stands, so that's good. Even better is that they have it cordoned off now. Of course, that means we can't inspect things closely but I'm OK with that. I zoomed the camera in to look in the crack and got a surprise. Hey, that's no Rat Snake!

That's a Garter looking right at home in the Magic Tree.

I explored the areas all around the tree, and we went to a usually reliable flipping spot but had no more sightings. Moving on, Andrea spotted this massive Fishing Spider up in the path. Must have been about 3" around.

A field that is usually filled with Pickerel Frogs was filled with Pickerel Frogs. This hidden guy was the only one I could get a shot of.

A Yellow Wooly Bear. I don't see these nearly as much as the black and brown ones. This is a Virginia Tiger Moth Caterpillar.

I wasn't expecting there to still be campers there but there were a few. We skirted a campsite to get to a bark-flippin' spot. The first flip was a Two-lined Salamander who jetted away into the grass. We weren't too close to water which is another way of saying you just never know what you'll find. The next sight was a pretty Leadback.

It seems we'd hit the Redback vein. It's good to see them back after the heat of summer.

Some Redbacks keep company with strangers, like Efts and large worms.

The swampy turtle area was pretty dry but it still had some water in it. This Painted Turtle brought up a pile of duckweed with him. He was still quite fabulous.

We didn't see anything else until Andrea spied a This-Year's-Model Water Snake heading toward a storm-drain.

We were quite alarmed at the prospect of him slipping in... which he did. I got down to look into the drain through the holes. There were a bunch of frogs down there too, and the little snake was swimming around the edge, in circles.

I went to the headquarters and asked if they had a pool net. They did not. I decided to grab my (short) net from the car and give it a go. Laying on my stomach with my arm fully extended, the net could just reach the water. The frogs (Greens and Pickerels) just swam away but I was able to trick the Water Snake into the net.

I noticed that many frogs had drowned down there. The pipe that led from the drain to the pond was about a foot above water level. I went up to the picnic table graveyard and grabbed a full length slat and shoved in down the hole until it rested against the back wall, while the tip was just at the grass. It is at about a 60° angle, which should be good enough for frogs and any baby turtles that might be down there. We did run into a guy working there later and he said he'd go down and see if he could net anybody else out.

What an ordeal. We went and checked the tree again before leaving. The Garter was still there. We flipped a few more rocks before leaving. A plump Pickerel was under one. That's always good for a startling surprise.

This Redback is huge. About 3 1/2 inches! 

Bonus slug! (Some kind of Arion.)

Still thinking of the drain, we remembered a place not too far away where we'd helped a bunch of young turtles out of a spillway. We headed over and went right to that spot. No turtles this time, just a few Green Frogs that were in no danger and looked to be quite happy.

From where we stood, these basking Painters were visible. Lovely shot to be able to get!

We walked along the edges of the pond and scared up plenty of Pickerels. I only got the camera on one... this guy whose blotches are forming stripes.

We went walking through some nearby fields, hoping we weren't trespassing on anyone's land looking for hatchling turtles. As I like to do, I flipped some rocks. That was fruitless until one rock gave me a new Milk Snake!

We didn't want to handle him long because it was pretty warm. I showed Andrea the rock I'd flipped him under and she put him back. The rock next to it looked like it would flip... it did! And it revealed a large chocolate Milk Snake!

You sure can't end a day better than that! It looks like in the end, we'd made a decent choice after all. A welcome rarity.