I turned 60 on the 21st. My birthday rarely falls on the weekend so when it does, I want to go out to see critters. This year, however, our dear friend Teá was tying the knot out in Western Massachusetts and we were delighted to be invited to join the fun. Being semi-formal, however, precluded any chance of getting down in the muck looking for salamanders and the like. But that's OK. She and Dan are worth it.
Our pal Ryan was also a guest and when we pulled up, we saw him coming up through a field from a wooded area... he had done recon of this lovely Franklin County property. Regaling us with the promise of tadpoles in a stream, we followed him to the edge of the field. On the way there, I got my long-awaited 200th Lifer Bird, a Bobolink (#76 on the year), who was making a beautiful song.
The water did indeed have tadpoles flitting around, likely Bullfrogs. There were also a few Red-spotted Newts looking for love. This was our First of Year.
As we walked along the edge, we saw a number of Bullfrogs.
Andrea was a bit smarter than Ryan and myself and she stayed back a bit as things got muddier. But for me... in for a dime in for a dollar. Ryan and I continued on and saw this astounding sight. Now, I know Beavers are extraordinary architects but this just blew my mind. 
This is a 3 foot wall built up and it's holding the water in like an above-ground swimming pool. There was barely a puddle at the base of it. Astounding.
Then Ryan, in his finery, grabbed a Garter who was whizzing past. It's the first time I've ever seen him catch a snake while wearing a tie!
He released her and she swam right under this American Toad who was swimming along. Close call!
Walking a bit further, we startled this Pickerel into the drink.
While photographing that, I noticed a Green Frog resting under the surface.
That's 6 species in a matter of about 10 minutes. Amazing.
We all went up and mingled a little bit and enjoyed seeing friends and like-minded people. Gray Tree Frogs were calling like crazy and our hopes were high to see one, but we never did. Ryan and I went back out to look around one more time and found a pond with plenty of frogs jumping in from the edges. This large Beaver was swimming out there. I tried to yell congratulations on a dam well done but I don't think he heard me.
It was then that we learned that that whole back area was off limits. It seems that they don't usually have a problem with wedding guests traipsing through the mud. Oops. But I regret nothing!
It was lovely to see Teá and Dan and join them on their day. Here is the lovely couple.💗
Being Teá's wedding, of course there had to be a twist... they set up a light and sheet for moth observation! After dark, it became quite the bug magnet. I saw mostly gnats but a few interesting insects showed up. I kept hoping one of the noisy tree frogs would show up (Teá says it does happen) but I didn't see any. Still, it was very cool to see everything that showed up.
This Phoebe, whose nest was in the rafters of the place where the light was set up, was wondering why so many humans were disturbing her sleep!
So, that was my birthday. Not a bad way to hit official Over-The-Hill status. We made it home in one piece and have some lovely memories.
We didn't get out the next day, I don't remember why, and didn't get out again until after my work on Wednesday. (Andrea has been off all week, lucky gal.) We headed over to a nearby Norfolk County spot. It was a bit cooler than I'd expected after work... nice, but a bit breezy, and we didn't see any reptiles or amphibians. While resting next to the river, however, we got to enjoy a couple of shore birds doing their thing. A Killdeer (#77).
And "a little walkin' around guy", a Spotted Sandpiper (#78).
As always, we're looking forward to whatever comes next.
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