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.

So Long, Summer. 9-19-2026

I'd been trying to fight off a cold for a few days and finally lost the battle on Friday but I'd set up a meeting with a lovely young couple to shoot some footage at a nearby nature place for a music video I'm making. I got all hopped up on cold pills and went to get the footage and it went very well. Sunny, clear days had been at a premium and I was glad to finally get the shots. While there, I took a short walk in the sun to see if any critters were up. I heard a squawking above and got a shot of Bird #78, a Red-shouldered Hawk.

The next day was Saturday the 19th and the cold had become pretty embedded in me but the band had a porchfest gig with friends that afternoon so I decided that nature and Vitamin D was a better bet than laying in bed all morning. We went to the local dens to see if snakes had returned for the season. Sly's Den showed nothing nor did Robles' Den but a log in a dry vernal got us a pair of Redbacks.

Another log flip revealed this small but bright Spotted Salamander.

There were no signs of anything having returned to the Valley Dens, either. Much to our delight, however, a Ringneck was sleeping under a rock towards the back of the Valley. A first for that spot.

Continuing on, I wanted to check out another dried up vernal as we'd seen Blue-spotted Salamanders in there before. It wasn't long before this beauty of a Bluie was unearthed.

This was turning out to be a pretty good (and mercifully easy) day! We continued on to the Cottonwood Dens, our most likely spot to see snakes that had returned for the season. It too was empty. I went over to a nearby spot that has discarded appliances and tires and junk that I always think "looks good for Milks." Guess what? It was this time! Under a trash bag!

 

We looked for Joe at his bridge but only this little frog noggin was (barely) visible in the duckweed. Bull? Probably but I can't discount Green. Either way, it was a delight to see.

We took the path up towards the park where I'd seen the hawk the day before. Andrea had a holy shit moment and pointed out a massive Racer that I'd walked right past and it bolted as soon as I saw it. I went over towards the water to look for it but as I am wont to say, it's like looking for water after you poured it down the drain. A pair of young boys were interested in what we were looking for and we talked for a while about our mutual love for critters. They looked around for the "Razor" a bit but we all conceded that it had outsmarted us.

We walked in the sun up in the other park and I showed Andrea where the hawk had been (we'd heard some Red-shoulders, too) and those kids kept their eyes on us. Andrea pointed out a snake slithering across the path in front of us and I took the long shot...

I gave a whistle and the kids scootered over to watch it slither into the rocks, then into the tall grass. This was the Ribboniest Garter I've ever seen. Slender, even a bit reddish, no prominent lip stripes and is that a white spot or a shine? 

In the flesh, there was no question that it was a Garter but upon uploading the photos I was perplexed! We haven't had any trouble over the years IDing Ribbons on sight but this Garter was throwing me a test. I stand by Garter because, well it is one, but what a sight!

So, not a bad short walk! Three snake species (photographed, damn Razor!) and  three salamander species and a bonus mystery frog! It appears that snakes haven't yet returned to their hibernaculums. They'd better hurry. It's getting cold.

I survived the hike and an afternoon of rock and roll, though my mind was pretty cloudy by the time we played and I messed up a few numbers. That's OK... we were among friends and had fun.

Still feeling a bit sick, though. And my money hasn't yet been returned to me from September 1st. So fuck you, Summer. Oh and the weekend is supposed to blow. Now I'm in a mood. Thanks a lot.

To Bee. 9-12-2026

And now for something completely different...

I've been wanting to get some shots of clusters of bees for a band video that I'm working on. I've had some friends help out but the videos didn't have the (lack of) quality to match what I've already shot and I wanted to get my own. A friend suggested contacting his bee mentor at Boston Area Beekeepers Association. Much to my delight, I saw there was an upcoming presentation at our local Audubon spot, so I signed us up not only to get a few seconds of footage, but to learn about these amazing critters!

We got there and enjoyed an extremely informative presentation before heading to the hives. As you can see, it's a very high-brow and serious program.

There were about twenty of us, lots of youngsters included. I'm not sure I'd have had the wherewithal to do that as a kid. Hell, Andrea and I were both a little nervous ourselves but were made to feel safe by the folks leading us. We were all suited up in bee-proof outfits that seemed pretty secure. We went to the hives and bees were buzzing all around, as bees do. The person whose hive we were going to look at gently smoked the area and bees started to go to the porch of their hives.

Andrea was very close. I was quite proud of her. Things got pretty wild as more levels were taken out and there was plenty of bee buzzin'!

Honey!

A waxy hive topper!

Being a tough time of year for bees, they started getting a little perturbed and were flying about and a little girl there started to freak out when a bee landed on her nose (through a bee hat)... she didn't get stung, I don't think, but it seemed like a good time to leave the bees alone to do their bee business.

But we had a lovely time and learned a lot of things that we'd never known. The instructor was very good and knowledgeable and easy to understand. It was a great opportunity for us to learn about new things and I was accommodated by the hive keeper to get some good shots! Like this sneak preview!

Hear the song on the RumBar Records bandcamp page here!

I recommend seeing a Boston Are Beekeepers Association presentation if you can. Good stuff!