Ending August! Oh My! 8-28 and 29, 2026

Andrea's vacation was coming to an end on Friday, August 28th and we decided to make another attempt at seeing a Hognose Snake. We got up and out early and drove into Plymouth County before the weekend Cape traffic got too thick, arriving at our destination before 9 AM. It was super humid out but we forged ahead, walking around the bog area first. Naturally, Bullfrogs were plentiful. It's been a darn good year for them.

Under a board next to the bog, a pair of small but plump Fowler's Toads were snoozing.

But it was a Bullfrog day first and foremost.

Every one is a beauty!

An Orange-striped Oakworm was tooling through the sand.

While walking the bogs, a couple of small Painted Turtles had evaded my camera. I caught this guy on film through the trees and I wouldn't have kept this shitty photo except it was the only one I got a shot of all day!

Back to the bogs... and Bullfrogs.

Andrea was absolute toast after that portion of the hike so I decided to let her rest in the car with the AC on while I went to a powerline cut that we'd stopped looking at last year. I did 15 minutes of flipping debris but nothing was present. Then it was on to what had been our best Hog path in the past. But it hasn't done a thing for us for a few years now. This day, it was only good for a few Fowler's Toad sightings.

I wanted to check out another path that branches off of that one so Andrea sat on the ground while I went up to look. Admittedly, I was pretty distracted by now and didn't look as closely as I might have had we been together. The only interesting sight was a Robber Fly munching on a beetle for lunch.

I got back to Andrea and we walked out to the car together. From the path, we could see a Great Blue Heron wondering why the water level was so damn low.

I drove over to the visitor's center to look at the pond where Painters and Red-bellied Cooters are always hanging out. Andrea again stayed in the car. There were no turtles up. I looked where a gravid Milk Snake was crawling around a couple of months ago but no babies were about. I flipped a rock and ended the day with a last Fowler's.

So, it wasn't exactly a boffo day. The Bullfrogs and toads are great but I really missed the turtles and it just wasn't as fun with Andrea feeling so under the weather. We'll try again later in September for Hogs there but it looks like we might miss the species again for 2026.

The next day, we slept in with no plans for the day. At about 11 AM, Andrea decided we should go look for turtle hatchlings at the pond where the Softshell has been. We got there and took the long route, hoping to stumble on something. We didn't. We got to the Softshell rock (which was empty upon our arrival) and a couple of Painted Turtles had climbed up. There was a distant one on a stick behind them, too.

I said to Andrea that the trouble with this walk is that you don't see much if a few turtles aren't up. But then, about 20 feet further up the path, a large Water Snake was catching some rays. Might she still be with-childsnake? Seems late!

We decided that we wanted to see more critters so we got into the car and went to a spot about 7 miles away that we'd enjoyed earlier in the year, staying close to home for gas-price-reasons.

Species wise, we saw just a few. But for fans of Painted Turtles, which we definitely are, this is mecca!

What I believe to be an Autumn Meadowhawk landed on Andrea's hat and buzzed next to her ear.

A Bullfrog hopped on to log-space vacated by a Painter. Soon, it dramatically hopped off and skidded across the lilypads when a turtle came back up.

Painted Turtles are beautiful. I love seeing them. Other reptile enthusiasts would too, if they weren't so common but damn... except for dirty shells, all of these guys are stunning! Even the shy one!

And the molting one!

And the sneaky one!

Fabulous!

Much to our surprise and delight, a large Water Snake was crawling through a shallow part. Too fast for my camera, it seems, since I cut off her head here. There was a little girl with her family watching it, saying "I love snakes." I told her mom that that's a good kid.

We ended the day on... Painted Turtles.

Yes, he is judging you.

So two days worth of common stuff, but we're always happy to see anything. Standing on the boardwalk, leaning on a railing and looking at dozens of turtles is a good way to spend a few hours and we never take it for granted. 

I'd have to say that I enjoyed Andrea's vacation very much. I hope she did.