Autumn Coppertops. 10-16-2021

 I dedicate this post to my friend Box Turtle Tim, who loves himself some Coppers.

5 years ago to the day... a small group of us went to the hills in Norfolk County and saw 16 Copperheads between us. Many of the same crew got together again to try our luck this year. The weather seemed like it would be in our favor. Sunny and mid-60s.

Things started out nicely. The rain during the week and the milder weather had salamanders up and hiding under logs. A chubby Spotted was our first encounter.

Then, a thicc Redback.

Keeping with the theme, a pair of Marbleds!

Oh yes, it was salamanderiffic! Red/ Lead.

There were 2 Marbleds under this log, but one quickly retreated into a hole.

Another Spootie Patootie Cutie.

One more Redback for your viewing pleasure.

We got to a vernal pool that hasn't dried up this year, and likely didn't last year. We'd seen some massive Bullfrogs in it in the summer. This guy wasn't massive but he was enjoying the full pool in October.

So, we got to our spot and headed upwards. We went slowly because A.) we wanted to be super careful and respectful of the habitat and B.) I'm old and just can't move too fast anymore. A Racer sped out of sight before anyone could get a camera out, but soon, we came upon this neatly folded Racer just grabbing some sun. He remained very patient with us.

We were just getting towards our sweet-spot when one of the gang... I'll call him Ryan... called out "Copper"! At the same moment, I saw this chunky gal just off to the right in front of me. Is she still holding babies inside? She be thicc.

Over where "Ryan" had called out, there was a mess of Copperheads. I saw a tail disappear as I stepped over, then settled down to photograph four that were just laying about.

We moved on very slowly because A.) I'm old and B.) there were Copperheads everywhere and C.) this habitat is extremely important to preserve.

Andrea alerted us to this one in a crevice that we'd been standing right next to as we photographed other specimens.

Nice pits!

Obviously, it was an embarrassment of riches. This is the last of 12 different Copperheads that I photographed. I'd missed a few of them but I didn't need to photograph ALL of them!

I was done being on unsure footing, so I moved to easier ground and was rewarded with a small Peeper.

Andrea and I sat and relaxed for a while as "Ryan" went on scaling the slippery slope and our other friends departed. He came back up having seen another Copper, making the total 17 sightings. We beat 5 years agos' record by one!

We slowly started down. "Ryan" later said "oh my god, Andrea went about 5 feet in 15 minutes!" Hey, whippersnapper... we've got old people's knees! Her leisurely descent got us another species sighting... an adorable, wee American Toad.

Back to the path, we saw another Spotted salamander.

One last peek into the vernal on the way out... a Bullfrog looking like he's contemplating hibernation. Ready to take the plunge into Winter.

So, October 16th seems to be our magic Copper Date. We were very satisfied with the day and getting to experience this together. Like-minded people seeing beautiful animals in very special habitat, being careful... with the animals' safety first and foremost. 

The next day, it was much cooler but sunny. We wanted to see some turtles, so we went to a Middlesex County nature preserve. I forgot my camera. Oops... my frequent nightmare came true. Oh well, I controlled my disappointment and we hit the trail. Andrea had her phone. It was so windy that it was pretty cold at times. (Luckily?) we didn't even see any turtles. We saw a neatly folded Water Snake, though

We also saw a few Garter Snakes grasping some rays on a cool Sunday.

We did see one intrepid Painted Turtle up on the other side of the river but even if I had remembered my camera, I couldn't have gotten a decent shot. No harm done with my forgetfulness... this time.

One thing to keep an eye on. This place used to be great place to see Northern Leopard Frogs. This year, we saw zero here. Very few frogs at all. I wonder if they have used something to control either the invasive plants or the River Carp and it has hurt the frog population. Something to think about.

October is speeding towards the finish line. Blech. But we are signed up for Turtle Patrol again. Maybe the second season will be a rewarding one.

Stumbling into October. The 1st, 3rd, and 9th.

 This is the year that wasn't, for the most part. Again. Other than our enjoyable trip to PA to meet up with our friend Bob, we haven't gone further from home than Worcester County. Maybe we'll get back on track next year. Maybe not. At any rate, here we are in October already. Time is running out for 2021 so we're happy to get whatever we can in.

October 1st was my work's company picnic. Andrea took the day off to attend with me. After a half day of work, we headed over to my boss's house for the party. Being in Middlesex County and not too far from a place we like, we decided to just pull in for a minute and poke around. After all, we didn't want to be the first ones there. We looked at one of the ponds from a different vantage point than usual and, despite the cool breeze keeping things chilly, there was one distant Painted Turtle pretending it was warm out.

We also managed to flip a few good lookin' Redbacks.

Not a bad way to start a weekend! This katydid congratulated us at the car. In fact, it wouldn't get out of the way of the car. Andrea had to physically remove it.

My boss's house is right on the Assabet River in a gorgeous location. Naturally, our animal seeking didn't stop when we got there. This Painter was right next to the shore on a rock, basking for all he was worth. Everyone got to get a good look at him.

In the distance, there was a remarkable sight; a metric fuck-ton of Painted Turtles were up basking, taking advantage of the Autumn sun.

I saw a large Water Snake as well, but she slithered off, unphotographed. This drunken bee was my last photo of the day.

The next time out was on Sunday the 3rd and it was kind of cool but sunny. We'd wanted to go to a different spot in Middlesex County, but as it got later, we decided on on closer spot. But, due to a parade in our town, we had to change course again. We decided on a spot that was on the other side of town. Well, we got there and saw nothing after hiking in about a mile and the 'skeeters were abominable, so we turned back and decided on yet another spot, our ol' favorite pond in Norfolk County.

There has been much talk lately about Crazy Worms, an invasive species that is becoming more prevalent all over. We've been seeing them here for years. But a friend voiced a relevant concern: are they displacing Redbacks? There have been fewer Redbacks seen by some of my friends and that could be a reason. So, I've started taking note of whether or not I see Redbacks and Crazy Worms in the same area. For the most part, no. But this flip had one of each. A resilient Redback? A lazy Crazy? This is something I will continue to keep an eye on.

At the dam, we saw one lovely Water Snake up catching some Vitamin D.

This gal was also an ambassador of good will. A self-proclaimed snake non-fan looked at her and listened to our spiel and walked away understanding a bit more and appreciating the animal.

We didn't have a lot of gas in the tank, especially after that false start, so we turned back at the end of the dam. The Nerodia gal was still sunning as we went by. Just off the trail, we noticed something that we'd missed on the way in. A pair of Green Frogs were bathing in a puddle.

One more lucky flip on the way out got us a look at a small Spotted Salamander.

Not a bad way to end the day.

We didn't get out until the next weekend. We stayed close-by, again, because we figured we can fail without having driven too far just as easily. It was warmer than the previous week but the nights are getting cold and we know our days are numbered.

Instant gratification happened anyway... this small Garter was laying in the grass next to a rock. I wasn't sure it was alive, but I picked him up and he quickly warmed up enough to become cantankerous.

A kid named Miles was walking by with his family and he was enamored with the snake. We let him release it.

Here is a Leadback making very good use of a worm tunnel.

Out to the Alley. I wanted to check the mouth of the tunnel because, in the past, we have seen shoestring Garters there. On the way in, this large-ish Garter darted off the path. Gorgeous animal!

As hoped, there was indeed a wee this-year's-model Garter just inside the tunnel!

From there on out, to the river and back, we didn't see anything but Northern Leopard Frogs. But oh, how beautiful they are! The first guy tried to hide from my camera.

The second guy stood tall.

The third guy cracked me right up with a muddy face. This might be my favorite photo of mine this year!

This guy was a perfect ride-em cowboy!

Andrea got the shot from an interesting angle.

I like the power-line reflections in that shot.

Last sighting of the day was a pair of Redbacks up near the parking lot. A Red and a Chocolate!

And that is our October thus far. Not crazy, but satisfying. Any time you see a wild animal, you should feel honored. It is a treasure.