Last Attempt for Hogs. 10-10-2026

It was going to be in the 60s with some sun for Saturday. I gave Andrea the choice... go to a Middlesex County spot where we saw 30 snakes (mostly Garters) one October day many years ago, or take one last shot at Hognoses in Plymouth County. She chose the latter. That, of course, means that if we don't find our target, we probably wont see anything else. While I was hoping for the Middlesex run, we headed off to Plymouth with low expectations.

We hit a lot of traffic which was surprising since the weather wasn't really screaming Cape Cod to me but maybe everyone else was giving their own warm weather fantasies one last shot. We didn't get to the park until about noon and headed first to a cranberry bog. On the path on the way in, we flipped a Redback, not the most common animal in this particular park.

We got through the woods and out on to the bog path and were horrified. The path had been decimated by some Hrududu... something came through and cut the path wide, shearing off trees and hills and slicing into trees as high as ten feet up. There were plants and dirt and leaves piled high along the now-widened path. The water in the bog was dirty and bereft of many lilypads and natural cover. And frogs weren't present either.

We finally got to a curve in the bog where some Green Frogs were hiding out. Some survivors.

A Bullfrog was also seen. Usually, there are dozens and dozens.

We did see more frogs but didn't get photos of every one. We saw a fraction of what we usually see.

This is an example of the savage cutting that the trees along the path took. The "stump" on the left is about 8" wide, the one on the right is 10 or 11" wide. Ripped off right at the bottom.

Andrea flipped a Redback but it retreated into a hole unphotographed. I countered with a flip of two... no, wait... three Redbacks. (Note the body in the lower right corner.) Again, this is not usually a hoppin' Redback spot. Perhaps they are showing up now that the machinery has driven almost everything else away.

Andrea had looked at a new path last time we were here and she wanted to look at it again. It turned out to be a good call because it was intact and unharmed by whatever went through and destroyed the bog. It also justified our entire trip because we were lucky enough to find a Gray Tree Frog under some bark and it's our First of Year. We'd heard plenty but seen none.

The path is also rich with Teaberries and I always find them to be a refreshing treat.

A sign of our aptitude for 2026. Andrea tripped going under a fallen tree and stayed down because the plush mattress of pine needles was pretty comfortable.

From there, we went to the path that, years ago now, was our best one for Hognoses. We saw nothing and as the shadows became longer, we just said fuck it and cut it short. 2026 will be another Hogless year, but not for lack of trying. My curse remains. (Remember when I said Hogs weren't as hard to find as a lot of snake species? Yeah, I cursed us.)

Before leaving, I wanted to see if any turtles were up at another spot in the park. We didn't initially see any because we're used to seeing massive Redbellies basking but upon closer inspection (and a zoom lens) we saw some intrepid Painters catching rays on a cool day. (It never got higher than 63°.)

We have come to realize, with alarm, that 2026 is pretty much over. The next day, Sunday, was miserable and we stayed in. It looks like future excursions will mostly be around local dens and ponds, just in hope of seeing anything. This year has been up and down and we're glad to have finally gotten a camera on a Gray Tree Frog. But no Hogs this year, no Timbers (as usual), no Worm Snake (no surprise there), no Four-toed Salamander (we usually have at least a couple), No Jeffersons, no Spadefoot, no Bog Turtle (duh), no Springs, no Mudpuppies, no Box Turtles, no Terrapins (no Cape trips, in fact) and really pathetic numbers on a lot of common stuff. While this post is no year-end wrap up, I doubt we'll score any more FoYs or great numbers of things.

But who knows?

Back To a Happy Hike. 10-4-2026

It was supposed to be pretty nice... cloudy and in the mid to high 60s. I wanted to see some damn turtles! We hadn't seen any in almost a month! I suggested a trip into Plymouth County to a place that is traditionally turtle-centric. We let the sun warm things up then headed out, getting there a bit after 11 AM. It was cool but in the sun, it was nice. Hopefully, the clouds would let us get this walk in!

The rain had filled the bogs nicely and we hoped to see some Spotted Turtles. No sooner had I said "I guess we wont see any Spotteds after all!" then I saw a pair trying to bask in the intermittent sun. One took off, but I got a lens on on the second one. Tough shot, though.

The next one wasn't much easier.

Finally, Andrea pointed out one that I hadn't seen and we got a good shot!

Up to the next bog, I was looking for a tube that usually sticks out of the water, figuring it might be submerged under the deeper-than-usual water. No, it was there and I finally saw it and scared in a Painted Turtle. Damn! BUT, this Bullfrog was resting near it so I snapped its portrait.

Due to the heavy rain earlier in the week, mushrooms were everywhere. At many points during the walk, we'd see clusters of them and call them Mushroom Farms. This is a perfect Yellow Fly Agaric 'shroom. 

We weren't yet really knocking it out of the park but we were enjoying ourselves. I said something like "I've only taken six pictures or so but by the time we leave, I bet we'll have twenty or so. Umm... yes, we would. We had made it the Osprey Path and had a little sit-down. A Painted Turtle allowed us to camp there for a bit.

There weren't many perches open due to the deep water so we didn't get a lot of chances to photograph turtles. These two Painters threw us a bone.

Since we were moving slowly and taking ample rest-stops, we decided to go the long way, hoping to see some baby Water Snakes or something. This proved to be an excellent idea because not too far in along the "long way", we spied a Ribbon Snake... only our second of 2026! They used to be common but in the last decade we have seen a steep decline. 

This one is a fighter. It had a stub tail and a healing scar about an inch above the vent that must have come from a doozy of an attack. Looks like it's on its way to getting better.

There were some Painted Turtles along this path too, though the lighting was tough when the sun was behind clouds.

We'd decided that we'd likely seen our last toad of the year already. They seem to tuck in earlier than a lot of other critters. But Toadflax was blossoming so that would have to do!

Walking along the path, I could see a group of women doing something just off-path up ahead and wondered what could possibly be going on. I was so intent on them that Andrea called to me... "look at what you just walked past!"... a slim Garter was crossing!

Oops! I had to pay better attention!

But we got up to the women and asked what they were picking from the tree and they said Autumn Olives and we got a quick lesson and taste test on these tart berries. An invasive plant from Asia, the berries can be used for all kinds of things. I ate plenty of them straight from the branch.

They get little silver spots on them as they get ripe. Good to know because the trees were mixed in with local berry trees that are not edible. I was chuffed to learn something new, especially about something edible! And delicious! (Andrea found them to be too tart.)

We got to another sit-down spot and too a well deserved rest. I could see some turtles from where we sat. Some Painters...

And a Red-belly sharing a spot with a Double-crested Cormorant.

Racer Rock was empty. I'd been hoping for some babies but nobody was out. It had been getting cloudier and cooler so we weren't surprised. Walking along, we saw one more Painter basking.

He started to slide into the drink as we got closer but never went all the way in, leaving us with a great opportunity to photograph it's ass in the air.

We started hearing the Cranes calling from the other side of the large pond. The way the sound travelled, it sounded like they were right next to us. I even looked at the pond-edge seeing if one was hiding there. No, they were far away. A group took to the air.

We noticed them landing on a strip of land not really far from the path and I got excited thinking I might have an opportunity to photograph them close for the first time ever. We still had about a mile to go to that spot, though. Hopefully, they'd stay. On the way, I saw this American Copper.

At first glance, I thought it was a Spotted Lanternfly and was ready to crush it. I'm glad I didn't!!

Much to our delight, the Sandhill Cranes were still on that nearby stretch of land when we got there. Nine of them. Such a magical treat for us. We watched them for a half hour or so, just enjoying their beauty and see-thru nostrils.

We've been hitting this spot since 2018. It came onto our radar because of the Cranes. I'd gotten distant or flying shots twice over that time but never had we had an opportunity like this. We know how fortunate we were.

It had become pretty cool by this time though and we said that we were unlikely to see any more cold-blooded creatures. Well, never say never. On another rest, I looked down-pond and thought I saw a turtle silhouette. Nope... it was six Painted Turtles still going for it!

At another spot I said, "remember when we had a Water Snake right here?" and looked into the brush and saw a small Pickerel Frog in there. Tough shot, but I got it!

Last call. Stone wall. My back, y'all! Between the two of us, we managed to safely photograph these two American Toads who were under a warm rock. And we said it wouldn't happen!

So WOW! What a day. Eight species of reptile and amphibian and some time spent with dinosaurs in the form of Cranes! We couldn't be happier. New food, too! Plus, raindrops started to fall the minute we were back in the car. Well played. There wont be many days like this again in 2026 and we're thankful for this one for sure. Six-plus miles of nature's beauty.

It Feels Like October. Because It Is. 10-1 and 10-3-2026

Well, September was a wash-out. Literally. The weekend of the 26th and 27th (and beyond) was washed out by a massive Nor'easter that dropped many inches of rain on us. While I don't usually have a problem with rain (because water is one of the keys to life in the wild), I hate to lose September weekends. September is usually a great month in the wild but this year has been tough between a deluge of rain and band commitments. Hopefully October will be better. But will it?

Well, on Thursday, October 1st, the sun was making a rare appearance and it was pretty nice out. I suggested to Andrea that we go check out the local dens during her lunchbreak to see if anyone is back yet. Considering the wet and cool weather, I expected to see some salamanders and maybe a snake or two near their den sites. First up was indeed a salamander... a bright Redback (that I didn't see upon flipping... I only noticed a massive slug).

Into the Valley, the tree-hole den opening did have a Water Snake noggin poking out, so at least one individual has come back for the Winter already.

Another Redback, this time with a massive Earthworm.

That was it for critters in the short time allowed us but it was interesting to note how the storm affected the place. Most vernals seen had plenty of water (Sly's pool was surprisingly dry) and there was plenty of tree damage. I expect future visits will reveal more snakes returning to their hibernaculums.

On Saturday, Andrea had made plans to spend some time with some friends but I was really itching for a real nature walk. It was sunny and warm and didn't want to miss out so I took a short drive over into Norfolk County to look and see if the Copperheads are settled for the Winter and hopefully see a Racer, Garter and some salamanders as well. My band had an afternoon show so time was a little tight. I left at about 11 AM and got there within a half hour.

It's always a bit sad to be out without Andrea but the walk and warmth did feel good. My back was a bit sore so flipping logs wasn't going to feel great but I did it anyway. It paid off when I rolled over a log and saw this behemoth of a Spotted Salamander.

This is one of the largest I've ever seen, certainly outside of a Big Night.

This path is good for Marbled Salamanders, too. A threatened species in this state, it's always good to see them and I'm happy to say that I did uncover one.

One more Spotted, this time a small first-year specimen.

So, I looked all around many off-path spots but was coming up snakeless so when I got near the ascent to the hilltop, I went up, carefully watching every step, to scour the top for Copperheads. Babies should be out and about on these warm days but I saw nothing up there. I went to the far side and descended to the shady area where, later in the year, we always see lots of them sunning outside of their Winter spots. I (very carefully... no need to be envenomated before a gig) walked those rocks and leaves for a half hour or so and saw nothing, though I probably passed by a dozen. I realized that I had gotten pretty far below the top so I climbed back up. Just at the rim of the hilltop, I looked to my right and saw this one peeping at me.

That took a lot of work but I finally saw what I'd climbed up for. Of course, I spent another 45 minutes looking around but that was the only snake seen on the day.

I made it down, walked out (I swear I heard Gray Tree Frogs... never would have thought they were nearby) and drove home in time to shower, have lunch, pet cats, and go to the band's gig. A full day, though sadly it was without Andrea. We settled down to a movie later that night, though.