Out Like a Lion March 30 & 31, 2018

Since returning from Florida, the weather in the Northeast has been dire. Finally, the last weekend in March was going to be a bit better and some rain was expected. We made plans with friends (including dear Teá) to meet up on Friday night in Bristol County to see if any of our native amphibians would be greeting the Spring.

We all got there at 7:30(ish) PM and as soon as we stepped out of the car, the distant Peeper chorus was very audible. Excitedly, we headed through the field to the wooded path that leads us past plenty of good vernal pools. We could hear Wood Frogs and Peepers galore but would we be able to get our cameras on them? Somebody spotted the first Woodie and when I was going over to try to get a shot, Andrea noticed this Redback taking a stroll along the water's edge.


There was one Wood Frog close enough to be photographed, our first of the year.


Among our crew were people specializing in other fields that really wanted to see salamanders. One gent found our first Spotted, a small specimen that was our First of Year and his Lifer!

This guy wasn't big enough to have breeding on his mind but he was up and moving about anyway.

Peepers were deafening once you were next to the water. They're always hard to find despite the noise they make. Eventually, my eyes settled on two of them. First and second on the year.



Not long after that, we saw our first large adult Spotted and it was a beauty.

He was Business Salamander. He didn't let the human paparazzi bother him at all... he kept on truckin' right to the water. He has things to do.

Next up, a bit further on, we saw a small Blue-spotted Salamander. Always a real treat.


We continued up the path for a way, then decided to turn back as the sightings had become less and less. Andrea and I were bringing up the rear. I was watching the path and I saw a small black and white swirl. It took a moment for my brain to comprehend what it was and I yelled for Andrea to stop!!! Too late. She was right on top of what had finally registered in my addled brain as a Four-toed Salamander in its defensive position... on its back, belly up, head hidden. She gently stepped back and I reached down to pick him up.We all looked on to watch him slowly unravel... *whew*

Luckily, it was small enough and it was tucked in between the heel and sole of Andrea's boot. I guess these little guys know how to survive. He walked off into the night like we were never there.

One bad thing about this spot that we walk... ATV nutjobs also like to tear up the habitat and we could hear the distant engines getting closer.

We got back to the spot where we'd seen our first Blue-spotted to make sure it was off the path before the man-children and their toys came tearing through. It was there that Teá noticed another Four-toed.

Lovely Fu-Manchu on this guy.

We were nearing the cross path when the noise and lights of the ATV scumbags came into view. They also had an off-leash dog running with them. At that moment, I looked down and saw a lovely Blue-spotted crossing the path. Ignoring the protocol of endangered and threatened species, I scooped it up to get it off the path. The murder-bikes went up another path, allowing us to get some photos of this guy.


The douchebags had been tearing up and down the paths and since we'd seen most of our targets, we decided to call it a night. (One mashed Blue-spotted was seen. Luckily, that's all.) As everyone headed back, I dawdled a bit just to enjoy the frog sounds and take one last peek around. When the ATVs weren't around, it was pure magic.


Back at the pool where we had seen our first animals, I looked into the water and saw a half dozen adult Spotted Salamanders swimming around. That is a sure sign of Spring.


I ended the night with a shot of a plump Wood Frog floating in "Ride'm Cowboy" pose.


That was fun... good friends, 6 species and a bit of exercise.

We got up early the next morning in hopes of getting some hiking in before our End Of Season Sea Turtle Party on Cape Cod. Since we'd be heading to the Cape, we made plans to hit another Cape spot early to walk one spot that has plenty of vernal pools that support many species of amphibian. Our main goal was Spadefoot Toads. We got to that sanctuary in late morning and immediately started adding to our bird count.

The main pond was overflowing, washing out the pond-side path but we went that way anyway, sticking to the edge or pushing our way through thorns up the hill. We didn't want to miss a chance at basking Garters (the spot looks likely for dens) or turtles. We were finally rewarded with our first Painted Turtle of this year.


The man-made vernals weren't as wet as we'd hoped and we didn't see any activity in the them yet. But our lack of anurans was made better by the proliferance of birds. We added four species on the year and got to watch lots of interesting avian action.

We got back on the road and headed to the sanctuary where our party was being held. When we got there, we saw the wonderful crew that we are honored to call friends, including the legendary Box Turtle Tim and his lovely wife Kim. These two do more for turtles than anyone else I know and have my undying respect. We all enjoyed the presentation and we all patted ourselves on the back a bit, which is deserved if I do say so myself.

Tim wanted to try out a new transponder to find some of his slumbering Box Turtles and asked if we wanted to join him. But of course! While on the trail, we spied our first Painter Stack... a tenacious bunch of turtles grabbing some early spring sunshine. It wasn't even 50° out.
 

When we got near the brumation spot of the targeted Box Turtle, the transponder picked it up nicely. Tim and Andrea too a peek in at her. She isn't very deep at all.

She's only a few inches down... hopefully she didn't chill her butt.


We found the other tagged turtle that we were looking for, still asleep for a few more weeks, then we all left and went and had some excellent Mexican food. It was a treat to get some extra Tim and Kim time. It was an excellent end to a great day. I barely made it home, what with my lack of sleep and full belly, but I did and lived to tell about it.

I'd love to end this with an "and so Spring is finally here" bit of optimism.

But it snowed today.

Everglades 2018... Day Four: Monday, March 12th.

We awoke to pouring rain. I mean, we'd already had a wonderful trip so we couldn't exactly get upset about a rainy morning. We had planned on walking the canals this morning but decided instead to cruise the park for a while. You never know... rainy weather could bring out Box Turtles. For the second day in a row, we found a Brown Anole on the hotel grounds for our first animal. This guy was flipped.


Cruising got us no reptiles or amphibians but we were very happy to see a couple of dozen Wood Storks, a species we'd not yet seen.

We were worried that Hurricane Irma has harmed this threatened species.

The rain let up to just a sprinkle, so we headed over to a good Alligator spot for a last look at some crocodilians before we had to head back up North.




The Black Vulture Tree was in bloom.


We headed back to Robert is Here for another milkshake before hitting the road. (If we lived near here, we'd both weigh 400 lbs.) I'd seen an Agama stretched out in the light rain on the way in but it was gone by the time we left. In it's place was this Marine Toad who was poking its head out of a rat trap.

It seemingly backed up and out the rear of the trap. Species #26.

We drove North, in and out of heavy rain. It cleared a bit by the time we hit the Burrowing Owl place on the way back to the airport. We had plenty of time still, so we got out to look around.



We went back by the water to look for Iguanas and stuff and noticed the wind picking up and the clouds thickening. Andrea warned me that we'd better hurry. I kept flipping. Thanks to my tenacity, I flipped our first lifer snake of the weekend, a Florida Brown Snake. (Note the healing Green Water Snake blossoms on my thumb.)

Not much different than the Northern ones we have up here. This guy seemed to know what was coming next... he was bracing himself.

The skies absolutely opened up and it started pissing down. We made a break for a nearby tree.

The tree offered us little protection. The car was about 200 yards away and we made a run for it. We got soaked. The son-we-never-wanted was texting with Andrea and he said to get a shot of a Burrowing Owl in the rain because they look even more pissed that way.

I opened Andrea's window for a shot and she got more pissed as the rain fell into her lap. I turned the car around so my window came down for this shot.

Worth it.

Since it was a wash-out, we headed toward the airport. It let up while we were still on the way to the highway and I saw a little park and pulled in to it. Andrea needed facilities to look for Wood Frogs and, since the rain had stopped for a spell, we figured we could change into dry clothes. We looked around a bit. It was a lovely place with a pond, alligator and snake warnings and some birds and Brown Anoles (that avoided my camera). After changing, we headed back out. There was a little fountain before the road that I wanted to look at before heading to the airport. I'm glad I did.

I saw some larger-than-anoles skittering away as I approached the fountain. They looked like young Basilisks. Circling the fountain, I saw that they were basilisks, but I couldn't get a shot. This Brown Anole was sitting atop a corner of the structure, though, looking like a king.

That's all. That's all I wanted... one more herp.

But then Andrea noticed this young Brown Basilisk sitting below the anole.

And that was the beautiful animal that we ended our vacation on.

We got to the Ft. Lauderdale airport plenty early and it was packed. Lots of flights were being delayed and cancelled due to the storm up North. Most flights to Boston were cancelled. Our Delta flight was delayed by an hour (making arrival right at the predicted start of the storm) but we eventually made it on and got home in the pouring rain at about 2 AM. When we woke up after 10 AM the next morning, this is what it looked like outside.

We got about a foot all told. Thank you for sticking with it, Delta.

So we consider that a damn good trip, squeezed in between two big Nor'easters. As I finish up this post, we're expecting another blast tomorrow. We know how fortunate we are to have had that weekend together, in the sun, and seeing animals. 29 herp species and 27 birds.

Maybe, if this snow should ever melt, Big Night will happen up here and we can get 2018 under way for real. Today is, after all, the first day of Spring.

Everglades 2018... Day Three: Sunday, March 11th.

We'd had such a good Saturday that we figured everything on Sunday would be gravy. We slept in (and lost an hour to Daylight Savings Time), grabbed some breakfast and hit the road by about 9:30 AM. Our plans were to head West. We secured our first animal next to the hotel parking lot... a fancy Brown Anole.


On the way to the highway, we saw a group of Peacocks grazing next to the road. I'm not calling them for my bird count but I thought it was a sight worthy of a photo.


We got to deadly Route 41, home of Red Asphalt. Vultures were already lining up for the evening's slaughter. We saw a large turtle walk along the edge of the road for a few feet before retreating... *whew*

Since we had a free pass to a part of Everglades National Park that we hadn't been to since March, 2008 (that's 10 years, bucko), we decided to poke around and see some animals in there first. I was severely sunburned on Saturday, so Andrea bought me one of those wide brimmed hats with the towel hanging down the neck. It likely saved my life. So, into the sun we went.


After nearly 13 miles of hiking the day before, we figured we wouldn't be on foot too much this day, but when the sights are as good as they were, we kept on hoofin' it. For we had found our Turtle Utopia. Florida Red-bellies were everywhere!




Every once in a while, a Peninsula Cooter was IDable.


A couple more Red-bells... notice the second one is missing the front left leg.


It's a tough world out there. This water is filled with not only 'gators but tons of large Gar.

Andrea pulled another trick out of her hat when she noticed this Brown Water Snake in the grass... our first of the trip.


This pretty, young Florida Softshell sped off before I could get a decent shot.


There were plenty of American Alligators present, too, though they were outnumbered by turtles.



Pen Coot.


Red-bells were everywhere. In the water...

In stacks behind the trees...

They seemed to be multiplying.

I can't be sure that some of these aren't Pen Coots but the majority are certainly Red-bellies.

The Gator on the left hand side had just plowed through turtles to access the water.


This wee Red-belly was wise to be basking on a rock surrounded by good, grassy cover at the edge of the water. He might keep his legs into adulthood.


So, we spent a couple of hours and hiked a few miles at a place we weren't even sure we were going to visit. Sweet! Plus, we'd added three new species on the weekend. We got back on the road, heading further west.

Our next stop was very good for 'Gators. There were dozens out basking. We even saw one going after a Gar. But mostly, it was lounging for them.





Some birders pointed out a hatchling Green Heron.


Andrea really had her taxispilota eyes on. She spied this Brown Water Snake basking in a tough to photograph spot. It is in the blue.


While I wasn't going to photograph every Brown Anole, I wasn't going to pass up this shot.


We also caught the end of an anole power struggle.


We then headed further west on the dreaded Rt. 41. I drive it white-knuckled because cars go so fast and animals just love to be out on the warm asphalt. I saw a small snake squiggling along but I couldn't stop. We started to see large Softshells up on the grass next to the road and it terrified me. I was able to pull over twice, hoping for a distant photo, but they always turned back and zipped into the water. I guess they instinctually do not run into the road. Mercifully.

We got to a slow moving dirt road that was our destination. We were rewarded with an amazing sight... a large Florida Softshell was up on a hill next to the water. But she wasn't retreating when she saw us, she was nesting. I was able to get photos and a short film from about 30 feet away.



Not far away, another female was doing the same thing.


We drove up the road, making stops every once in a while to peek under rocks or look out over the water. I only include this crappy shot of a Red-belly because she was going to the water and got stuck under the branch in front of her. I valiantly lifted it for her to go under.


This dark Southern Leopard Frog was hiding under a piece of limestone.


Driving along, we saw a snake in the road. It was an Everglades Racer and he had frog feet sticking out of his mouth.

He swallowed it back and I swear I heard the Popeye cartoon sound when he downs a can of spinach.


A briefly glimpsed Florida Banded Water Snake.


This 'Gator was posing beautifully.


We flipped a Crayfish!


I pulled over to "look for Wood Frogs" and had a 'Gator right across from my private spot.


A third ferox nesting. What a magical day.


We drove along, taking some cross-roads and new (to us) back road routes. While we didn't have a bonafide "Holy Fuck" moment this trip, this was a pretty strange sight. We stopped for a snake in the road, unsure if it was a stick or not. I got close and confirmed it was snake-shaped... even better... Eastern Glass Lizard shaped.
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A glass lizard was the last thing I expected to see on this road. I don't know why, but it just blew my mind. It also speedily took off, going right between my feet and into the grass.

A group of Black Vultures had tipped us off to some road-kill on this section. When we drove past, we were saddened to see that it was a Moccasin, one of the snakes we really wanted to see here. Happily, we got a nice living specimen not long after that.

They always appreciate being helped off the road.


Another little Moccasin was next, still with a yellow tail.

Andrea helped this cutie off the road.

A good chance to see a ventral shot...


Yes, Dorothy, there were Water Moccasins at the end of our rainbow.


Shadows were getting long and it seemed as though our timing was going to be good again. Two days in a row. Whooda thunk it? We parked at the mouth of a 25 mile mostly-dirt road while we waited for darkness to fall. A car with a family obeyed that road's "Last chance to turn back" sign and parked with us for a while. They weren't going to attempt the swamp in the dark. They were super nice, though they had a small dog on an expandable leash that was getting very close to the 'Gator infested water.

We headed in as soon as the headlights were visible on the road. Our first encounter was another small Moccasin who gave us the side-eye.


This three feet of Brown Water Snake was our next sight, and what a sight it was!


Another Nerodia, this time a Green, was next. It bit the fuck out of me.

Ack! Right in the sunburn!

Eh, at least it wasn't a Moccasin.


Hey, look. Another decent sized Green! I guess this voucher shot will do...


We realized that we were just a pictiventris away from having a Nerodia trifecta. What do you think was the next snake? Boom! And look at that "painted ventral".


The next snake sighting had some red showing. We stopped and ran up to see our third Scarlet of the weekend.



We had seen a few squished Ribbons over the weekend so it was nice to see another and actually get a clear, in-hand shot for a change.

Notice that scar next to Andrea's finger. Tough guy.

Another large, chubby Brown Water Snake. With a doofy face.


Pig Frogs were making appearances, too.


Always a main target in South Florida, we were thrilled to finally see a yellow stripe across the road...

Yellow Rats are always beautiful but this one is a stunner!

He showed Andrea who was boss.



Another small Pig Frog looks on, happy that he wasn't being nommed on like that.


Can I get an "ooh-ooh" for another Moccasin?

Now, why are they called "Cottonmouth"s?

She was our largest Moccasin, roughly 3 feet. Nice.

Hey! It's a scorpion! Good eyes, Andrea.


A moody shot of the swamp at night, with an Alligators eye reflecting Andrea's flash.


A Southern Toad, surely a gentleman.


We finally hit asphalt again, though we were still miles from the highway. Another large Brown Water Snake had just crossed to safety.


A native tree frog! Green Tree Frog making Mr. Burns hands.


Two native frogs in a row? Be still my heart. Pig Frog.


A big, beautiful Green huggin' the line.

Wow, if only we'd see a pictiventris, we'd have our second Nerodia trifecta of the night!

Boom!


We were nearing the junction to the horrible Rt. 41. Our last animal on this road was a big Pig Frog that I humiliated by moving to the brush.

Why do I love frogs? No external genitalia!!

So we'd had a wonderful day of living animals. We did see plenty of red asphalt on 41, most of it unidentifiable, but knowing that the vultures will take care of it and knowing that there is still plenty of wildlife out there, we made it back to our hotel without feeling horrible.

We'd surpassed our weekend goal of 25 species... I think we were at 27 right here. After a crappy trip in 2016 and a snowed-out trip in 2017, it sure felt good to be catching a break. Just one more day left, but we both started to admit that we were missing home.