You Won't Find It Down There, Columbus. 10-10-2016

OK, it was Columbus Day (aka Indigenous People's Day) and I felt compelled to use the only Columbus quote I know.


At any rate, we both had Monday off for the holiday, whatever it is known as, and since we didn't get out Sunday, we were eager to see some animals. Sunday was cold and rainy... in fact, we got a good, soaking rain all day long. Did it help with the drought?

We got to our spot in Middlesex County kinda late on Monday morning, having given the sun a chance to warm things up. It was still cool, though. In fact, the day would never see the temps above 59°, but the sun was warm and we hoped to see something. Despite the rain, ponds were still bone dry and it was some time before we finally saw our first herp, a Redback Salamander.


The next pond had some water, about 1/20th of what it usually does. A pair of tenacious Painters were up, far from my camera, soaking up some October rays.

While I thought that the rain would have brought out plenty of frogs, the only one I saw all day was near these guys, back-lit and impossible to photograph. Oh, well...

This Garter Snake was just off the path, sitting in a patch of sunlight.

When I moved in for a better shot or possible catch, it disappeared. I'm thinking that a hole to freedom was tucked in there, next to some roots.

Surprisingly, there were plenty of hikers this day. More than we've ever encountered before, in fact. It made us think that some of our hot spots might be empty, and they were. Still, this good sized Water Snake was sequestered in a secret, sunny spot.

About a 3 footer. Note the dirt on her forehead.

We finally found some water, thanks to beavers damming up a spot. The standing water was dotted with basking spots, many of which had Painted Turtles present. The Autumn colors painted the water with some good backdrops.





We figured that we'd have better animal luck along the river's edge; the river is still very deep. Our first sighting was a stripey Garter who I was unable to get a clear in situ shot of, but we were able to capture and gently handle.


No forced perspective on that second shot... it really did grow a couple of feet before Andrea handled it.

That was, in fact, the only animal we saw along that path. Andrea took a rest, basking on a stone altar. I then sacrificed her to the gods.


Before leaving, we checked out one last area that got us one more Redback.


While we enjoyed every step of the hike, we had to admit that it was pretty slim pickin's for animals. The lack of frogs had surprised us.

We still had some gas, so we hit another spot in Middlesex County on the way home. The first stretch was cold because of the wind and the water was so low, it was almost non-existent. We decided to take a trail that went through the sun, where it was also less windy. We quickly got a reward for our tenacity.


A guy walked by and made a face of disgust upon seeing this gorgeous person sitting in the path, happily holding a Garter Snake. It must suck to be him.

Not far from there, this little nipper was spied through the brush, warming his skinny lil body in the waning sun.

Like I learned from Bob, I cut the tail off of the photo. Supposed to be better that way, I heard.

That was about it. The temps dropped a bit more. It must have been about 55° now and the shadows were getting long. We went down by the river for one last peek at the edge, hoping for a frog. Nothing. Turning back, we saw this:

Somebody couldn't quite get over the log. Here's a Snapper size you don't see too often.


Andrea put him about 8 inches from the water's edge and we waited.


And waited.

Finally, the legs popped out and he slowly made his way into the drink.


That was a rewarding end to the day!

On the way out, I got a decent shot of a Song Sparrow. As always, I checked with Bob to see if it was indeed a Song, or possibly my nemesis, the Swamp Sparrow. They always turn out to be Song. Always. Except this one! Finally, a Swamp Sparrow... #100 on the year and Lifer #157!


And on that note, we went home and marvelled at how much better a Monday is when A.) you don't go to work and B.) you get to enjoy nature.