April Squamates? I Think NOT! 4-21, 27 and 28.

Shades of 2023... every nice day is falling on a weekday when we're at work! It was supposed to be OK on Sunday the 21st so we grabbed breakfast on the road and headed in to Plymouth County for a look see. The thing is, it was 53° and cloudy when we got there... and it never really changed. The nights had been getting close to freezing and our hopes of flipping any snakes were thwarted. We did, however, see a bunch of Redbacks.
    

We forced our way down to the vernal, even though a couple of creeps on ATVs had zoomed past us. At least they didn't splash through the pool. There was one Painted Turtle up, looking for the sun.

We were hoping that the bogs would be a bit better. But they had recently cleaned it up and had upset the resident frogs. Only one Green and one Bull was encountered. That is outrageous. It's usually teeming with frogs

These two small Chain Pickerels were in the bog (though I believe it attaches to a nearby lake somehow), which was weird enough, but they stayed side by side... even as they took off.

We didn't bother with the long path. It was blocked for a race in the morning and by afternoon, it just didn't seem worth it. Not even any big turtles were basking in the usual places. It was not a sunny day. Our last sight was a pair of dark Leadbacks.

I'll admit that the weather left me a little disappointed but at least we saw a few critters. I also added a couple of birds.

One week later, it was supposed to be sunny and mild. We said fuggit... let's go back! So we left pretty early and got there at about 10 AM. We decided to skip the gas-line cut and vernal, starting with the bogs. It's funny... we have often called Spring (or Summer) Azures "Harbingers of Failure" in jest, and wouldn't you know... they're the first thing we saw. And we saw a lot of 'em.

Again, we started with a Redback.

Since I'm known to some as "the guy who likes Redbacks more than anyone else", this was fine by me.

I peeled back some bark and some wood on a rotten log and disturbed this handsome American Toad.

The bog itself was still pretty empty but a few more Bullfrogs were enjoying the sun.

Cutting through the woods, we came to a spot where we have waded in a pond before. We'd never seen a turtle basking on these rocks; they are usually against the shore and we stand on them. This Painter was taking advantage of the higher water level.

A shy Redback in the woods.

We saw a few more Bullfrogs in the bog on the way back to the car

Next stop was the long trail that we'd passed up on the week before. There were a bunch of Painters up basking in the pond. Many splashed in before I could get a shot, but I figured I'd get those ones on the way out.

Well, we did our hike and enjoyed every step of it. The great thing about this place is every step is a new possibility. But our search for snakes came up empty. It was nice enough; we were in T-shirts, but our eyes never lay upon a snake. In about 2 miles of hiking, we added just a Leadback.

As I'd promised myself, I stealthily got those Painters that had eluded me on the way in.

Thank goodness turtles were up this trip!

With that in mind, we went over to where the big Redbellies roam. Or bask. I guess they pretty much do what they want. Sure enough, a massive Redbell was basking on a fallen tree.

Tring to get a shot of the Painted Turtle in front of him, I discovered that there were three Painters there!

A little further out was a beautiful chorus line of Redbellies with a couple of Painter accents.

In the distance, one of each.

Walking further out the peninsula, we saw a gathering of Painters across the water. Isn't that an Elton John song?

That was our last photo of the day. We did backtrack a few miles and flip around the gas-line cut but saw nothing. I say that I'm disappointed when I'm out in nature, enjoying the sun and Andrea and every step we take is a possibility. No snakes, but another beautiful day in the woods, seeing animals. 6 1/2 miles of hiking and we weren't complete toast. Not too bad.

The next day, we stuck close to home. We went to a nearby Norfolk County place for a short (3 1/2 mile) hike. Maybe our local snakes would be out and about.

Well, they weren't but again, it doesn't matter. We'll see snakes. It's only April still. Out again in T-shirts, enjoying the sun... it's all good. We saw a huge Green Frog on the way in.

This is a bird-centric hike and we saw and heard many. I was sitting down taking a rest, photographing a crazy White-breasted Nuthatch (#29) male.

In the sunny, sandy (formerly known as Racer) Alley, we were very surprised to see a Blue-spotted Salamander hiding under some trash. We'd seen one in the park before, in a shady wooded area. This guy was a total surprise.

Got a pretty decent shot of this Savannah Sparrow (#32)

Then, Andrea struck once again, with her excellent eye for hatchling turtles. This wee Painter was in the path (and two big-wheeled trail bikes had just buzzed through) and his angel of mercy spotted him.

We took him over to the wetlands (where he was headed) and put him near the edge.

A trio of runners came stomping through just after that. I'd have to say that Andrea saved his little life. Now, all he has to watch out for are frogs, brids, snakes, mammals... well, lots of things. But he shant be trod upon.

We wish him all the best.

So, again... no snakes. Our needle in a haystack pastime was more haystack than needle again. But we were out in the sun and enjoying ourselves. This time last year, Andrea was in a cast so we're not going to poo-poo anything this year. We'll see more snakes, I suspect. But it's been a few weeks. I do get anxious!

Totally Turtle. April 15th, 2024

Ah, Patriot's Day, a Massachusetts-only bullshit holiday. But we were both off and the day was going to be warm and sunny and we knew where we wanted to go... to our favorite Plymouth County spot to look for turtles. I'm not going to lie... we found them.

This place is our best Spotted Turtle hike. They are all over, especially on the first stretch.

A gorgeous Water Snake was crossing the same path.

But what about them Spotted Turtles?

We weren't without the occasional Painted Turtle, either!

But what about them Spotted Turtles?

Another Water Snake, this one the survivor of a dog startling.

But what about them Spotted Turtles?

Some more Painters enjoying the sun and muck.

But what about them... sorry. But they really were everywhere!

We finally eased our way away from the Spotted Turtle bog and onto the main trail. We scored a couple of Water Snakes with different ideas. One was exploring and one was sunning.

A happy pair of Painters.

We both saw what we thought was a glistening pile of fresh horse poop. But instead, it was our First of Year Snapper. A teenager! We removed the leech.

That's a happy Andrea.

Some more Painted Turtles for your pleasure.

There is often an Osprey guarding a nest on this path but the nest was vacant and the parent was watching, but not scolding us, from a perch across the river. #22 bird on the year.

Back to some more Painted Glory.

At the big pond, we could see our First of Year Plymouth Red-bellies in the distance.

Tired of turtles? Painters? Touch!Their smiles charm me to no end. This guy loves his mud-pile!

An American Coot (#25) poking around for some lunch.

Not a super-common sight at the big pond, a Spotted sharing a log with a Painter.

One more Nerodia for the roadia.

Next to the parking lot, where the nesting boxes had earlier been covered with Tree Swallows, it was now time for Eastern Bluebirds (#26).

So, even with only five species of reptile (no 'phibs!), we still call that a wonderful day. A long hike (over 5 miles) and my first sunburn of 2024. Extraordinary. We got out 3 days in a row and had twelve species of reptile and amphibian. No complaints here, mt friend.