Poke in Nose, Day Two. 5-25-2019

This day was gonna be the big one. We were going to meet up with even more friends... friends I trust implicitly... and we were going to see some animals.

Kyle and Kris, having stayed at the house with us, were patiently waiting as we realized our alarm didn't go off. But we hustled and bustled and got ourselves into gear and on the road more or less on time. Our mission, should we choose to accept it, was to meet our dear friend and my personal birding mentor Bob at a pond at 7 AM. We made it. He did not. But hed been called away by birds a couple of times.

But the pond waited for us and lay there in foggy beauty.


Even though there were fishing people already there, the water was still and quiet. Zillions (I counted... it was zillions) of tadpoles were in the shallow edges.


Kyle and Andrea scored our first snake with a feisty, in-the-blue young Garter.


Bob got there and we embraced, even made out a little, then pursued our animal friends. Bob was concentrating on birds while we flipped away. Sadly, in the years since we were first introduced to this spot, many typical "herpers" have discovered it and the place seems a bit flipped-out. Rocks were out of place and snakes just weren't present. Still, Andrea scored our main target for this spot... our First-of-Year (maybe first in 2 years) Smooth Green Snake.

A few years ago, you could count on a few of these, some Redbellies, and more Garters and Ringnecks than you can shake a stick at. Thanks, over-flipping kids who want likes on Facebook, not decent habitat for wildlife.

Some lesser known spots in the area proved more fruitful for us. This Redback was having a mud bath.


We finally started seeing some Ringers.


Andrea and I were finding a few Garters.



I was also adding a few birds to my year thanks to Bob's expertise.

Meanwhile, Kyle hit the Garter motherlode... a four-pack.

He enters all animals into a state database, so this was a great flip. Check out the RED belly on this guy!


A few more Ringnecks.



We ended up with a Garter and a Ringer before heading out to the next spot.


Still, I can live without visiting here again. The overzealous kids have tainted yet another spot for me.

Our next stop was a new one to us, and to a few of the others in our crew. The five of us were going to meet up with the son we never wanted (Matt) and Dave was going to meet us here as well. It took a bit to find our way around but we all finally met up. (Dave was having a run before the hike!! Impressive? Or crazy?!) Matt and I were working one end of a rocky path, and Matt found a homely Milk Snake, technically our first of the year (since Andrea had missed yesterday's).

The jury is out on potential SFD but it at least needs a good shed and a few dinners.

At the same time, Kyle had flipped a stunning Red Salamander, a species we don't get up here in Massachusetts.

This is the brightest one Andrea and I had ever seen.

We spread out a bit, looking around the place and wishing the sun was a bit warmer. We were a tad early, it seems. I was off looking for Wood Frogs when I heard Andrea call me... Matt and Bob had found a Hognose, our FOY. I ran over to see it.

OK, maybe it was a brisk walk.

It was a hooding, muddy-eyed beauty. A big, fat female.

From there, Hog-fever set in on Bob and Matt and the competition had begun. I'm too damn slow and old to keep up, so I stayed behind and poked around on my own, with Andrea nearby. We found this young Milk.


Not wanting to get lost, we headed back towards the car, not really knowing what everyone was up to. The big female Hog had come back out to bask. We left her alone.


We got a call from Bob and Matt (on a cellular-telephone.)- they had found a Racer and another Hognose. So, we started a hike towards where they might be. Dave was now with us as we made our way deep into the place. We saw Bob coming towards us... carrying the Racer with him!

Obviously, the normally feisty Racer had calmed down and decided to just go with it. It perked back up when we let it go.


The Hognose was a beautiful one.


Now that we were all back together (Kyle had now joined us again... Kris was the only sensible one, staying with the car), we started poking around. Dave scored a big beautiful Milk.

Funny how the Milks here are darker and more chocolatey than the ones we have up here.

Matt next found the windsock of Hognoses...

I'd never seen a Hog do this before, only in pictures. As much as I dislike seeing totally stressed out animals, it was fascinating behavior and at least she didn't play dead or barf.


Heading back, Andrea and I saw our first American Toad of the day, always a welcome sight.


Late morning, a hot sun... and Bob flipped this Smooth Green right out in the open. Somebody didn't read their field guides on how to be a Green Snake!


Another plump American Toad, all hunkered down.


Of course Andrea and I were slow getting back to the cars. Kyle was with us, too. Then we got another call from the dynamic duo. They had gone back to where we'd started. The rocks had warmed up and they had a three-fer... a Hog, a Milk and a Garter. They said they had spectacular examples of each. We headed up and met them half way. They were right.


Over 30 inches of Garter right here.


Bob's ridiculously pretty Hognose.



A yard of Milk.


That's an amazing way to finish up at this spot. The smiles say it all.


When we returned the snakes, I spotted this massive Garter, my only real contribution.


The next spot was a bit more difficult. We only had one Milk but it was a black one and very beautiful.

Survived some tough times, too.

That looks more like a Water Snake belly.

From there, we went to a little pull-off to see if anything was there. My best flip of the weekend was a small log with a Four-toed Salamander and our first Eft of the weekend. The Eft is the smaller of the two!


A Toad was also found.


Matt saved up a handful of Ringnecks for me. There are four here.


Sadly, after this spot, Kyle, Kris and Dave had to leave us. Getting in field-time with them was very special and we'd miss them the rest of the day. Now it was the Dynamic Duo and the Geriatric Duo... what on Earth would the next spot bring?

We drove to near our destination, then all piled into Bob's vehicle to get closer. He let us out and went to park. We went in and check the trail to the left for a bit. We immediately got a nice American Toad. With a leaf on his nose.


I was stoked to see this Racer.


While heading back in the other direction, Matt first pointed out Business Timber, a snake on a mission.

We tried to discourage it from staying where it was... there were some guys working near there, but it would crawl away, then come back to the tracks.

The guys were cool with it but didn't want it there in case a customer came by. Understandable. It eventually left.

Meanwhile, the guy had pointed out a "Copperhead" that was on a ledge below.

Here's the face...

See, I'd say Northern Water Snake all day but what do I know?

(I know it's a Northern Water Snake.)

Here's a handsome Garter.


By now, we learned that while we were on the left looking at the Racer, Bob had gone right and speedily tried to catch up to us. So, now we were far behind him and we all got a bit confused. He'd seen a Hognose, then he turned back to try to find us. Meanwhile, Matt saw this in-the-blue Timber.


He next found this stunning chocolate Timber.


He probably found this Garter, too. I don't know. I couldn't keep up!


Bob showed up and he'd brought the Hog with him. It was mellow as anything. Like the Racer earlier, it had given up and decided to just go with it.


That's a cutie-pie.

Matt finally got us our first lizard, a 5-lined Skink.

Rather than run away, it decided to climb me.


Matt magnanimously let me know everything he was finding and plopped down a handful of Ringers that had just musked him into Stinkville.


Bob found the next Timber... a stunner coiled up below a...


Toad!


Slow and old, I was left the flipping scraps behind those dynamos. I managed a pretty Milk, though.


I think it was Matt who found this super pretty Garter with a black neck.

I took my time photographing this beauty and exploring the water on the trailside so I got way behind. No worries... I lumbered along enjoying the beauty of nature.

Bob's time was tight and I believe he was already late but I caught up by the time they reached the turn-around spot. (Yes, Andrea had kept pace with them. She's not old. She got legs. She know how to use them.) But the spot had a screamer of a Timber, again found by Bob. I think. Or Matt.


On the way back, we noticed that Bob's coiling girl (the toad neighbor) had decided to stretch out and bake her bundle.


Our last animal on the day was from a heroic flip from Matt... our FOY Copperhead.


We walked back to the car tired but very happy, having spent a day with dear friends. Hell... these two jamokes are pretty much family. I wouldn't have seen 89% of these animals without their expertise and tenacity. Great folks, great people... great friends.


We could have gone down here for salamanders...

... but I just didn't have the energy.

What a day. That's a 15 species day. Add in 3 species we'd seen the day before (but not this day) and we were at 18 for the weekend after two days. Hot diggity. And we had two days (or a day and a half, really) left. Sadly, we'd be on our own for the rest of the adventure. But shit, we'd had a lot of fun with our group of friends.