Royal Pain in the Ass

 

 As I've mentioned, birders keep lists. Some birders keep life lists, state lists, town lists, county lists, etc... I have a friend that kept a tree list because he had a seventy foot spruce in his front yard. As I've said a hundred times I am not keeping a year list anymore. However, I'm still willing to chase birds that are lifers or state birds for RI. Rhode Island is the only state I keep a life list for. This is because I do most of my birding in Rhode Island. Even though I've been to Florida a couple of times, I couldn't tell you how many species I've seen there. I only kept track of the species that I was interested in. Though I wrote down my lifer Roseate Spoonbill, and my White Ibis (not a lifer, I'd seen them in North Carolina first) I did not keep track of things like Blue Jays, Robins, or Cardinals. 

   All birders have a nemesis bird. This is a species that is difficult for them to find. The first year I did my Rhode Island Big Year my nemesis bird was Purple Finch. It was by far the easiest bird that I missed. I spent much of the winter checking out a crab apple orchard where they fuel up to keep warm. I went to places they breed during the early summer. I went to places they were seen during migration during the fall, and back to the crab apples the end of December. To make the salt burn even more, when the year was over, I saw them a few days into the following January!

   Now that I am not keeping a year list, I have no such worry about seeing a Purple Finch. However, I still like to get state birds and lifers. Last year I missed out on some really cool birds because of my back. Birds like Gray Kingbird, Ross's Goose and MacGillvary's Warbler showed up. My back couldn't take the drives so I missed out.

   By far the species that has been my biggest Rhode Island nemesis is the Royal Tern. I have yet to see one in Rhode Island. I have seen them in three other states (FL, NC, DE) but despite chasing them all of these years I still haven't seen one. The species always shows up when either I can't chase it, or if I do, it is gone before I get there. It tortures me.

   Last year, while I was still working but my back was in pain, I decided not to go with my friends to the Charlestown mudflats. The mudflats are a meeting place for birders every Saturday form the beginning of July through Labor Day. I had every other Saturday off. This particular Sat was one in which I wasn't working, I just couldn't bring myself to make the long drive and then take my kayak off of the car and paddle. You can see where this is going, right? Well, yup, there was a Royal Tern at the flats. Of course, you can understand why I missed that bird.

  But, there are so many crazy reasons I missed Royal Tern before last year, none worse than the following: A few years back I was at Napatree Point with my friends Sue and Jan. We walked around the lagoon to get to the rack of rotting seaweed on the other side. Rotting seaweed draws insects which draw in shorebirds. After looking at the birds it was time to leave. We had the choice to walk back around the lagoon or walk through the outflow. The outflow is probably twenty yards wide and between ankle and knee deep at low tide. I chose to walk through the outflow, but the ladies didn't want to get their feet wet so they went around. I sat down and waited for them taking photos of a friendly Plover that walked all around me. When they got back I hear "Did you see the Royal Tern? It flew by us" Obviously I did not see the Royal Tern. So I missed it because I wasn't afraid to get my feet wet.

   Monday Barbara Seith saw Royal Terns at Quonny. Usually when they are reported it is pointless to chase them if you live far away. They usually only hang out for a few minutes and take off or they are a fly by anyway. I couldn't go chase them because Laurie and I had plans that day. Wouldn't you know it, the terns stayed there ALL DAY! They'd leave for a while but come back to the sandbar. It was so frustrating to see the reports.

  Tuesday morning Barbara finds more terns. This time at Brenton Point. I didn't have plans with  Laurie so I was off to see them as soon as I could. It is an hour and twenty minute ride to Brenton Point. I got there as quickly as I could but despite two hours of searching, the birds were no longer there. So I came back with my tail between my legs starting to hate this bird.

  The analogy I said to Barbara was when I finally see one in Rhode Island it won't feel like a monkey off of my back. There will be no satisfaction. It will just feel as though I finished folding a load of laundry. Glad its over with but there is no joy in it. The difference is a load of laundry doesn't cost me thirty dollars in gas each time!

   The photos of Royal Terns in this post are from Bowman Beach on Sanibel Island. Laurie, myself, and Sue Palmer went to the beach shelling. Besides getting some cool shells we saw dolphins just off the beach and terns. Both Royal and Sandwich Terns came in and let us take photos from 11.6 feet away (the distance my lens needs to focus)  

Diamondback Terrapin adults

   

  A couple of years ago I was lucky enough to see baby Diamondback Terrapins be born. The lady in charge of protecting them even let me hold one and get photos before releasing them. Since then, I have wanted to see an adult up close. I had seen one at Brigantine NWR a couple years ago but it was in the scope and also it was all muddy. 

   Before I go any further, I can not divulge where I saw them. The place is not publicized to protect the turtles. Unfortunately, douche bags will collect them for pets or to sell them. It is a sad reality of our world. However, this post can still  be educational and I learned a lot today. So here are some facts about Diamondback Terrapins.

• Terrapins are a brackish water species. They are not true sea turtles and they are not pond turtles. They live in areas where rivers meet the sea diluting the salt level.
• The females come up to lay their eggs at high tide and much more often during the day than night.
• The female only takes twenty minutes to dig a nest and deposit the eggs. Though she could take forty five minutes picking a suitable spot which is usually, but not always in sand.
• Males almost never come to shore. Though Terrapins will occasionally sun themselves it is not really part of their routine
• I can personally tell you that once finished covering the nest it is almost impossible to see it. They do a great job of camouflaging the eggs.
• The female will dig a hole. Then deposit a layer of eggs. Cover them, lay more eggs. Cover the second layer and lay a third layer. The hole is roughly eight inches deep.
• The eggs are about the size of a golf ball
• Terrapins will use their front flippers to throw sand on their back. It is believed this is to cover the glare so overhead predators can't see them as easily.
•  As you would expect, they use their back flippers to dig a hole.
• When they are born their back (shell) is very bumpy with ridges on it. As they get older the shell gets smoother. A very old Terrapin will have a completely smooth shell.
• The people that protect the Terrapins pick them up when they are done laying. They measure the under part. If it is a turtle they have never seen they put a microchip in it and saw notches into the shell to identify it later. I watched  this and it does not hurt the turtles.. They stayed still during the process. 
• If people get too close to a female before she lays her eggs she will turn around and go back to the water and not lay her eggs. It is extremely important for people to keep their distance.
• Baby Terrapins do not make a beeline to the shore the way you've seen sea turtles do it in nature shows. They actually live on land for the first year before going into the bays and harbors. They live off of their yolk sac for a while, though I do not know how long.
• Data has been collected on 670 individual females at this location. Assuming there are an equal number of males, the population is well over one thousand.
• Last year 1700 babies were released into the wild but as we know, only a small percentage will survive to adulthood.

 

 I had thought Terrapins, like sea turtles I've seen on Nat Geo, deposited eggs at night. I got a fairly early start this morning in the hopes of seeing one of the stragglers make its way back to the water. I was told they are more likely to come ashore during the day and when the tide is high. Well, I fell right into it because high tide was roughly 8:30 am. Sure enough Terrapins came ashore. Many places are roped off to protect them including trails leading to the water. The "guards" sit in chairs in the shade and wait for the turtles to nest. When done depositing eggs the people pick them up and the science begins. When they are measured and cataloged they are then released. They just head back to the ocean.

   I got to see about ten Terrapins lay eggs today. I could tell the project leader wasn't very thrilled to have a visitor but she did let me stay. I sat with a kid, Alex, (about 22) that was in charge of one of the fields. We hit it off because he just got into striper fishing. So we talked about stripers the whole time until the first turtle made it to the sand pit. 

   We watched it from a distance until she was done. Then when it was done covering the nest, Alex picked it up and brought it to be measured. She was a young turtle and her first time laying. After the first terrapin the flood gates opened and in the next hour I saw all the turtles. After watching ten I decided to leave. I had gotten some decent photos and had a great experience. Obviously, more photos below. For better or worse, none of the photos have been edited.

Eastern Musk Turtle (Stinkpot) Lifer for Me

 

Eastern Musk Turtle

   On Wednesday, I got a lifer turtle. the species is called an Eastern Musk Turtle also known as a Stinkpot. They are called Stinkpots because they can release a foul smell from scent glands at the base of the shell. I had researched this species and found out they live in Wakefield, RI. I went there a couple weeks ago with Laurie and Richard Tucker but none were out. 

   I went there on a whim Wednesday to check again because Trustom was closed for trail maintenance. I had time to kill before meeting Charles to go seining. The sun was out but it was only seventy degrees. I had no idea if any turtles would be sunning. I was pumped to see turtles across the river from where I was standing. 

 

All four Musk Turtles
and one Painted are in this
photo

   I had never seen a Musk Turtle before. When I put my binoculars up, I could tell the turtles seemed to be different from the Painted Turtles also sunning. I hoped to get some decent photos before they inevitably scurried for the water. As I neared, every ten yards or so I'd take some photos. It tuned out they had no fear of me. I was a safe distance from them on the path and with the foot traffic they must be accustomed to people. I watched them for a half hour. Not that sunning turtles do a lot of moving. There ended up being four Stinkpots, four more than I had seen in my life. 

   One of the boards in the water had action figures of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. The only way to access this board would be with a canoe so someone had some free time on their hands. Somehow, one of the Musk Turtles got under one of the Ninja Turtles without knocking it over. I don't know if Donatello  is nailed or glued down or if the Musk Turtle is just great at maneuvering.

   As lifers go, I couldn't have gotten a better look. I watched them until I was ready to leave.

   

Seining

   

Atlantic Silverside

   Yesterday I got a call from my friend Dave about 4 pm. He asked me if I was fishing, birding, or looking for snakes. I said "Well, I'm sort of fishing". I'm sure this answer confused Dave until I explained. You're either fishing, driving to fishing, or not fishing, right? What the hell does sort of fishing mean? 

   I explained that I was down in Newport with my friends Charles and Louise and we had used a seine to catch small fish. So we were sort of fishing. Charles had invited me to meet him to use his seine and see if we could find small fish. I invited Louise because she lives so close and likes nature. Charles and Louise have known each other far longer than I've known either of them.

   Charles and I walked a hundred hard of shoreline stopping every twenty yards or so to see what we had in the net. In case you don't know what a seine is I'll explain. It is a net in the shape of a rectangle. At each end is a pole. From top to bottom they mostly seem to be four feet high. In length you can buy them in 20, 30, or 40 foot lengths that I know of. You stretch it out, each person holding a pole, and walk along to catch small fish. I had only done this once and that was last week at BioBlitz. That was in a muddy pond. Charles and I walked along a beach today.

   

Nine Spined Stickleback
A close up is at the end of the post

   We ended up with three species. The first haul landed us some Sand Lance or Sand Eels if you prefer. This is the species that Humpback Whales eat by the ton everyday on Stellwagen Bank. Our last two hauls we got Silversides and a surprise, a Nine-Spinded Stickleback. Both the Silversides and Sand Eels are favorite foods of Striped Bass. It is no exaggeration for me to say I've seen tens of thousands of each. They school in huge groups and I've seen bass blitz them numerous times.

   The Stickleback on the other hand was a lifer. Not only had I never seen one, I never heard of them. Charles said they are fairly common and he sees them a few times a year. We put our finds in a bucket and brought them up to where Charles has some aquariums set up. 

   The coolest thing was Charles had a photo tank for us to put the fish in. The photo tank was about a foot tall and ten inches wide. Its depth was about an inch at the top but it gets narrower at the bottom like the letter V. You put the fish in the tank so for photos. Because of the width of the tank, they aren't very mobile. This way you can get quality photos of the fish without taking them out of the water. All three of us took photos of the fish. I used my phone and my camera. I took photos with both my 70-300mm and my 18-55 lens. I don't know if either made a difference but I figured the more options I had the better my chances for good photos. For background we put a piece of wood that had been painted a light blue. We tried multiple other things but they all created a glare or a mirror. 

 

Sand Eel

 The coolest fish was the Silverside for photos because it was big. It was almost six inches and easily the biggest Silverside I have ever seen. The Stickleback is such a weird looking fish the photos look like a painting of an ancient fish. I like how they came out. When we were done we released all of the fish back unharmed.

   I'm going to need to buy a seine. I had so much fun with Charles and Louise and at BioBlitz. Between BioBlitz and yesterday I got four lifers. I may have found a new hobby! This was basically a photo shoot, so  more photos below.

When the sun came out it created a shadow below the Silverside. We all thought that was pretty cool and got photos of it

You can see the photo tank in the photo below. See how it is shaped like a V You put the fish in the top and it gets stuck so you can take photos of it unharmed and, most importantly, in the water.

Close up of the Stickleback. This isn't a painting and other 
than a small crop, I did not enhance the photo.
Just a weird looking fish

BioBlitz 2023!

The Herp Team adding up their list before
turning it in.

    Over the last couple of months I have been "recruited" by my friends Danielle and Jen to participate in BioBlitz. It is okay if you don't have any idea what the hell BioBlitz is. Every year, a site is picked in the state where a bunch of scientists and amateurs meet to see how many species can be seen in a twenty four hour period. The property is sometimes a public park such as Roger Williams Park while other years it may be at a private property such as an Audubon Sanctuary. The goal is to see how many different species can be seen. There are various teams and each team has a captain. These captains are true experts in their field. 

   When you think of species in an area you probably think of birds, fish, probably insects, and plants. However, there are quite a few teams. There is a fungi team, there is one team for butterflies, while there is another for moths. There are people that identify lichens and even experts on the different species of mosquitoes Believe it or not there is a team that looks for mollusks. Many of these people are experts, some PhDs in fields I know absolutely nothing about. There is one team that spends the first fifteen minutes of BioBlitz collecting leaves, then they spend the next 23 hrs 45 minutes trying to identify the organisms in the leaves. 

   

Allison and I getting a photo

   The RI BioBlitz is the longest continually running BioBlitz in the world. It has been going on since 2000, and even during the Covid year they improvised and did one from "backyards across the state". The people involved are absolutely true nerds. These are the people that study ants for a hobby or study up on mushrooms for fun. In short, I was going to fit in, learn a lot, and hopefully make friends. 

   You have to register for BioBlitz online. When you do, you get an option to buy a  T-shirt and let them know if you are staying for dinner. You are allowed to camp on the grounds or sleep in your car if you don't want to go home. I was in New Hampshire when registration closed. When I came home I went to register and found out the bad news. I emailed the woman in charge (Kira Stillwell) and she allowed me to register late. I could let her know my shirt size, but there wouldn't be any guarantee I could get one. Same for the food, chances were there might not be anything for supper so I brought food. I was just happy to get in. 

   This year's BioBlitz was held on Narragansett Indian Tribal Lands in Charlestown, RI. This is obviously normally off limits to the general public. Needless to say, the "nerds" were quite excited to get on land that really hasn't been changed in decades.  BioBlitz runs from 2 pm on Friday until 2 pm on Saturday.

   When you register you allowed to choose three teams. Chances are that the team captain will send an email with some sort of gameplan or even just a meeting location. You do not have to stay with your team. It is very laid back and really you can go where you want. For example if you're on the mammal team and you heard the bird team is going for a walk, you certainly can ask to go with the birders and they will always say yes. When I registered late, in my email I asked to be on the mammal, fish, and herps teams. I got a pre-Friday email from Kyle the captain of the mammals. 

 

Banded Sunfish

    Now that you are caught up on how BioBlitz works, it might be easiest to tell you how my twenty four hours went. I got to the meeting area on the Indian Grounds at 1:40. There is a big tent called "Science Central". There are tables set up for each team. Some of the tables have microscopes to identify tiny organisms. When I got there, there were pre blitz speeches going on. The Native American chief talked about the land and his home. Long story shorter, I couldn't register until the speeches were over at 2 pm. I registered and had to use the bathroom which was a two minute walk from Science Central. When I came back, the Herps and Mammal teams were both gone. So I walked over to the fish team. 

   I introduced myself to the captain. A tall guy with a gray beard named Tom. I told him I had fishing poles in my car so I grabbed one and went fishing with him in his canoe. I caught a couple Largemouth Bass and some Yellow Perch. Tom caught a couple Pickerel, bass, and perch. A lady who had signed up for the fish team sat in the canoe drawing. After we were done around 5:30 we went back to Science Central and recorded our findings.

   When we put the canoe in, a couple others on Team Fish were using nets and caught some very interesting tiny fish. One of the species was a Bridle Shiner which is a Species of Special Concern. They also had a Banded Sunfish which only get to about two inches. I was also told that Banded Killifish live in the pond.

 

Eastern Box Turtle

   When we got back, there was a big fire pit and musicians played folk songs. Tom the leader of the fish team played the banjo. There was a ton of food and after everyone else ate I did get to grab some. After we ate my friend Allison and I looked at moths during the night. Moth experts put up sheets and bright lights to attract them. It was fascinating. We saw three Luna Moths along with many other less famous species. We also did a night Bird Walk where the highlight was Jen Scranton hearing the Whip-poor-will first. After the bird walk and moths I went to bed at 11:30

Luna Moth

   On Saturday morning I got up early because a Barred Owl woke all of us up. There were a couple dozen tents of overnight campers. Friday evening I ran into the mammal guy and he told me they set traps (live traps) overnight to hopefully catch mammals. There were small traps for mice and big traps that could hold a Fisher. I asked if I could go with his group and check the traps in the morning. Of course he said yes. So I went with him. They had set out twelve traps but all came out empty. 

   From the place they set the traps we all went to a swamp. Across the street from the swamp a friend of mine was looking for butterflies. So I helped her look for butterflies while also listening for Blue winged Warbler. A girl I had met needed Blue Winged as a lifer. Unfortunately we heard two but they wouldn't show themselves. Next to the field was a small stream where I saw a Spotted Turtle. I called everyone over but it slid off the rock and disappeared. I went into the water because I was wearing muck boots to find the turtle. No luck, but the water was ice cold and I think it may have native Brook Trout. 

 

Bridle Shiner

Swamp Darter

     Allison and I went back to Science Central where I asked permission to use the seine to catch small fish. As I did, an older guy introduced himself and he had waders and wanted to seine for the fish too. We decided to meet back at 11 am after we put on waders. I recruited a few other people to go. The girl that needed the Blue Winged Warbler, Ophelia, is interested in fish so she came along along with her partner. All in all, ten of us went down.

  We used the seine twice. We caught a tiny Chain Pickerel, baby Bluegill and Pumpkinseed. More  importantly,  in the netting we had Banded Sunfish, Swamp Darter, and Bridled Shiner!!! We took photos of the fish and let them all go. While we were there, one of the guys named Mike told me they had Banded Killifish on the other side of the pond. He said he'd be happy to show me if I drove. So after we put the fish back and walked back to Science Central, I loaded the seine in my car and Mike and I drove off. The Killifish were simple to catch. There was a nice sand beach and they were in six inches of water. I used the seine once and we caught six. We put them in a bucket and took photos before letting them go.

 
   

Banded Killifish

   When Mike and I were driving to the beach I told him if I had time I was going to look for Ring Necked Snakes. The herp people found many on Friday. Mike told me he found four in the morning and told me we could stop there. The spot was on the road leading to the freshwater beach. So when we were done with the Killifish, we pulled over just down the road and started looking under rocks. Within three minutes we had one. Not a lifer but only the second I've seen. That was the end of our day. We drove back to  the parking area where Mike and I each packed our tents and went back to Science Central for the blowing of the ending horn.

   

Rick Rego a herping expert

Two really nice kids interested in all
aspects of nature. 

   BioBlitz usually runs the second weekend in June. It is run by the Rhode Island Natural History Survey. You can access their website below. The cost was $25 but camping was free, they will feed you (and they had good food including steak tips, all the desert you could want, and breakfast). 

   When I was on the canoe Friday, I felt a bit trapped. I couldn't leave to look for herps or even the small fish. When we got back to shore I felt the day was over. However, the evening bird walk and the moths made me feel like I was productive. Saturday I was determined to use my time wisely. There is so much going on, you wish you could be in multiple places at once. So I was very happy to check the traps for mammals, use the seine for the small fish, then get a Ring Necked Snake. It was a very productive day. I got four lifer fish and a Ring Necked Snake.

Ring Necked Snake

 

  I also made many new friends. A herp guy named Rick gave me his business card (he teaches at a Vet school) and is happy to help me find more species of herps. He told me a place to find Rattlesnakes! On the other hand, the girl that is interested in fish has never caught one and I gave her my phone number and told her I'd be happy to go fishing with her and her partner or show them around Francis Carter for the specialty birds there. BioBlitz is awesome!

https://rinhs.org/

Rosy Maple Moth

  

Tiny Chain Pickerel

Coyote Scat

Powder Moth I believe

You can't tell by the photo but this
fungus glows fluorescent 
orange under a blacklight

   

Wildlife photos of my New Hampshire Trip

 While most of my trip was about fishing, I did see a good bit of wildlife. I didn't take my big lens out on the lakes with me so I missed some shots. I didn't get any pictures of the bear I saw.  I saw a Bald Eagle and its nest on Moore Reservoir everyday that I put in at a certain boat ramp. I watched it take a bath one day, but again, I didn't bring my camera. I did take some photos of a newt in my hand but it never stopped squirming so they are all blurry.

   I do wish I was closer to the Otter. It was chowing down trout like it was its job. Really fun to watch.

Snowshoe Hare

In case you don't know why they were named Snowshoe 
Hare look at those hind feet!

Yellow Bellied Sapsucker
(photo upgrade)

Tiger Swallowtail

Red Admiral

 

Four photos below of an Otter eating trout 

Four photos below of Beavers. There were two. One eating a sapling on the shoreline. The other keeping watch.

American Toads below