Herping April 14

 

Eastern Musk Turtle

I knew for a week that the extended forecast for this past Tuesday was going to be warm. Temps since I had not seen since October were coming. In the Norton area the expected temperature was going to be seventy seven degrees. This forecast was important and I followed it religiously for a week because I had Tuesday off. I wanted Tuesday to be epic.

   Normally, when I think epic in the spring, I think of whales from shore at Race Point. Because of the cooling waters of Cape Cod Bay and the Atlantic, while it was going to reach eighty inland, Provincetown's forecast called for forty eight degrees and it was going to be rainy.

  So we went herping. We went to a national wildlife refuge in central Massachusetts that has Blanding's Turtles. I've seen three in my life but Laurie has not seen any. Obviously, the air temp was going to be much warmer than the water temperature so turtles almost had to be sunning themselves. 

  We didn't see any Blanding's though we saw dozens of Painted Turtles. We did come across four Garter Snakes. I got some photos of the first one but the other three hid themselves too fast. These were the first snakes of the year for me.

   After a picnic and a forty minute drive back closer to home, we went to my favorite herping spot where I see Pickerel Frogs, Fowler's Toads, and Black Racers. I didn't see any of them, but did see a Musk Turtle. I was very surprised to see this guy in a very fast moving brook. This was only my second Eastern Musk Turtle in Massachusetts and I had no idea they would be in such fast water. 

  A little later on I came across my first Common snapping Turtle of the year. All in all, not a bad day. The Musk Turtle was the highlight but any four snake day is a good day.

Below are some photos of a very cooperative Palm Warbler that I watched for ten minutes 

Springtime Sights and Sounds

   

  I could not convince myself to enjoy this traditional New England winter. I had no desire to go snowshoeing or ice fishing. Even when it came to the fun winter birding my mindset was "been there, done that, can't justify the gas".  So I pretty much stayed in the house working out and binge watching television.

   So when spring arrived, I was very willing to get out and see some of the sure signs that it was really here. One of my favorite things I enjoy about spring nature is that it starts with a trickle. Take birding, during peak migration from late April through the third week of  May, I may see seventy new species of birds. During March, you can count on only a few new species such as Eastern Phoebe,  Tree Swallows, Great Egret, Ospreys, and a few others. To me, when these new individuals arrive, I feel as though I need to see them like I would reconnecting with an old friend. 

   For me, it isn't just about birds. I need to see many old friends of different types of animals. The feeling is strong and quite honestly, with some of the species if I don't see them I feel incomplete. This may sound absolutely ridiculous (because it is) but if I miss seeing Wood Frogs (for example) I feel as though there is an empty hole I can not fill.

   So, once we got some warmer weather, off I went to see "old friends". The first were Wood Frogs. When we had a huge rainstorm with fifty mile an hour winds two weeks ago, my only thought was I hope the power doesn't go out. The thought that it was a "big night" for amphibians did not cross my mind.  Luckily, I had the next day off from work and it dawned on me that the warm rain had to have triggered the frogs to migrate to vernal pools. so we migrated to see them.

   Sure enough, we did see dozens of Wood Frogs. The light was perfect and despite having  loads of photos of them I couldn't help taking another hundred more. While we were at the vernal pool, Laurie found a Spotted Salamander. I moved a leaf it swam under with a stick and we got a very good look. A lifer for Laurie.

   My next old friend I needed to see were herring. Sunday was nice so we went to a herring run and I was really hoping to see a "scout" or two. It would have made me happy to see a couple of these early fish leading the way for the bulk of the run. To my astonishment,  the run was full of alewives (the name of the most common  species of herring). There were more herring than I had ever seen at one time, thousands for sure. After I got out of work on Monday, we rushed down to the run again with a picnic. We ate our food and watched the herring fight the current in the manmade ladder to get over where a mill once stood. I had Tuesday off and for the third day in a row, we went to the herring run and watched the fish. It was almost seventy degrees so we sat on the damp grass and watched them for an hour. There were even more than the previous two days.

   Despite naming the March birds in the opening paragraph, none of them hold a place in my heart as much as another early arrival...Pine Warbler. I love hearing their trill in the wood. I had been listening for a couple of weeks when taking walks in the neighborhood that has some huge White Pines but hadn't heard any. Tuesday we went to Myles Standish State Park in Plymouth, MA (before going to the herring run). We brought a picnic (sensing a theme?) and sat in the pines. There were multiple Pine Warblers calling. I enjoyed listening to them the entire time we were there. I didn't even try to see one. Just listening to them was enough for me.

 

Red Bellied Cooter

   Another creature I try to see every year is Red Bellied Cooters. These are an endangered turtle in Massachusetts and the next closest population is in New Jersey. They are a new species to me and I only learned about them three years ago. Seeing them still feels "fresh". I didn't really expect to see any in March, but when we went to Myles Standish there was a big one on a log. Turtles don't move a hell of a lot, so we watched it for five minutes and thanked it for its time. 

   My next spring adventure is usually hit or miss. I usually go to Provincetown and see the migrating Right Whales. I have been successful a few times and struck out more often than I have seen them. However, there is a thrill of seeing whales from the beach. You aren't surrounded by three hundred people on a whale watch boat after paying seventy dollars to board. It is just you and the whales, and you found them not a captain of a vessel. It is a magical feeling. I hope to get to P-town on Wednesday of next week but the weather will determine if I can go. 

   In the next month we will have overshoot Blue Grosbeaks, Summer Tanagers, and Prothonotary Warblers. Common warblers such as Redstarts, Palm, and Black and Whites will be here in mid to late April. A few warm days in the middle of the month will get snakes going and my eyes will go from looking in trees in the morning to under rocks as the sun rises throughout the day. I'll hopefully run across more old friends. I appreciate them all but the Wood Frogs, Pine Warblers, whales, and herring at the beginning of the season hold a special place for me. I simply need to see or hear them every single year.