tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-88371042856786350732024-03-19T15:36:05.815-07:00Southern New England Outdoor and Nature SiteA Journal of Fishing, Hiking, Historic Sites, Nature Photography, Birding, and anything else OutdoorsNick Pacellihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07160728044281317803noreply@blogger.comBlogger1123125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8837104285678635073.post-29957917136138423642024-03-02T19:47:00.000-08:002024-03-02T19:53:47.529-08:00A Big Night<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhacPRBJ4A1LtzrywLt68XVhWFAXP8CVoMHds11-jYXwvMwEhf7j1wWN9-v2a3MZKIiKxJwIsIxc492ANS3dq5Zscg5LrmCnmPY8qCpJjlsN9DQMeBGDV6QCu9jEcK62yIgCl1VMdcM51bKfg3lvMzUo5Sax02Z8jjHJCHfpr52IVk0XlZiP_oNLzTDL2E/s4160/IMG_20240302_193623529.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="2340" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhacPRBJ4A1LtzrywLt68XVhWFAXP8CVoMHds11-jYXwvMwEhf7j1wWN9-v2a3MZKIiKxJwIsIxc492ANS3dq5Zscg5LrmCnmPY8qCpJjlsN9DQMeBGDV6QCu9jEcK62yIgCl1VMdcM51bKfg3lvMzUo5Sax02Z8jjHJCHfpr52IVk0XlZiP_oNLzTDL2E/s320/IMG_20240302_193623529.jpg" width="180" /></a></div><br /> For years, I've planned on going out during the first rainy night in March to look for salamanders and frogs. Every year when the time comes, I get lazy and don't go. The first warm, rainy night after the ground thaws (this happens in March, but March 2 is very early!) amphibians make their way to vernal pools to mate. For some, like Wood Frogs, they will stay in the pools for a couple of weeks. For others like Spotted Salamanders all the action happens in that one night. By morning, the salamanders are back in the woods hiding.<p></p><p> I was always lead to believe that "Big Night" was just that, one night and not plural. So, I have always assumed that if I missed it, I'd have to wait another year. I just learned last month that not all amphibians will mate during that first warm, rainy night. The season could last almost until May. Because of this new fact, I plan on going out on multiple nights this spring.</p><p> Knowing the weather forecast for Saturday was going to be rainy, I have been planning to go out for a few days. Despite knowing I'd be out Saturday night, I did a piss poor job of planning. To start with, when I went looking for my rain pants I realized they were not in my car. Also, when I went to get my small camera the battery was dead. So I had neither my rain pants or my camera. I did have my phone to take photos with but my camera does take better photos. </p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgElYefdDas-7g1JSoZoub5bogx17wZKUa4vIzxkQaS3V68zAlaeR96Ff7QJup5AlwGIAUyTDZKmR538EBvN4XoGzGnfwJWbmU-N5W6tRMXjYjdlB_qg20zGzgFZ4EEvHz1kev5sHz-m4w_e6VjoO2FNIupePaQFDaRcTZkjYVRgYNcrPYa9FQjU2dN-3A/s4160/IMG_20240302_193551814.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="2340" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgElYefdDas-7g1JSoZoub5bogx17wZKUa4vIzxkQaS3V68zAlaeR96Ff7QJup5AlwGIAUyTDZKmR538EBvN4XoGzGnfwJWbmU-N5W6tRMXjYjdlB_qg20zGzgFZ4EEvHz1kev5sHz-m4w_e6VjoO2FNIupePaQFDaRcTZkjYVRgYNcrPYa9FQjU2dN-3A/s320/IMG_20240302_193551814.jpg" width="180" /></a></div><br /> I had Laurie drop me off at a conservation area in Norton. I did not want to leave my car at a parking area since technically the conservation areas are open "sunrise to sunset". So she dropped me off about 6:45. The area I chose has a vernal pool a two hundred yard walk from the parking area. It only took a couple minutes to get to it but I was immediately glad I had waterproof boots on. The trail was basically a muddy canal. <p></p><p> It didn't take me long to find my quarry. My biggest hope was to see Spotted Salamanders. I'd only ever seen two in my life. That changed tonight. About fifteen minutes after looking in the water I saw one come up for air. Since I was so surprised I saw one I actually doubted myself. Luckily, a few minutes later I saw another and I knew I wasn't crazy. I watched the second one go back down to the leaf litter not too far from shore. I tried to get out on a log and pick it up but it was just out of reach.</p><p> Not long after, I found a third that I could reach. I put my hand in the water and to my surprise it didn't try to swim away. I picked it up, brought it to the shore and took some photos before releasing it again.</p><p> Soon after, I found a whole bunch of Spotted Salamanders. At one point I could see five very close to each other. Since I may have seen a couple of them more than once, I conservatively estimate that I saw eight different ones tonight. I didn't see any other frogs or salamanders other than Spotted. However, that was the one I really wanted to see. Some of the big ones were eight inches including the one I caught. I did see some weird shrimp and insect larvae swimming around but I forgot to bring my net so I didn't get any photos of them. It was a great night and I can't wait to do it again!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy2-NozH0Ywy3DLhzgIhZzqiOY2o_SzLkit23BTPhbnD6FdKBee97d42niNPPCBXn45Ba1ju7Mij5X8WBzMmN7IcTmaC1mCGHWEHhuHq5uPaFJLutRLY3VTFfBgS_1RbH6UU1zvxYQYXZz6iKF0X7po9hQDjU9L4ZpYNIkiEHu_x-GtOgre2oH3gacge8/s4160/IMG_20240302_193636117.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="2340" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy2-NozH0Ywy3DLhzgIhZzqiOY2o_SzLkit23BTPhbnD6FdKBee97d42niNPPCBXn45Ba1ju7Mij5X8WBzMmN7IcTmaC1mCGHWEHhuHq5uPaFJLutRLY3VTFfBgS_1RbH6UU1zvxYQYXZz6iKF0X7po9hQDjU9L4ZpYNIkiEHu_x-GtOgre2oH3gacge8/s320/IMG_20240302_193636117.jpg" width="180" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1fN59h8wwz39tdCKSazZHFm7T2dCDT9lHh6xYvFJX_bUtuTQtad-CnDjp2VRIHihG9NR_I0h_XHyZt0n1XCqXM6Q6o2L9RLo65aoP_fzloijd9Cmeop600Eh2o5PhWuJLWfAL-KO_POJPF1Bg9pJKVa9bnWlzQMZWCFabt8jv_JnoGiU_hBKLXJsXbUY/s4160/IMG_20240302_193605515.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="2340" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1fN59h8wwz39tdCKSazZHFm7T2dCDT9lHh6xYvFJX_bUtuTQtad-CnDjp2VRIHihG9NR_I0h_XHyZt0n1XCqXM6Q6o2L9RLo65aoP_fzloijd9Cmeop600Eh2o5PhWuJLWfAL-KO_POJPF1Bg9pJKVa9bnWlzQMZWCFabt8jv_JnoGiU_hBKLXJsXbUY/s320/IMG_20240302_193605515.jpg" width="180" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><br /></p>Nick Pacellihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07160728044281317803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8837104285678635073.post-37623220609043446312024-02-27T18:42:00.000-08:002024-02-27T18:42:58.190-08:00Rare Sparrows<p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgwZo7hAYGxnaay1qO8L7izVKzbxGqcWgPPfHDgZqGH_lS8gZIsXnisALOVCWYalfpH1E1_8eXtrOsgdcIciXTK9J6kmhq2AaL4u9JhqlWujxzAonkfn-E5nHyJ_tuDczBn5Qy65vFLR4_3rDLf7P1IIVjpgu28CSNvE4Qm6_T2fdc9zUvJxFSyefOES4/s5184/IMG_7803.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="5184" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgwZo7hAYGxnaay1qO8L7izVKzbxGqcWgPPfHDgZqGH_lS8gZIsXnisALOVCWYalfpH1E1_8eXtrOsgdcIciXTK9J6kmhq2AaL4u9JhqlWujxzAonkfn-E5nHyJ_tuDczBn5Qy65vFLR4_3rDLf7P1IIVjpgu28CSNvE4Qm6_T2fdc9zUvJxFSyefOES4/s320/IMG_7803.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Vesper Sparrow</td></tr></tbody></table><br /> Last Saturday, Laurie and I went to Richmond, RI and saw a rare (for New England) Vesper Sparrow. I'd only seen four in my life. On this day we saw three more bringing my total to seven! They were in a small flock with Song and Savannah Sparrows. They were not afraid of people or passing cars feeding right along the edge of the road. </p><p> Today I hung out with my friend Charles in Newport. We saw an even rarer sparrow. It was a Lark Sparrow that has been hanging around Fort Adams for over a month. Lark Sparrows are a sparrow of open fields and meadows in the Midwest. Why this bird decided to take up roots in Rhode Island I do not know. It has been seen by dozens of birders over the last few weeks. Today was my second time seeing it. It was the first bird we saw when we pulled into Fort Adams. I was still driving! I wish Lady Luck was always that generous</p><p><br /></p><p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgnWd64QLevvIob5cLftDPggljIVjj8ZL4_G2QfJN_ZbDx8r4g6SxZ9jd4pCuB5yYtNRHY477GdDG0LdY6raixyuqWDoDck6oCq4RnB5Ze8cd9tmjIax8yS31ryY1Uo5HgbBSS0bsowoEL1UxMi9cixt4nTLqngB0d2DmKTF4NroAJ7SjJf3vuXLL5JxA/s5184/IMG_7862.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="5184" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgnWd64QLevvIob5cLftDPggljIVjj8ZL4_G2QfJN_ZbDx8r4g6SxZ9jd4pCuB5yYtNRHY477GdDG0LdY6raixyuqWDoDck6oCq4RnB5Ze8cd9tmjIax8yS31ryY1Uo5HgbBSS0bsowoEL1UxMi9cixt4nTLqngB0d2DmKTF4NroAJ7SjJf3vuXLL5JxA/s320/IMG_7862.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lark Sparrow</td></tr></tbody></table><br />*Note- I finally got a job. I'm working at Bass Pro Shops in the fishing dept. This explains why my blog has been quiet as of late. Hopefully, as I get back into the groove, I'll spend more of my days off on adventures. For the past few weeks, most of my days off have been hosting bird club events.</p><p>*Note #2- I messed with the white balance on my camera completely ruining most of my sparrow photos. I didn't notice until I got home tonight. While I did delete some washed out photos of the Lark Sparrow that would have been calendar worthy if I didn't f them up, I'm lucky to have salvaged a couple decent photos of both birds.</p><p>Below are a couple of other birds I saw in the last couple of weeks.</p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRViDUTsIv1-j4EzbZ71AP-nvjL5MvfhwI9pBN_uEWzUTBPmgX6ilFNZNoWmYqy0-17uMuF1ICwElGuER5fTM4K0963vNffKiXVdUtCIF-apkh5dDtAbzxY6ady9aqZYxLa0PENlk9EO0YnHTLDZi8dCc29lSU3WDBKyTHTvwM0m40sienV5bpyWBBlUY/s5184/IMG_7767.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="5184" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRViDUTsIv1-j4EzbZ71AP-nvjL5MvfhwI9pBN_uEWzUTBPmgX6ilFNZNoWmYqy0-17uMuF1ICwElGuER5fTM4K0963vNffKiXVdUtCIF-apkh5dDtAbzxY6ady9aqZYxLa0PENlk9EO0YnHTLDZi8dCc29lSU3WDBKyTHTvwM0m40sienV5bpyWBBlUY/s320/IMG_7767.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ring Necked Pheasant</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm2aZ0Zj9p_K2cD0jU16Xaq_BVsMTwbiHuj73J2SzXuA7rKBE8T_HWMxh03ke3KH0P8ZT6jEjhFJHfcKcXBOs-VjLlpc0fJJUS7P8ffcqlwslr6Nw3nzcx0YfOLMCNN0lCvJuHdRFka4JSYyHtvg3jOd9X0gkjW82Em7P55FJ3fgE6ubndDEaPda6EMi8/s5184/IMG_7754.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="5184" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm2aZ0Zj9p_K2cD0jU16Xaq_BVsMTwbiHuj73J2SzXuA7rKBE8T_HWMxh03ke3KH0P8ZT6jEjhFJHfcKcXBOs-VjLlpc0fJJUS7P8ffcqlwslr6Nw3nzcx0YfOLMCNN0lCvJuHdRFka4JSYyHtvg3jOd9X0gkjW82Em7P55FJ3fgE6ubndDEaPda6EMi8/s320/IMG_7754.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Short Eared Owl</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p>Nick Pacellihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07160728044281317803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8837104285678635073.post-20055278652882867722024-02-07T19:25:00.000-08:002024-02-07T19:26:35.825-08:00Bonnie Yellow Birds<p> </p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxSRtR7UqaToXiD5MCYOBAruR1F6PDJJc3k_lWAgzeuird-HqMgCiH2UEsC6TLR_Re64HEENVQgEQ-Rwi2o9SRghpHzMI6dLzDfbQ1kDxi2IqEPFzJL9-zLyKw61LtcGrr_3VzMr1egBWPSIO_bqW96jUvqH49t_OSlzZw5WQm38VKtv8wzS0ph_Ca5zU/s5184/IMG_7645.JPG" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="5184" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxSRtR7UqaToXiD5MCYOBAruR1F6PDJJc3k_lWAgzeuird-HqMgCiH2UEsC6TLR_Re64HEENVQgEQ-Rwi2o9SRghpHzMI6dLzDfbQ1kDxi2IqEPFzJL9-zLyKw61LtcGrr_3VzMr1egBWPSIO_bqW96jUvqH49t_OSlzZw5WQm38VKtv8wzS0ph_Ca5zU/s320/IMG_7645.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hermit Warbler</td></tr></tbody></table><br /> I was on my way to Trustom Saturday when my friend Nicole texted me to tell me the Hermit Warbler in New London was showing. This is a bird that has been seen on and off sporadically for a week. It hadn't been seen for a few days so it wasn't on my radar. Hermit Warblers are a west coast species. Their entire range is west of the Rockies. So this poor little guy is dreadfully lost. However, being a boreal species, it will probably not die of cold or hunger. <p></p><p> I drove past Trustom and thirty three minutes later I was in New London. Nicole was kind enough to wait for me with her friends and I was on the bird very easily. It had been kind of a skulker but this day it was right out in the open. As I was driving there it spent thirty minutes on the ground which is unusually for a species that likes pines. When I got there, it was spending time in cedar trees fluttering in and out of view. My looks were great and I enjoyed the bird for quite some time while talking with Nicole and her friends.</p><p> On Tuesday I went down the Cape to look for the Western Tanager that has been there for well over a month. Laurie and I tried for it the day I went on a Cape rarities chase. Like the day we went, Tuesday was cold and windy. The wind at the water was howling. I looked for it for an hour while my nose froze off. While I was there a guy also started looking. After I gave up I went in my car to warm up before driving. I could hear the guy playing the song of the Tanager. I watched him with his phone out until he turned a corner. </p><p> </p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl05bvCjNubIsD_gxiKBCF0p3Xaxdyv6BisSSWhvyyl-Ln01gbk0etYFg1Nzr0xpF-47Tb15v3whgJ7cGsHXP98CLT9rQcJKwYjHTO440mC1lR23RCTkxdOVZvuNOyXaYocN9m6mzLJwkjo4zgpUhaQuf7qCG3W9mVxYznWzmQKSYto5mxCrOqCpuy5wE/s5184/IMG_7740.JPG" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="5184" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl05bvCjNubIsD_gxiKBCF0p3Xaxdyv6BisSSWhvyyl-Ln01gbk0etYFg1Nzr0xpF-47Tb15v3whgJ7cGsHXP98CLT9rQcJKwYjHTO440mC1lR23RCTkxdOVZvuNOyXaYocN9m6mzLJwkjo4zgpUhaQuf7qCG3W9mVxYznWzmQKSYto5mxCrOqCpuy5wE/s320/IMG_7740.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Western Tanager</td></tr></tbody></table><br /> A few minutes later he saw me as he walked back to his car he saw me. He walked over to me and told me he saw the Tanager. I got out of my car and asked where. He brought me to the tree he last saw it. Of course it wasn't there. No doubt it was in that tree because he played the song. None the less, I knew where it had been and it was doubtful it went far. I kept walking into the woods and coming back to that tree. On my third look I saw the Western Tanager eating berries off the cedar. It was probably in the tree the whole time but blended well. <p></p><p> That night Laurie and I went to Middleboro to look for Short Eared Owls. We saw two. I didn't get any photos because I left my memory card at home from the Tanager. Still it was an awesome sight!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6aRJVAI6pHWmhezCcCXa4SIz4PWc6Lqdryvdjw88ePR6C4RkwWuOMAGIDgI4y10ottLvw6U3W02aXGuY0ibZ02oED8OzWuxNuLGVNUcCqMGfpjt08fo6OJpFBNMCNrftEZ7Aq_IG5Beth9-aAWBFuNPIlNZ5oArakXT0-DcC51fgbUL5cfZVFlEXSRwc/s5184/IMG_7719.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="5184" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6aRJVAI6pHWmhezCcCXa4SIz4PWc6Lqdryvdjw88ePR6C4RkwWuOMAGIDgI4y10ottLvw6U3W02aXGuY0ibZ02oED8OzWuxNuLGVNUcCqMGfpjt08fo6OJpFBNMCNrftEZ7Aq_IG5Beth9-aAWBFuNPIlNZ5oArakXT0-DcC51fgbUL5cfZVFlEXSRwc/s320/IMG_7719.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuAd19yEkARHqXw_jErHzM4tPKOLZ7BZbg3kf9R9NGsrdIzn4lvxtk8eOPvgmAX2VRJ7rjUXRxC3lNHgUuJt8HLFhgnGSm_iEIPos3pYS9M_t8Ye5MT49fOxcRJDwebh8D8L3GH-D1LZt25MrWWOTXiOFecHbA5iy1LroDujpXPiCHd1-UcMDqMzAmfgk/s5184/IMG_7732.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="5184" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuAd19yEkARHqXw_jErHzM4tPKOLZ7BZbg3kf9R9NGsrdIzn4lvxtk8eOPvgmAX2VRJ7rjUXRxC3lNHgUuJt8HLFhgnGSm_iEIPos3pYS9M_t8Ye5MT49fOxcRJDwebh8D8L3GH-D1LZt25MrWWOTXiOFecHbA5iy1LroDujpXPiCHd1-UcMDqMzAmfgk/s320/IMG_7732.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc4FL6dhiM3ypbUC5e4N9RwOzeKSVn5lLgSgWINWFfKoxsC2aBNM5FOPg8niVhHqN8pYDn6pBRn-0N_9JQFvBeTIOxlMweUlfM62Tg7QlobUlTA_55l7uvnRBgttVWBOS9Na_3E2UQLJR6yHyC1beg-jM0sF-TKejKF90gsTUo2wy64H9e6qz5OgHNLy4/s5184/IMG_7733.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="5184" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc4FL6dhiM3ypbUC5e4N9RwOzeKSVn5lLgSgWINWFfKoxsC2aBNM5FOPg8niVhHqN8pYDn6pBRn-0N_9JQFvBeTIOxlMweUlfM62Tg7QlobUlTA_55l7uvnRBgttVWBOS9Na_3E2UQLJR6yHyC1beg-jM0sF-TKejKF90gsTUo2wy64H9e6qz5OgHNLy4/s320/IMG_7733.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgploct2tqiXMeCuvuMOaEJixB-30YaCJZJTRvMeoBS3LN_YsS2byWXxDm_JfuqYb_BL4NKdRWrPPUOPHWDM-hZyD4VHuTmijj7o8O9mNIFEXvyDPONcVMNdlg4bvyikrTtfKpsTdKCpn-P6aU4XLIYC3XfeXo3qV8gFZVHHEEdOHGuNpLOvtZ-g7U1dWo/s5184/IMG_7656.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="5184" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgploct2tqiXMeCuvuMOaEJixB-30YaCJZJTRvMeoBS3LN_YsS2byWXxDm_JfuqYb_BL4NKdRWrPPUOPHWDM-hZyD4VHuTmijj7o8O9mNIFEXvyDPONcVMNdlg4bvyikrTtfKpsTdKCpn-P6aU4XLIYC3XfeXo3qV8gFZVHHEEdOHGuNpLOvtZ-g7U1dWo/s320/IMG_7656.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilouaG4WLJGeABJQRFBogGtB_JzX_9037omW9bOVw1bccILUqahvNdMvfQe3RhnE0lDgGdcyKZXgznUgY5lgirTJowNqmWrRyMZts38IQug1iVSf_za_Iw8P_zfH0wbwuSuHg_z3CIrRTRz8UA7woNwrOfbMT-vTlA84BWFCB8b6mcYxXXSvrGwMio2-g/s5184/IMG_7614.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="5184" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilouaG4WLJGeABJQRFBogGtB_JzX_9037omW9bOVw1bccILUqahvNdMvfQe3RhnE0lDgGdcyKZXgznUgY5lgirTJowNqmWrRyMZts38IQug1iVSf_za_Iw8P_zfH0wbwuSuHg_z3CIrRTRz8UA7woNwrOfbMT-vTlA84BWFCB8b6mcYxXXSvrGwMio2-g/s320/IMG_7614.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>Nick Pacellihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07160728044281317803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8837104285678635073.post-66636085052594524972024-01-25T09:15:00.000-08:002024-01-25T09:15:51.862-08:00Red Fox and Red Headed Woodpecker<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8MB29Llk4Th9KK51L12c3BfgxfDf0NcFTlk_4OCEpzvvsB4C7nPtwYUSEosttDuu2_h1knQ2rLabBaxBFDJzI0f0NBzNoqkO7oogDnt7BGaDOUIYttUsb0hpdvI6UDd_7JQGn5t1Jzj9ZEqPtAD93tw7vU45ZnDoiowuBR4RdR-ZQOwFQZhJQJ854ewI/s4217/2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2811" data-original-width="4217" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8MB29Llk4Th9KK51L12c3BfgxfDf0NcFTlk_4OCEpzvvsB4C7nPtwYUSEosttDuu2_h1knQ2rLabBaxBFDJzI0f0NBzNoqkO7oogDnt7BGaDOUIYttUsb0hpdvI6UDd_7JQGn5t1Jzj9ZEqPtAD93tw7vU45ZnDoiowuBR4RdR-ZQOwFQZhJQJ854ewI/s320/2.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /> I went on a birding trip on Cape Cod two weeks ago looking for rare birds. There were seven possible species at various locations. One of those locations was Race Point. We worked our way to P-town stopping at all of the potential rare birds on the way. Because we dipped on some, we spent too much time looking for them. So I got to the Race Point parking lot around 2 pm instead of the 12:30 time I hoped. I rushed out to the rip but by the time I got there it was about time to turn around. I had to meet Laurie who came for the ride but made it clear she wasn't walking over the Race Point sand if she went.<p></p><p> When I got back to the lot a friendly Red Fox was begging for food. There wasn't any doubt it had been fed. I started taking photos of it. Because it was on the asphalt and the lines of parking spaces were in front of and behind it, most of the photos suck. However, I got a few decent ones. At one point it was too close to me to focus and I had to stand up to make it back off. I'm sure it wouldn't have hurt me, but it was about six feet from me. Though I saw some of the birds I wanted to see, the fox was by far the highlight of the day. Laurie got to see it too. Woodpecker story below photos.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMHks0fiKDXOWW1NYe1IE6t3yONw0XJ3NxAZ_-7dq5xIkJBt7xTFB5592AxaihWnKD5jsBh2eNYW-6OChhW6CwyQPeh54A8BkLSXd2XNfZ1eGvEPr-bpkqiB9T5V_FmJMhL1tYx_1uHggpJhrbzSi66oFBaiYfoHs-1uuU9YZFzFOkPoer664UnlFmGak/s3456/1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="2304" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMHks0fiKDXOWW1NYe1IE6t3yONw0XJ3NxAZ_-7dq5xIkJBt7xTFB5592AxaihWnKD5jsBh2eNYW-6OChhW6CwyQPeh54A8BkLSXd2XNfZ1eGvEPr-bpkqiB9T5V_FmJMhL1tYx_1uHggpJhrbzSi66oFBaiYfoHs-1uuU9YZFzFOkPoer664UnlFmGak/s320/1.JPG" width="213" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgohrjyWR1UKRGZH_Zxghf89VVWcczXPIcDLVmUP8frF2cOdiz0DDYGrrS5L9_oE-uz84UCX2-3tpwWsJoQP3wWV107qXH2ECDWFFHnMoBIfhtsfDjurFbk6MQVIcgYWr8bKnYDVhVyRntpxeuHFlVVvxjfwqaHprxUzms2OJclSexbfrvP7JMfsOwmrA/s4379/3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2919" data-original-width="4379" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgohrjyWR1UKRGZH_Zxghf89VVWcczXPIcDLVmUP8frF2cOdiz0DDYGrrS5L9_oE-uz84UCX2-3tpwWsJoQP3wWV107qXH2ECDWFFHnMoBIfhtsfDjurFbk6MQVIcgYWr8bKnYDVhVyRntpxeuHFlVVvxjfwqaHprxUzms2OJclSexbfrvP7JMfsOwmrA/s320/3.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAjOL9o-cYGyEBUtYi14jRMx1ERHuzA75rozKky5sYBkmctDsWA7EocWR2xquHDyhn9yBMtLCz6wAGr6YQhQ07nK5B8T2GvHVKzql35Sldz1NuZ4aVCQkg_qw9Wc8jXt7GUsk1Vmt2e6_2M7JluKcuswQO3bqFRX3JR4mOpT9VQ5DkeVSJoVMkWItjHCw/s5184/IMG_7552.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="5184" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAjOL9o-cYGyEBUtYi14jRMx1ERHuzA75rozKky5sYBkmctDsWA7EocWR2xquHDyhn9yBMtLCz6wAGr6YQhQ07nK5B8T2GvHVKzql35Sldz1NuZ4aVCQkg_qw9Wc8jXt7GUsk1Vmt2e6_2M7JluKcuswQO3bqFRX3JR4mOpT9VQ5DkeVSJoVMkWItjHCw/s320/IMG_7552.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNumMqv2iGIVXDARSDSjp9fqe38ClEstJilYAm-j-zMaS9DpA3kvS10jkc94t4rWT5WXnNQy0DqLQCLXaPbFiwKBFbm23oC6xfilRxmMiTNxVcNNRlZjqoH9aGj1AGv4Bi74syN574wfKmq_K2DEClqk1nEsTGwBl8pU2NGc09M1qtcVt21qWt1wXIc6g/s5184/IMG_7561.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="5184" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNumMqv2iGIVXDARSDSjp9fqe38ClEstJilYAm-j-zMaS9DpA3kvS10jkc94t4rWT5WXnNQy0DqLQCLXaPbFiwKBFbm23oC6xfilRxmMiTNxVcNNRlZjqoH9aGj1AGv4Bi74syN574wfKmq_K2DEClqk1nEsTGwBl8pU2NGc09M1qtcVt21qWt1wXIc6g/s320/IMG_7561.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p> My friend Nicole babysits for a family on a working farm. She is a hardcore birder and the family she works for loves birds. They even allowed her to do a Christmas Bird Count on the farm in golf carts for "Birdability" which is for people that have a hard time getting around. </p><p> On the farm there has been a Red Headed Woodpecker for a month. This farm and Nicole live in Connecticut so it is a long ride for me. One to piggyback things to do I decided to go for the Woodpecker and hang out with Nicole. After that, I would bird RI stopping first at Misquamicut to see the Snow Buntings. Also that day I put up two Screech Owl boxes so it was a busy day.</p><p> I met Nicole at the nature center where she works. She showed me around and I got to hold a lot of the animals. By far, the most exciting animal I held was a very tame Hognose Snake! I got to hold some turtles and a toad also. It was very nice of Nicole to let me see everything.</p><p> We went to the farm after leaving the nature center. It was a ten minute ride. We got on the golf cart and went out to the field that had some huge oaks. The Red Headed Woodpecker wasn't there so we went down other trails. Finally on our third and last pass we saw the Red Headed Woodpecker. I didn't get any great photos but it was still awesome to see. Thank you Nicole!</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-OyuUMasxwFj5ftIRn9H_bqorCaBd6bqdjuem9WlKfgzJcLgvyJp2SmOy_lq8g4MHlWnIsDuH7rnP9jPZeUqrcIWDzJDceKv00C766MsIGZ3EnVFeoQAJo5xzym0QqDuGCNrjhj-lzA1lTujDF3ypQQKfcdU-fdonmoPcCCSOknFxmbq7fgjJjihkF5I/s5184/IMG_7582.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="5184" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-OyuUMasxwFj5ftIRn9H_bqorCaBd6bqdjuem9WlKfgzJcLgvyJp2SmOy_lq8g4MHlWnIsDuH7rnP9jPZeUqrcIWDzJDceKv00C766MsIGZ3EnVFeoQAJo5xzym0QqDuGCNrjhj-lzA1lTujDF3ypQQKfcdU-fdonmoPcCCSOknFxmbq7fgjJjihkF5I/s320/IMG_7582.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRa5SBfpH4i439DYcw_3sI0ApioLH_4sWyDNzZmfe6Ss0eC1OSnegvTuWHb5x5bb-3ZPVekk2mo-vN6DJkuAjcgTX5GoXhb8UeQQK4EJb-mf_df8e-1w4wsDZr5S0sf3PwIamXJ6_3DKyDwYm09NDg9zMM8xJrsXNH6eMa82d6JYizTxtWTF9CxF4ooz0/s5184/IMG_7585.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="5184" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRa5SBfpH4i439DYcw_3sI0ApioLH_4sWyDNzZmfe6Ss0eC1OSnegvTuWHb5x5bb-3ZPVekk2mo-vN6DJkuAjcgTX5GoXhb8UeQQK4EJb-mf_df8e-1w4wsDZr5S0sf3PwIamXJ6_3DKyDwYm09NDg9zMM8xJrsXNH6eMa82d6JYizTxtWTF9CxF4ooz0/s320/IMG_7585.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7U7vnN_egkTJRJL5UAt_lZZOe14Obfrq9VKvYRY93UPmcRhdG8oV44IpxtAyqfu6bilTBusrR8HhRIy2c3AVDFxTGOf_v0NRjjuNmtgwTfdDclAeCnQF8TWRDyCal22b2STyUkZdIHDvrSRKW5tRyplLoaOSuAD28O2-cdYl1VgpwsbI-w4hZyndFIpg/s5184/IMG_7586.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="5184" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7U7vnN_egkTJRJL5UAt_lZZOe14Obfrq9VKvYRY93UPmcRhdG8oV44IpxtAyqfu6bilTBusrR8HhRIy2c3AVDFxTGOf_v0NRjjuNmtgwTfdDclAeCnQF8TWRDyCal22b2STyUkZdIHDvrSRKW5tRyplLoaOSuAD28O2-cdYl1VgpwsbI-w4hZyndFIpg/s320/IMG_7586.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /> This week I also got a photo upgrade of the super rare Ross's Goose that has been hanging around the Newport Country Club for a month<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjye63EJ2lUmI7gtulolCpuEbjlOe5euUX2IqE4qpuu-RsRd8EcWQ6OLVOgodBSu1w1zB04uS2uYfNRtL4Roow5PCntJX4xNBhyphenhyphenwAQtCgEk6mz8CKkhKRcii_mki2JR07jWU1XDIAWqE2LMkfmHuTsy4F4rZ2_uKFxX7Iql6El9Ndrhcoyrc1Tx_9iY0L0/s5184/IMG_7578.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="5184" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjye63EJ2lUmI7gtulolCpuEbjlOe5euUX2IqE4qpuu-RsRd8EcWQ6OLVOgodBSu1w1zB04uS2uYfNRtL4Roow5PCntJX4xNBhyphenhyphenwAQtCgEk6mz8CKkhKRcii_mki2JR07jWU1XDIAWqE2LMkfmHuTsy4F4rZ2_uKFxX7Iql6El9Ndrhcoyrc1Tx_9iY0L0/s320/IMG_7578.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>Nick Pacellihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07160728044281317803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8837104285678635073.post-68615360001357402252024-01-13T20:33:00.000-08:002024-01-14T19:38:10.139-08:00Little Gull<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6YmDIr3SPJq4m1gAZ_hPwThoq0bcuYk-v8HxZTLK3PWPVTyb4-sNzwmhABW2cX4hz72lhjDgyZK-Mg65l83tCBhk7agpG8sLsxMJSfxi-8LPl3nDXwnZMXLfs_b3-QnAPt7Bxec73Pmg9o0nDRaI-1r1-vwiyxLFLHRTLdJjQDo0GryZp58Lfp4bD8rM/s4308/3.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2872" data-original-width="4308" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6YmDIr3SPJq4m1gAZ_hPwThoq0bcuYk-v8HxZTLK3PWPVTyb4-sNzwmhABW2cX4hz72lhjDgyZK-Mg65l83tCBhk7agpG8sLsxMJSfxi-8LPl3nDXwnZMXLfs_b3-QnAPt7Bxec73Pmg9o0nDRaI-1r1-vwiyxLFLHRTLdJjQDo0GryZp58Lfp4bD8rM/w400-h266/3.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /> I went birding yesterday in Rhode Island. I spent all day birding in the hopes of collecting rarities. The bird I most wanted was a Little Gull. Little Gulls are actually the smallest gull in the world. They primarily live in Eurasia. There are small colonies around the Great Lakes and Hudson Bay, but other than those places they are rare in the rest of North America. Though not the first ones to visit RI, this is the second one to come to RI since I became a birder. It turns out, there are three in Rhode Island right now. However, the most consistent ones are between South Kingstown Town Beach and the Ocean Mist.<p></p><p> The problem is there are probably two thousand gulls in that are right now. Due to all of these Nor'easters gulls have been pushed to the shore by the thousands. It really is amazing to see so many birds. The other problem is Little Gulls look a lot like Bonaparte Gulls. Bonapartes are also small though not as small as Little Gulls and they have a black patch on the side of the head as do Little Gulls this time of year. As Dan Berard said "it's like looking for a needle in a stack full of needles"</p><p> The first place I went yesterday was South Kingstown Town Beach. Speaking of Dan, he was there looking through the gulls. Dan is the best birder in Rhode Island or at least tied for that spot. He has a memory to remember field marks and ears to hear songs like no other birder. So I was thrilled Dan was there. I knew if I didn't find the bird he would if it was around.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWnMeFP8HMreUDyuibXI_w7hSBQ3J2E26nulzREXf4bPYoFeoAZI3TNLkcF6KzBkwlsIEHZ-l3rvQhMuPSlcDTeF8jP9gZjKkERln0aw0MFP_n3broJEXsa75m87rh7tyG2_1B_I41U3nM-87R6fmG6Bbk9ENuddEnD7RJ4SOPJJyeM8dFtJCWJnwDoHY/s4223/2.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2815" data-original-width="4223" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWnMeFP8HMreUDyuibXI_w7hSBQ3J2E26nulzREXf4bPYoFeoAZI3TNLkcF6KzBkwlsIEHZ-l3rvQhMuPSlcDTeF8jP9gZjKkERln0aw0MFP_n3broJEXsa75m87rh7tyG2_1B_I41U3nM-87R6fmG6Bbk9ENuddEnD7RJ4SOPJJyeM8dFtJCWJnwDoHY/s320/2.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />That is exactly what happened, twice! He found the Little Gull on the water with a flock of several hundred Bonaparte Gulls. Twice he got it in his scope for me to look at and twice I couldn't see it! Between the wave action and my inexperience with this species, I just could not pick it out in a scope view full of thirty birds huddled together in the few seconds before they would lift to avoid a wave..<p></p><p> So I realized my best chance to see it was to find it when it flew. Though Little Gulls can be told apart from other species by their size, a dark smudge on top of the head, and their roundish wings, those were tough field marks figure out when you only have two or three seconds before the bird moves in the waves. The key field mark is they are the only gull with a completely dark underwing. Find a gull with the underwing almost completely black and you found a Little Gull. </p><p> Every time a part of the flock took off or rose to avoid a crashing wave I looked at them with my bins. After an hour of this strategy I finally saw the adult Little Gull. It was down the beach to the left but it flew slowly towards us. I called it out to Dan and the other birders and we watched it for the minute or so before it landed. Once in the water I lost it again in the hoard of gulls. We saw the adult fly twice. A juvenile also flew by giving great looks to the group but I did not see it.</p><p> Later in the day after looking for other birds my friend Richard Tucker texted me asking where I saw the Little Gull. After I told him, I went back to the beach to help find it. Though I actually did little to help find it someone spotted it and we got great looks at it flying. Since the sun was more behind us, I got my best photo of the bird near sunset.</p><p> With the Little Gull, I have gotten three lifers since January 1. I got a total of four lifers all of last year, and one of those was in Missouri. However, I got two of those four in December (plus two RI state birds), so I am finally on a pretty good run. I hope it continues.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxT_Tik3_6Tb0h_MYoPLz27uGrrN9OoORQTyK0hKh8nvWqVY7GUu5VlWsrTUdHWvqrmeXogxQpkRh5rLEiK-trxa6IBWcmCGQ4q2RJqSQTLgiMOCaZMBEFE3E3sR18Jarkz9VtVOvoohVVVq6wCmkrO09kUQePDJSoiPd3PFA5libEDtUqIo4omJgXywM/s5184/IMG_7494.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="5184" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxT_Tik3_6Tb0h_MYoPLz27uGrrN9OoORQTyK0hKh8nvWqVY7GUu5VlWsrTUdHWvqrmeXogxQpkRh5rLEiK-trxa6IBWcmCGQ4q2RJqSQTLgiMOCaZMBEFE3E3sR18Jarkz9VtVOvoohVVVq6wCmkrO09kUQePDJSoiPd3PFA5libEDtUqIo4omJgXywM/s320/IMG_7494.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg95WgSFz6qYvkpvBih7hc3yN-Bqzorj9YGP90fXZWiueqIJwOz0TvUJ0fI6RHPPRgicdGsnLUu8IEcXx_tr8Yp3xIB3bIDrGcI3cbxfr04McbNvrNsCIo4IRDFjcQvGQdikQ5dmSXwW66scKvVuwk_NQLGgvBOgDYkxW9TAOb8GcaFjAx0R6PJ30CfgEk/s4278/4.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2852" data-original-width="4278" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg95WgSFz6qYvkpvBih7hc3yN-Bqzorj9YGP90fXZWiueqIJwOz0TvUJ0fI6RHPPRgicdGsnLUu8IEcXx_tr8Yp3xIB3bIDrGcI3cbxfr04McbNvrNsCIo4IRDFjcQvGQdikQ5dmSXwW66scKvVuwk_NQLGgvBOgDYkxW9TAOb8GcaFjAx0R6PJ30CfgEk/s320/4.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjztDcOpFRPY8tV50DpJi-Qp0or4sVuTxF0uBcXgAok7moI_3V7d66s43AltenKwj86-fIQbU11jwpU8c6-XE3fVw_zQj6uO_E9lRYhm_Jg694P5yqEx4RNO8DB-hZxMqa-rC2QyjMfIqu7iCgE62Od7y2vp1KIHofDEebJJusfyykLQApBMsOZwWNI38/s4311/1.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2874" data-original-width="4311" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjztDcOpFRPY8tV50DpJi-Qp0or4sVuTxF0uBcXgAok7moI_3V7d66s43AltenKwj86-fIQbU11jwpU8c6-XE3fVw_zQj6uO_E9lRYhm_Jg694P5yqEx4RNO8DB-hZxMqa-rC2QyjMfIqu7iCgE62Od7y2vp1KIHofDEebJJusfyykLQApBMsOZwWNI38/s320/1.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p>Nick Pacellihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07160728044281317803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8837104285678635073.post-34132014300321564022024-01-11T19:17:00.000-08:002024-01-11T19:17:08.516-08:00Two weeks into January, My second Lifer, Zero Good Photos<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK9r6yEI_FWVEdt4vpL1oSUBYsbQQydDK62nSQkMQE63rPV5GvDT9VT2xlwGaUDmChM0fTIoZGURDWKyhTyd7dMI8VleVqzX0p9_VVDsR_atL4t7-yZaALf3jHaeL5zD8RrSBhynT9L1fsumV2o2O-Gr9gKFYeUdlmQe-7DID5HCH6jcZ_NhBaMRf6C3A/s1600/418931363_7717938681569408_590067660847452640_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="720" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK9r6yEI_FWVEdt4vpL1oSUBYsbQQydDK62nSQkMQE63rPV5GvDT9VT2xlwGaUDmChM0fTIoZGURDWKyhTyd7dMI8VleVqzX0p9_VVDsR_atL4t7-yZaALf3jHaeL5zD8RrSBhynT9L1fsumV2o2O-Gr9gKFYeUdlmQe-7DID5HCH6jcZ_NhBaMRf6C3A/s320/418931363_7717938681569408_590067660847452640_n.jpg" width="144" /></a></div><br /> I had a doctor's appointment in North Attleboro today. While I was sitting in the room waiting for the doctor someone found a Northern Shrike at Snake Den Farm. As it was, that was only twenty two minutes from where I was sitting. I had never seen a Northern Shrike but have tried multiple times. Needless to say my routine doctor's visit couldn't get over fast enough.<p></p><p> Northern Shrike are little predator birds. They are smaller than a Blue Jay and look much like a Northern Mockingbird. They mostly live in the evergreen forest south of the Arctic Tundra. During the winter they will occasionally make their way south towards New England. In my years of birding, this is only the third one that I know of in Rhode Island. They hunt small birds and will actually use the barbs of barbed wire to impale their prey. </p><p> Off I went to Snake Den as soon as I walked out of the office. I pulled into the parking lot and got my scope out. I scanned the tops of trees in the distance and found it pretty quickly. I called over some other birders that were looking in a different direction and we all looked at it in our scopes for twenty minutes. Eventually, when the sun went below the tree line the Shrike took off and we lost it against the darkness of the forest. I took some digiscoped photos with my phone over my scope's eyepiece. They are crap, but technically I did get a photo. The Shrike was probably a quarter mile away or more so I'm just happy I found it.</p>Nick Pacellihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07160728044281317803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8837104285678635073.post-24940180543298526192024-01-04T19:49:00.000-08:002024-01-04T19:49:49.415-08:00Oh God, I forgot my camera chasing a lifer<p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-pTYvcT0AzBf6ZTOsUIByQvBdhABYWBIUHFA9QSaRVez5ubZS6wdktjUBt6Bj9W3Z04KfQjVxaoGkhN6iQg7fp-y6MTbWx6a4A4NUdS2t9n4_FxGZ0khQcw6g9a5f-NID9wxH0ip_FTG_8CnOz1327spmLiAow23ndzHuSfU_8poo3lQ900iwML0qi64/s1600/Screenshot_20240104-222906.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="720" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-pTYvcT0AzBf6ZTOsUIByQvBdhABYWBIUHFA9QSaRVez5ubZS6wdktjUBt6Bj9W3Z04KfQjVxaoGkhN6iQg7fp-y6MTbWx6a4A4NUdS2t9n4_FxGZ0khQcw6g9a5f-NID9wxH0ip_FTG_8CnOz1327spmLiAow23ndzHuSfU_8poo3lQ900iwML0qi64/s320/Screenshot_20240104-222906.png" width="144" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Barrow's<br />GoldenEye </td></tr></tbody></table><br /> Last night I got a message from my friend Danielle Stebbins that a MacGillivray's Warbler (from now on just Mac) was seen during a Christmas Bird Count in Raynham, MA. It was still being seen yesterday. So we made plans to go look for it today.</p><p>Mac's are western birds. Even when they migrate south they stay west of the Rockies. So yes, this one is lost. One was seen last year in Providence and I chased it but dipped. When I got there, at least ten birders who had seen it were still there. I saw the movement in the brush but never actually saw the bird. From me on, no one else that showed up saw the bird that day or ever. That sucked.</p><p> Danielle and I pulled into the parking lot at the same time this morning. When I got out I realized I left my camera at home!!! Not much I could do about it but I felt naked. We had the bird fairly easily, it called most of the morning and between us and a New Bedford birder, one of us would hear it every few minutes. It is the nature of a Mac to stay hidden and this one put on a clinic. I saw the bird about seven times. But never once other than flying quickly across the path did I see the whole body at once. All of my looks were for less than two seconds and only once did I see the head. Still al lifer because if you played the game Operation before, all of my sightings did add up to a full bird and it was beautiful. Even if I had my camera I never would have gotten a photo. It was too elusive.</p><p> However, not having my camera lead to another dilemma. Did I want to continue birding without it. I had hoped to find some other good birds but I wanted my camera for proof photos. I went anyway.</p><p> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNdyKynV2M8MJ4Dh2Iz1KGzoUt4wEeamLOC7CQ1GM2K42blByi4Cp833T2nmmLoLcKd0dfb_h2vjHWOWjXo5EDfDfi6ax35C-79qZhMuutFwLrpRePS9vX7AulpdRgBMzarGPncPMAhg_u4V1Ngbk-MgGm4aP67wAYZBq2oa_DiaTEC1GNsLC-EOpJ2P8/s4160/IMG_20240104_123550473.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="2340" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNdyKynV2M8MJ4Dh2Iz1KGzoUt4wEeamLOC7CQ1GM2K42blByi4Cp833T2nmmLoLcKd0dfb_h2vjHWOWjXo5EDfDfi6ax35C-79qZhMuutFwLrpRePS9vX7AulpdRgBMzarGPncPMAhg_u4V1Ngbk-MgGm4aP67wAYZBq2oa_DiaTEC1GNsLC-EOpJ2P8/s320/IMG_20240104_123550473.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Northern<br />Shoveler </td></tr></tbody></table><br /> I went to Buttonwood Park in New Bedford where there was a Northern Shoveler and a Cackling Goose. I found the Shoveler before I got out of the car but couldn't make any of the Canadas into a Cackling.</p><p> Next I went to the harborwalk in New Bedford and spent way too much time looking for but eventually finding the Barrow's Goldeneye. Another western bird that summer's in Alaska, but a couple do show up every winter.</p><p> Lastly I went to Fairhaven and heard Clapper Rails that have been around for months. Another easy bird. I hoped to go to Newport and look for the Ross's Goose or to Westport and look for Snowy Owls but time got away from me today. I was pissed I left my camera at home but glad I got some good birds.</p>Nick Pacellihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07160728044281317803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8837104285678635073.post-21136387117333523282024-01-03T18:27:00.000-08:002024-01-03T18:27:53.704-08:00First of the year fish and rarity<p> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9hERBB3xo4U9k0zNF2sjTq_71SA3u5YIP3GCXn-xazlb-GfK5FtLc6AedKBIbaja0DOVnq8udgqPT2lecLFOzfVgIDw4QHrbYPT-8aUgWxKWo9Td90rwqUOztobCgGBETiAdIqWOSD59SUtnKfChynMQn2XMNlGzWCIN6rV_bYUsY-KPLd2RPlUaJfhc/s5184/IMG_7425.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="5184" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9hERBB3xo4U9k0zNF2sjTq_71SA3u5YIP3GCXn-xazlb-GfK5FtLc6AedKBIbaja0DOVnq8udgqPT2lecLFOzfVgIDw4QHrbYPT-8aUgWxKWo9Td90rwqUOztobCgGBETiAdIqWOSD59SUtnKfChynMQn2XMNlGzWCIN6rV_bYUsY-KPLd2RPlUaJfhc/s320/IMG_7425.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Goldfish</td></tr></tbody></table><br />One of my friends already has ninety three species of birds under her belt in Rhode Island alone. I went out for a walk on New Year's Day and saw a Chickadee. So, if I cared, she has a ninety two bird head start on me. Today, a friend of mine thought it would be a good idea to go seining. Yes, it's January so maybe not our smartest decision. Despite a major strikeout on seeing anything we still had fun. We only had until 1 pm because he had to be in Cranston in the afternoon so I dropped him at the Attleboro Train Station for him to make his appointment.</p><p> Deciding it would be nice to see something new for the year, I went up to La Salette Shrine to see their Goldfish. Goldfish have been breeding in the pond for a hundred years so at this point they are wild. Much of the pond was skim ice but I saw two bright orange Goldfish under the ice. This made me happy. </p><p> As I was getting into my car, there was an alert that a Townsend's Warbler was at Swan Point. This was presumably the same bird as a month before. I really didn't want to go to Providence but I was five minutes from the highway and from the exit only fifteen minutes after that. So I went. I saw the bird rather quickly since Sue Talbot was there and she is a great birder. She came across it high in a pine tree. It was in beautiful light with the sun behind it. I took a lot of photos but one of them stood out from the rest. It is probably a photo upgrade.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtHPooclqUaPd_Wr3Sq0E_wTaL_AQfGzbdqpg-bGWdw7QiITodyitoOdXiZedbd0HdLilw1o1X4bPPSOz7gWB7wuMcD58sDqMbmMlSIBNu1n5CoZcIHNSf_FqoSKCHDUNojgTK7niP_FWY-DSlTaqYzrEUz1FF6Jr107FlxxUTa0y4J7Ack9I51V0DrcM/s5184/IMG_7430.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="5184" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtHPooclqUaPd_Wr3Sq0E_wTaL_AQfGzbdqpg-bGWdw7QiITodyitoOdXiZedbd0HdLilw1o1X4bPPSOz7gWB7wuMcD58sDqMbmMlSIBNu1n5CoZcIHNSf_FqoSKCHDUNojgTK7niP_FWY-DSlTaqYzrEUz1FF6Jr107FlxxUTa0y4J7Ack9I51V0DrcM/w400-h266/IMG_7430.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p>Nick Pacellihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07160728044281317803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8837104285678635073.post-37446800965102732012023-12-28T08:10:00.000-08:002024-01-13T20:37:55.518-08:00End of the Year Review 2023<p> </p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe18WqhnZIAeDlgXS8n3SrlWSMGL-Fz-SYo15pW5Gvd3qmB07yPShCBlN9CrRMggmcM1hA0rJ3oqYC8EChD8lpL7xvJvX1o4XtEo9D5d_XTD4nPSa3N4FmA8eH77WUZ95GA7ogDZXmUBUX_eSVMSd-2YX0ttUB-3H4hjCxOLlDKAhWd3l6wX3igjGePSI/s5184/IMG_6633.JPG" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5184" data-original-width="3456" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe18WqhnZIAeDlgXS8n3SrlWSMGL-Fz-SYo15pW5Gvd3qmB07yPShCBlN9CrRMggmcM1hA0rJ3oqYC8EChD8lpL7xvJvX1o4XtEo9D5d_XTD4nPSa3N4FmA8eH77WUZ95GA7ogDZXmUBUX_eSVMSd-2YX0ttUB-3H4hjCxOLlDKAhWd3l6wX3igjGePSI/s320/IMG_6633.JPG" width="213" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sleepy Hollow, NY</td></tr></tbody></table><br /> It is safe to say I will never have another year like this year. I spent a whole year playing while recovering from the health problems that I've talked about enough. While I still have trouble lying down, I am certainly grateful that most of the last nine months have been relatively pain free. Because I feel so much better and had some money in the bank, I had a year full of memories.<p></p><p> Throughout my adult life, most years always end up having a theme. As I've said in other reviews, one year DJ and I went to New Hampshire every weekend during the summer. The following year I was introduced to Striped Bass and became obsessed. I'd drive to Narragansett or Jamestown four nights a week after getting done baking donuts at 1 am. Twice I've done Rhode Island Big Years chasing birds. I spent all of 2011 fishing for trout and keeping perfect records of how many, where I caught them, each species, and what I caught them on.</p><p> It would be tough to pinpoint what this year's theme would be. I did such a variety of things that I'd say "enjoying nature" would make sense. As an outdoorsman and a wannabe naturalist, this is such a broad statement that it really doesn't describe anything. The more I thought about it, the theme for this year was about chasing adventures. For much of the year I was out looking for something different and new. When I wasn't looking for new and different I was still looking to make everyday as full as possible.</p><p> If you are a reader of the blog, you could make a strong argument that I chased herps A LOT. This I did. I saw far more herp species in New England than I ever had. I saw species I'd never heard of (Italian Wall Lizard). My favorite day of my Midwest vacation was walking a road looking for snakes. Many days during the spring, I'd go birding only to find my eyes facing towards the ground looking for snakes as the morning wore on. Every day is an adventure when herping. Every rock that I lift is a possible winning lottery ticket. Even the most common Garter Snake is fun to hold and sometimes its a challenge to catch them. But even though so many days spent looking for snakes, I still spent triple the amount of days doing other things. </p><p> I didn't fish too much this year. I did get out a few times. I had many good days trout fishing down the Cape and in Rhode Island. I did catch all the species of trout except Lakers. I only caught a few Stripers. I caught one lifer, Mackerel. I fished my ass off in New Hampshire fishing just about everyone of my nineteen days there.</p><p> Many adventures involved fish but not a fishing pole. I went seining three times in saltwater and twice in freshwater. I got multiple lifers (more on lifers below). I went snorkeling and saw a Beau Gregory which is a tropical fish that should not be here. </p><p> Laurie and I went on multiple getaways. </p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>April Cape trip looking for Right Whales and Herring Runs</li><li>Philadelphia and Delaware Water Gap</li><li>Sleepy Hollow, NY in the footsteps of Washington Irving</li><li>Two trips to NH in the spring. I spent 19 days camping. Laurie came up for about five of those days</li><li>Midwest Trip for ten days Gateway Arch, Hannibal, Kankakee Sands, Snake Road, Cuyahoga NP, PA wilds elk</li><li>A "bag night" is a night spent in the sleeping bag (so its a term used for camping). I had roughly thirty bag nights. I camped twenty five nights and slept under the stars on Laurie's deck about five to ten other nights. I'd have done it a lot more but there was always so much dew on my bag in the morning. </li></ul><div>For nature on those trips I saw-</div><div><br /></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li> New Hampshire- one moose, one bear, otter, two beavers, heard multiple species of birds at my campsite, breeding toads, two Northern Watersnakes, Smallmouth Bass, Rock Bass, Pickerel, Pike, Rainbow Trout, Brook Trout, Common Shiner, Largemouth Bass</li><li>Cape Cod- two far off Right Whales, herring runs </li><li>Midwest Trip- Bison, Eurasian Tree Sparrow, 16 Cottonmouths, 1 Plain Bellied Watersnake, 1 Rough Green Snake, Grey Tree Frog, Green Tree Frog, Cave Salamanders, Newt, Armadillo, Racoons, Elk, Indiana Bat</li></ul>By the numbers- </div><div><br /></div><div> I only kept a year list for herp species I saw. I saw 31 species of herps. This breaks down to 7 turtles species, 12 snakes, 8 frogs, 4 salamanders/newt, 1 Lizard, plus one subspecies (Midland's Painted Turtle)</div><div><br /></div><div>I caught (with a fishing pole) one new fish species, Mackerel</div><div><br /></div><div>Lifers-</div><div><br /></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>I got one lifer mammal, Indiana Bat</li><li>For herps of my 31 species ten were lifers</li><li>Birds- Four lifers (Eurasian Tree Sparrow, Western Grebe, Western Flycatcher, Ross's Goose) Two state birds Sedge Wren, Townsend's Warbler</li><li>Fish- I saw fourteen lifer fish species. eleven while seining, one seen at the Cape Cod Canal, Blind Cave Fish on a cave tour, and one by snorkeling</li></ul></div><div><br /></div><div>Photo upgrades-</div><div><br /></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Including the lifer photos I got twenty bird upgrades to add to my photo album. I'm starting an album to document mammals, herps, and fish I've caught. This year I got photos of twenty five herp species that were either lifers or upgrades from what I had. </li><li> I have photos of 47/50 fish I've caught. Missing are Sheepshead, Mahi Mahi, and somehow American Eel.</li><li>There are eight bird species I have seen that I did not photograph out of 401</li><li>There are eight mammal species I've seen without a photo out of 61</li></ul></div><div>Armchair Ticks- </div><div><br /></div><div> Though seeing an animal five years ago obviously does not count as a lifer this year I spent hours going through old photos to add to my Species Album. I found photos of 8 birds, 2 mammals, 12 lizards, plus some other photo upgrades of other snakes and turtles.</div><div><br /></div><div>Personal- </div><div><br /></div><div> I went to a surprising nine concerts. Many of them were free. I only read three real books, but spent countless hours buried in field guides. I watched dozens of documentaries. I went to the movies four times. Laurie and I did binge a bunch of series on Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Plus. </div><div><br /></div><div> Only went to fireworks once. Four Museums. Swimming at Onset Beach three times. Three fishing and outdoor expos. Visited Concord, MA twice. Four Holiday/Church Fairs. One figure skating event with Laurie. Saw a flower that smells like rotting flesh called a Corpse Flower at Wheaton College.</div><div><br /></div><div> Other than the above trips, all of my other adventures were fishing, birding, chasing state birds, herping, snorkeling (once), quahogging (once), camping in New Hampshire, or vacation days</div><div><br /></div><div>For my "Photos with Friends Project" I took photos of myself with twenty of my friends. This leaves me with many more to get. Since I started this project in May, I'm going to continue it for another few months until May. I really want to document memories with people</div><div><br /></div><div>Happy New Year and may your days be filled with adventures!</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><p></p>Nick Pacellihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07160728044281317803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8837104285678635073.post-60968602980636763602023-12-10T19:35:00.000-08:002023-12-11T13:45:10.763-08:00Holy Mackerel<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqjgk9hLVREpFLsn0jdPQevCctLPxSQs6hOCWok26KZ2dlWiD0KiNaMvOpIA96gOC1ak47jpqXj31ee001lhcoEICqZU9blo70V1a1Ayn0_vIPz9QDfzXMO_r6zJ47g9S9FODgq6oKlr2MCSiqQvY5jkTGE2N1adbpyW91kzmK9FV2HFOMtm3IOzeZSYM/s5184/IMG_7333.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="5184" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqjgk9hLVREpFLsn0jdPQevCctLPxSQs6hOCWok26KZ2dlWiD0KiNaMvOpIA96gOC1ak47jpqXj31ee001lhcoEICqZU9blo70V1a1Ayn0_vIPz9QDfzXMO_r6zJ47g9S9FODgq6oKlr2MCSiqQvY5jkTGE2N1adbpyW91kzmK9FV2HFOMtm3IOzeZSYM/w400-h266/IMG_7333.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /> Of all my posts, this one easily has the cheesiest and laziest title but low hanging fruit is the easiest to reach. So no apology from me at this time.<p></p><p> Today I went to the Cape Cod Canal and caught my first ever mackerel. While it would be considered "spot burning" to say that I caught them at the canal, there are like four people that I know that have the surf rods heavy enough to actually fish there or they wouldn't drive there anyway.. They all live in Rhode Island or western Mass so it is safe to say that I will not be adding to the crowds at the Sandwich Marina. The fishing reports from tackle shops have already reported where the mackerel are. If you are randomly reading this on the internet and your goal in life has always been to catch a mackerel, you are welcome!</p><p> Actually, catching a mackerel was one of my goals. I had never caught any. I'd seen them swim by and be chased by stripers in the summer but never targeted them. Yesterday I went but I failed. I had hoped to catch them on light tackle so I brought my trout rod and some small Kastmaters. Unfortunately, the macs were way out of range of my small rod. I did bring an eight food surf rod but I did not think things through. I brought my rod with my bairunner and twenty pound mono. This had half the casting distance of braid. Add to that that I only brought some egg sinkers and tied a small Kastmaster to my line, I must have looked like a googan (idiot)</p><p> When I got done fishing yesterday, I went home and got more appropriate equipment. I got my Mojo rod with a reel full of braided line. I picked up my one Sabiki rig and some bank sinkers. The weather forecast said I had a few hours in the morning before a huge rainstorm. I planned on going fishing at 7-8 am but I didn't fall asleep until 5 am so I got up at 9 am.</p><p> </p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2z1TPiXA2hjYybL12c99PPiIY2bMleWZB0oMVCAMkf8WPYpO7bUTQeOQmgAif6zzsFks0lt0cdsKobQC4id9gpYmAQ_wGyLXXNk4Ljiy5y0QeJzUw0PzBD9MYfR_2-eVpyH8_IWAlW3g-3jFHSMwv47_gLnwepoVd-KCpabxetIoKS5jR0Ziei_Rm8jI/s5184/IMG_7341.JPG" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="5184" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2z1TPiXA2hjYybL12c99PPiIY2bMleWZB0oMVCAMkf8WPYpO7bUTQeOQmgAif6zzsFks0lt0cdsKobQC4id9gpYmAQ_wGyLXXNk4Ljiy5y0QeJzUw0PzBD9MYfR_2-eVpyH8_IWAlW3g-3jFHSMwv47_gLnwepoVd-KCpabxetIoKS5jR0Ziei_Rm8jI/s320/IMG_7341.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It's a shame mackerel are just considered <br />baitfish because the colors are incredible</td></tr></tbody></table><br /> I caught three mackerel today. Since I had never caught any, I would have been very happy with one. I caught two on one of my casts and an hour later caught the third. However, if I would have been in a competition or a tournament, I would have gotten my ass kicked. I saw so many mackerel caught. One guy reeled in five at a time so often I lost count. Many other guys caught a dozen or more. <p></p><p> I tried to figure out what I was doing wrong. My casts were about as far as those guys and I was letting my rig sink like they were. I think they had better Sabiki rigs than me. While I had a rig with five tubes that were grey and red the other people were using a different Sabiki. It seems like they were nailing fish on white teasers or shiny silver teasers. The white fly and the flashy stuff far outfished my rig. </p><p>I learned a lot today by not catching. It made me pay attention to those that were. I probably won't spend a lot of time chasing mackerel anyway. The crowded conditions really aren't my style. On a personal note, the mackerel were my fiftieth species I've caught fishing AND I saw a guy catch a fish called a Longhorn Sculpin. I had no chance of catching one of those, they only eat bait off of the bottom and I was fishing with lures. Still, I saw a lifer. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglmrIHi9YlC0k0g6a5GkiKl6djudXoYnxAV3Oyfzi3AC8vf7NmS0fIJ4soZs6YdfdxAfiQCpcAd8Qh0PCaGTVKaLLzjLCOQNXFeIvP8HeO2M9tJGHSl0Cy__L9NNzrexw_F1_8pCPC1PZkP0lkssDu4FlTIBfp47ZeT8PjgHp0HkkTFV0Ed2KvLb0fqWI/s5184/IMG_7344.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="5184" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglmrIHi9YlC0k0g6a5GkiKl6djudXoYnxAV3Oyfzi3AC8vf7NmS0fIJ4soZs6YdfdxAfiQCpcAd8Qh0PCaGTVKaLLzjLCOQNXFeIvP8HeO2M9tJGHSl0Cy__L9NNzrexw_F1_8pCPC1PZkP0lkssDu4FlTIBfp47ZeT8PjgHp0HkkTFV0Ed2KvLb0fqWI/s320/IMG_7344.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Longhorn Sculpin</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6k_CgcWtV-dZCr61-FWAlTBRPwd9lGYHZs1-U0p4ILXW8jpXfFk_VkgtH9hqYpRNTcEIRYpIoVZmB6oLhCbv2zC1-o4P5eFKsGmtg2zYJdFG0edB0qE4h_YsOFOGOXeGT1QQ_Oo3Z7B-YxbiWWiDCLUzDwUquVJeFLM2d8YwJEeyvYr9Mwg3GUrsW4KI/s5184/IMG_7345.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5184" data-original-width="3456" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6k_CgcWtV-dZCr61-FWAlTBRPwd9lGYHZs1-U0p4ILXW8jpXfFk_VkgtH9hqYpRNTcEIRYpIoVZmB6oLhCbv2zC1-o4P5eFKsGmtg2zYJdFG0edB0qE4h_YsOFOGOXeGT1QQ_Oo3Z7B-YxbiWWiDCLUzDwUquVJeFLM2d8YwJEeyvYr9Mwg3GUrsW4KI/s320/IMG_7345.JPG" width="213" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>Nick Pacellihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07160728044281317803noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8837104285678635073.post-60759483845846847612023-11-25T19:33:00.000-08:002023-11-26T18:52:55.104-08:00A lifer, a state bird, and a photo upgrade on the same day<p> </p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcVvM6gIbnefDwMgNdC8SEgnGSIVXjJOVdsjYiSmpnOVYzVj-xrFMVEVLtKTj9e5hCV6k2Uy_hxP9Zb0ape5IXiQ31ohV3a_SEbjjZCid9VjI3Bg5EZLtED2KJBypu9KDgLqPV_GcdkjSNrnZxc2yHywgfDNSGEvOr_YCj9ibe93wc-VwIIKOjCaJwkhU/s4267/IMG_7244.JPG" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2848" data-original-width="4267" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcVvM6gIbnefDwMgNdC8SEgnGSIVXjJOVdsjYiSmpnOVYzVj-xrFMVEVLtKTj9e5hCV6k2Uy_hxP9Zb0ape5IXiQ31ohV3a_SEbjjZCid9VjI3Bg5EZLtED2KJBypu9KDgLqPV_GcdkjSNrnZxc2yHywgfDNSGEvOr_YCj9ibe93wc-VwIIKOjCaJwkhU/s320/IMG_7244.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Western Flycatcher </td></tr></tbody></table><br /> Chasing rare birds has not been a fun pastime for me. Last week, I missed a Townsend's Solitaire by twenty minutes. The same day I missed a Bell's Vireo by forty five. I went back for the Bell's and dipped again despite giving it a solid six hours! Both of those birds would have been lifers for me. I can't tell you how frustrating that was.<p></p><p> So when a Western Flycatcher was found by my friend Carlos Pedro early this week, I tilted my head back and dropped an F-bomb. Not only was this a bird I'd never seen, it was the first one to show up in the state...ever! I couldn't go the day it was found and most of my friends did get to see it. The next day it was reported again so it was not what we call "a one day wonder". So I drove the ninety minutes to Burlingame Campground in the hopes of seeing it. I did not (four hours).</p><p> I tried again on Thanksgiving. As I was driving down a birder reported it. I was still an hour away but felt good that the bird was still there. At least it had not died or flown away. I got to Burlingame about 10:30. Though I had the place to myself for a couple of hours, a few of my friends showed up after 1 pm. We searched for hours but did not see the bird. (five more hours)</p><p> From 8 am on, yesterday people started reporting the Western Flycatcher again. A pattern was developing that this bird was most active in the morning when the sun starts to warm up the trees. I could not go, and I really didn't want to make the three hour round trip. I was quite content I had a turkey in the oven. That was until the reports did not stop until well after 11 am. I could have gotten the bird if I'd had left early. I was pissy all day. My friend Charles suggested we try again today (Saturday). I really didn't want to. It was going to be cold with a morning low of twenty one degrees. Who knew if the bird could survive the night? I didn't want to be cold for hours. Charles pushed me a little and I agreed. We met at 7 am. Temperature- 22 degrees.</p><p> We made it to Burlingame at 7:30. A few people I knew were getting out of the car too. Dan and Sue are great birders. Sue is far better than me so I was quite happy to have them around. We walked out to the campground which is about a three quarter mile walk. We went right to the nature center and the sun was hitting the trees in front. In seconds Sue called out the bird. We all would have seen it anyway because it was very active. She gets the credit for finding it first. I was just happy to see it. </p><p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkCCJ42S770bnoIyLYtZoJBOjZv9Ku3do9K0gfUHvoDKvfIevsoYKcRZE-4TitmsnrTBFJ1pgQLiLYbk_cwEVPKSShr0Pf90JAeRR8ZrvC6BuySuvYJdc1aCh4JNKntShboflvwObEB5sv4ruHJFmPKgRAwtDCTdfZk51UHEc6fp8JUu66BMmcJP-3S_c/s3981/1.JPG" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2654" data-original-width="3981" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkCCJ42S770bnoIyLYtZoJBOjZv9Ku3do9K0gfUHvoDKvfIevsoYKcRZE-4TitmsnrTBFJ1pgQLiLYbk_cwEVPKSShr0Pf90JAeRR8ZrvC6BuySuvYJdc1aCh4JNKntShboflvwObEB5sv4ruHJFmPKgRAwtDCTdfZk51UHEc6fp8JUu66BMmcJP-3S_c/s320/1.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Townsend's Warbler </td></tr></tbody></table> Charles and I ran into my new friend Nicole (also her third try, and she was there for hours of Thanksgiving also). The three of us decided to go to Tiogue and look for Tundra Swans. On our way there, Alan Kneidel reported a Townsend's Warbler at Swan Point. We were twenty one minutes away so we went straight there. Within minutes of us getting there every birder I know was looking for this yellow colored warbler. It flew into a tree right next to myself and Dick Bradley. We saw it and I yelled for everyone else to come our way. About half of the hoard saw it and the other half didn't. It flew out of the tree never to be seen again. Half of us were very happy, the other half stayed until dark but left disappointed. The Townsend's was a state bird for me but not a lifer. I saw one a couple years ago near the Cape Cod Canal. Both birds were lifers for Nicole. The Flycatcher was a state bird for Charles.<p></p><p> <br /> We still had time and went for the Tundra Swans but they were not there. We had an hour to kill before I had to get Charles to Wickford and Nicole to a Park and Ride in North Kingstown. So went to Frenchtown Park. There wasn't a lot of birds but we ran across a small mixed flock. A very curious Golden Crowned Kinglet came to check us out. They are a common species but one I never got a good photo of. Today I got my best one yet. A photo upgrade.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRq9CAa3wV1CQcO0VoQBSTB1xBJs8o62VAQVgfNZlhiJafqcAJooxuCelh2NVfDgQODBCG0yHp-2YYHYyvnsHpqChs4ejAFYTcuneSNIBx1QK4htBaLgFZuv0Hf2YH0yJjkrtaozUdciVr5uImSgMcGl7IBc25Y-o_kgWEVBJn8f5jmvX-98WqzZzNzYc/s3988/1.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2647" data-original-width="3988" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRq9CAa3wV1CQcO0VoQBSTB1xBJs8o62VAQVgfNZlhiJafqcAJooxuCelh2NVfDgQODBCG0yHp-2YYHYyvnsHpqChs4ejAFYTcuneSNIBx1QK4htBaLgFZuv0Hf2YH0yJjkrtaozUdciVr5uImSgMcGl7IBc25Y-o_kgWEVBJn8f5jmvX-98WqzZzNzYc/s320/1.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Golden Crowned Kinglet </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p><p> We had one more interesting sighting today. My friend Sue sent me a photo of thousands of baby fish yesterday. I had never seen a school like that in freshwater. Though I did not think that the pond was connected to the ocean I thought the only thing they could be were herring. I stopped today and scooped some with my net. They were White Perch by the tens of thousands. I could fill my net with well over a thousand, if not thousands of little perch and it didn't make a dent in the school. I very cool sight! Today made up for what had been a god-awful November for seeing the "good birds".</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_uSkTvZg2J3TBVbY4b9GLW9-NpIAWU_jkvLbRJSFAmHJ5blafncAtgq9BfUsoJalx3nwhYrPScoF3qM6zIyIsOPQYFvi8LNhf_-ijKLqPT4SblRV6CnCmB6z6HV9HUR_sURw7OxXMw69P8gwZyoRU4TI0D8SL0YtpgLR3bP-vHlL0qy0_sNuhNqTXk4U/s4160/IMG_20231125_121915653.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="2340" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_uSkTvZg2J3TBVbY4b9GLW9-NpIAWU_jkvLbRJSFAmHJ5blafncAtgq9BfUsoJalx3nwhYrPScoF3qM6zIyIsOPQYFvi8LNhf_-ijKLqPT4SblRV6CnCmB6z6HV9HUR_sURw7OxXMw69P8gwZyoRU4TI0D8SL0YtpgLR3bP-vHlL0qy0_sNuhNqTXk4U/s320/IMG_20231125_121915653.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">White Perch and a few<br />Yellow Perch mixed in</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Nick Pacellihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07160728044281317803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8837104285678635073.post-49716085703561543782023-11-25T18:58:00.000-08:002023-11-25T18:58:04.878-08:00Things that I am thankful for<p> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5_UsqIyZvnjGlAAdUFEXuVT6rqY7dsBAtlL5JFxwaKh_F7xMGHT0c6Ug92RGZnCpA0L8YO5izt2aWxENuiEMEZWZtIFqDcWoBDbn4XpnpCTAbJSaCOHdfTYZKmTJNlMH0yel9SkcDMwjB1rX5NfgLzZTi6JqC8-SjQHL0KdBugob1zYS5M_lKvbwwR2A/s4160/IMG_20231119_111433033.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="2340" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5_UsqIyZvnjGlAAdUFEXuVT6rqY7dsBAtlL5JFxwaKh_F7xMGHT0c6Ug92RGZnCpA0L8YO5izt2aWxENuiEMEZWZtIFqDcWoBDbn4XpnpCTAbJSaCOHdfTYZKmTJNlMH0yel9SkcDMwjB1rX5NfgLzZTi6JqC8-SjQHL0KdBugob1zYS5M_lKvbwwR2A/w225-h400/IMG_20231119_111433033.jpg" width="225" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Thousands of nickel sized<br />shells at Plymouth Beach<br />last weekend were amazing.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /> I almost forgot to write my Thanksgiving blogpost. It wasn't until this morning that it hit me that I needed to write a blog on Thanksgiving. If you've read them before you will see that over the first few years the things that I was thankful for were memories of that year. I would religiously be grateful for my close friends. A couple of years ago I lost my closest cousin and I had my own close call in the same week. So when Thanksgiving came around I was grateful for life itself. </p><p> Last year I wrote quite a bit about the people I was thankful for. I had been laid up for five months and was very appreciative of Laurie for taking care of me and the friends that checked up on me. After Thanksgiving I had another two months of pain before things turned around. </p><p> Now that I am pretty much pain free during the day (nights are still tricky) I am the living version of the cliche' "what a difference a year makes". It is very probable I will not have another year like this until retirement age. I spent most of the year hoping my back would fully heal before I went back to work. I had some money saved so I held out hope that the disk would slide back into place. So... since I wasn't working, I made the most of my time.</p><p> As I look back on things I am thankful for it, this year it boils down to two things: friends and nature. Despite the free time, I didn't spend nearly as much time with my friends as I would have liked. Because I was trying to conserve funds, I did not go birding for the sake of birding too often after May. Consequently, I didn't see my birding buddies very much. The same is true of the little amount of time I spent with Dave. I think we only fished together once or maybe twice all year.</p><p> Not seeing these people does not change the way I feel about them. I am truly grateful for the friendships I've made. The people that I spend time with will never know what they mean to me.</p><p> While I may have not seen my friends too often because I was conserving funds, I saw a lot of nature because those funds went towards day trips and adventures. Over the past year my eyes were opened to nature I never thought much about. What I am most thankful for this year is nature itself and that I love it so much.</p><p> I sometimes find it so overwhelming that there is so much to see and learn in the natural world. I am much better at the seeing and learning in the field than I am at doing my homework. I'll spend hours looking for snakes. This week, I spent ten hours over three days trying to get a life bird at Burlingame Campground. However, sometimes I find it tough to sit and study my field guides. Still, I am grateful that there is so much to learn. I'm even grateful that there are so many species of mice and voles that I'll probably never remember what they are even if I do come across a dead one on a trail. </p><p> Recently I started noticing small creeks and culverts more. The reason? Because there are a lot of small fish that I need as lifers. Every time I pass a small bridge I look to see if the water is deep enough for a minnow trap. I also look to see if there is access to the water. I don't want there to be. I want the distance from the road to the water to be covered in prickers or brush. That way, if I drop my trap for 24 hours I know that no one will stumble across it. I can't tell you how much I enjoy these little scouting minutes. These places are everywhere and it is nice to know I could have Bridle Shiners right next door. I don't have to drive to an exotic location to have a mini-adventure. I really am grateful for that.</p><p> Lastly, thank you to those of you that read this. I said when COVID first started that I would link my blog to Facebook. The hope was that if I could have a reader forget about all the crazy shit happening for a few minutes than it was worth it to me. It seems as though I have a few dedicated readers that click on my link. Thank you all. Happy holidays!</p><p><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaoBaxcijonlPrJEcfkTRDBnIOeHSBMdys461zqoeBsEaIDIKjjEgXwE3CH1iFVfM9x1okmkEBKTBWNP3wE60rdv7-QGteeblZyRs2SkVLBvuiboMRhXivE-jdUYWoFdwyse8zNmqCRuv05mNoa5hwht01HE5OnMnllrKOXbcf0SSTbGlz6R4dIbKaBs8/s5184/IMG_7198.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="5184" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaoBaxcijonlPrJEcfkTRDBnIOeHSBMdys461zqoeBsEaIDIKjjEgXwE3CH1iFVfM9x1okmkEBKTBWNP3wE60rdv7-QGteeblZyRs2SkVLBvuiboMRhXivE-jdUYWoFdwyse8zNmqCRuv05mNoa5hwht01HE5OnMnllrKOXbcf0SSTbGlz6R4dIbKaBs8/s320/IMG_7198.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />P.S. I am VERY THANKFUL that I finally saw the Western Flycatcher today!<p></p>Nick Pacellihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07160728044281317803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8837104285678635073.post-52439499920089281262023-11-20T09:40:00.000-08:002023-11-20T09:40:44.640-08:00Holiday Fairs<p> </p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLbI1EemrHp7sVw0c3TGBZp2IFoex840YTLqWEW8nLigRxXx4U6hhr0VDS56rmN4xfdl-paUvwuzfajWku11I5S7ZK9ArPx6BrdbUxYLLN1iRcW7f3kRhP2BP29P2NXIM8_HDA0eO7CmpMZqsjevVW5_kM92TEAeK6yQtXwV1pImCDqo9KDmTWiwhDyWo/s4160/IMG_20231118_110824318.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2340" data-original-width="4160" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLbI1EemrHp7sVw0c3TGBZp2IFoex840YTLqWEW8nLigRxXx4U6hhr0VDS56rmN4xfdl-paUvwuzfajWku11I5S7ZK9ArPx6BrdbUxYLLN1iRcW7f3kRhP2BP29P2NXIM8_HDA0eO7CmpMZqsjevVW5_kM92TEAeK6yQtXwV1pImCDqo9KDmTWiwhDyWo/s320/IMG_20231118_110824318.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Look, Carolers!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /> I have to admit, I like baked goods. I also love Christmas. When you combine the two you get church fairs and holiday fairs. Laurie and I make a point to go to a fair or two during the season. Saturday we went to three.<p></p><p> First up was a church fair in Mansfield. We bought some cookies and a slice of pumpkin pie. There were many raffles but we chose not to buy any raffle tickets at this fair.</p><p> Up next was the Little Red Schoolhouse in North Attleboro. The schoolhouse and the Garrison house next door are owned by the Historical Society. They were both built in the 1700's. The third graders go to these two structures on a field trip every year as a tour of the town. They dress up in period clothes and learn about the town history. It is one of my fondest childhood memories. </p><p> </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYM2W63WEqtKeZtD4IAFrO6F8rGiLqxNpCIMJEUOxrd3CPhssIRw59jp6_cCC28EUbOpHhqeINHrliJBeB64DYMaBjvjRE5NvEZO6-uEprwA1YumhFu_lmVpGVujojmMw6uXHs35eb_0oPsZriCXxtv9I0R712IkIMvDZ-c8X1MlluJMz8mtc_FAanAt8/s4160/IMG_20231118_112539512.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="2340" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYM2W63WEqtKeZtD4IAFrO6F8rGiLqxNpCIMJEUOxrd3CPhssIRw59jp6_cCC28EUbOpHhqeINHrliJBeB64DYMaBjvjRE5NvEZO6-uEprwA1YumhFu_lmVpGVujojmMw6uXHs35eb_0oPsZriCXxtv9I0R712IkIMvDZ-c8X1MlluJMz8mtc_FAanAt8/s320/IMG_20231118_112539512.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Despite being a ghost, <br />Jacob Marley was kind <br />enough to pose for a <br />photo with me</td></tr></tbody></table><br />Saturday, we just bought some Apricot Bread from the schoolhouse. The Woodcock Garrison House was not open until 11 am and we were over an hour early. When it is open, there is a fire going in the fireplace and the docents give a tour of the building. There are many artifacts over three hundred years old. I was a little disappointed that we couldn't go into the Garrison House, but our next stop more than made up for it.<p></p><p> Next, we went to the Dickens Fair at the All Souls Church in Braintree. Laurie found this place on line doing a Google search of "Massachusetts holiday fairs". The reason we drove so far for Christmas cookies was because it was Dickens themed. You could get your photo taken with characters from "A Christmas Carol".</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwVuQipMcd3HRo-9U7MIIh79THz3ssW6ADIAiVE3HE3OAprG3QO0Rxuq6X7Sau2ZYW9ztRD0Aap24exYxotLOki5m_C-iQWjEZnxlK-6ySNFortViNtYTbLuf8L_eUbKeufVsRhhRHoBfSot1OdEsTzBbCVbGO2daVT4-yHwGG4s_lM2CO-fcq6n0mlTg/s4160/IMG_20231118_105953034.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2340" data-original-width="4160" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwVuQipMcd3HRo-9U7MIIh79THz3ssW6ADIAiVE3HE3OAprG3QO0Rxuq6X7Sau2ZYW9ztRD0Aap24exYxotLOki5m_C-iQWjEZnxlK-6ySNFortViNtYTbLuf8L_eUbKeufVsRhhRHoBfSot1OdEsTzBbCVbGO2daVT4-yHwGG4s_lM2CO-fcq6n0mlTg/s320/IMG_20231118_105953034.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The most organized Christmas cookies I've ever seen</td></tr></tbody></table><br /> There are two rooms in the church. One of course, is where sermons are held. In this room was a craft fair. They had things from homemade ornaments to catnip infused beds for your cat. The other room had a raffle table, baked goods, and places to sit. Laurie bought some raffle tickets but we did not win anything. <p></p><p> There were characters from Dickens classic. They all got together and sang Christmas carols. After they were done, I tracked down Jacob Marley and got my photo with him. Also there was Father Christmas, how could I not get my photo with someone so famous? I mean, the guy is a legend.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaavOIdJVApfI9lVyIRNmhyeBt-nuQ0ojdIcpc0LS08mIpRA61Gt0cb9CGYKKGCzSkap3h3S8MQMlAYRrr-DG5dOu8aPvtuqnueA7YXQqExOdfZlbMn5cWK9Rgq6lCTs4zAsqXPOgyI_BtohnCgvxFCyXwdk42lRtrqBFmtvL2ShtIOl5TchWB4BKdp3E/s4160/IMG_20231118_111402796.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2340" data-original-width="4160" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaavOIdJVApfI9lVyIRNmhyeBt-nuQ0ojdIcpc0LS08mIpRA61Gt0cb9CGYKKGCzSkap3h3S8MQMlAYRrr-DG5dOu8aPvtuqnueA7YXQqExOdfZlbMn5cWK9Rgq6lCTs4zAsqXPOgyI_BtohnCgvxFCyXwdk42lRtrqBFmtvL2ShtIOl5TchWB4BKdp3E/s320/IMG_20231118_111402796.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />While these fairs are now nothing but a memory. There are still plenty of fairs across the region from church fairs, craft fairs in high school gyms to Plainridge Casino. I saw get out and go buy an apple pie or Cranberry Bread. Make the season fun. Worst case scenario, you don't win any raffles and you eat your feelings with Snickerdoodles! <p></p><p> </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirnRVHdBGw3B2lUGPmw7ZhRwnld5wJ5Uk_VX5HFLx1-fsFim9dxgnV85nuG3oyuKqYdoB8JwoO7X60G-9pBEZ5S7_y40ygbCDD8nt2uPUebrGLkamRpkUy5dEj4dSFUtAPI78c6VQOBuzIYT4tO0NCaxb7pVvXCUDhdw_EkQFEmIkyTV_jXIFSQBkMpz0/s4160/IMG_20231118_112812352.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="2340" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirnRVHdBGw3B2lUGPmw7ZhRwnld5wJ5Uk_VX5HFLx1-fsFim9dxgnV85nuG3oyuKqYdoB8JwoO7X60G-9pBEZ5S7_y40ygbCDD8nt2uPUebrGLkamRpkUy5dEj4dSFUtAPI78c6VQOBuzIYT4tO0NCaxb7pVvXCUDhdw_EkQFEmIkyTV_jXIFSQBkMpz0/s320/IMG_20231118_112812352.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A good time was had by all</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy-kRSoqmlQIVcLP9kUhuX2NKWK3PHq7OrLEG11zBy2cbvKU7L7HNCxT-fkGVcRQiXv-6MJaIiDM0LKDaN0xT4AAmswAtPzjfXjK1dIuzJXgQvq5La3xzW6Dt8zbEZ6F7Qp_XVmH-_zqzxjlfjfORo8FzT4oVogazak4xgJutd8nId1o_ucwAZ9wYbNMM/s4160/IMG_20231118_112558236.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="2340" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy-kRSoqmlQIVcLP9kUhuX2NKWK3PHq7OrLEG11zBy2cbvKU7L7HNCxT-fkGVcRQiXv-6MJaIiDM0LKDaN0xT4AAmswAtPzjfXjK1dIuzJXgQvq5La3xzW6Dt8zbEZ6F7Qp_XVmH-_zqzxjlfjfORo8FzT4oVogazak4xgJutd8nId1o_ucwAZ9wYbNMM/s320/IMG_20231118_112558236.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Father Christmas!!!!!!!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p>Nick Pacellihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07160728044281317803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8837104285678635073.post-47468786371766052722023-11-11T18:14:00.000-08:002023-11-13T17:21:03.129-08:00Some cool finds<p> </p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD6YJ-V_8DbZITwFNgWvMAkWNAruxhuVUUOFI2Rrh99DHfHxftG1_FoLWScOn-StJSEU4bhBQvkaJN90PLoVhAeF68cV5M7N5wVvlq57UyBxNdCYbzoJgMMTgp2B9smeA_omDF-3xXqkloQ52S3GWunJ75cTnaFgxBV6rOH0-suvqi3yY1DINhHPmu_xo/s5184/IMG_7100.JPG" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="5184" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD6YJ-V_8DbZITwFNgWvMAkWNAruxhuVUUOFI2Rrh99DHfHxftG1_FoLWScOn-StJSEU4bhBQvkaJN90PLoVhAeF68cV5M7N5wVvlq57UyBxNdCYbzoJgMMTgp2B9smeA_omDF-3xXqkloQ52S3GWunJ75cTnaFgxBV6rOH0-suvqi3yY1DINhHPmu_xo/s320/IMG_7100.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Two Lined Salamander<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /> I'll be honest, I haven't done much lately. While this post will make it seem like I've been going nature crazy, my adventures have been limited to roughly one per week. The rest of the time I might be in all day or go for a walk at a land trust preserve in town. The big adventures have been far, if not few, between. That of course does mean I've done some stuff and what I have done has been pretty cool. <p></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p> Oct 23</p><p> At the suggestion of my great naturalist friend Charles, we (Charles, myself, and our friend Louise) hunted down Two Lined Salamanders. Never heard of them? Neither had I until this year. After finding salamanders, assuming we did find them, we were going to look for Western Mosquitofish. Never heard of them? Again, neither had I. </p><p> Here is what I now know about Two Lined Salamanders. They live under rocks near streams. They are considered common. However, I really do not see how they can be that common because they like areas where the rock is shale. So they like areas with the dark layered rocks along streams and not your typical stream with mud banks or granite boulders. </p><p> As for the mosquitofish, they do not belong in Rhode Island. Sometimes they are stocked in ponds because they do eat mosquito larvae. They can gulp air like guppies and they are related. Though we live in the east, it turns out that Western Mosquitofish are the species more often stocked. However, RI DEM wouldn't stock them because they can become invasive. Despite their small size they will nip fins and harass other fish. </p><p> </p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBaACtUEjdT_Q8SiDnXTEjiJ6Vb8tT1yRK4JG_h0BgFLOsq9CZEOUnhnD-k4-5cWf_Jo3__AEuvqIxPZxCz_KHCoX3Buwok3KGW9gU-vx-wi0cwmcgqRnobDic8H-_XdfbtQbBRtqnYODZpz653QsfcuTqDNlOn0sIpvdh2o7c3QlFN_G3S3-iKn2pudg/s4160/IMG_20231024_103658692.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="2340" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBaACtUEjdT_Q8SiDnXTEjiJ6Vb8tT1yRK4JG_h0BgFLOsq9CZEOUnhnD-k4-5cWf_Jo3__AEuvqIxPZxCz_KHCoX3Buwok3KGW9gU-vx-wi0cwmcgqRnobDic8H-_XdfbtQbBRtqnYODZpz653QsfcuTqDNlOn0sIpvdh2o7c3QlFN_G3S3-iKn2pudg/s320/IMG_20231024_103658692.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The underside of a <br />Two Lined Salamander </td></tr></tbody></table><br /> About ten days earlier, Charles had come across these little fish. He tried to get a photo and sent it to DEM for confirmation and clarity on which species it was. They said that it was inconclusive. So we went back to capture one and count spines in the fins. <p></p><p></p><p> But first... the sallys. We met up on Aquidneck Island about 9:30 after it had warmed a little bit. Charles had been scouting for hours before Louise and I got there. We walked next to and through a stream until we walked into a valley and the rocks along the edge did become shale. Quickly Charles found a Two Lined Salamander. We took photos of it and let it go. They have a mustard colored stomach and we got photos of that. A minute or two later I found one of about the same size. I crossed the river so I could flip rocks on one side while they on the other. I ended up finding about five more sallys. We walked back to the car and drove to Charles's mosquitofish spot. </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p> </p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG-48CITK73b-MC0ZTpLVxD1oScViMa63AshDvgaUlO29ffivRcPTwF0vq_KkGhPsEGbx_bBdKnGnDbtjQW-91BkIJLRg_jVpq1eEVvg4vGglDfD3ziCnxvCl7veFub-gHtbY3NXREMY2vT0eBP3esIqc9aZvRs1VPlcAZDUBzQWY3QT1Ww2dItdle2xM/s5184/IMG_7130.JPG" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="5184" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG-48CITK73b-MC0ZTpLVxD1oScViMa63AshDvgaUlO29ffivRcPTwF0vq_KkGhPsEGbx_bBdKnGnDbtjQW-91BkIJLRg_jVpq1eEVvg4vGglDfD3ziCnxvCl7veFub-gHtbY3NXREMY2vT0eBP3esIqc9aZvRs1VPlcAZDUBzQWY3QT1Ww2dItdle2xM/s320/IMG_7130.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Western Mosquitofish</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div> It wasn't hard to find them. They were in water three inches deep or less. </div><div>Charles brought his net and I herded them with my shadow as we had the sun behind us. Somehow, Charles caught one on his second pass with the net. We put it in a small clear container and took a million photos. We really needed to see how many spines were on each fin. While the sun glare made it difficult to tell if our photos were coming out well, the bright sun made it easy to see the fish right down to the rays on each fin. We just couldn't tell until we got home. Though there may have been some confusion on whether it is a hybrid or a Western, it seems like the consensus is the fish is a Western Mosquitofish.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><p></p><p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWrD5aQB5noVQmKrpk1oxWudf_Q5Ans6M-XoQHVqAIh4t83QhraTi5Yv67o-Pu8hs-tYXBCDGqHz0Vb-5QdvZJn4PVnc0zbajk05Cu4_LMQXi0KVV3m07SqZDnmvh7-62YhWQSi5W9lk225IxTkQVxQAABb3iCiQGkVjq09sRSu76sxWu4PjGyDYk-SA8/s4160/IMG_20231028_151650502.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="2340" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWrD5aQB5noVQmKrpk1oxWudf_Q5Ans6M-XoQHVqAIh4t83QhraTi5Yv67o-Pu8hs-tYXBCDGqHz0Vb-5QdvZJn4PVnc0zbajk05Cu4_LMQXi0KVV3m07SqZDnmvh7-62YhWQSi5W9lk225IxTkQVxQAABb3iCiQGkVjq09sRSu76sxWu4PjGyDYk-SA8/s320/IMG_20231028_151650502.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Spring Peeper </td></tr></tbody></table><br />Minnow Traps<p></p><p> For the past couple of weeks I've been baiting minnow traps hoping to find small minnows and shiners. I've tried a couple different streams but have come up empty both times. I may give up until the spring. </p><p>Spring Peeper</p><p> One of those close land preserve walks I did was at Oak Knoll Sanctuary in Attleboro. Laurie and I went for a walk on all of the trails. I found a few salamanders while flipping rocks. The big prize, however, was found by Laurie. She found two frogs hopping in the leaves. One was a baby Wood Frog. The other was a Spring Peeper! While I hear Peepers almost every night during the warmer months, they are tough to see. I've only seen them once before. So Laurie's find was huge in my book. </p><p>Nov 3</p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidl8ifBtF9212CgLCsjWTk06AbRE8p8hhAOTHKIV5c_SetMD0bcU51VaB0ox2P2duELJlyjCppoyybZUMfzxQ7GNFW9xrUmolWHMrS5H3xEeM4m_p4VIO8VYAXsqhfmLbJCQTnOi6DKM60mJ7BRUKY-Dk6pvWLVM9t79uXG14Ui1ISYu3IO820qpOcZKI/s3276/IMG_7148.JPG" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2184" data-original-width="3276" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidl8ifBtF9212CgLCsjWTk06AbRE8p8hhAOTHKIV5c_SetMD0bcU51VaB0ox2P2duELJlyjCppoyybZUMfzxQ7GNFW9xrUmolWHMrS5H3xEeM4m_p4VIO8VYAXsqhfmLbJCQTnOi6DKM60mJ7BRUKY-Dk6pvWLVM9t79uXG14Ui1ISYu3IO820qpOcZKI/s320/IMG_7148.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sedge Wren</td></tr></tbody></table><br /> Charles and I planned on trying for a salamander so rare in Rhode Island that the best herpetologist in the state has only seen them a couple of times. It was a long shot but if he found one we would be heroes. The species is called a Spring Salamander. They only live along small streams that flow west into ONE watershed in northwest Connecticut. Also, if you find fish in those streams, the salamanders probably won't be there.<p></p><p> However, we changed out plans the night before because a Sedge Wren was found at Napatree. Never heard of them? Well, this one I had. I got a brief look at one years ago in Marshfield, MA. I counted it but after becoming an experienced birder I decided the look I had was so awful, I took it off of my list. It turned out that Charles had a similar terrible look at his only RI Sedge Wren. So... off we went to Napatree. </p><p> We ran into my friend Tim at Napatree and the three of us looked for the bird for two hours before it showed itself. The first look was awful for me. Charles and I were standing together and Tim was in front of us about twenty feet. The bird popped up ten feet in front of Tim but he didn't see it. I saw it and I kept explaining to him where it was. When he got on it, he lifted his camera for a photo. I did the same. The bird ducked back into cover. Tim got one photo but I did not get any! Luckily, twenty minutes later the bird popped up again. It wasn't nearly as close but it was up for a good thirty seconds and I took a dozen photos. None will ever be on my wall, but they were good enough to confirm what I saw on my ebird report. The Sedge Wren was my first lifer in Rhode Island this year and only my third overall. </p><br /> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEuGG20s_3zV9jG0iZhIgp0iMjCJpcC_REjyvQ6sdu7yFSyBldxTHlPwzW2S1dyUQ6tyBsCSjpzyGVU8of6jIgsPvxVpdAugpJt2aTvUbeYUNwPmCTSirs2vUF_FRrhVG3hcqS5Gx3l3w3vf-yJvXwHX8OTokrnHkLluZWAO_4nSuX0tdbUr3Kf6Qq-EY/s5184/IMG_7157.JPG" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="5184" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEuGG20s_3zV9jG0iZhIgp0iMjCJpcC_REjyvQ6sdu7yFSyBldxTHlPwzW2S1dyUQ6tyBsCSjpzyGVU8of6jIgsPvxVpdAugpJt2aTvUbeYUNwPmCTSirs2vUF_FRrhVG3hcqS5Gx3l3w3vf-yJvXwHX8OTokrnHkLluZWAO_4nSuX0tdbUr3Kf6Qq-EY/s320/IMG_7157.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Red Fox</td></tr></tbody></table><br /> We left Napatree at noon. On our way out a fox that clearly had been fed by people walked up to my car. Never one to miss an easy photo op I took some photos after getting my camera. While it made the photos easy, this is the reason you shouldn't feed wildlife. This animal will get hit by a car begging for food sooner and not later. <p></p><p> We decided to go try for the Spring Salamanders. It took an hour to find one of those perfect little streams. We walked up the hill and tried to find some salamanders but did not. We looked at it as a scouting mission anyway. We did see two snakes and a frog. Despite the temperature being fifty five degrees there were two Garter Snakes sunning themselves. I caught both of them but the second one was so cold, it didn't move. I'm sure that after the initial fear that I was a predator, it was happy to be warmed by a warm blooded animal for a couple of minutes.</p><p> So over the course of my adventures, I got a lifer Two Lined Salamander, a lifer Western Mosquitofish, a great look at a Red Fox, my second ever Spring Peeper, and a lifer/ state bird Sedge Wren. The Sedge Wren ended up being my four hundredth life bird</p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY1gLsTzG2W-Mjd7jKvJ2oMO8lLeQ7qpy4SnQsKN3FheT7Ky6OXmAqOQQFHLZHltn9S0ckpSgnG-FCnp3qY2CMZCP5C0h90qMCoPyHIfjWXXzq4GtbkSdQ65P7SpjahkmFBfbmMfJDkhnNtWww1I04N39rqwmrfAoJMt4vnwGX9E-m9iQ0H8FfvQ1Vx4U/s1600/Screenshot_20231111-204301.png" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="720" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY1gLsTzG2W-Mjd7jKvJ2oMO8lLeQ7qpy4SnQsKN3FheT7Ky6OXmAqOQQFHLZHltn9S0ckpSgnG-FCnp3qY2CMZCP5C0h90qMCoPyHIfjWXXzq4GtbkSdQ65P7SpjahkmFBfbmMfJDkhnNtWww1I04N39rqwmrfAoJMt4vnwGX9E-m9iQ0H8FfvQ1Vx4U/s320/Screenshot_20231111-204301.png" width="144" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A very cold Garter Snake</td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Nick Pacellihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07160728044281317803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8837104285678635073.post-59539120743071880022023-11-01T08:43:00.000-07:002023-11-01T08:43:21.410-07:00Counting Fish<p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEighTIe1lzTNfPRiejn2KgMoncyzgYm-8q3jWGXQJReoC6YBqHo8eGPNm_REZcA4D2MFOsdcnUTqR1E4969Yk5m75SdX49UQ6j3ZkXMniNKpvJ3QqI20Fm3GFtdOpFw5P4pQX7bB9xK6ZqJcgIOH_eWqQpP-kFnaulj6qU28rD3upNdJ2v2XWmIoFO0tRg/s4000/IMG_5308.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEighTIe1lzTNfPRiejn2KgMoncyzgYm-8q3jWGXQJReoC6YBqHo8eGPNm_REZcA4D2MFOsdcnUTqR1E4969Yk5m75SdX49UQ6j3ZkXMniNKpvJ3QqI20Fm3GFtdOpFw5P4pQX7bB9xK6ZqJcgIOH_eWqQpP-kFnaulj6qU28rD3upNdJ2v2XWmIoFO0tRg/s320/IMG_5308.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cutthroat Trout</td></tr></tbody></table> Before I went through all of my herp photos, I made a list of every fish species that I've seen and identified. I broke the list into four groups. In order of most important to me they are: </p><p></p><ol style="text-align: left;"><li> I caught them fishing with a fishing pole on a hook Snagging does not count as fishing</li><li> Seen snorkeling</li><li>Caught with a net or a seine</li><li>Seen in the water looking from above</li><li> Someone else caught this species and I saw it</li></ol><div> (5) Working my way back from the least important list, I almost find it embarrassing to see a fish someone else has caught but I didn't because I am a fisherman. However, when you are fishing bait on the bottom, you never know what you are going to catch. Case in point, I thought for sure I'd catch catfish in the Mississippi River but caught stripers. Luckily, this category is very small for me. I've only seen five species of fish this way. I saw my one Weakfish at Charlestown Breachway fishing next to another guy in the middle of the night. I saw a slot Red Drum (also known as Redfish) on a bridge in North Carolina. Someone caught a Flathead Catfish in Minnesota in 2010 while DJ caught bullheads. I saw a guy snag a Gizzard Shad in Hannibal, MO. I've seen Bonito caught but have never actually caught one.</div><div><br /></div><div>(23) I'm quite cool with seeing fish in the water from above. They are still in their natural habitat. If the water is clear than it's no different than seeing them snorkeling except I'm drier. I'll spare you all of the twenty three species I've seen this way. But I'd like to highlight some favorites. Probably my favorite fish I've seen from above is Peacock Bass. They are beautiful and one of the fish high on my bucket list to catch. Also on my bucket list to catch are Tarpon. I saw a school at Flamingo Marina in Florida along with Snook. I saw Blind Cavefish last month in Indiana. On whale watches I've seen Blue Sharks and Mola Mola. Unfortunately, I've seen two pike this way but caught neither. One was following my spinnerbait but turned away.</div><div><br /></div><div>(13) I've seen thirteen species that I've caught with a net or a seine. If I happen to catch any of them with a fishing pole or see them while snorkeling I'll take them off of this list and put them on the one they belong on. I got all thirteen of these species this year. This is due to my newfound friendship with Charles Avenengo and the BioBlitz. We caught Banded Sunfish, Swamp Darters, Banded Killifish, and Bridle Shiners at BioBlitz.</div><div><br /></div><div> Charles and I went seining four times. Three times in saltwater and once in freshwater. By far, the rarest fish was a Tidemaster Mojara which live in the Gulf of Mexico. Probably the coolest saltwater was a Windowpane Flounder. I had never heard of this species but it is beautiful. </div><div><br /></div><div> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5bgXyqrTUG1ItIY3ObhCp3lykpSIvElaZmAHhsHt8O9GqadnQEYv2W6h_mocKMyeavU0gzW9hFEzJn718nj8f_GlPrXRP8AMmDn0sLcOvCCoKKpjR3dTjF5uc_n4a105Ii7yh6x5M_VQo49wtUEJnzf87AF3kpH1IIFYIpv51raQIdJkhaUsmaiONG80/s926/thumbnail%204.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="521" data-original-width="926" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5bgXyqrTUG1ItIY3ObhCp3lykpSIvElaZmAHhsHt8O9GqadnQEYv2W6h_mocKMyeavU0gzW9hFEzJn718nj8f_GlPrXRP8AMmDn0sLcOvCCoKKpjR3dTjF5uc_n4a105Ii7yh6x5M_VQo49wtUEJnzf87AF3kpH1IIFYIpv51raQIdJkhaUsmaiONG80/s320/thumbnail%204.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nine Spined Stickleback</td></tr></tbody></table><br />We caught (Charles caught, I scared with my shadow) a Western Mosquitofish with a net last week. I've caught other species in a net but I have also caught them fishing. A fish only gets counted once so if it ends up on a list more important to me then I move it there.</div><div><br /></div><div>(10) Snorkeling. For sure I've seen a lot more than ten species of fish snorkeling. However, I couldn't identify most of them. When I was in the Florida Keys I went on two different snorkel trips. I also snorkeled at multiple beaches. The reefs and beaches were teaming with life. But if I couldn't identify the species I'm not adding it to my list as a number. </div><div><br /></div><div>Snorkeling is my second favorite way to see fish. Being in the water with them in their environment is amazing. I got an amazing tropical fish in Newport in August when Charles found a Beau Gregory. Just a piece of art with an electric blue back and bright yellow sides and belly.</div><div><br /></div><div>(49) My favorite way to count a fish is too catch them. It was tough to decide what's more of a priority fishing or snorkeling. I choose fishing for now but maybe I should have a separate list for fish I've seen snorkeling even if I've caught them. </div><div><br /></div><div> I've caught forty nine species that I am positive of. I could add to the list if I find my photos from North Carolina from 2007. I only wrote in my journal the species that DJ and I caught as a team but didn't separate them into what he caught and what I caught. I'm hoping I may have a photo or two of me holding a fish. We fished from the Oregon Inlet Bridge and also took a deep sea fishing trip on a head boat. The only species I know I caught were Sheepshead. But I know between us we caught Croaker, Pigfish, and Spot. For now those three species are on the seen only list. </div><div><br /></div><div> The same is true of a deep sea fishing trip we took out of Plymouth. For sure we saw Cod and Dogfish. But I can not remember if we caught either. I spent most of the trip adding to the chum over the railing.</div><div><br /></div><div> I guess if pressed I'd have to say my favorite species are Striped Bass, Smallmouth Bass, and False Albacore. I love caching these species. But the truth is, I probably enjoy catching new species more. I was really excited to catch my first Landlocked Salmon and Lake Trout out of Wachusett Reservoir. I caught little Grayling and Cutthroat Trout in Yellowstone. I'd say the prettiest fish I've ever caught are Kokanee and Red Breasted Sunfish. </div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4Br-M1Y5-QhAri8PV09kXWABDwxeapZTaZUnjdXVJUg07H-m_TdbFTk3mluEgx0xutb2DXPsXQ5bNk3COpacuOUAl1GeCf0_vRqpl9CX5B7OYBjebKplOgNjCvFpJ3wiA5yxjmQCCYoKEj2g_e7T1NDx821Z9NPeTyxYUI1ua0YiMSJH3l2Xr3C9C-VE/s6000/IMG_3529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="6000" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4Br-M1Y5-QhAri8PV09kXWABDwxeapZTaZUnjdXVJUg07H-m_TdbFTk3mluEgx0xutb2DXPsXQ5bNk3COpacuOUAl1GeCf0_vRqpl9CX5B7OYBjebKplOgNjCvFpJ3wiA5yxjmQCCYoKEj2g_e7T1NDx821Z9NPeTyxYUI1ua0YiMSJH3l2Xr3C9C-VE/s320/IMG_3529.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kokanee</td></tr></tbody></table><br />Conclusion</div><div><br /></div><div> If you add up all of those numbers of the five categories, it comes out to an even one hundred. I didn't plan it that way. I also hadn't been keeping track and figured I'd write a post once I reached one hundred. It just worked out that when I wrote all of the species on the list it came out to the century mark. </div><div><br /></div><div> I'm not sure keeping track of fish species is a rabbit hole I want to go down. I already try to catch fish I haven't caught. The only fairly common "gamefish" in New England I haven't caught are Walleye and Pike. There are some others that are either rare to catch (Tiger Musky and Round Whitefish) or have a very small range (Musky in the St John's River Maine/Canada border and Arctic Char in a couple of Maine lakes). I don't know if I want to make specific trips to try to catch these fish. </div><div><br /></div><div> There are a lot of small fish such as Darters and Minnows I could try to catch even within a half hour. of my house. I'm sure I will attempt to do that with my net. I also have a minnow trap. Seeing the fish we caught at BioBlitz and with Charles was really fun.</div><div><br /></div><div> I just found out about native fish get togethers where you travel to a destination where a bunch of people go seining, netting, snorkeling, and micro-fishing for all sorts of fish. They have lodging and a banquet. There are guest speakers. It sounds a lot like bird festivals except you get wet. This sounds right up my ally. I can add to a lifelist and talk about fish for four days. However, I am already taking vacations to see snakes and other herps. Laurie is not going to like it if I suggest we go to Oklahoma for vacation to look at little fish. This rabbit hole keeps getting bigger.</div><div><br /></div><div> Lastly, I know very few people that have caught forty nine species while fishing. It is possible I only know one person that has caught more than me. His name is Roy Levya. I asked him the other day if he knew how many fish species he has caught. He told me he hasn't added it up in a while but somewhere around <b>FIVE HUNDRED!!!</b> I'm sure I couldn't name two hundred species never mind physically catch (this is while fishing not with a net!) five hundred!!!</div><div><br /></div><div> In 2012 Charles did a fish big year. He is not a fisherman so he found other ways to see fish. He is the naturalist at Norman Bird Sanctuary so he saw many of the fish seining. We stopped and looked at the water in various places to see what he could find. He went on party boats to watch fish get caught. Most importantly, he took a trip to northern Ohio and one to Tennessee to see fish. The Tennessee trip was like I was explaining above where he went to a fish meeting. He saw forty fish species in Tennessee. Overall he saw one hundred and ten fish species in a year. Ten more than I have seen in my life and I have the advantage of fishing for them. Between Roy and Charles, it is easy to be humble (and jealous!).</div><div><br /></div><div> Alice, that rabbit hole is looking mighty tempting!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLNzxYVp1PTUfGBUp2nKNLthTffFOnb-0IfqB3xxnOchW5TZQFypCO24OuzlTgHDkU6bhg1Iau00O1q7b3q84E4Mjc1zvnstywRkwPdTiopX1hYWvBec_lrLjXWXvXdPk88R84ItRaZ04udUu30kc9f6OD87dKnLgAIiwL_oLzHpZQAQ5WXWDifDITMGQ/s2048/14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLNzxYVp1PTUfGBUp2nKNLthTffFOnb-0IfqB3xxnOchW5TZQFypCO24OuzlTgHDkU6bhg1Iau00O1q7b3q84E4Mjc1zvnstywRkwPdTiopX1hYWvBec_lrLjXWXvXdPk88R84ItRaZ04udUu30kc9f6OD87dKnLgAIiwL_oLzHpZQAQ5WXWDifDITMGQ/s320/14.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Smallmouth Bass</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div><p></p>Nick Pacellihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07160728044281317803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8837104285678635073.post-37366729037465689062023-10-29T20:52:00.000-07:002023-10-29T20:52:03.083-07:00Armchair Ticks<p> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLBOIeDo1EotWG4-y5RP4Bzod12fO1O4JdypeY1Eo6NARk4ueyDqSRY8wYnYy3IVcTrG0b2krxsr7T2RUmBS7Xd39NXehxyqo-6nA-NejvuU9wb9kHQIK4VDut4DKOBVkQG1yoZZxS2P1UBxjjEy7cqMUr0vqOG3iBPtkkpp2Fvz9DyRUS8VV7rqbFSO8/s4000/Arches%20Black%20Chinned%20Sparrow.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLBOIeDo1EotWG4-y5RP4Bzod12fO1O4JdypeY1Eo6NARk4ueyDqSRY8wYnYy3IVcTrG0b2krxsr7T2RUmBS7Xd39NXehxyqo-6nA-NejvuU9wb9kHQIK4VDut4DKOBVkQG1yoZZxS2P1UBxjjEy7cqMUr0vqOG3iBPtkkpp2Fvz9DyRUS8VV7rqbFSO8/w400-h300/Arches%20Black%20Chinned%20Sparrow.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Black Chinned Sparrow</td></tr></tbody></table><br /> For those of you that don't know what an armchair tick is let me explain. As many of you know, birders keep all kinds of lists. Lets say you've seen one hundred species of birds. Every year, the ABA ( American Birding Association) looks at the latest science and decides if a species may actually be two different species. Sometimes there is evidence that a bird has evolved differently from one location and is a totally different species. While a bird may look very similar it could have a different song or habits. If DNA confirms that there is enough of a difference than the ABA could decide that what we thought was one species is really two different species. If you have seen both of these populations in your hundred species, you get to add one and now you are at one hundred and one.</p><p> This recently happened with Meadowlarks as my friend Scott told me. The Eastern Meadowlark was split into two. While there still is an Eastern Meadowlark, there is now a Chiricahua Meadowlark. The latter bird lives in the southwest from western Oklahoma to central Arizona. Scott had previously seen this bird in that range. So when the species was split, he got to add it to his lifelist without leaving his couch. Hence the name "armchair tick". Tick would be another term for checkmark or mark to identify you have seen the bird. </p><p> Another example of an armchair tick would be when the ABA allows a previously unallowable bird to be counted. Lets say someone lets there pet parrot free in Miami or one escapes. If I'm driving through Miami I can not count it because it is not a wild bird. I can not count a parrot that was raised by humans anymore than I can count a chicken in someone's back yard, it is not a wild bird. But say many parrots escape and they start breeding. Now they are not domestic birds, they are wild born. After a number of years, I believe twenty five, if that population is self sustaining then the ABA will announce that the bird can be counted. So if I were driving through Miami on my 2019 vacation and I saw that parrot species and in 2022 they announced it is countable, I get to add to my list without leaving my chair, hence...armchair tick.</p><p> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1nRx5Iyr_7mHvpqDGeBwoUmlLNTvJMKQJRmM9bixMfm3MLNzMSnnr6mKuDXv-48VS9A0l2uk7f_XQ5ePRTHANzVkevOqg87pkMkRgQQIFWhp2ikmukz6dM6lhCp_2lfjOCdCfonFFsygLIkIDtcInGf6Q5-er4uoRz51Hub4Ne37WUzYhc1e12joKMMY/s4000/Arches%20Longnose%20Leopard%20Lizard.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1nRx5Iyr_7mHvpqDGeBwoUmlLNTvJMKQJRmM9bixMfm3MLNzMSnnr6mKuDXv-48VS9A0l2uk7f_XQ5ePRTHANzVkevOqg87pkMkRgQQIFWhp2ikmukz6dM6lhCp_2lfjOCdCfonFFsygLIkIDtcInGf6Q5-er4uoRz51Hub4Ne37WUzYhc1e12joKMMY/s320/Arches%20Longnose%20Leopard%20Lizard.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Longnose Leopard Lizard</td></tr></tbody></table><br /> All of my birder friends keep lists. The ones that travel can't wait to find out if the ABA split any species so they can add a bird to their lifelist. I know a few nature lovers that keep a dragonfly and butterfly list, but beyond that, I know a couple that keeps track of herps they have seen. I know very few that keep track of much other than that. The best example of someone that does is my friend Charles. He seems to keep a list of everything from Damselflies to Mammals. </p><p> Until this year I had my bird lists which are only in two categories, birds I've seen in RI (on ebird) and total birds (in a notebook). I have a half hearted butterfly list. Last year I kept a list of herps I saw in 2022 and this year I have done the same. That was until this weekend.</p><p> This week I put together my life list of fish. That in itself is worthy of its own blogpost for another time. I also decided to figure out how many species of herps I had seen before. This was pretty tough. I'd gone on vacations to Florida and North Carolina in the last few years. I took photos of pretty much anything that sat still long enough. If a lizard wanted me to take a photo I was happy to oblige. I never gave them much thought after I got home.</p><p> In North Carolina I took a lot of reptile photos but I'm attracted to megafauna. So I'll take hundreds of photos of a Black Bear and forget to ID a turtle. When I got home from North Carolina I actually did pretty well with getting ID's of my lizards but didn't get too many turtles identified. </p><p> Much more of a problem was my vacation in 2010. DJ and I went all over the west. I snapped photos of everything. With over three thousand photos after deleting the blurry ones, there was a lot to go through.</p><p> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0A2fho4IyfNnszUvKgSx3lJXrjY-UOQUBWR0FAvA3oD430SX01L8ptvNKJjLe_KN6GrZJPuWbCDzWLaRQIPZavjBf9ZIUiWrR7BjamxpYWFZkzoxy_npkRv5Buwwb1xFhyphenhyphenatJ2mj7j3nl_N0I6VVsTX47aCBVayyGZAr4DAdAxuIH3pIXxvmW423ebkg/s5184/Peters%20Rock%20Agama.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="5184" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0A2fho4IyfNnszUvKgSx3lJXrjY-UOQUBWR0FAvA3oD430SX01L8ptvNKJjLe_KN6GrZJPuWbCDzWLaRQIPZavjBf9ZIUiWrR7BjamxpYWFZkzoxy_npkRv5Buwwb1xFhyphenhyphenatJ2mj7j3nl_N0I6VVsTX47aCBVayyGZAr4DAdAxuIH3pIXxvmW423ebkg/s320/Peters%20Rock%20Agama.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Peters Rock Agama, Florida Keys</td></tr></tbody></table><br /> Which is exactly what I did on Friday night. I was alone and had the night to myself. So I started looking for photos of all of the herps I had seen this year and put them in a folder so I could make prints. Then I decided to go through my Florida photos. I found three lizard species and a snake species that I did not know the identity of. I also found the turtles from North Carolina and put them in the folder. </p><p> Next I tackled 2010. The job wasn't as bad as you'd expect. I didn't have any lizards until I reached Utah. I didn't have to go through my photos from Yellowstone or the Grand Tetons. However, we covered a lot of ground in the southwest. We went to the Grand Canyon, three Utah national parks, Flaming Gorge Dam, and two national monuments. It did take me a couple of hours to find all my herp photos. I tried to get positive IDs of the reptiles but did a piss poor job. </p><p> The following morning I posted the lizard pics of a reptile Facebook Group. I posted the snake from Florida on a Snake group and the turtles on a Turtle Identification group (who knew?). To my surprise, all of the species were identified. The snake was a Peninsular Ribbon Snake. All of the turtles were in the slider family but I had seen those species before. The lizards were all identified for me by a real reptile expert out west. I thanked everyone that was kind enough to help me out.</p><p> All in all, I had thirteen species identified (not including the turtles) that I previously did not know what they were. In a stroke of a pen, I got thirteen armchair ticks!!! Needless to say, I was on cloud nine all day on Saturday. I am going to get prints of all the herps I have photos of including the species from these trips and make an album the way I do for birds. </p><p>Sidenote- one of the thirteen armchair ticks was a bird. I found a photo of a species I saw in Utah and asked Scott what it was. It is a Black Chinned Sparrow a very handsome bird. </p><p>Not that anyone cares but the previously unidentified species are:</p><p>Black Chinned Sparrow (bird, Utah)</p><p>Florida</p><p>Green Anole (was pretty sure but wanted confirmation), Brown Anole, Northern Curly Tail Lizard, Peters Rock Agama, Peninsular Ribbon Snake</p><p>Utah</p><p>Long Tailed Leopard Lizard, Side Blotched Lizard, Ornate Tree Lizard, Common Sagebrush Lizard, Western Whiptail, Plateau Striped Whiptail, Plateau Fence Lizard </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja6rSDALKDudeg29vjgObl_0uyOD04YO_ri2UjeJKhX4TjDYkd6ip8WANzwk5my4QhHi51czV8uI8nfggOzds7aApD9v4S0Yd5E67jTh_6QwqYoLWS8yXEiqbzy9hvYawNN0XV89u1kMnbFkz1ukvRxwd_uo8Z5uOg5qX7ewmZ6TUyt2uVCnIzjUN7Shk/s5152/IMG_1863.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3864" data-original-width="5152" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja6rSDALKDudeg29vjgObl_0uyOD04YO_ri2UjeJKhX4TjDYkd6ip8WANzwk5my4QhHi51czV8uI8nfggOzds7aApD9v4S0Yd5E67jTh_6QwqYoLWS8yXEiqbzy9hvYawNN0XV89u1kMnbFkz1ukvRxwd_uo8Z5uOg5qX7ewmZ6TUyt2uVCnIzjUN7Shk/s320/IMG_1863.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Peninsula Ribbon Snake</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p>Nick Pacellihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07160728044281317803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8837104285678635073.post-66014400690312822112023-10-26T18:31:00.004-07:002023-10-26T18:31:49.969-07:00Finding White Perch on Memory Lane<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1rJVsJGtP9dkr-mD56qB2HQBH0LXRfThtUM8Ih59UmeHUVBncUkVrnGO4K9mQNXHDJC8ADGFY7jxg4-3k9fiM1zjCgAzY2io_BLEBdQxDYiV67OlVS_3jeNUMxCHFmSzJ8S2EB6GFcTpDzl1vnvyeBe2fGYWqfx1zh1ChI3tVoymyGXp1WxlD32T-82g/s4160/IMG_20231026_132340139~2.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2340" data-original-width="4160" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1rJVsJGtP9dkr-mD56qB2HQBH0LXRfThtUM8Ih59UmeHUVBncUkVrnGO4K9mQNXHDJC8ADGFY7jxg4-3k9fiM1zjCgAzY2io_BLEBdQxDYiV67OlVS_3jeNUMxCHFmSzJ8S2EB6GFcTpDzl1vnvyeBe2fGYWqfx1zh1ChI3tVoymyGXp1WxlD32T-82g/w400-h225/IMG_20231026_132340139~2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div> Today I went fishing in the hopes of finding an old favorite. I could not waste this absolutely gorgeous eighty degree fall day. I headed out onto Norton Reservoir armed with my trout rod, small jigs and small shad bodies. As an adult, when I fished everyday, if I went through a slump with big fish (Carp, Largemouth Bass or Stripers) I'd go to Norton Reservoir and catch thirty or more fish and get my confidence back. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> When I was young we would stay at a cabin an hour from Acadia National Park in Maine. The cabin was on a lake that was nine miles long named Toddy Pond. The pond was full of White Perch. We could catch them in "Deep Hole" from the boat during the day and they would come into shore almost every night. I'd catch them along with Fallfish and Eels from the dock until I couldn't see. More than any other fish, I have fond, and somewhat complicated, White Perch memories from my childhood.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> We would stay at this cabin for two weeks in August every year. My parents, myself, my brother, and my parent's best friend Art (we called him Beezy because he got into a fight with a hive of bees as a kid and the nickname stuck) would go. I was addicted to fishing. I'd spend almost every moment in the canoe or boat fishing. My parents and Beezy loved playing cards. They played high-low-Jack and they played partners. I never got into it despite being fairly good at the game. This left my brother who is three years younger than me to be someone's partner. Many nights I'd have my mom annoyed at me that I didn't want to play. But oh well, there were fish to catch.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> After many years of catching White Perch in Maine we put the boat into Norton Reservoir. It was loaded with perch and I would keep a few to eat. <b>Sidenote- do not eat fish out of Norton Reservoir. It is polluted. Raw sewerage used to be dumped in there.</b> They were stunted and unlike in Maine where I'd occasionally catch one thirteen inches, the Norton ones were never bigger than eight inches. In one of our first encounters with these fish I kept a few and put them in the net which we left in the water. I probably had eight or ten. My mom reeled in what she thought was a log until she went to pull it out of the water. The "log" was a monster bass. Easily eight pounds! Instead of waiting for me to try to lip it or for us to empty the contents of the net she tried to lift it out of the water snapping her line. She handled the loss well, but blamed me for having the net full of fish. Once grown and with a few big fish under my belt I realized this was her fault not mine. Who tries to lift a giant bass out of the water with their little freshwater rod? </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZn2QKU8iwaHWzK0QArAlwv17Sqwv-MEPDXhy1XwoAdzzktiCQBQ_cu47SYMXpau6HnEMzBTtQQCJb2nLiNjG7WNd-NtvFlb8X0uuRMg3zL-AKQ-mRbCk1mXX2nK6Cnt5KUcGoLfU1CgLnKHNgL2VGpRtlrsis8SI3tzdt46S8Z6A0qW2a9rNBC34mWbk/s4160/IMG_20231026_132419433.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2340" data-original-width="4160" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZn2QKU8iwaHWzK0QArAlwv17Sqwv-MEPDXhy1XwoAdzzktiCQBQ_cu47SYMXpau6HnEMzBTtQQCJb2nLiNjG7WNd-NtvFlb8X0uuRMg3zL-AKQ-mRbCk1mXX2nK6Cnt5KUcGoLfU1CgLnKHNgL2VGpRtlrsis8SI3tzdt46S8Z6A0qW2a9rNBC34mWbk/s320/IMG_20231026_132419433.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> After years of only catching White Perch in Maine and Norton Reservoir my parents bought the boat off of Beezy and I could keep it docked on Falls Pond at a family friend's house. The walk to his house was about ninety seconds. I lived out there. I was on the water almost every day. I learned how to bass fish out there and how to use lures. For my eighth grade graduation gift I was offered a small family party or fifty dollar gift. I bought fifty dollars worth of lures from Bass Pro Shops that were mail order at the time. We still went up to Maine the difference was we were trailering the boat instead of Beezy. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> When I was about fifteen, the day after we came home from our annual Maine vacation, I was talking to a fishermen that was coming in off of Falls Pond. I asked him what he caught and he told me a few bass and White Perch. I'd fished Falls Pond my whole life and I had never caught a White Perch. I was sure he didn't know the true identity of what he caught. However, I was also secretly excited that I might have perch in the pond. Sure enough the next day when I got my boat back int the water I caught my first ever Falls Pond White Perch. I'd caught hundreds of fish from Falls Pond, how I had never caught a White Perch until that day is mathematically impossible. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> A couple weeks later I caught a Falls Pond White Perch that was about fifteen inches. This is huge for a freshwater White Perch. I took it home and had it weighed at a local tackle shop. It was big enough to qualify for a state pin. Later that week as I was reading the outdoor column, which I read religiously, I read my name in the paper. There was a paragraph with my name and my catch. We bought multiple copies that afternoon.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> My last White Perch memory isn't about catching one. Fast forward twenty years I was fishing in Providence almost every winter night when the weather was warm enough. There had been a lot of sea-run White Perch around but I hadn't hooked up with one (Dave, if you are reading this, you probably already know where I'm going with this). The fish were much bigger than the stunted perch normally caught in lakes. I was determined to catch one so I left my striper gear in the car and used my trout rod. I put on a small jig with a small shad body. I didn't mind that I wouldn't catch any stripers with this gear, I really wanted to catch a White Perch. It was a rainy but warm, for a winter night. Dave had gotten there before me and had caught a few stripers that night. After only a couple minutes I hooked up but it was definitely not a perch. My medium-light freshwater rod bent over.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> When my drag started screaming Dave said, and I quote, "the fish are running big tonight". He was right. I had an epic battle on my hands. While I was fighting this big fish on six pound line Dave hooked up also. It took me twenty minutes to get the fish in but somehow landed a thirty one inch striper. Dave unhooked his fish and we set up my small camera on a timer and somehow it took a magical photo. The photo is in the top right hand corner of the blog. It has been featured in magazines twice. It is hanging on my wall. It is, by far, my favorite fishing photo of my life. While, this story isn't about White Perch, it is because I was chasing them.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> A good sized freshwater White Perch is a foot long, and a fifteen inch fish will make the paper if you are a kid. Since my childhood I've caught tons of Stripers that could eat a White Perch and still be hungry. I've gotten close to the elusive thirty pound carp. But every now and then, I go back. When an eight inch perch comes out of the water it reminds me of my childhood every time. All of these memories come back. Without White Perch my Maine vacations would not have been nearly as fun. I don't know what I would have done with those hundreds of hours I spent on Toddy Pond drowning worms and catching perch. Even worse, the evenings would have been spent playing cards!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvTGUSybSDWX5EuaWZPmjUWgsJRdq7m8Dy4LumCc3wXKEWEgeJcVnLUeux6UGKP8aYHHDXu2P2n1DoazPvucDueR_2t2uArasxcQFoYtjh6daNx0fOpvZ-Z9xRO5iYCqEmu8B1l-rSs4o8wkgYT7OmgvW3D4E6i6tR8-qBHzAGZyIa4GBUmUSHTpeaodQ/s4160/IMG_20231026_133356487.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2340" data-original-width="4160" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvTGUSybSDWX5EuaWZPmjUWgsJRdq7m8Dy4LumCc3wXKEWEgeJcVnLUeux6UGKP8aYHHDXu2P2n1DoazPvucDueR_2t2uArasxcQFoYtjh6daNx0fOpvZ-Z9xRO5iYCqEmu8B1l-rSs4o8wkgYT7OmgvW3D4E6i6tR8-qBHzAGZyIa4GBUmUSHTpeaodQ/s320/IMG_20231026_133356487.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yellow Perch</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-a45mrp8K8wfLjpcqVvZ4ICwwL3BWMEJC6QARxD_Dsoam999qF55qa7pRQ7W52N4P54yD7Px8rav20nuJjVgeFk69Ky_sPQpEtSCrJQDH0c_UuzyLjC5z2a4kgdBmvCDtO95IQKptRhqMayIrtCuaRgwc68zmPfd5nccIXn1m7zllADaQr96tprQ9e8Y/s4160/IMG_20231026_141738032.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2340" data-original-width="4160" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-a45mrp8K8wfLjpcqVvZ4ICwwL3BWMEJC6QARxD_Dsoam999qF55qa7pRQ7W52N4P54yD7Px8rav20nuJjVgeFk69Ky_sPQpEtSCrJQDH0c_UuzyLjC5z2a4kgdBmvCDtO95IQKptRhqMayIrtCuaRgwc68zmPfd5nccIXn1m7zllADaQr96tprQ9e8Y/s320/IMG_20231026_141738032.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A decent sized Pumpkinseed Sunfish</td></tr></tbody></table><br /> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsuXoModqpPaVmDc9CnjhyROp7J4-a8hjplGob0C0ERK0jWuJTFd7r8IcY8z9y7hO0NHbCwiO26PJvrzJFdBPlvKzaeH25U5Z7UJC1GLb2yBT38jP-LmexIIsQmpaJH3cKtNeJgcGmuDomn3x0386sD395auqFU-BjloN4Gp-YndSZ78eoq3tTKulmqRQ/s4160/IMG_20231026_141047259.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="2340" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsuXoModqpPaVmDc9CnjhyROp7J4-a8hjplGob0C0ERK0jWuJTFd7r8IcY8z9y7hO0NHbCwiO26PJvrzJFdBPlvKzaeH25U5Z7UJC1GLb2yBT38jP-LmexIIsQmpaJH3cKtNeJgcGmuDomn3x0386sD395auqFU-BjloN4Gp-YndSZ78eoq3tTKulmqRQ/s320/IMG_20231026_141047259.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Black Crappie. Just a glorious day</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p>Nick Pacellihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07160728044281317803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8837104285678635073.post-611236871273000852023-10-18T20:25:00.000-07:002023-10-18T20:25:50.960-07:00Very cool stops in the Midwest<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipDG4uaxuJJQn-QyXRu4vrFyyBDYUZ9hEr1NRlA6fxAITWhCkfhUTLfEgUoJjeUtU5GycM3WNF-MVYaa0ozhftQaCXwZ56sCKb2yTocKtxqgo63zUaHgNJsbBo3xnqLoD0p21Galpj6o0GI-MvhxuYKyh0URIYJjTDTa3Xbk53jxqCJ6MNIOP_sEqVzHA/s5184/IMG_6774.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="5184" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipDG4uaxuJJQn-QyXRu4vrFyyBDYUZ9hEr1NRlA6fxAITWhCkfhUTLfEgUoJjeUtU5GycM3WNF-MVYaa0ozhftQaCXwZ56sCKb2yTocKtxqgo63zUaHgNJsbBo3xnqLoD0p21Galpj6o0GI-MvhxuYKyh0URIYJjTDTa3Xbk53jxqCJ6MNIOP_sEqVzHA/s320/IMG_6774.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /> We knew that the Gateway Arch, Hannibal, Snake Road, and Matt's house would be focal points on our trip. There were other things we did that required far less time. A couple of things were planned (Kankakee Sands and Blue Springs Cavern) while others were spur of the moment (US Grant Historic Site). The things below are all things I would highly recommend even though we never spent more than four hours at any of them. Each has a paragraph or two followed by some photos before you scroll to the next place.<p></p><p><br /></p><p> Kankakee Sands Nature Conservancy</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW0OAbpAWZSaYgGHGUo27eJBUxP0f70tpzVXnKiiTQv-CILYZsCDrT-Ilpu69yDHuvY9Y1Fu9BNIUOdyseUbxhciso96qVHPu8iT4JiQQMO-8-UzHaS_IoUdX3abrGBaXLXClpzooaP4zte2n6ZZOowRiaZC8JUDEo_5ubz8WoNoIFHcrRuPeqYjNpqn4/s5184/IMG_6789.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="5184" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW0OAbpAWZSaYgGHGUo27eJBUxP0f70tpzVXnKiiTQv-CILYZsCDrT-Ilpu69yDHuvY9Y1Fu9BNIUOdyseUbxhciso96qVHPu8iT4JiQQMO-8-UzHaS_IoUdX3abrGBaXLXClpzooaP4zte2n6ZZOowRiaZC8JUDEo_5ubz8WoNoIFHcrRuPeqYjNpqn4/s320/IMG_6789.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /> While the Gateway Arch was our first true destination, I drove all night on Thursday to put us close to Kankakee Sands so we could spend few hours there on Friday. This six thousand acre prairie in NW Indiana is owned by the Nature Conservancy. They did a great job converting ten square miles of farmland back to prairie. The main attraction is a bison herd of about 93 animals. They roam a square mile. There is a fence that separates you from them and they can be anywhere so your chances of seeing them vary depending on where they are. We got lucky and most of the herd was near the dirt road running along the fence line. I took photos for fifteen minutes.<p></p><p> Next we took a hike in the prairie. I was hoping to find some grassland birds but I knew the odds were slim. It was mid-afternoon on a ninety degree day and many species had already headed south. I never ended up seeing any of my targets. Still, I loved walking in the prairie If I were passing through I'd go again.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKT8orU5CHKGJIK9tFmdt_25ZspHO_QuK5mI2jO3YX_zLSEl6_0csZ5KPV9C1FIc2-VSx73v9jHOP3Remt4rmFB0elUzxV535Z2AseSoucYQ3GXmM55nd1anPL70YHtjvsLtUmOU94TJ7yFXwGYIeazm0bsqTJN9n3xwFcxRrkRuTst0uSyI95U-VzBgg/s2048/387773732_7364445056918774_2319648819023604163_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKT8orU5CHKGJIK9tFmdt_25ZspHO_QuK5mI2jO3YX_zLSEl6_0csZ5KPV9C1FIc2-VSx73v9jHOP3Remt4rmFB0elUzxV535Z2AseSoucYQ3GXmM55nd1anPL70YHtjvsLtUmOU94TJ7yFXwGYIeazm0bsqTJN9n3xwFcxRrkRuTst0uSyI95U-VzBgg/s320/387773732_7364445056918774_2319648819023604163_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">There was Prickly Pear along the trail</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p><p>Eurasian Tree Sparrow</p><p> St Louis has a small population of the Eurasian Tree Sparrows. As the name suggests they are native across the pond. They were released and instead of reeking havoc such as invasive House Sparrows and Starlings, they have only a small population that is struggling to survive. Their range is a small neighborhood in St Louis called Dogtown and the adjacent park. I researched them and found an intersection where they were seen at a bird feeder.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi16IlBx84FPxCXNQJ_zTZ7IvR067tJG4K9SVUoDxPeSV3D1vVsJayVJQc8SuUwtzAtxW6p-s70ls8ech4ocV9rDHkb8s1Y3SCM7rdqTR4Vqhhl9WXQey0xHKjnmB5U7y6Z6sw644PO8mAFO8JoLAqRpYDHuOhEaFx7FGemQv2Xk9eLRzpHVhvl5yFjNG0/s5184/IMG_6829.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="5184" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi16IlBx84FPxCXNQJ_zTZ7IvR067tJG4K9SVUoDxPeSV3D1vVsJayVJQc8SuUwtzAtxW6p-s70ls8ech4ocV9rDHkb8s1Y3SCM7rdqTR4Vqhhl9WXQey0xHKjnmB5U7y6Z6sw644PO8mAFO8JoLAqRpYDHuOhEaFx7FGemQv2Xk9eLRzpHVhvl5yFjNG0/s320/IMG_6829.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /> After the Gateway Arch we drove to Dogtown before heading to Hannibal. We parked near the intersection I read about. They weren't right there but we walked up and down the suburban roads and found a couple of the sparrows within a half hour. Two of them were in a tree in a yard. While I was photographing them an old man with a bad limp and a cane came out and asked me what I was doing. I told him he had a rare bird in the tree. When I said that he just shrugged because he was used to people looking at the birds. We talked for a minute and he drove off. <p></p><p>The Eurasian Tree Sparrow was the one bird I got as a lifer on the trip.</p><p>US Grant National Historic Site</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq43r95Y2bbd5hES5pjzKKCNardj-GI43BVW7_HNpfU4o6N2VMzTBX3fnczD33LszqgekSG5MyOPep11LlU8s4Hf5Hv2d0awMN67fOYDbgjqKpT1xj15vjnPre78ea4NYQnlbw4oLjN7JwET2RBKZwTvy1eSusNAm-aAIGokMkd9dT4z4QBa1p4IzLUUA/s2048/387848866_7364458970250716_2247043085145512658_n.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq43r95Y2bbd5hES5pjzKKCNardj-GI43BVW7_HNpfU4o6N2VMzTBX3fnczD33LszqgekSG5MyOPep11LlU8s4Hf5Hv2d0awMN67fOYDbgjqKpT1xj15vjnPre78ea4NYQnlbw4oLjN7JwET2RBKZwTvy1eSusNAm-aAIGokMkd9dT4z4QBa1p4IzLUUA/s320/387848866_7364458970250716_2247043085145512658_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /> As we were driving from Hannibal to Snake Rd we saw a brown sign for the Ulysses S Grant National Historic Site. I had Laurie Google it really quick and it was only nine minutes off of the highway. As much as I wanted to get to Snake Road, I couldn't pass up going to the home of our greatest general not named Washington. <p></p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div> The home, named White Haven, was where Grant met his wife Julia while we was stationed a few miles away while in the army. After they married Julia's father fell on hard times (he was a Southern sympathizer) so the Grant's bought up much of the property. Grant lived here in the years between when he left the military and when the Civil War started and he rejoined. <p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUgSSGqmqJYFXdBAhaeE5BCBM3A4oDL6p5JwIVjNBQ8F0OUM4vWGXSHb93uWMXEs0JIfQoqZchSEk4PCH76lYbhk9j15Z69qsdGww8RYU-Vvkir2UCpLR-yvWNJTpJp3quIil6IyQuDJWyNz02lXIHZ_v-94ELWbJRnhG9-GiHfV3BvVJsMslfGuiZL8M/s5152/IMG_6224.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5152" data-original-width="3864" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUgSSGqmqJYFXdBAhaeE5BCBM3A4oDL6p5JwIVjNBQ8F0OUM4vWGXSHb93uWMXEs0JIfQoqZchSEk4PCH76lYbhk9j15Z69qsdGww8RYU-Vvkir2UCpLR-yvWNJTpJp3quIil6IyQuDJWyNz02lXIHZ_v-94ELWbJRnhG9-GiHfV3BvVJsMslfGuiZL8M/s320/IMG_6224.JPG" width="240" /></a></div> The house is the same gaudy color as when Grant lived there. The cement stairs leading you in are original to the house. Meaning you can step exactly where US Grant stepped. This fact was not lost on me and I took multiple photos of my feet on the steps. <p></p><p> There is an excellent visitor center with a twenty minute movie about Grant's life. Grant struggled during civilian life but was a masterful general. He became the 18th president. His administration had multiple scandals. Though Grant was innocent of any wrongdoing he trusted too much and many of his friends that he gave positions to took advantage and tried to make a quick buck. During his administration Grant fought hard for the rights of black people. </p><p> <br /> We spent a little over an hour at the Grant NHS. The place was easily worth another couple of hours. We only toured the house. We didn't walk the grounds. The museum was excellent but all we did was look at artifacts. We read very little abut his life. Yet I learned a lot. The video and the ranger that lead the tour were very informative. I'm very happy we took the detour before heading off to find venomous snakes.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMIBJSrA1QuUNzJTdhmcnnGjcPklqZFASBMXwxbiMnMXWg2geGzyC1Vx7C9frwcNEqolNYF9_CQE2OwMnCxJC4OaPvOQQBUZY6ciB7GkVvCSi5VvY3rhyphenhyphenfINVN3JVLHO6V8qsbJB_PVI6Sx3VjLnVUgdvWTQEb-2VWps-lvmCXD_5Cpt75Bf5EsAV2I4M/s5152/IMG_6236.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3864" data-original-width="5152" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMIBJSrA1QuUNzJTdhmcnnGjcPklqZFASBMXwxbiMnMXWg2geGzyC1Vx7C9frwcNEqolNYF9_CQE2OwMnCxJC4OaPvOQQBUZY6ciB7GkVvCSi5VvY3rhyphenhyphenfINVN3JVLHO6V8qsbJB_PVI6Sx3VjLnVUgdvWTQEb-2VWps-lvmCXD_5Cpt75Bf5EsAV2I4M/s320/IMG_6236.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsuLGakBtLF3MxmGev29P3-hK0NKGOvLD4P0vHy86iMUGvxVBD-HcNmDIBdfZSeI1JlnccguhRYeqjV-eaMGWxX8iYmxWYKC6-pE2KbGbvnPSo_v8ba3rU4sIOxG7hU2nyu_yJUgp9Us47RWyRZr-furLUbuoSpcd3l7LG-uP-Y2SDjj9BaXrNjZF03mk/s5152/IMG_6235.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3864" data-original-width="5152" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsuLGakBtLF3MxmGev29P3-hK0NKGOvLD4P0vHy86iMUGvxVBD-HcNmDIBdfZSeI1JlnccguhRYeqjV-eaMGWxX8iYmxWYKC6-pE2KbGbvnPSo_v8ba3rU4sIOxG7hU2nyu_yJUgp9Us47RWyRZr-furLUbuoSpcd3l7LG-uP-Y2SDjj9BaXrNjZF03mk/s320/IMG_6235.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>Blue Springs Caverns, Bedford, IN</p><p> <br /></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLkOZl2GD1DfUafMZ5odCEe1AV5UWS26d_-Pn0ui8M3BrQe5z5arFPLlYlmrnCnV9jumGqLWeH4_GfYXJ5shs2UvJVeGBYFBw3mYn0vX3HYvM0kvN4aLrO0Opi975-5fLGrAwTqy3PaL4AsDHLQZQHEy0KX8Q8U2vy6abXbFGL_ObTbLA3Ck6JWIEkNPM/s5152/6.JPG" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3864" data-original-width="5152" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLkOZl2GD1DfUafMZ5odCEe1AV5UWS26d_-Pn0ui8M3BrQe5z5arFPLlYlmrnCnV9jumGqLWeH4_GfYXJ5shs2UvJVeGBYFBw3mYn0vX3HYvM0kvN4aLrO0Opi975-5fLGrAwTqy3PaL4AsDHLQZQHEy0KX8Q8U2vy6abXbFGL_ObTbLA3Ck6JWIEkNPM/s320/6.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Blind Cavefish</td></tr></tbody></table><br /> Between Snake Road and Akron, OH we went to Blue Springs Caverns in Bedford, IN. Blue Springs Caverns is the longest navigable cave in the world. There is a navigable river that goes for miles. You can take a one hour boat tour that explores a small percentage of the cave. We arrived for the 1 pm tour and we were the only people on it (though they did have a group of ninety school kids earlier in the day). My friend Charles suggested we go to this cave because Blind Cavefish and pure white crayfish live in the water. The cave is completely dark (minus when they turn the lights on) so animals lose their pigment. The boat ride through the cave was amazing. None of the photos I took can possibly do it any justice. We did see multiple Blind Cavefish and crayfish and even got a couple blurry photos of the Blind Cavefish<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip8Ma5XJhIbPZWi2KEJYPicIXjIK8Xu72BZB2kg0j9_PO5gNYWU3BZhr8A1_3bl4xCyBNXz9NFCWo88GJtXLwHbbE8vGm00tqbXsE9BtdaoAAnps7iYQi7Zg_qf1-DAmQjLmRDMSdujLwwrahDC4C6KXtQSjl2r-fjQAQUBfcJ-6ZaN5FrXSXz7mIiDl4/s2048/387833555_7364466203583326_5784041969189438833_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1152" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip8Ma5XJhIbPZWi2KEJYPicIXjIK8Xu72BZB2kg0j9_PO5gNYWU3BZhr8A1_3bl4xCyBNXz9NFCWo88GJtXLwHbbE8vGm00tqbXsE9BtdaoAAnps7iYQi7Zg_qf1-DAmQjLmRDMSdujLwwrahDC4C6KXtQSjl2r-fjQAQUBfcJ-6ZaN5FrXSXz7mIiDl4/s320/387833555_7364466203583326_5784041969189438833_n.jpg" width="180" /></a></div><br /><p>Rest Area Grey Tree Frog</p><p><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghFcuZ19AP1lUZo8i8SELLhxG1QIReHAMjTTp5iREKhv1ISGEzzsVF6kZe5N1124Om728kJrGklHZAqqX_TgTx1uDBDWue21ce3oDXWLKnAT-D57-PTTGx9DW2ddKTsi8ZXR2a4QWlf0jEeQSvxaW9_gQ8ArM-eQeBtY4k28PgS10LPDh3Vq52m7j030U/s1600/387860760_7364445966918683_4984768750756862166_n.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="720" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghFcuZ19AP1lUZo8i8SELLhxG1QIReHAMjTTp5iREKhv1ISGEzzsVF6kZe5N1124Om728kJrGklHZAqqX_TgTx1uDBDWue21ce3oDXWLKnAT-D57-PTTGx9DW2ddKTsi8ZXR2a4QWlf0jEeQSvxaW9_gQ8ArM-eQeBtY4k28PgS10LPDh3Vq52m7j030U/s320/387860760_7364445966918683_4984768750756862166_n.jpg" width="144" /></a></div><br /> We spent two full nights at rest areas and a few hours one morning so I could get some sleep before heading to Kankakee Sands. The Friday night before heading to St Louis there was a Grey Tree Frog in a bubbler outside the restroom building. It was green but upon reading about them, Grey Tree Frogs can be green but you can tell it is a Grey because of a light spot under the eye no matter what color the rest of the body is. Since I had nowhere else to write about it, I figure leaving it here at the end of my writing journey though I saw it at the beginning of my trip seems appropriate.<p></p>Nick Pacellihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07160728044281317803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8837104285678635073.post-34899930732374147262023-10-18T07:37:00.000-07:002023-10-18T07:37:43.045-07:00Cuyahoga Valley National Park<p> </p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuuv2EFzAeBNhdeo-SMiQTBM9ky4FTsoTShyphenhyphentBdkK253AhiKec5nKV_OOBHTOt_7ghEDIxZDX1YemqgiHUOF_rNk963mSSJ61aPQiNrki5mRLUJvPIwGu0q9dV9-RED4L3buwhIdk2uJvBsfbCz2ioKnV0wZBNhGrvmtjpZ7UR3k1PEmYriyKHSTfhOv4/s5152/IMG_6262.JPG" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3864" data-original-width="5152" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuuv2EFzAeBNhdeo-SMiQTBM9ky4FTsoTShyphenhyphentBdkK253AhiKec5nKV_OOBHTOt_7ghEDIxZDX1YemqgiHUOF_rNk963mSSJ61aPQiNrki5mRLUJvPIwGu0q9dV9-RED4L3buwhIdk2uJvBsfbCz2ioKnV0wZBNhGrvmtjpZ7UR3k1PEmYriyKHSTfhOv4/s320/IMG_6262.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brandywine Falls<br />The busiest part of the park</td></tr></tbody></table><br /> After Snake Road we planned two and a half days to make it to Matt's house on Saturday night. After spending a day on Snake Rd we decided to use our extra day as a third day there. However, that day (Thursday) was raining. So instead of wasting it we decided to use the rainy day as a travel day. We left southern Illinois and headed through Indiana (stopping at a cavern) and continued into Ohio. We drove almost twelve hours in the miserable rain. It worked out because it got us close to Akron. We slept in the car Thursday night. This gave us a travel free Friday. We chose to go to Cuyahoga Valley National Park.<p></p><p> Cuyahoga Valley is one of the newest national parks. It was designated in 2000. It is 32,000 acres which would be small for a western park. It became a national park to give the east one more. It is kind of an urban park because the citizens of Cleveland and Akron are only thirty minutes away. It is somewhat wild though. There are waterfalls, beaver marshes, and 125 miles of hiking trails.</p><p> I knew what to expect when we decided to spend the day at CVNP. It was going to feel like "the country" but not a true wilderness like you'd get at Yellowstone. There would be pretty scenes worthy of a postcard but wouldn't take your breathe away. This is exactly what the park ended up being. Spending the day was a nice relaxing way to kill a day before heading to Matt's house.</p><p> The first thing we did was go to the main visitor center. We picked up a map of the park. Our goal was to see as much of it as we could. This did mean we wouldn't make any ten mile hikes. We hit as many scenic areas that we could either roadside or via short hikes. At the VC we ran across a ranger that told us the busiest part of the park was a waterfall named Brandywine Falls. Since it was early we should go there before it got busy. Since she was heading there anyway she had us follow her. Once parked, it was a short walk to a very impressive falls. There are three different vantage points to see it from. We went to all three but the observation deck easily had the best view.</p><p> </p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRa3lrybsIX7p-dUvEzFU3k4y7Y8i9wzTqS0waFHt9GJqH-pveKKpg_Jjx8dnn0vqHGwexQ-vWKA12GbWW9lQVS3tNwwE9ZJ09PhHZUK1r_xWI5qtQwQ_76yZGcKWCzfbfrTEU_Uwu824LJknUxGHIVn4fc9rywa0qs9u9gh4QjWQ-ZSj5-6bl8h5pYTA/s5152/IMG_6277.JPG" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3864" data-original-width="5152" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRa3lrybsIX7p-dUvEzFU3k4y7Y8i9wzTqS0waFHt9GJqH-pveKKpg_Jjx8dnn0vqHGwexQ-vWKA12GbWW9lQVS3tNwwE9ZJ09PhHZUK1r_xWI5qtQwQ_76yZGcKWCzfbfrTEU_Uwu824LJknUxGHIVn4fc9rywa0qs9u9gh4QjWQ-ZSj5-6bl8h5pYTA/s320/IMG_6277.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A view from the Ledges Trail</td></tr></tbody></table><br /> The park runs north to south and is very thin east to west. North to south it is probably twenty miles while it is less than a half mile in some places east to west. There is a main route going the length of the park top to bottom. After the falls we decided to head to the southern point and work our way north hitting all of the points of interest. There was a beaver pond in the southern half that is known for wildlife from birds to otters. I was hoping to see frogs and snakes but in the morning it was a raw fifty degrees, cloudy and breezy, so I knew snakes weren't going to be out and about. We stopped at the pond and saw some Wood Ducks and Mallards but all was quiet. If it got sunny later we would go back.<p></p><p> One of the few things I actually wanted to do at the park was walk part of the towpath. The path parallels the Cuyahoga River and the Ohio/ Erie Canal. The canal is historic. It was used to transport goods before railroads. The path runs most of the length of the park. I just wanted to walk a small scenic portion of it. The trail to the beaver pond goes along the towpath. We walked past the pond along the edge of the canal for a short while so I got my fix.</p><p> </p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEN3OwDtx4V93n-AQI8GAcJtDvftiREt5nI42RbK7_2FRKNS-Fl63nGb8AQPXaMjuQJbOxK1Othiz8n86dftRMKfTJsZ4Nutyc6laRD0GhcMapCk7FCLn6yUA6PyI6oIizXFrcDcq9JLWiAvX7JkRajM473PFhe8YWXYW-uf6KnkeSzCD3FyI8zXUf2vU/s5152/IMG_6287.JPG" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3864" data-original-width="5152" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEN3OwDtx4V93n-AQI8GAcJtDvftiREt5nI42RbK7_2FRKNS-Fl63nGb8AQPXaMjuQJbOxK1Othiz8n86dftRMKfTJsZ4Nutyc6laRD0GhcMapCk7FCLn6yUA6PyI6oIizXFrcDcq9JLWiAvX7JkRajM473PFhe8YWXYW-uf6KnkeSzCD3FyI8zXUf2vU/s320/IMG_6287.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ohio and Erie Towpath</td></tr></tbody></table><br /> Most of the day was spent traveling to different ponds and viewpoints. There are multiple roadside ponds where you can picnic or use a bathroom. Mostly we'd get out of the car walk to a pond, take a photo, try to scare up a frog, and move on.<p></p><p> There is an area outside the national park boundary but still touching the park called the Bedford Reservation that is maintained by the Cleveland Parks Dept that has two waterfalls and an overlook. We drove up there and had lunch at a picnic area. After lunch we walked down to the two waterfalls. They each had their own trailhead so he had to drive between them. They were short walks from the car but well worth the drive and short hike.</p><p> The best hike we did inside the park was the Ledges Trail. The ledges are a large rock formation I'm sure was cut out of the hill by glaciers. You can walk to the top of the ledges and look down but the best views are when we walk at the bottom of the hill and look at them. They are really impressive. There are mini canyons cut out. There is a cave closed to the public to protect bats. The scenery is very pretty and I was blown away by the geology.</p><p> Later in the day it did clear up so we went back to the Beaver Marsh. We saw a Northern Watersnake and two turtles. One turtle was a Midland's Painted Turtle. This is a subspecies of Painted Turtles so not a new species for me. The other was a Red Eared Slider. We saw some frogs but they jumped in the water before we could ID them. There were some very accommodating Wood Ducks. Laurie was hoping to see an Otter but no luck. Still, it was well worth going back to the swamp for a second time.</p><p> </p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz0YSBr01OVF8Q7cx173xcQ5jmxHr7ODgtDOXOWpruOvinJ23smWge6y-0QiHl2L7eUaYdubcdClYdNly3-ZejkJDO7Eysstp4yg4UEMXKxZUMw0ImOG9mJYflQ-3q-lJD4Eb_rHisJG6QbuGLY3QYndZHw5wKtatCYKOxRGNMt0J9-_KDnlfjnvCN8IE/s5152/IMG_6283.JPG" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3864" data-original-width="5152" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz0YSBr01OVF8Q7cx173xcQ5jmxHr7ODgtDOXOWpruOvinJ23smWge6y-0QiHl2L7eUaYdubcdClYdNly3-ZejkJDO7Eysstp4yg4UEMXKxZUMw0ImOG9mJYflQ-3q-lJD4Eb_rHisJG6QbuGLY3QYndZHw5wKtatCYKOxRGNMt0J9-_KDnlfjnvCN8IE/s320/IMG_6283.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Great Falls in the Bedford Reservation</td></tr></tbody></table><br /> All in all, our day at Cuyahoga National Park was very rewarding. We saw three waterfalls. We did a hike along some really cool ledges. For wildlife we saw deer, a Northern Watersnake, two turtle species, Wood Ducks, and some common birds. We hit multiple small ponds and had a picnic. While CVNP was never on my bucket list, I am glad we went. Driving all day Thursday in the rain allowed us to go visit this park I never would have visited. After leaving the park we got a motel and had a relaxing night with pizza. It was only a four hour drive to Matt and Susan's house on Saturday morning and the scenery driving through western Pennsylvania made the drive really pleasant anyway.<p></p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh27t3iKqg0MgHKy4fpNm3ZxGfYsNK2BjZ_aa3UzJxN-pZ8CaRGFm2vJyNur6GPVUaNz6l7lXRZqqIKIxUsPwvuIZGGa72hEJd4PUhuo45RSOVWB_d3yaucRbrlxBVOWVWbrb0iSF2tFYkwXbOSUyKm2P7yfADisJZVFa0F3qJyALcrral0Y-AaqLIe090/s5152/IMG_6285.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5152" data-original-width="3864" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh27t3iKqg0MgHKy4fpNm3ZxGfYsNK2BjZ_aa3UzJxN-pZ8CaRGFm2vJyNur6GPVUaNz6l7lXRZqqIKIxUsPwvuIZGGa72hEJd4PUhuo45RSOVWB_d3yaucRbrlxBVOWVWbrb0iSF2tFYkwXbOSUyKm2P7yfADisJZVFa0F3qJyALcrral0Y-AaqLIe090/s320/IMG_6285.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I believe this was Bridal Veil Falls</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIuvwlIa0ix10s3i5_SNkQ6tY6dhyuUeWW_c76Bhv8x_ed-NDRNqq3pWflyh7XpFFAHKSOa7ol9jg2N1v4LjPSqd4K8VCwAmzOw4-NIOVO9TAZjusojhm8NC2lxYt_s1GTMTrU6VEsnDN0iLeEQVFNkR-4vXci4aZes-BLtM_lHgL91knxJLMqdenIw5o/s5152/IMG_6271.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3864" data-original-width="5152" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIuvwlIa0ix10s3i5_SNkQ6tY6dhyuUeWW_c76Bhv8x_ed-NDRNqq3pWflyh7XpFFAHKSOa7ol9jg2N1v4LjPSqd4K8VCwAmzOw4-NIOVO9TAZjusojhm8NC2lxYt_s1GTMTrU6VEsnDN0iLeEQVFNkR-4vXci4aZes-BLtM_lHgL91knxJLMqdenIw5o/s320/IMG_6271.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A covered bridge in the park</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWjp0shqmWPwrohWh53T0-cusV_SsfSuE3jhdbZaLq9nImhHSzEKu0Foj2m8RWPSAGGZY5K6tlWBtyVhSO9Odn5gxRTzQtI5uimO9G4BywqitF2JKg-iSvp_d3tl4rJo6ccB3peXDFUzxO8AJ3C5tnESYB4UctDf4yr2mI41GmvsyoCdaV_BQmbjN9FSo/s5152/IMG_6274.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5152" data-original-width="3864" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWjp0shqmWPwrohWh53T0-cusV_SsfSuE3jhdbZaLq9nImhHSzEKu0Foj2m8RWPSAGGZY5K6tlWBtyVhSO9Odn5gxRTzQtI5uimO9G4BywqitF2JKg-iSvp_d3tl4rJo6ccB3peXDFUzxO8AJ3C5tnESYB4UctDf4yr2mI41GmvsyoCdaV_BQmbjN9FSo/s320/IMG_6274.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The cave along the Ledges Trail <br />closed to protect bats</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE6TDy6JWq32j2xlPzhrAQsW0A6favHUDoZg1fbRI1qyQtpb-PEDN2F_EgJqC3Ni3uJjGutcFrPkdFPOfD5y2zETkzd3VpBM0JMgKJDVrSlW-LYMuFmZWMSjlhKlRxCvThPjxKuEC5AtLux4McLzf8HCmv4t7fWJ68vQiqEsBkuG45f9kHqBN3Y1J8Fio/s5152/IMG_6258.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3864" data-original-width="5152" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE6TDy6JWq32j2xlPzhrAQsW0A6favHUDoZg1fbRI1qyQtpb-PEDN2F_EgJqC3Ni3uJjGutcFrPkdFPOfD5y2zETkzd3VpBM0JMgKJDVrSlW-LYMuFmZWMSjlhKlRxCvThPjxKuEC5AtLux4McLzf8HCmv4t7fWJ68vQiqEsBkuG45f9kHqBN3Y1J8Fio/s320/IMG_6258.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnPca3QcgrJR00FdNKfSqp36wo0xBgLs4YG2cAv7EtLsW34UDtZwcDJZ5td2aFFd_6lX_Iu2RvWVbCr6sfkBkGFzHwdYXUnby9THf2fPf2ACd2VmPDcFqe-IFidtop0bpSXLg2rrwEh9RC_u9outr2mmQWAt_KxuCAotmi5c3GpmZvkCofOaC0equXt5s/s5184/IMG_6929.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="5184" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnPca3QcgrJR00FdNKfSqp36wo0xBgLs4YG2cAv7EtLsW34UDtZwcDJZ5td2aFFd_6lX_Iu2RvWVbCr6sfkBkGFzHwdYXUnby9THf2fPf2ACd2VmPDcFqe-IFidtop0bpSXLg2rrwEh9RC_u9outr2mmQWAt_KxuCAotmi5c3GpmZvkCofOaC0equXt5s/s320/IMG_6929.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wood Ducks and the Red Eared Slider</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBx2NRqXJNlN1gkca2kiZQrw4FIInnwneo4ka2Ks62vu9lh7HjfH-6UH60WCz4eP0xytUJSeHNWnnwWyKodslaXRYrim05gpiVvI-lAWWqe7rD5XbQMhCJvTXuP2vRxh9WP_kHe8EOHBVRVDNK5XL4PMrnIl-NjdSth7wT0MpQtZLt37uKFaeg1AT5V-w/s5184/IMG_6924.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="5184" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBx2NRqXJNlN1gkca2kiZQrw4FIInnwneo4ka2Ks62vu9lh7HjfH-6UH60WCz4eP0xytUJSeHNWnnwWyKodslaXRYrim05gpiVvI-lAWWqe7rD5XbQMhCJvTXuP2vRxh9WP_kHe8EOHBVRVDNK5XL4PMrnIl-NjdSth7wT0MpQtZLt37uKFaeg1AT5V-w/s320/IMG_6924.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Midland's Painted Turtle</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p>Nick Pacellihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07160728044281317803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8837104285678635073.post-9154651360523597752023-10-14T16:00:00.000-07:002023-10-14T16:00:59.447-07:00Elk and the PA Wilds <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx2DVQOZYI1bALzMe_T9_vMFppOagwDsgiI0zlEKiBhXpI7r4TBtCzO8nEiWZfS4JN848lN18C5P8FNsmCo5fPOvRmVWo3U0JAB1NJLTidWJIoufVIU1gJBg-zGREdqK-P7aFBNJ8xOwxKBGuq0IZ1esezKspmqR8eyEcDwcifN3slowfMg3u3DbMcsyQ/s5184/IMG_7004.JPG" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="5184" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx2DVQOZYI1bALzMe_T9_vMFppOagwDsgiI0zlEKiBhXpI7r4TBtCzO8nEiWZfS4JN848lN18C5P8FNsmCo5fPOvRmVWo3U0JAB1NJLTidWJIoufVIU1gJBg-zGREdqK-P7aFBNJ8xOwxKBGuq0IZ1esezKspmqR8eyEcDwcifN3slowfMg3u3DbMcsyQ/w400-h266/IMG_7004.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This bull was surprisingly tender. It is doubtful the calf is his.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /> Though we were in no hurry to come home, we were looking forward to our last full day of our trip. We were going to spend Sunday with my friends Matt and Susan Schenck. Matt is one of the most hardcore birders I know. He used to live in Rhode Island but moved back to his home state of Pennsylvania during Covid. When Matt moved I asked him if he lived near the elk herd and he instantly sent me a photo of one. He also told me if I ever wanted to visit after Covid was over I was more than welcome. I remembered that invite. When we decided on this trip, I asked Matt if we could crash at his house and look for elk. Matt was happy to have us.<div><br /></div><div> We got to Matt's on Saturday night and the three of us walked to a pizza place and got some great pizza. Susan had to work. She is a ranger at a state park (so is Matt, but at a different park) where she does astronomy programs after dark. Matt took off Sunday and Susan had it off. So they lead us around north-central PA.</div><div> </div><div> The goal was to see a bull elk. Both Laurie and I had seen plenty of elk in national parks, but had never seen one in the fall after they rubbed the velvet off of their antlers. I really wanted a "perfect" photo of a big bull elk. </div><div><br /></div><div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6BdkidHiN7d66SAc1PJ-WiJEd9Kf4iCascIcS-xJ8V66YO_1CuAEnbmE9pw5wunYS7SeHOBD0a7eUTvFc88iLsu0cJE2Dhqxrly3G_MzVrmgUxAGAAeXR7cNj48rK80YIIyCjURZuAVvmfwN11_oueYoCnndhpO7mWw9SXu2t9TPDpOxk0DyvW8ITU2g/s4534/2.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3023" data-original-width="4534" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6BdkidHiN7d66SAc1PJ-WiJEd9Kf4iCascIcS-xJ8V66YO_1CuAEnbmE9pw5wunYS7SeHOBD0a7eUTvFc88iLsu0cJE2Dhqxrly3G_MzVrmgUxAGAAeXR7cNj48rK80YIIyCjURZuAVvmfwN11_oueYoCnndhpO7mWw9SXu2t9TPDpOxk0DyvW8ITU2g/s320/2.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /> Besides looking for elk, Matt wanted to show us around what is called the PA Wilds. This area of Pennsylvania is two million acres of state wild land. This huge state owned forest is divided up into state parks and multiple state forests but it is all contiguous. To put how large this forest is into perspective, the White Mountains of New Hampshire are eight hundred thousand acres. Usually large chunks of land this size are owned by the federal government, The only other huge chunk of state forest I know that is this large is the Adirondacks. If we found a bull elk, Matt was going to show us overlooks, waterfalls, and of course...birds.</div><div><br /></div><div> Finding elk did not take long. Matt had seen some elk the day before on his way to work. They were in the same place. Though they were pretty far away there was a big male along with a couple small males. Just up the road, Susan spotted a big bull right near the road. She pulled over and we got out and watched it for thirty minutes. It was in a swamp and it always seemed to have one twig or piece of grass in front of its face. Finally it moved a few feet and I discovered there was a baby and a cow elk. The big bull licked the baby gently. I was not expecting that. After we got our fill we moved on.</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9z1tUyIp679BEYgYZhHZSqW-VloIV0OP766RzweLJGW46z9vjjHHsXPdm_DuvEU8MXH0hKAhIXtg0x_0Qo4roLE7xGiy2szB8gzdfR7Wi_ol1aF15TZXVPEDxPcCKZLPRBEJAtxkaRUCfMtujFafpz0M5GFfnoWyhMpKKphylV3u5h-HtYdnAyXKWW1A/s2048/387788780_7364465026916777_2472253781791443194_n.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1152" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9z1tUyIp679BEYgYZhHZSqW-VloIV0OP766RzweLJGW46z9vjjHHsXPdm_DuvEU8MXH0hKAhIXtg0x_0Qo4roLE7xGiy2szB8gzdfR7Wi_ol1aF15TZXVPEDxPcCKZLPRBEJAtxkaRUCfMtujFafpz0M5GFfnoWyhMpKKphylV3u5h-HtYdnAyXKWW1A/s320/387788780_7364465026916777_2472253781791443194_n.jpg" width="180" /></a></div><br /> The Schencks drove us up some long forest roads to a trailhead to a waterfall. It was about a mile walk but despite the dry weather in their area it was really pretty. We also stopped at a couple of overlooks and lakes. We ended up seeing a couple good birds. We had Bald Eagles, Lesser Scaup, and Pectoral Sandpipers among others. </div><div><br /></div><div> On our way back to their house we saw some more elk. Throughout the day we saw far more big bulls than I would have hoped for. Hanging out with Matt and Susan was a great way to spend our last real vacation day. </div><div><br /></div><div> While this post may just be my memories from a great day, I can tell you that there is a lot to explore in the PA Wilds. Elk viewing is a multi million dollar tourist industry in that area. There is an elk viewing driving route. There are multiple state parks with top notch visitor centers where you can get info on elk, trails, and more. There is a town named Benezette that is the "elk capitol of PA". There you can get all the info on elk and probably see some right in town. You will almost certainly see deer just about everywhere. With a little research, you will not need someone to show you where to look for elk. Also, with two million acres of forest, the scenery is great. There are overlooks, waterfalls, and ponds. </div><div><br /></div><div>More photos below</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVfsYwGokHoya7iN7xJNxskQ6cT923avuLYsra3WgcwPjYS_EYx98eKqbVbhv5uy8hj5nEMxnOqz7yFx8tka4FKfXYeH61l-V_OwzWN58NPQD_DsLgVBbjWE65w-3fgBi2t00VBj3gWV7scjhofIVmKPhWYMWxetFzuW8bUFYJiN3AExxvEJtvvMxKecQ/s1728/4.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1728" data-original-width="1152" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVfsYwGokHoya7iN7xJNxskQ6cT923avuLYsra3WgcwPjYS_EYx98eKqbVbhv5uy8hj5nEMxnOqz7yFx8tka4FKfXYeH61l-V_OwzWN58NPQD_DsLgVBbjWE65w-3fgBi2t00VBj3gWV7scjhofIVmKPhWYMWxetFzuW8bUFYJiN3AExxvEJtvvMxKecQ/s320/4.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Matt and Susan without me</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjncG84_zV9gLcJYusqfRNteUAKIYqzDtI7aDgJPc2_QDHwMEmJiGwLM6aVNhLBBORLGayr4PoHzMlxjycT-XcYc8O-o0TEasTU1od4bsM8FOh_YFNWRBlSdIqQThDPR3j_XDPCexUw5pq-bHgpJ38GIqpEFf8XVKPKTJQ5JybkBigq4dz9kBQj34uRL6U/s2048/387785953_7364466950249918_7352663708436023763_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1152" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjncG84_zV9gLcJYusqfRNteUAKIYqzDtI7aDgJPc2_QDHwMEmJiGwLM6aVNhLBBORLGayr4PoHzMlxjycT-XcYc8O-o0TEasTU1od4bsM8FOh_YFNWRBlSdIqQThDPR3j_XDPCexUw5pq-bHgpJ38GIqpEFf8XVKPKTJQ5JybkBigq4dz9kBQj34uRL6U/s320/387785953_7364466950249918_7352663708436023763_n.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">That's better</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXqmh3OYThXTgjzAB8ObEzNCQz9hUoTOABUHNKU6gX2xkvNx0vs6IckrzjgpldArMgLby0rK5BMY4D6OuJRHnQlB9gQ4pz-mYDSXYsUbJOID16ZfvzstsCqc-1Nk6bx-scJKF8lcHy04W_9Df0TReWlwi9JEIKrhfybauk3PugseuxPR1raZL9J1XCYtY/s2048/387777612_7364465376916742_7094317451340164252_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1152" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXqmh3OYThXTgjzAB8ObEzNCQz9hUoTOABUHNKU6gX2xkvNx0vs6IckrzjgpldArMgLby0rK5BMY4D6OuJRHnQlB9gQ4pz-mYDSXYsUbJOID16ZfvzstsCqc-1Nk6bx-scJKF8lcHy04W_9Df0TReWlwi9JEIKrhfybauk3PugseuxPR1raZL9J1XCYtY/s320/387777612_7364465376916742_7094317451340164252_n.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Laurie, Susan, and the waterfall</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIcpmtqVmXbPLbWCtv1NPnCmfxUAT-7Prs_Nt48NIpJNxrdg5jq91OlUEG49zJP_1Y-WfHErMmuJxKYHTF47Dav2T5yHTjR3qIo4OBJtaAHWpDY9NNKfV58eWTfJkoZxprh5pif40-h7YcNd5Gj2Mr6Rixzz-K1btkA_fsj8_kLx09wrrEuBhjK5pcTrQ/s5184/IMG_6957.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="5184" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIcpmtqVmXbPLbWCtv1NPnCmfxUAT-7Prs_Nt48NIpJNxrdg5jq91OlUEG49zJP_1Y-WfHErMmuJxKYHTF47Dav2T5yHTjR3qIo4OBJtaAHWpDY9NNKfV58eWTfJkoZxprh5pif40-h7YcNd5Gj2Mr6Rixzz-K1btkA_fsj8_kLx09wrrEuBhjK5pcTrQ/s320/IMG_6957.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our first big male</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1GgEAKRRsZeGvr1X2-Z_Er-Ywtm79PhEFzJUuzZQN4DSIbbzzqetpljryZnbNEUpIqJFf-Sc6vWx4Kwb3UYuNXcng19RdGifbVzyyd_R7T0KdBG9HKOEJDYUt5SUp_2tTOO0VdICEG9ifG-NWi5X4MSqvlzuctu1AdsEZirHVcrOZPA-Vk7hVcJI0e0c/s5184/IMG_6965.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="5184" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1GgEAKRRsZeGvr1X2-Z_Er-Ywtm79PhEFzJUuzZQN4DSIbbzzqetpljryZnbNEUpIqJFf-Sc6vWx4Kwb3UYuNXcng19RdGifbVzyyd_R7T0KdBG9HKOEJDYUt5SUp_2tTOO0VdICEG9ifG-NWi5X4MSqvlzuctu1AdsEZirHVcrOZPA-Vk7hVcJI0e0c/s320/IMG_6965.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A young male without branches is called a Spike</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcVhpHKxMdAUz7I7Ptld-Y5uysFwqeQabFsV1I6GV2FZbkKUf3Vdeqby6tC8DS8Dlc-KhaWxx0kUDOivlzfWYHOof53kayGDMnP98I1soHSy-rghAEt2MX_TE_37nMIRdnjhWlgtCCLtKrzRJQVLGhDvslMg4rf_j0Cnzrvl629jUz5zaLPvJlgyahqvk/s5184/IMG_7002.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="5184" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcVhpHKxMdAUz7I7Ptld-Y5uysFwqeQabFsV1I6GV2FZbkKUf3Vdeqby6tC8DS8Dlc-KhaWxx0kUDOivlzfWYHOof53kayGDMnP98I1soHSy-rghAEt2MX_TE_37nMIRdnjhWlgtCCLtKrzRJQVLGhDvslMg4rf_j0Cnzrvl629jUz5zaLPvJlgyahqvk/s320/IMG_7002.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My best elk photo was probably of this calf</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjqFAv069iixBKk8YcrWFqYQfxv5AdgJy77uCrLsrwACbI3o7qOpKvFkMUAqW0JMSX880S8hI-PlIbJEe5xloZ7ZE132jd4wMToQDfnzqabKLTwPUOy8kyVDDim8RiEr4yYs1zYVhHHx9ol34PxU1vF9jRVACVxfsSZ0ml4Jqu4Qt1tEMdOSvx1pMjJRk/s5184/IMG_7041.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="5184" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjqFAv069iixBKk8YcrWFqYQfxv5AdgJy77uCrLsrwACbI3o7qOpKvFkMUAqW0JMSX880S8hI-PlIbJEe5xloZ7ZE132jd4wMToQDfnzqabKLTwPUOy8kyVDDim8RiEr4yYs1zYVhHHx9ol34PxU1vF9jRVACVxfsSZ0ml4Jqu4Qt1tEMdOSvx1pMjJRk/s320/IMG_7041.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It's momma</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiACDWlmJdhVL-zztH0So0hCrvcKy3qkVJcC8vixkYIg1xyLM1Q7Xcy7NPX2l9ETyeA3UC6LnH1yI2ooicUa7nOJoGo2kWtU8tTp-Xu12noZ1_IOO2GcwR0yZskDmDqDFL8VVamcnAN0AxrOQIXphmXHrdbfoaHSqqIYf6j7FmiDxT5cvGr5LneuLqpCB0/s5184/3.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="5184" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiACDWlmJdhVL-zztH0So0hCrvcKy3qkVJcC8vixkYIg1xyLM1Q7Xcy7NPX2l9ETyeA3UC6LnH1yI2ooicUa7nOJoGo2kWtU8tTp-Xu12noZ1_IOO2GcwR0yZskDmDqDFL8VVamcnAN0AxrOQIXphmXHrdbfoaHSqqIYf6j7FmiDxT5cvGr5LneuLqpCB0/s320/3.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The last big bull we saw.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdP0ORtvGnPaYtjs28PIWgjpJHEOq0Nmq-bSAPXhAEb39U3fJju1E3rf4EorEW37ledCCDLj-HTfglhnvegHGBFm0aCbWXd3aNn2eaWswxY-SFaj7u03232J0XxgOTT3sXSCEsl0RQDRya5xtqLYh9FBe2umdm4kiCA4yLqzcaOJhnf5iT_5OVqqs-ZOk/s5184/IMG_7011.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="5184" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdP0ORtvGnPaYtjs28PIWgjpJHEOq0Nmq-bSAPXhAEb39U3fJju1E3rf4EorEW37ledCCDLj-HTfglhnvegHGBFm0aCbWXd3aNn2eaWswxY-SFaj7u03232J0XxgOTT3sXSCEsl0RQDRya5xtqLYh9FBe2umdm4kiCA4yLqzcaOJhnf5iT_5OVqqs-ZOk/s320/IMG_7011.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />Nick Pacellihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07160728044281317803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8837104285678635073.post-13114333385007477502023-10-12T13:49:00.000-07:002023-11-20T10:20:53.206-08:00Snake Road, IL<p> </p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1Ym21cqMrH15xHUneMaiutfQOB9JbsM1oEnNQ9gziexbFDEP_fX_6svDOsnyBVv6itzQ8ndHsH-eoL2Mdd5WInHnuKg1eSjHaROmcDBnbA0d8gd0U3HnJtxGynZgTJghR6d_lyoiB7K-2ZuJPH3VHcSa_9qr0evPU7ztUqms5woPVI6L9E_0I-MMYgQk/s5184/IMG_6856.JPG" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="5184" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1Ym21cqMrH15xHUneMaiutfQOB9JbsM1oEnNQ9gziexbFDEP_fX_6svDOsnyBVv6itzQ8ndHsH-eoL2Mdd5WInHnuKg1eSjHaROmcDBnbA0d8gd0U3HnJtxGynZgTJghR6d_lyoiB7K-2ZuJPH3VHcSa_9qr0evPU7ztUqms5woPVI6L9E_0I-MMYgQk/s320/IMG_6856.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">There's a reason they are called Cottonmouth</td></tr></tbody></table><br /> While this won't be the longest post, going to Snake Road was the focal point of our vacation. If we hadn't learned about Snake Road a few months ago I suspect we wouldn't have gone on this trip. <p></p><p> Snake Road is a forest service road in the Shawnee National Forest. It is only a few miles from the Mississippi River in extreme southwestern Illinois. It is the only road in the United States closed to vehicles due to snake migration. On one side of the road is a large swamp. On the other side are limestone bluffs. The snakes hibernate in the bluffs during the winter and live in the swamp during the rest of the year. During the fall, the road is closed to all wheeled traffic from September 15-October 31. People are allowed to walk the road and look for snakes.</p><p> The main species of snake seen on Snake Road are Cottonmouths. I bought a book about Snake Road. The author walked the road one hundred times during all weather conditions during spring and fall. He saw 1500 Cottonmouths and just over 900 of all the other species combined. There are about twenty five species that have been observed on Snake Road, but realistically there are only ten species you could see if you walked the road multiple times. The other species are just too rare and they only get seen every few years. </p><p> </p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7kxy9HyTws37rzFjg6LDOHuRUcQpKXzCFJ5WkZ-49KKLr9_rveAqrV02RScHkcpxX_-6m-xfGnR7c9Y4HuiUDGH-fejqVFWWU87tTVIAHfvhPwyCNGfwXSoOPNhLZQ-8Kid7wUffJEwIM_0OUzVaDA1ePYSWPQ7l4uEdWVbBzC60LS5KyKkoptJQnSGI/s5184/IMG_6898.JPG" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="5184" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7kxy9HyTws37rzFjg6LDOHuRUcQpKXzCFJ5WkZ-49KKLr9_rveAqrV02RScHkcpxX_-6m-xfGnR7c9Y4HuiUDGH-fejqVFWWU87tTVIAHfvhPwyCNGfwXSoOPNhLZQ-8Kid7wUffJEwIM_0OUzVaDA1ePYSWPQ7l4uEdWVbBzC60LS5KyKkoptJQnSGI/s320/IMG_6898.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Armadillo</td></tr></tbody></table><br /> Unfortunately for us, it was hot. The temperature our two days was almost ninety degrees. This is not the temperature that will get snakes to think about hibernating. Snake Road is 2.7 miles one way or 5.4 miles round trip from your car. It was a four hour drive from Hannibal, MO so we walked it once on day one and I walked it twice on day two. Combined I did about sixteen miles of herping. <p></p><p> I knew I'd see at least one Cottonmouth but was also hoping to see some species I'd never seen before. I'd done my homework and learned about the snakes we could see. I was hoping for any lifer but a Timber Rattlesnake and a Rough Green Snake were reasonable possibilities. I ended up seeing one Green Snake. The most common snake that isn't a Cottonmouth is the Plain Bellied Watersnake which I saw one. This was also a lifer.</p><p> All in all, I saw the Cottonmouths and two other species of snake. I saw a Plain Bellied Watersnake and just the head of a baby Rough Green Snake. Besides the snakes I got a Cave Salamander and Green Tree Frog as lifers. I also caught a newt in my hand which I'm told is an Eastern Newt but I'm not so sure. </p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh166n0fYzQIcEEyIeSsIaQ5vI0IfGYCuQTajxe7DQGIZcWmB8JxmS7rzwbJHpJV116NJVAO76cdtg_EHKrTgvEN5hBU-tDrYnQYHRNb-WbC6yBB_6azpgRKjxqDV8hLoZaybX3p0VflLKAA7DDpl4w5fMCS9x7Inj6IY61Y1ldU0HlNdU7O3JW9-0tcw8/s5184/IMG_6857.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="5184" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh166n0fYzQIcEEyIeSsIaQ5vI0IfGYCuQTajxe7DQGIZcWmB8JxmS7rzwbJHpJV116NJVAO76cdtg_EHKrTgvEN5hBU-tDrYnQYHRNb-WbC6yBB_6azpgRKjxqDV8hLoZaybX3p0VflLKAA7DDpl4w5fMCS9x7Inj6IY61Y1ldU0HlNdU7O3JW9-0tcw8/s320/IMG_6857.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /> One photo I really wanted was of a Cottonmouth with its mouth open warning people not to get any closer. While most of the Cottonmouths did not do this, as you can see, I had one that was willing to show me the inside of its mouth. <p></p><p> The coolest non-reptile I saw was an Armadillo. They have become common in southern Illinois. I had no idea they were there but others saw one also. Laurie found three Racoons. We also saw a crayfish that I think is a Red Swamp Crayfish based on photos I found online.</p><p> While herping wasn't great, it was still pretty good. I asked everyone I walked by if they saw anything. There were only two other species of snakes seen that I didn't see. One was a Western Ribbon Snake and the other was an endangered species called a Mississippi Green Watersnake. So I can't complain. </p><p> While I can't complain, I know I will go back. Next time hopefully there will be cooler weather. As I write this, a week after I went, the weather is perfect to see snakes. Since I left, they have had rain followed by cold nights and sunny seventy degree days. This is perfect weather to get snakes out sunning and migrating. I can't wait to go there again.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRTxmyQsIBKKNr9CFHH16KJFyUcqJNvMAvhxNgo5mHd3_v_tFI7HegcLcNrsM44Q8gMrZdp9nHjAr6tS_UibuySrfckCV9Sk3KccRYdfdf3RfSt52FQ9qcIxMoGnC91if-z-w5VePLZYZ2Zf22QSaqJqrTyLeXPtkr6GajTM1Y8BT9mj77Cgp1vIdWUK4/s5184/IMG_6865.JPG" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="5184" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRTxmyQsIBKKNr9CFHH16KJFyUcqJNvMAvhxNgo5mHd3_v_tFI7HegcLcNrsM44Q8gMrZdp9nHjAr6tS_UibuySrfckCV9Sk3KccRYdfdf3RfSt52FQ9qcIxMoGnC91if-z-w5VePLZYZ2Zf22QSaqJqrTyLeXPtkr6GajTM1Y8BT9mj77Cgp1vIdWUK4/s320/IMG_6865.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Green Tree Frog</td></tr></tbody></table><br />My total was <p></p><p>16 Cottonmouths, a Rough Green Snake, a Plain Bellied Watersnake, 3 Green Tree Frogs, Cave Salamanders, a newt, a Red Swamp Crawfish, 3 Racoons, an Armadillo.</p><p><br /></p><p> Photos below</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP4UnFt12RgHe5t5ZUd0Uq_VyptPIpyaHuyr4dTHXrmqpwPKVoR_MTWQF5QtQVtP_5KcoqdZONoGSdLc_Kfrel9002FfZ6QL2g0qXzPrjh0KdCjT-3wuia3DadfjNqqx_tkmAxif03L7mLqh6jv6KQkM5HKMv1nS3Jt3u_OK6ZMUoKa2frrO6vkTAg-U8/s2048/387841265_7364464533583493_6415817066946065563_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1152" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP4UnFt12RgHe5t5ZUd0Uq_VyptPIpyaHuyr4dTHXrmqpwPKVoR_MTWQF5QtQVtP_5KcoqdZONoGSdLc_Kfrel9002FfZ6QL2g0qXzPrjh0KdCjT-3wuia3DadfjNqqx_tkmAxif03L7mLqh6jv6KQkM5HKMv1nS3Jt3u_OK6ZMUoKa2frrO6vkTAg-U8/s320/387841265_7364464533583493_6415817066946065563_n.jpg" width="180" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy22uUskFJS86Mmtfh8PIWR5gLLomaQPmhjPbBERlKTlcCA9uNCKYAsK9F9NUdZABE569dtpyjSeQbdiRiNiqcesgPZEQAN3xIM-nDwVJuA8MyqW5wvbe7OdJGFA1VnFdXlNT387rzWKKF9-NkwO1LZ2uIPQP_YgPNM77ijJQMF3aFBHvVKlcj0q7GObQ/s2048/387755553_7364462076917072_4303172395931224193_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy22uUskFJS86Mmtfh8PIWR5gLLomaQPmhjPbBERlKTlcCA9uNCKYAsK9F9NUdZABE569dtpyjSeQbdiRiNiqcesgPZEQAN3xIM-nDwVJuA8MyqW5wvbe7OdJGFA1VnFdXlNT387rzWKKF9-NkwO1LZ2uIPQP_YgPNM77ijJQMF3aFBHvVKlcj0q7GObQ/s320/387755553_7364462076917072_4303172395931224193_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Above and below, Plain Bellied Watersnake</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikodgLWyXkqhpJxMn5tcYTs-feD0pWsoUW7-vU_o6jUPkRw97NVXIb02GWzURVMLReezELtwmRgn2WOByabt-UHhD48OZIzRu0AvhqW4uFoKrQTY3AnJuTNkzxUMoBFZ_uxQJwdgPHnXyPZsrL6By350askwPLZs9ajC6sYUVToMp1Z5aCCPAOeS77dP8/s2048/387770964_7364461460250467_8154989305880875559_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikodgLWyXkqhpJxMn5tcYTs-feD0pWsoUW7-vU_o6jUPkRw97NVXIb02GWzURVMLReezELtwmRgn2WOByabt-UHhD48OZIzRu0AvhqW4uFoKrQTY3AnJuTNkzxUMoBFZ_uxQJwdgPHnXyPZsrL6By350askwPLZs9ajC6sYUVToMp1Z5aCCPAOeS77dP8/s320/387770964_7364461460250467_8154989305880875559_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjzJT8EVpObTGMsvpyLH6n4qCC3KGGpSPO-gv95MGSP4WtLF5uR4RTs50dKJ0uk-VkFout4TlNcHaM6cMkiJOP_msujxvtmeHXvLG6XGsqJqgkD_xhMjQ90pSnZ-af6WXN7eGh0un9DJ1aLaQ41BnRm1ekwmHf_IHkv6z1S0waE4wPa8DZxYJVGSfB8Nc/s2048/387863494_7364463643583582_6540769041024096766_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjzJT8EVpObTGMsvpyLH6n4qCC3KGGpSPO-gv95MGSP4WtLF5uR4RTs50dKJ0uk-VkFout4TlNcHaM6cMkiJOP_msujxvtmeHXvLG6XGsqJqgkD_xhMjQ90pSnZ-af6WXN7eGh0un9DJ1aLaQ41BnRm1ekwmHf_IHkv6z1S0waE4wPa8DZxYJVGSfB8Nc/s320/387863494_7364463643583582_6540769041024096766_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Red Swamp Crawfish</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU03tohB_7hDFTOpxUoYNp1kogOoWJ45WCARE72oHknfoTfM02Mp7h0ITGCWcmVMKZ6hRZyt0b94luNKx05nZTk1Y9ZZbQQF-gEb9FlKv9ZZYHraq1A4IqLgdlLhg7bUlXHM9BTXWAuIZZ_PgUsSpf1ECv4B8T6oK16yIBngIDBlmU9j_PuPrwfUyD4zs/s5152/IMG_6248.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3864" data-original-width="5152" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU03tohB_7hDFTOpxUoYNp1kogOoWJ45WCARE72oHknfoTfM02Mp7h0ITGCWcmVMKZ6hRZyt0b94luNKx05nZTk1Y9ZZbQQF-gEb9FlKv9ZZYHraq1A4IqLgdlLhg7bUlXHM9BTXWAuIZZ_PgUsSpf1ECv4B8T6oK16yIBngIDBlmU9j_PuPrwfUyD4zs/s320/IMG_6248.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cave Salamander</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><p><br /></p>Nick Pacellihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07160728044281317803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8837104285678635073.post-47447523846872735652023-10-11T14:03:00.000-07:002023-10-11T14:03:35.292-07:00A Photographic Journey through Hannibal, MO<p> After leaving the Gateway Arch Laurie and I spent a couple of days in Hannibal, MO. After nearly two full days driving or sleeping in the car, having three nights/two full days in one place felt like a godsend. Hannibal is famous for one reason, it was the boyhood home of Mark Twain. Thanks to the young Twain (Samuel Clemens was his real name) Hannibal is a tourist town on the Mississippi River ninety minutes north of St Louis. </p><p> There is a lot to do in Hannibal and if I wrote and explained every attraction this would be long enough where you'd stop reading or scroll down and get overwhelmed and never start. The first night we stayed in a Motel 6 where we were happy for beds and a hot shower. The next two nights we stayed at a campground at the Mark Twain Cave complex. The cave and campground are three miles from downtown Hannibal. Since the campground is private, it was fairly expensive. I think we paid forty dollars a night for a tent site. There are plenty of motel options in town. </p><p> Probably the biggest attraction in town is the Mark Twain Cave. It was the first thing we did. As a boy, Twain played in this cave. It inspired many of the scenes in "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer". Tom and Becky got lost in the cave and Tom saw Injun Joe in the cave. </p><p><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiOe0cRAqKQoNzvBGx8fCXaqdAZAbAYOQBvEck17HqbX4v4WJ4L-cahrp4rPbj4cH3q2VYQhnKn6duX_qPeYxVsMN7VBPHJTy1n4EnF5pnuCly_YQXjXh1CtyvGjFHAvuEcidPGYv2nxi4-NgWf0Rfbbekj6zm8_DHNw24I2u7sHw-XlpWrFvf1U6dAT4/s2048/387763484_7364454863584460_6791365072494773082_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1152" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiOe0cRAqKQoNzvBGx8fCXaqdAZAbAYOQBvEck17HqbX4v4WJ4L-cahrp4rPbj4cH3q2VYQhnKn6duX_qPeYxVsMN7VBPHJTy1n4EnF5pnuCly_YQXjXh1CtyvGjFHAvuEcidPGYv2nxi4-NgWf0Rfbbekj6zm8_DHNw24I2u7sHw-XlpWrFvf1U6dAT4/s320/387763484_7364454863584460_6791365072494773082_n.jpg" width="180" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh05FPnYokWIM7G0xOW79nn6K1Ttc4ufLqhNALdVbD6vrWnj7CExRqtz8Jr8GiyEk3EGVkeyCo1PFxbSUfpyapGwZffslAirdO5RNvAhS9oUE8og4VfnJeboJ7YRHxw5G6jP3QA35wyEkuxPsy-qX7sSqJrB0vDikU7kYSJhuWqPa7oXBnS93lsLRHIVJ8/s5152/IMG_6107.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3864" data-original-width="5152" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh05FPnYokWIM7G0xOW79nn6K1Ttc4ufLqhNALdVbD6vrWnj7CExRqtz8Jr8GiyEk3EGVkeyCo1PFxbSUfpyapGwZffslAirdO5RNvAhS9oUE8og4VfnJeboJ7YRHxw5G6jP3QA35wyEkuxPsy-qX7sSqJrB0vDikU7kYSJhuWqPa7oXBnS93lsLRHIVJ8/s320/IMG_6107.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the minor things on my bucket list was to<br />go to a place Jesse James had been. I hadn't realized<br />Jesse used this cave as a hideout after one of <br />his robberies. His name is signed in the cave.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /> The cave complex is definitely for tourists. There is wine tasting which we did not do. There is a trolley that you can take through town and there is a Mark Twain Impersonator. We did the latter two. Mark Twain was really the first stand up comedian. He travelled the world with his routine. The impersonator was awesome. He talked for fifty minutes. There were parts I laughed uncontrollably. No photos. <p></p><p> The trolley ride was great. We went to multiple parts of town I didn't know about including Lover's Leap and Riverview Park. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOGzB9m0qWYQhsCe-UJcEBzwtpSspBOTje4j-v395Q5hbx5frJPVXDPDxrzMh2Z3eE4jLoBqfOV69Gbxlx4RDOq2wWJm38aXUb3tfpWv3CXLp9Okw7Wy8Vy7rSJHhAwmE4rRfbDqHV2wDTC-zGPVxGHVNzq15mu8UDXe8R3cEz12_3e7R2ue4No3CZn8M/s5152/IMG_6127.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3864" data-original-width="5152" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOGzB9m0qWYQhsCe-UJcEBzwtpSspBOTje4j-v395Q5hbx5frJPVXDPDxrzMh2Z3eE4jLoBqfOV69Gbxlx4RDOq2wWJm38aXUb3tfpWv3CXLp9Okw7Wy8Vy7rSJHhAwmE4rRfbDqHV2wDTC-zGPVxGHVNzq15mu8UDXe8R3cEz12_3e7R2ue4No3CZn8M/s320/IMG_6127.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>There was a cruise ship in town that I thought was going to make the crowds unbearable, but I hardly noticed the passengers. They would be transported from ship to sites by bus.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibWhz2BQnx35Av2mnnlnFhAnoAnIIqaU22W_3eZ__EjQ55TK9RQh8IDkukQz4N5EvUupvMpeTdlhNUE5AQygqeK6ExDF8rqnw7KhN6GWYisYp_6b9RicdwSa6nGK8OebN_53k0HCaw8RdaVIdrW5nMerDwvHQsJp91H06ZohJ8gIoFjtlFuP1rGCDq5N4/s5152/IMG_6126.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3864" data-original-width="5152" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibWhz2BQnx35Av2mnnlnFhAnoAnIIqaU22W_3eZ__EjQ55TK9RQh8IDkukQz4N5EvUupvMpeTdlhNUE5AQygqeK6ExDF8rqnw7KhN6GWYisYp_6b9RicdwSa6nGK8OebN_53k0HCaw8RdaVIdrW5nMerDwvHQsJp91H06ZohJ8gIoFjtlFuP1rGCDq5N4/s320/IMG_6126.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>One thing we really looked forward to was a Riverboat ride on the Mississippi. Mark Twain was a Riverboat Pilot for many years on the river but had to stop when the Civil War broke out. Photos are much better looking at a Riverboat than being on a Riverboat. I took the photos of it the day before our trip.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2cpZNkx5uKJt1K13sF_7rxxF67YmgcjjR5YA9isHCpIuDu9DwEtbz5yM1wsCtc_B5_pslt-lvkaM7A5s0GrZbCtplXTOH-IA4BOfeKCx8mcxmcqcl2Cc-1gwrDvtvRO_dnAchhN56vOQ1TO6Uo35Tov6efVB2F1H5lrN-daQpOrYwvjNfTRiZoqCc2Uo/s5152/IMG_6125.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3864" data-original-width="5152" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2cpZNkx5uKJt1K13sF_7rxxF67YmgcjjR5YA9isHCpIuDu9DwEtbz5yM1wsCtc_B5_pslt-lvkaM7A5s0GrZbCtplXTOH-IA4BOfeKCx8mcxmcqcl2Cc-1gwrDvtvRO_dnAchhN56vOQ1TO6Uo35Tov6efVB2F1H5lrN-daQpOrYwvjNfTRiZoqCc2Uo/s320/IMG_6125.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5Jz21zMWbLAqmPyKuzLdTAslAYFCnsCEQrhhXiqP2qulA5m6kFnQ7ys8QMpooIsdhAxTO5JcdyErTZfB8bLoAaZGkfjHs7D5jIakwDk08KIPcZrX33zqlFfXiA1RWYlVzXDN6w2sis3od6UpKP2EJEQW_qAnxDnmqekAbHlug9yj4L-H_DoRYGLX83rI/s5152/IMG_6221.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3864" data-original-width="5152" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5Jz21zMWbLAqmPyKuzLdTAslAYFCnsCEQrhhXiqP2qulA5m6kFnQ7ys8QMpooIsdhAxTO5JcdyErTZfB8bLoAaZGkfjHs7D5jIakwDk08KIPcZrX33zqlFfXiA1RWYlVzXDN6w2sis3od6UpKP2EJEQW_qAnxDnmqekAbHlug9yj4L-H_DoRYGLX83rI/s320/IMG_6221.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A grain barge on the river</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>One of the more interesting places to go is the Mark Twain Boyhood Home. Twain lived here for most of his childhood. Friends of his lived next door that would later become characters in his stories. <p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCmyg-VQwr7osKlKEdwVwIFMzgYwjMS1VaMQOOMGVxF_hyNu1E5rVMbPjBu5KBmJ0CZYq5gldqlFcG0LhmQAQz6O1UpmiqJ0DUkooWA0ZIAMwXpXrVTOX7ZSNe810NRXkXkBi88549LHIoylZbcV1iduvuPew72M0oqUDpzXWbP_yspqraKBwDvO85d9w/s5152/IMG_6095.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3864" data-original-width="5152" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCmyg-VQwr7osKlKEdwVwIFMzgYwjMS1VaMQOOMGVxF_hyNu1E5rVMbPjBu5KBmJ0CZYq5gldqlFcG0LhmQAQz6O1UpmiqJ0DUkooWA0ZIAMwXpXrVTOX7ZSNe810NRXkXkBi88549LHIoylZbcV1iduvuPew72M0oqUDpzXWbP_yspqraKBwDvO85d9w/s320/IMG_6095.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mark Twain's boyhood home. Not my finest photo.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioo_-ED5KD0WNAplqb707fNyYMTszP_zJJfs0L8y3fKT7lIChNOaqP2S55i4BNNI1KVdGWrByiVVxAG0VTi0Y71Q35lgAkIqkffXzYep8n5k68VwjGzkTpcp6yJ9GZQSXgSzMfngKbBetgnZbGCNU3WCqg5JI1r8R3unltvk_igv0qZlSwTsJKJvSIQ_Y/s5152/IMG_6094.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3864" data-original-width="5152" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioo_-ED5KD0WNAplqb707fNyYMTszP_zJJfs0L8y3fKT7lIChNOaqP2S55i4BNNI1KVdGWrByiVVxAG0VTi0Y71Q35lgAkIqkffXzYep8n5k68VwjGzkTpcp6yJ9GZQSXgSzMfngKbBetgnZbGCNU3WCqg5JI1r8R3unltvk_igv0qZlSwTsJKJvSIQ_Y/s320/IMG_6094.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuRci1xpyktbUb8Us-8UlKcKjThL9wVrwGB9dMsJQNHizmklr6RYU2Ly3WiAZAxtQe953fgA9f_hcgzP3begXrVlMsxwbl4Yu4FVV2_-T88KtYl4xeNTlLR55NLpXBPNKP8CvviiEWLkOULDiVqbb5qYaj4vGOzqhXQDAkXhhoVq1ikAFkUvGm3TNNgKo/s5152/IMG_6092.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3864" data-original-width="5152" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuRci1xpyktbUb8Us-8UlKcKjThL9wVrwGB9dMsJQNHizmklr6RYU2Ly3WiAZAxtQe953fgA9f_hcgzP3begXrVlMsxwbl4Yu4FVV2_-T88KtYl4xeNTlLR55NLpXBPNKP8CvviiEWLkOULDiVqbb5qYaj4vGOzqhXQDAkXhhoVq1ikAFkUvGm3TNNgKo/s320/IMG_6092.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The real Becky Thatcher's house.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgkuO0QcNPV69jMrYJp6qF0xTLKx2URXv2lSQtMG725x7IWsBLVDWz073pqpsWzwKx3DN4R3xMKwrxDhA9nXbaHFmMpb3wsFk0b-mZlpZ9OUbO0IdZCw-Lwf3PSkG2NBLED62ZlEcgMeoAt_aDG6kEmsc4f7nTiqfBi1cu9zbilrs9fuCOrnuBCabAj8k/s2048/387832207_7364455430251070_6049092509548423919_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1152" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgkuO0QcNPV69jMrYJp6qF0xTLKx2URXv2lSQtMG725x7IWsBLVDWz073pqpsWzwKx3DN4R3xMKwrxDhA9nXbaHFmMpb3wsFk0b-mZlpZ9OUbO0IdZCw-Lwf3PSkG2NBLED62ZlEcgMeoAt_aDG6kEmsc4f7nTiqfBi1cu9zbilrs9fuCOrnuBCabAj8k/s320/387832207_7364455430251070_6049092509548423919_n.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The real Becky Thatcher.<br />Her real name was Laura</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd_6QbXKgfnM1LNnP8ty-nRq8k6XK0U_Tqh9T2S5gDdbLnMUHdV1T9yQPPsfhbCLWmJXm6zMdWVseRRkQ6IXr2fojbeVD11L7EgO_pD1qmuitQLbM8GCnaKpXS-liiQkiEKSARRqp-LpfT2kyYXStgl-yuS1Kk3QJ-XB5Nq1pz5laJ4_cf4BuGRzlYSeg/s2048/387775196_7364464136916866_1854061104659830590_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd_6QbXKgfnM1LNnP8ty-nRq8k6XK0U_Tqh9T2S5gDdbLnMUHdV1T9yQPPsfhbCLWmJXm6zMdWVseRRkQ6IXr2fojbeVD11L7EgO_pD1qmuitQLbM8GCnaKpXS-liiQkiEKSARRqp-LpfT2kyYXStgl-yuS1Kk3QJ-XB5Nq1pz5laJ4_cf4BuGRzlYSeg/s320/387775196_7364464136916866_1854061104659830590_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The real Huckleberry Finn's house. His real name was Tom.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>If you pay admission to the boyhood home, it includes the Mark Twain Museum a few blocks down. The bottom of the museum is dedicated to books Twain wrote. The second level is artifacts and about his life. There are multiple Norman Rockwell paintings depicting "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer" </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1YNQFq5Gg5YB2LzxHI4eRf1Is_Y7STh0D4sMKqoOrJW0XnBCfjD9w2aWMdLGvG3mD4fEWPKdP1_F4AxHFbdq_qF_1SBEMtsjZp6vLD1JfttndOtOJM1tTm6vbd_HLP93vEtzsO1FDiKfFLwnEvByy5Hd8-mjfTqm2BuCLnoHMOdeblQP-22hvVu1Bxr4/s1728/2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1728" data-original-width="1152" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1YNQFq5Gg5YB2LzxHI4eRf1Is_Y7STh0D4sMKqoOrJW0XnBCfjD9w2aWMdLGvG3mD4fEWPKdP1_F4AxHFbdq_qF_1SBEMtsjZp6vLD1JfttndOtOJM1tTm6vbd_HLP93vEtzsO1FDiKfFLwnEvByy5Hd8-mjfTqm2BuCLnoHMOdeblQP-22hvVu1Bxr4/s320/2.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8gx3K9tELlxmDijW_OKQcMk77O8zeU4iJe5ZCn-iQyVhPUaoPKht-sD7qlN_xJ74KKOHwUzljGCNRiznB1hQMQ3NWtyhtW7yweCy26yX5AcWTKAPhHMkbnAmFWIuq3X6mp4tSA-pAHlsbMsvn0snnoephPhVaTTzdadl8gA3RAya7Zj6F9s1DGJwXoZo/s2048/387768187_7364461690250444_1069326518308285672_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1152" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8gx3K9tELlxmDijW_OKQcMk77O8zeU4iJe5ZCn-iQyVhPUaoPKht-sD7qlN_xJ74KKOHwUzljGCNRiznB1hQMQ3NWtyhtW7yweCy26yX5AcWTKAPhHMkbnAmFWIuq3X6mp4tSA-pAHlsbMsvn0snnoephPhVaTTzdadl8gA3RAya7Zj6F9s1DGJwXoZo/s320/387768187_7364461690250444_1069326518308285672_n.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Norman Rockwell</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMbMSu7lud46LiECbhBNV8d5l4HILvs2MYmOpyrSO1mo_VDCzbSAUGztanN1HVXg5mA6WjIrgTizKR4FDKff7pcaVrJ40UAHioV92bogIPCu7q6JqlNqrqxctp9rKPQhYXQSw8DxbTdGQOMQY0SkuhDr-sAi4HQy010p3CO5E0bOWnDAnDjz48WMC5Sw4/s2048/387784085_7364461876917092_8072603292102511301_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1152" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMbMSu7lud46LiECbhBNV8d5l4HILvs2MYmOpyrSO1mo_VDCzbSAUGztanN1HVXg5mA6WjIrgTizKR4FDKff7pcaVrJ40UAHioV92bogIPCu7q6JqlNqrqxctp9rKPQhYXQSw8DxbTdGQOMQY0SkuhDr-sAi4HQy010p3CO5E0bOWnDAnDjz48WMC5Sw4/s320/387784085_7364461876917092_8072603292102511301_n.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Twain's top hat</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrWnWWZ8E7pYot_lO4_4Kb5w8AyRVrILY2au6mwe0Be-m4y-npNWazVxB4daf4FQl-wAhG2eW0Rwx2Kt8un0zwJaFRN_1oKgW-k_0rhhVm2uR4xBRsQR3iLIks2d1VhPZlwnxPdNSpdh9Z_gwmG4b03IXSDhIU6iIRQqt2RgAm9ZtuOZJKKX_l18oBWkY/s2048/387847213_7364459396917340_8378226250966636960_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1152" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrWnWWZ8E7pYot_lO4_4Kb5w8AyRVrILY2au6mwe0Be-m4y-npNWazVxB4daf4FQl-wAhG2eW0Rwx2Kt8un0zwJaFRN_1oKgW-k_0rhhVm2uR4xBRsQR3iLIks2d1VhPZlwnxPdNSpdh9Z_gwmG4b03IXSDhIU6iIRQqt2RgAm9ZtuOZJKKX_l18oBWkY/s320/387847213_7364459396917340_8378226250966636960_n.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The man Injun Joe is based on. Apparently<br />he was a nice guy and not a murderer.<br /><br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p> Another minor thing I have always wanted to do was eat a food that Mark Twain ate. I assumed this would mean apple pie or fried chicken. However, Twain was a foodie and in one of his books he listed all of his favorite foods. The list was over one hundred items long so eating something he ate was pretty easy. In his list he gets as specific as a species of duck (Canvasback) but also included are biscuits, butter, and even cold water. We went to Mark Twain Diner and split a meal of fried chicken, potatoes with gravy, and a biscuit (with butter). We had Peach Cobbler for desert. The diner is famous for homemade Root Beer. I was Twain for an hour.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGoVUhKAgyRIlBpBBOu1i-IWZiABlWS5WFPAJKsqJO1dkeak9h-o1rvB96KqWmUTUVCdwTLmD5Q-Q1cX3mvWLq-us5nu87VMY36tiS5Sjqio2M_vCa-qqoHElAqak3xjACC2Jo2CIkT_-UxBfm7F5BeSOjXo2s0kzwGsANa2ifx_f7mnjT8o-on2NhWiI/s2048/5.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGoVUhKAgyRIlBpBBOu1i-IWZiABlWS5WFPAJKsqJO1dkeak9h-o1rvB96KqWmUTUVCdwTLmD5Q-Q1cX3mvWLq-us5nu87VMY36tiS5Sjqio2M_vCa-qqoHElAqak3xjACC2Jo2CIkT_-UxBfm7F5BeSOjXo2s0kzwGsANa2ifx_f7mnjT8o-on2NhWiI/s320/5.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The best Fried Chicken I've ever had</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"> One thing I have always wanted to do was catch a catfish and if I could do it out of the Mississippi like old Huck Finn all the better. On our last day I got a few hours fishing in. I bought a one day Missouri license and some worms. I hoped to catch sunfish with the worms and use them for cats. This should have been pretty easy. I didn't need a fifty pounder, just something bigger than a bullhead. I didn't get any catfish but caught two stripers! The one species I can catch in saltwater was the one species I caught in the river. </span></div><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0zWoVwoGOuvwfKMm8pr7o_3l4dHTbw9D4LfnRQUMO5c0avaNR5_Y_YmdSA7NytpETZoL4vzay_pbq8r54gfB4YEWlx0uUpx-u_Tn5KtY2JuaGlEelUeXrvsSeG3anNGN-zLNJHLzj5cc6v-Z5paoOP63wV_WVz9s8Jrz7u1h3R3InFbuKlNm_qFIF8WA/s1600/387857166_7364458116917468_6192633626658292127_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="720" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0zWoVwoGOuvwfKMm8pr7o_3l4dHTbw9D4LfnRQUMO5c0avaNR5_Y_YmdSA7NytpETZoL4vzay_pbq8r54gfB4YEWlx0uUpx-u_Tn5KtY2JuaGlEelUeXrvsSeG3anNGN-zLNJHLzj5cc6v-Z5paoOP63wV_WVz9s8Jrz7u1h3R3InFbuKlNm_qFIF8WA/s320/387857166_7364458116917468_6192633626658292127_n.jpg" width="144" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>A guy snagged a Gizzard Shad and gave it to me. They are great catfish bait because they are oily. I didn't catch any catfish but did take a photo because seeing it was a lifer fish.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_D4zw1Ja_F9qmHQCUTPWt3CvFo4eMfcU5AKoFWZF2heP93WgTMMdlXCDbQWJ48sf5E7DL74PX_pmQRIsdpbzmzo2djy3KtDCkRloSKABFHY31LqGcxNCnPwiArw3whIyLABXUdrjDgsXEwMZ9Uh1_dfykdKQUKYo-jsQ1qRJftMpLLlUT0BFNmV4wgno/s2048/387857271_7364458546917425_6954810801917129656_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_D4zw1Ja_F9qmHQCUTPWt3CvFo4eMfcU5AKoFWZF2heP93WgTMMdlXCDbQWJ48sf5E7DL74PX_pmQRIsdpbzmzo2djy3KtDCkRloSKABFHY31LqGcxNCnPwiArw3whIyLABXUdrjDgsXEwMZ9Uh1_dfykdKQUKYo-jsQ1qRJftMpLLlUT0BFNmV4wgno/s320/387857271_7364458546917425_6954810801917129656_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3qojqVsFzro5LxiqjH5obi44DAgOaY68v3YsMgZkV08ZDKZiOwW1Therwms962AAAg1N2pQnavEjo2vJNXQAJDL6g5OZWcKb522A5jZFnXX50NI8mrr17lY_sI1ZwFAYgoqIKcnXkYQYoQaXVIUteLqb8Xm6MdyyzZVhyFG57EKwDZInPpT8pfuo86k0/s5152/IMG_6223.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3864" data-original-width="5152" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3qojqVsFzro5LxiqjH5obi44DAgOaY68v3YsMgZkV08ZDKZiOwW1Therwms962AAAg1N2pQnavEjo2vJNXQAJDL6g5OZWcKb522A5jZFnXX50NI8mrr17lY_sI1ZwFAYgoqIKcnXkYQYoQaXVIUteLqb8Xm6MdyyzZVhyFG57EKwDZInPpT8pfuo86k0/s320/IMG_6223.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Touching the Mississippi</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p>We bought tickets for the cave, trolley, Mark Twain Impersonator, Twain Boyhood Home, and the riverboat. We went out to eat twice getting breakfast at Becky Thatcher Diner on our second day. However, in-between attractions we spent a lot of time walking around town. The town is very quaint. There are many shops dedicated to tourists. There are many bars and restaurants. You can go into the general store and get a FREE ice cream. There is a Tom and Huck statue and a lighthouse you can walk up to climb.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQFir-2kOzns3-0pHJxNF3dFlFIZ2gxrVIaA0FavNFVz_5vUhOM6y_g4Axh7ivkIHgbcmPWNqdAYZSLslN2qCml3N1-1_ocj68RUJHvlIGUBMfb41kZVJuY9lF207N-Hz7xxLggrg8pkifKRiQ60b-duGwKxoIVFp5UvE9HZcfyeB7RktirkduAD1zZVM/s5152/IMG_6090.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5152" data-original-width="3864" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQFir-2kOzns3-0pHJxNF3dFlFIZ2gxrVIaA0FavNFVz_5vUhOM6y_g4Axh7ivkIHgbcmPWNqdAYZSLslN2qCml3N1-1_ocj68RUJHvlIGUBMfb41kZVJuY9lF207N-Hz7xxLggrg8pkifKRiQ60b-duGwKxoIVFp5UvE9HZcfyeB7RktirkduAD1zZVM/s320/IMG_6090.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsokTQ-GnSGzRpIxsVXXmpNgFSkWg8n-hfwtHAWTy2j-BWyc5N1SzjHpvAz2tulyDAuhUmNgEi8-5n6HBM8VN64zcufCc6CrFYlNEwotcnYSr_fgSsJj0BZfK7_B8FYaMCOeNFDggTZroa2fUwsMhyphenhyphenkTZszKGYl20MPBHTXrpW5Gy3IYnqxPjQz1I91KY/s5152/IMG_6198.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5152" data-original-width="3864" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsokTQ-GnSGzRpIxsVXXmpNgFSkWg8n-hfwtHAWTy2j-BWyc5N1SzjHpvAz2tulyDAuhUmNgEi8-5n6HBM8VN64zcufCc6CrFYlNEwotcnYSr_fgSsJj0BZfK7_B8FYaMCOeNFDggTZroa2fUwsMhyphenhyphenkTZszKGYl20MPBHTXrpW5Gy3IYnqxPjQz1I91KY/s320/IMG_6198.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><p><br /></p>There are many murals around town. They are listed in the Visitor's Guide along with each address. We didn't see them all but saw most of them.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7sM-g5XIj3P6ikP10K0_NxuCqZsJeczWnDQz-po76R1ZJTlBtOfHlawn8h_j_iVXYJpYisX92p9yavn51Hqcpf9Ou1Ml1ISnwAdmKgvwtLTYc8tIFdjEGkep7d3vB326jKedyfrmxI3rQUa2FPv-im7I7-kQC0_DF7L5DSSniEU6NhNcqb43mYSJPpbA/s5152/IMG_6182.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3864" data-original-width="5152" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7sM-g5XIj3P6ikP10K0_NxuCqZsJeczWnDQz-po76R1ZJTlBtOfHlawn8h_j_iVXYJpYisX92p9yavn51Hqcpf9Ou1Ml1ISnwAdmKgvwtLTYc8tIFdjEGkep7d3vB326jKedyfrmxI3rQUa2FPv-im7I7-kQC0_DF7L5DSSniEU6NhNcqb43mYSJPpbA/s320/IMG_6182.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqE5bVbjsASBzs6PKo7-Wft7EgwdPzykkllzz9rZiPEQgVcxKN8MMKFitK-Pm_8Kypp3l5GlqnCoAm5fZpPtgRrlV-PhNT4ZyojqjzOU7qHDoWfddRFRuaV_kbc1qjVGuqokYqHjXF3yCudJgMtNO18N_CMjNnNMtqDOwkpmMT7c3P2eNCWxL_i6GXDFk/s5152/IMG_6174.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3864" data-original-width="5152" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqE5bVbjsASBzs6PKo7-Wft7EgwdPzykkllzz9rZiPEQgVcxKN8MMKFitK-Pm_8Kypp3l5GlqnCoAm5fZpPtgRrlV-PhNT4ZyojqjzOU7qHDoWfddRFRuaV_kbc1qjVGuqokYqHjXF3yCudJgMtNO18N_CMjNnNMtqDOwkpmMT7c3P2eNCWxL_i6GXDFk/s320/IMG_6174.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is probably the most famous mural. <br />The boy is Huck Finn. The woman is the<br />Unsinkable Molly Brown</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p><p>Molly Brown was from Hannibal. We didn't tour her house but took a photo of it. She did meet Mark Twain on his last visit to Hannibal.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivk3Ro8En7t9weUC16Cm-E36K07M7amrpcrAzTJAPfDTcurMKt4eux0mienxXYGQTKSbr9odwKn8XL8AmhOXEpt3yCudd2YOImOuXAgAS92WZQtP-bvC0VRW4VyFfNrY_Rinh7-_YbaTD1A5GNO04tHQzLY9bFpscQybXbcjB8HHWYl4EsP_gMMVO2MX4/s5152/IMG_6149.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3864" data-original-width="5152" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivk3Ro8En7t9weUC16Cm-E36K07M7amrpcrAzTJAPfDTcurMKt4eux0mienxXYGQTKSbr9odwKn8XL8AmhOXEpt3yCudd2YOImOuXAgAS92WZQtP-bvC0VRW4VyFfNrY_Rinh7-_YbaTD1A5GNO04tHQzLY9bFpscQybXbcjB8HHWYl4EsP_gMMVO2MX4/s320/IMG_6149.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p> There are other famous people from Hannibal. There is a street with murals of all of them. I'll spare you all of the photos I took. There was a baseball Hall of Famer, the first woman to vote, and the voice of Jiminy Cricket</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdT9wcCHZC7poe286t7kGD4aUC1rcBzSSm1-WbELVWIA5zUOF6IaWT9Lvv4yhitKonhTWGS2AT2_lzkINMtSLuFg5-cbFWr_AutIRHana57Th6ER5NGytEJ7fZevNQzFtZ4JXUTo8a8c2uDuTw8MppgpdjwKwBIbjRhUDtXrTtKURSF8hD8RG3xkAPllI/s5152/IMG_6186.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3864" data-original-width="5152" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdT9wcCHZC7poe286t7kGD4aUC1rcBzSSm1-WbELVWIA5zUOF6IaWT9Lvv4yhitKonhTWGS2AT2_lzkINMtSLuFg5-cbFWr_AutIRHana57Th6ER5NGytEJ7fZevNQzFtZ4JXUTo8a8c2uDuTw8MppgpdjwKwBIbjRhUDtXrTtKURSF8hD8RG3xkAPllI/s320/IMG_6186.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>At the opposite ends of town are two views of the River. The north one is Riverview Park. Interestingly, there is a black mutation of Grey Squirrels that live in the park. We saw some but I couldn't get a photo. From the view you can see the island that Tom Sawyer spent three days on. Also in the park is a statue of Mark Twain.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkZq3uDc48unje8mQ6Xj7K3XTaTZGn4p0PXDWjJZMpe6D5KAcwQlgM6uxiiOY4bQlFyn6YkblM3s1_mU-vl0OynpwWaSRe-d-hqIejre7iZcMy5tDVNR2YydGoAYlvhq7DwRpSy-eTNNFybDGbSgBjjVxsZuQyoewsRvhFlXPxwI8RdRfLCpoxgQ6MEWs/s5152/IMG_6147.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5152" data-original-width="3864" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkZq3uDc48unje8mQ6Xj7K3XTaTZGn4p0PXDWjJZMpe6D5KAcwQlgM6uxiiOY4bQlFyn6YkblM3s1_mU-vl0OynpwWaSRe-d-hqIejre7iZcMy5tDVNR2YydGoAYlvhq7DwRpSy-eTNNFybDGbSgBjjVxsZuQyoewsRvhFlXPxwI8RdRfLCpoxgQ6MEWs/s320/IMG_6147.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><p><br /></p>The south view is at Lover's Leap. So named because two young Indians from waring tribes plummeted to their death instead of being apart.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBoroy4yw9l18RYkF39a8ivbi16QVIcTpbpObukLvqztA_SRndNglydGg-S9DV19_zSTEHaY5af04OobPxfl3xbGnvNdMfuc_0FdDGiEYoB_LdGn2bcdAnzwj3X97ck4VKWuEn_d4q1V3PE_TUbMirmdONdl9TT9_BH2xP877omxXnhbL24GD47hFnxx8/s5152/IMG_6137.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3864" data-original-width="5152" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBoroy4yw9l18RYkF39a8ivbi16QVIcTpbpObukLvqztA_SRndNglydGg-S9DV19_zSTEHaY5af04OobPxfl3xbGnvNdMfuc_0FdDGiEYoB_LdGn2bcdAnzwj3X97ck4VKWuEn_d4q1V3PE_TUbMirmdONdl9TT9_BH2xP877omxXnhbL24GD47hFnxx8/s320/IMG_6137.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lover's Leap</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p><p>As you walk the streets you will see many quotes from Mark Twain or characters in his books. For the life of me I don't know why my photos of them came out so terrible.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPnkKKoeck7dRNLi9FHN85Ne28J3-EY4YptviEHdFDHRzDvv5CFee8I_l4r3N-XuW1C5KIRwQq9QYGOli8aTNBY59-ZO-OCl3eak54ML13mZ9O43reT_ZFcYeL4WZR93DktueNm3orDBd4Y5-vvDO4QvXugbm0OYBHacsuRvTuWqV0RFEWDvvdrxdHZRA/s5152/IMG_6193.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5152" data-original-width="3864" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPnkKKoeck7dRNLi9FHN85Ne28J3-EY4YptviEHdFDHRzDvv5CFee8I_l4r3N-XuW1C5KIRwQq9QYGOli8aTNBY59-ZO-OCl3eak54ML13mZ9O43reT_ZFcYeL4WZR93DktueNm3orDBd4Y5-vvDO4QvXugbm0OYBHacsuRvTuWqV0RFEWDvvdrxdHZRA/s320/IMG_6193.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHN8qKMDiYi07LO96_v692-w78_Wfa9WZD57Hb3NoS9yCs3G_sg2qrpKbambEEbKZRGNmveLFJEF7PCHxWdQw2PbxzcIqkMZxA8CVq-V-k_wuHhAZOGklD4E__4lGNZA6GCn9xZwvsvBdbXjMfSkO0cPGJY8Vbu8R3fJIeYUVPM54KDtr-pTUEDu0RDAM/s5152/IMG_6178.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5152" data-original-width="3864" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHN8qKMDiYi07LO96_v692-w78_Wfa9WZD57Hb3NoS9yCs3G_sg2qrpKbambEEbKZRGNmveLFJEF7PCHxWdQw2PbxzcIqkMZxA8CVq-V-k_wuHhAZOGklD4E__4lGNZA6GCn9xZwvsvBdbXjMfSkO0cPGJY8Vbu8R3fJIeYUVPM54KDtr-pTUEDu0RDAM/s320/IMG_6178.JPG" width="240" /></a></div> <p></p><p> I loved Hannibal, MO. I enjoyed every single thing we did. If I ever went back, I'm not saying I'd do everything again, but I'm glad we did everything once. I'd do the cave again for sure. I would get the fried chicken at the Mark Twain Diner multiple times. I had a great time.</p></div>Nick Pacellihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07160728044281317803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8837104285678635073.post-27998498592284682742023-10-10T06:51:00.002-07:002023-10-10T10:02:09.842-07:00Gateway Arch National Park<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYCMzcgCY4kszWi3kjqcX7nfU3sufuZDHGZ6bOe2RIllAp_-avyzppw-74MU37SNee9uwN1oXjmDCFK3ZNlpl7Z6yxOwhCXYDY429F0pvOvobbmVbkuIxjXkvp8h0b3lGHP6AEzIxr6dartXQo4cuGEVV5BbxMA2z4bLrCbE1kqf9L3Ome1lM3NlDsklo/s5152/IMG_6018.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5152" data-original-width="3864" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYCMzcgCY4kszWi3kjqcX7nfU3sufuZDHGZ6bOe2RIllAp_-avyzppw-74MU37SNee9uwN1oXjmDCFK3ZNlpl7Z6yxOwhCXYDY429F0pvOvobbmVbkuIxjXkvp8h0b3lGHP6AEzIxr6dartXQo4cuGEVV5BbxMA2z4bLrCbE1kqf9L3Ome1lM3NlDsklo/s320/IMG_6018.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /> Laurie and I just did a ten day trip through the Midwest. The trip centered around a place called Snake Road in Illinois. We planned the trip around going there. To give us more reasons to go, we planned on a few days at other places in the Midwest. One of them was the Gateway Arch. The Gateway Arch is now designated a National Park ( with a capital N and P). It was completed in 1965 after two years of construction. <p></p><p> The Gateway Arch in St. Louis was our first real destination. We left home Thursday night and drove as much as we could sleeping at rest areas. We made it forty miles outside of St Louis Friday night and slept at a rest area until morning. We left for the Arch about 8 am.</p><p>Seeing the Gateway Arch is quite easy. It is 630 feet tall. It is the tallest steel monument in the Western Hemisphere and only the Eiffel Tower is taller in the world. We could easily see it as we we were driving in from Illinois. The view of it is spectacular as we crossed the Mississippi River. </p><p> There isn't a parking lot at the monument. You can either look for metered on street parking downtown a couple blocks away or use one of the parking garages also a couple blocks away. We used a parking garage that cost us about ten dollars. </p><p>You are allowed to go up the arch. We reserved tickets a few days in advance. There are little tram cars that take you to the very top. The cost is a ridiculous $19 for an adult ( Washington Monument is $1.50). You are only on top looking out the windows for seven minutes. None the less, this was a once in a lifetime trip so up we went. There is no arguing that the the tram to the top was fun. Being on top was also cool. As expected, our seven minutes flew by.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh21r6wLjfCbiBs-BOVhyphenhyphenXLndNDJl4pouI2bIkPe0neEeo9ZkYbXGhx-fOnSwiX_I39NjoBYAOTWsUJN0ckrLJ_ir_-ZxvzDhujIvzWoc9227HjD_k9nl9YC2Z9wgkUct49KGY1Mr7CtRPBmSJ8c3FFPldVvjxBh2-yUBlZpterInQHXgyB6FcDLYX9fqA/s5152/IMG_6038.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3864" data-original-width="5152" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh21r6wLjfCbiBs-BOVhyphenhyphenXLndNDJl4pouI2bIkPe0neEeo9ZkYbXGhx-fOnSwiX_I39NjoBYAOTWsUJN0ckrLJ_ir_-ZxvzDhujIvzWoc9227HjD_k9nl9YC2Z9wgkUct49KGY1Mr7CtRPBmSJ8c3FFPldVvjxBh2-yUBlZpterInQHXgyB6FcDLYX9fqA/s320/IMG_6038.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking west into St Louis </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7Ln0R3Gfl6iBrnOCKo0bJwwpihCbIDwP7v1fh85AEtjlgoUxoOEvOi2OLuCtT4Js6GZE9gSE6R-rPf_bI__hv_xksOE9vXe8H224n7x0KnExgWSEtOuwuvX6g-2asJari34rLYNM3ULxVA0gELWNh3f2eqmYIw5SYHspFW62S83D1qjCIPXJuDHODs-w/s5152/IMG_6044.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3864" data-original-width="5152" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7Ln0R3Gfl6iBrnOCKo0bJwwpihCbIDwP7v1fh85AEtjlgoUxoOEvOi2OLuCtT4Js6GZE9gSE6R-rPf_bI__hv_xksOE9vXe8H224n7x0KnExgWSEtOuwuvX6g-2asJari34rLYNM3ULxVA0gELWNh3f2eqmYIw5SYHspFW62S83D1qjCIPXJuDHODs-w/s320/IMG_6044.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking down and east at the Mississippi<br /> River and Illinois.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p><p> Before our 10:30 tram ride we took photos of the arch as best we could. The morning sun comes from the east and the Mississippi River stops you from getting the arch in view with the sun at your back. I tried to take some of the less famous views of the arch such as standing directly under it. The truth was I was getting a little frustrated knowing I wasn't going to get a wallhanger photo of the arch. While the arch would be in perfect light in the late afternoon we wouldn't be there. We only had a few hours before we were going to our motel in Hannibal, MO. I was starting to accept that my photos were not going to be the postcard quality I imagined. </p><p> After we got down from the tram we were thinking about heading to Hannibal but decided to walk around some. The sun had made its way to the south and it was clear the light was different than when we went up. The arch is in the middle of a huge grass field. The legs of the arch are six hundred feet apart. On both sides of the field are walkways with small ponds and and wooded areas making the park fairly long. We walked toward the south side so the sun would be at our back when we turned around. As soon as we walked just a couple hundred yards we left the crowds behind. While there were hundreds of people under the arch, in line for the tram, and in the museum, we saw one guy on the south side of the park, a local exercising. </p><p> </p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTf4fOR4Q4u35q1-dOfLW6uKkSNkrz8qhf834y7D5CVUqByXx5VueETa3-lDCsQrxzUMUcGWGAa_NQsO0Z8Cd08-A9lVhFXZq4tyzgyueM0GQtp-zwZWOfBKAh0ufMxYcue4cDPnie_-4RU8ealdY7iiOQmKySPZuZA4SEBzb8g60LB-iXhT1wBLwU61I/s5152/IMG_6065.JPG" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5152" data-original-width="3864" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTf4fOR4Q4u35q1-dOfLW6uKkSNkrz8qhf834y7D5CVUqByXx5VueETa3-lDCsQrxzUMUcGWGAa_NQsO0Z8Cd08-A9lVhFXZq4tyzgyueM0GQtp-zwZWOfBKAh0ufMxYcue4cDPnie_-4RU8ealdY7iiOQmKySPZuZA4SEBzb8g60LB-iXhT1wBLwU61I/s320/IMG_6065.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from the South Pond</td></tr></tbody></table><br /> We came across the South Pond and without a cloud in the sky, it made an amazing reflecting pool. We took a bunch of photos from different points on the pond then just sat in the grass for ten minutes taking it all in. I'd have sat for two hours if we weren't on a time restraint. I was much happier with my photos and when we left, I was in a much better place mentally. <p></p><p> Things to know-</p><p> You already know parking is not on site and you will have to walk a couple of blocks. </p><p> Besides paying to go up in the arch, there is also a movie that I believe costs seven dollars. There is also a riverboat ride. You can buy any of these three things or buy a combo ticket. We just went up the arch because we had a riverboat ride planned a couple days later.</p><p> There is a cafeteria which had decent food under the arch.</p><p> There is a great free museum that explains western expansion across the USA and also the making of the arch.</p><p>The National Park website is <a href="https://www.nps.gov/jeff/index.htm">https://www.nps.gov/jeff/index.htm</a></p><p>The website to buy tickets is<a href="https://tickets.gatewayarch.com/webstore/shop/viewitems.aspx?cg=cat&c=gartkt">https://tickets.gatewayarch.com/webstore/shop/viewitems.aspx?cg=cat&c=gartkt</a></p><p>Many more photos below from different angels</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0JR-A5damVjiVIUWnb6O9-j5tYou997-tX1rq9IrLxwFaKhSIULreoeie72rVT2aWEoebJiJ-vN3lVeznyiy7u2EFvHnmdHfG5OrRJRFsBGGWwmlo1aX1ua-1JMgQ3HhfBmfJQZnW1_CAp-UsyIaqv9VM-sLdgy4H3tesE3eGojub-X32f3skJDfn9OY/s5152/IMG_6011.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; 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margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3864" data-original-width="5152" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3iqSkkXla2LQMW3b2ztLDRHV7E__kQbKh0PLcagJlUR_c0ePVKgntodiWs-5Eg3KEUNUwNBYy3tZjZEVelKO2bqiOo9yCSvyKJprwkxPcg3WNcL1fnY7JpAgOQwq0zB1ebUAlUoMSbk-A21UYuZDnZEs2kkh9q_4V2TbRv1Tgjk3f2iHxUd7WkCkWMfA/s320/IMG_6077.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgivNUU1kBbaEl3libEdT9i3A9WrgGJH0n-NTJYw2Kfe3NeIHwxpHZtDNnxOj-LFsP1AjKl_vBS-d_1cM14G6dHOJN39vwRxLGvvPNfsjpGJRFHdO6-BV7xG51Q6mZ3n4ca2v5H1dFNGcHDa1IhZVsVJ5RB2TjdNUpRMqNihze4vvcUwlZO07ZEH19S1Zs/s2048/387845344_7364446550251958_4924020038234174772_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgivNUU1kBbaEl3libEdT9i3A9WrgGJH0n-NTJYw2Kfe3NeIHwxpHZtDNnxOj-LFsP1AjKl_vBS-d_1cM14G6dHOJN39vwRxLGvvPNfsjpGJRFHdO6-BV7xG51Q6mZ3n4ca2v5H1dFNGcHDa1IhZVsVJ5RB2TjdNUpRMqNihze4vvcUwlZO07ZEH19S1Zs/s320/387845344_7364446550251958_4924020038234174772_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A view straight down from the top<br />I love the shadow of the arch</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Nick Pacellihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07160728044281317803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8837104285678635073.post-43665464509389040002023-09-23T07:53:00.001-07:002023-09-23T07:53:12.604-07:00Salaman-day!<p> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXOYQXYx9WD4cNDIk8PnPIQwNJkuqekh8XZuuA8luO5fi4pfeLbw69meYz7WzGWxCtHL9Bdm18XEL_tV57t4rcclGpqpS4zYFJy1gh9UViW4qAbcZz8qjTheb6HnRM6oT7eSiCbPLG1JlD2k6yg0SUQRdfVHNZbYk-loqqg-bWZnyP4tgFNmPTst8fFmc/s2048/382698356_7296003720429575_33622007595317883_n%20(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1404" data-original-width="2048" height="219" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXOYQXYx9WD4cNDIk8PnPIQwNJkuqekh8XZuuA8luO5fi4pfeLbw69meYz7WzGWxCtHL9Bdm18XEL_tV57t4rcclGpqpS4zYFJy1gh9UViW4qAbcZz8qjTheb6HnRM6oT7eSiCbPLG1JlD2k6yg0SUQRdfVHNZbYk-loqqg-bWZnyP4tgFNmPTst8fFmc/s320/382698356_7296003720429575_33622007595317883_n%20(1).jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Red Backed Salamander</td></tr></tbody></table><br /> I had another fantastic day herping. I had a nice day planned doing some fishing and some herping. I tried but didn't catch any fish. I did see a large blitz but it was way off shore and did not come in while I was there. The herping more than made up for it.</p><p> I found my first salamanders of the year today. I lifted a rock off of the beaten path and low and behold there they were. I took a couple of photos and put them back where I found them. They were Red Backed Salamanders which is the most common species in the Northeast. Despite one having a very distinct red back and the other being all dark grey they are the same species. </p><p> After I looked at them I ran into my friend Linda. She had a slow day birding so I told her about the salamanders and showed them to her. She told me she had a salamander under one of the pots in her garden and described it to me. It was a Spotted Salamander. I told her I had never seen one so if it was there when she got home to please let me know and I'd go to her house.</p><p> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAwJId_hSIhf27CDRf7VDHPoJfeYUTbZKIhsr3E6mGOS_LphhqG24fgm9yxNFmptEtC2Cd2iuipckQzQL9vZDZ82COOCN-tD9LzkU5P-qnHf_Nf0YonfYb80hVyhSQxEY15vI7FadVMRmPVDRzH0gWFyz6rAUqRYSKH9Fnvt41i_Ta7jWq4A-O65aJd6E/s5184/IMG_6743.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="5184" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAwJId_hSIhf27CDRf7VDHPoJfeYUTbZKIhsr3E6mGOS_LphhqG24fgm9yxNFmptEtC2Cd2iuipckQzQL9vZDZ82COOCN-tD9LzkU5P-qnHf_Nf0YonfYb80hVyhSQxEY15vI7FadVMRmPVDRzH0gWFyz6rAUqRYSKH9Fnvt41i_Ta7jWq4A-O65aJd6E/s320/IMG_6743.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Spotted Salamander</td></tr></tbody></table><br /> She called me twenty minutes later that it was there. As promised, I drove up to her house. It was a little guy about four inches. It was covered in dirt and not the most photogenic amphibian you will ever see but he was there! I took a bunch of photos and put the flower pot gently over him again. </p><p>And, ho-hum, I found the Eastern Milk Snake again today.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p> Below are more photos. Spotted Salaamder has spots. The Red backed do not. The one that looks like a snake is a snake. There is also a Praying Mantis and a frog below. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEa1IQV5FlIBqjppv4DJPB0uXfvgqTPgvGlxhoW-yPmj4KW6d3xmGXnyyjeoFb0EHfmeYxH6nT9lV3RpeUJxYN893F5ZoMeg5RNTGBLWfYmkzQo8XzO2s-bNU9ergZiE_sbYri1psBhwpYz5fKRxYxFc-qFd5xs-GuU90iDwFKw3EKdt3jOuDGlbkz_2U/s960/380807639_7296002193763061_2254686082933088398_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="540" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEa1IQV5FlIBqjppv4DJPB0uXfvgqTPgvGlxhoW-yPmj4KW6d3xmGXnyyjeoFb0EHfmeYxH6nT9lV3RpeUJxYN893F5ZoMeg5RNTGBLWfYmkzQo8XzO2s-bNU9ergZiE_sbYri1psBhwpYz5fKRxYxFc-qFd5xs-GuU90iDwFKw3EKdt3jOuDGlbkz_2U/s320/380807639_7296002193763061_2254686082933088398_n.jpg" width="180" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZLYKD8QhjdW3i_Rtk78sb6DvEb0WfVOU2M7xaBL6jlqMaIx3p4R1Zqi1zpwANwVlKEbNp4q5FE6l0MsXg0wqc8h3QQGZ3jrMUtBdl001ozQH9_lUrRbxekLV2tAOUffFYe1EuFQ0g-68FvropYEkjNTBLX-UjtrKpzXTMMWdY_bFk1nL_LiNaxoupPdw/s960/380809468_7296002937096320_6513541076057052632_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="960" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZLYKD8QhjdW3i_Rtk78sb6DvEb0WfVOU2M7xaBL6jlqMaIx3p4R1Zqi1zpwANwVlKEbNp4q5FE6l0MsXg0wqc8h3QQGZ3jrMUtBdl001ozQH9_lUrRbxekLV2tAOUffFYe1EuFQ0g-68FvropYEkjNTBLX-UjtrKpzXTMMWdY_bFk1nL_LiNaxoupPdw/s320/380809468_7296002937096320_6513541076057052632_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIHC2ednqzXrTlkOxLn_at75hL6S-AlGkxjmPFfU8HK29ViAZVDp_WSt-uQkErzJUnCa3T2OB6GGRt09Q2S-R15r-H2Qf0ynh1OTRCnCa6gFc78P2uYNEWEoobFnGge04GNVjy3MwMCKz8KzFEf5nPj6OTQav8k3M1sV8mFqbYb_0QAI8ZOvBGRGLGcQc/s960/382173903_7296002037096410_4444131910639454711_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="656" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIHC2ednqzXrTlkOxLn_at75hL6S-AlGkxjmPFfU8HK29ViAZVDp_WSt-uQkErzJUnCa3T2OB6GGRt09Q2S-R15r-H2Qf0ynh1OTRCnCa6gFc78P2uYNEWEoobFnGge04GNVjy3MwMCKz8KzFEf5nPj6OTQav8k3M1sV8mFqbYb_0QAI8ZOvBGRGLGcQc/s320/382173903_7296002037096410_4444131910639454711_n.jpg" width="219" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaVglOWAsZQoH6UsU4jI5z-EkxLoxqgS-ViggMCGw6noaqGedxr0iz80h8kIu_Ogz9qfKnqKtGOQSH_4TFhyLyBhWfWn6Iu87LgyhMP6Akh9Zxs_vjtNoTP0LMG8JknbbPThHhcgA-dBkwvPPV47ifamj_g3oPUNAw-0S3FXm4bsMOqs4yCSP5eQaf1XY/s960/382235000_7296002323763048_56809890317049048_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="540" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaVglOWAsZQoH6UsU4jI5z-EkxLoxqgS-ViggMCGw6noaqGedxr0iz80h8kIu_Ogz9qfKnqKtGOQSH_4TFhyLyBhWfWn6Iu87LgyhMP6Akh9Zxs_vjtNoTP0LMG8JknbbPThHhcgA-dBkwvPPV47ifamj_g3oPUNAw-0S3FXm4bsMOqs4yCSP5eQaf1XY/s320/382235000_7296002323763048_56809890317049048_n.jpg" width="180" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT5781aWOXetxf45AevhI1kx64auTYmzQJFS4S2uYjb2iUMWvnvmtgbgk1zNWfajEjqtcAbPQvGUAWSHSJ-aXYIVNDFrMJuSIoiQT2U3giLxHrGEL_Q0ok8T-qqMDZkjwKxVBoWzDWS31rMcq06mAx0O2SsC_RgqI2KHkKUgcKxS595-4pV6JLqv3Tuug/s2048/382698356_7296003720429575_33622007595317883_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1404" data-original-width="2048" height="219" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT5781aWOXetxf45AevhI1kx64auTYmzQJFS4S2uYjb2iUMWvnvmtgbgk1zNWfajEjqtcAbPQvGUAWSHSJ-aXYIVNDFrMJuSIoiQT2U3giLxHrGEL_Q0ok8T-qqMDZkjwKxVBoWzDWS31rMcq06mAx0O2SsC_RgqI2KHkKUgcKxS595-4pV6JLqv3Tuug/s320/382698356_7296003720429575_33622007595317883_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqfKFjMa2nL7VZFBe3Ynz1x9eRuD9a7bpibi9L1HmQWpwLfn4CuIECRTkLeSW16Bje6KgGxHCdlGtmVmyQ5Ycuuhkex0sDFA7C4NYFS_ds1N3qI3CftX1yCueRx6UZl61AmE4DqL3TzgdA6ICoscjDDrSjK2seoXVSwJq1mreqkhfq0W3U51JPh1rg8Ko/s960/380772324_7296002487096365_6773526352477509428_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="540" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqfKFjMa2nL7VZFBe3Ynz1x9eRuD9a7bpibi9L1HmQWpwLfn4CuIECRTkLeSW16Bje6KgGxHCdlGtmVmyQ5Ycuuhkex0sDFA7C4NYFS_ds1N3qI3CftX1yCueRx6UZl61AmE4DqL3TzgdA6ICoscjDDrSjK2seoXVSwJq1mreqkhfq0W3U51JPh1rg8Ko/s320/380772324_7296002487096365_6773526352477509428_n.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The darker Red Bellied Salamander</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS-IHuPdthmQGY6_IbQBPzqBZ1tbOyZjEVkyjQn4TYIO76k16RRndpXfq_eKoRQujBaUNqkpCUJUTi-sKbjl_nI4yJKDQS7KqhIyASMdxuIUrObbDKym-bWSRoMLVv6N-RpAFpqP-RAveIIiKq8sJF60eMwDSfxv8r_QHMgZZ_B5OPbW7vHAtO_lrYB2I/s960/1a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="960" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS-IHuPdthmQGY6_IbQBPzqBZ1tbOyZjEVkyjQn4TYIO76k16RRndpXfq_eKoRQujBaUNqkpCUJUTi-sKbjl_nI4yJKDQS7KqhIyASMdxuIUrObbDKym-bWSRoMLVv6N-RpAFpqP-RAveIIiKq8sJF60eMwDSfxv8r_QHMgZZ_B5OPbW7vHAtO_lrYB2I/s320/1a.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYoZPk8KWktSoitThsokpJuFvyQNN4DL-smLzOaBLBKyi4lVUCoaFDvs99TKq9lsbyKACbgxQ26rcWPLnEd4x1zoNMIEwff2ONcKBusHJ03RfEl_HqBid_h8q3P9dScf01B-2zFgu7wzYBqjcg_rfXsNId9OKlQUwfDHChSk1JBIebRR0o_chmCpMyg7M/s5184/IMG_6752.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="5184" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYoZPk8KWktSoitThsokpJuFvyQNN4DL-smLzOaBLBKyi4lVUCoaFDvs99TKq9lsbyKACbgxQ26rcWPLnEd4x1zoNMIEwff2ONcKBusHJ03RfEl_HqBid_h8q3P9dScf01B-2zFgu7wzYBqjcg_rfXsNId9OKlQUwfDHChSk1JBIebRR0o_chmCpMyg7M/s320/IMG_6752.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyfB-3KxKGTf0NqhlUEcJGlzBUKb_GaA7JUEIrlR397oCSUvMPgTZTiSKckMOtlyXp0TvjJwy4F0FWaWcnxr9g5_UkXldCUa-0816XMy4cbWdo6kjGBA84lV-hu1eegdrT8aliMckeMVI-opbJ2CvxkfCnn-WQXQZf2_5BkgIkH5h2o2sB4W9ubFk-tcU/s5184/IMG_6745.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="5184" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyfB-3KxKGTf0NqhlUEcJGlzBUKb_GaA7JUEIrlR397oCSUvMPgTZTiSKckMOtlyXp0TvjJwy4F0FWaWcnxr9g5_UkXldCUa-0816XMy4cbWdo6kjGBA84lV-hu1eegdrT8aliMckeMVI-opbJ2CvxkfCnn-WQXQZf2_5BkgIkH5h2o2sB4W9ubFk-tcU/s320/IMG_6745.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Praying Mantis</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br />Nick Pacellihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07160728044281317803noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8837104285678635073.post-89961380874149239442023-09-20T18:41:00.002-07:002023-09-21T08:02:36.054-07:00A Lizard Adventure in Boston<p> </p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5gsJi8NZAkl1nmosOV51-sfB55wIkajh67FRt-jG93oSDWTOUOyDIkE7WTJY5Iw84SYKVe7xupBrHtsUb0ecsUSQD9ZDMSiDlSa-sL4nAMdDfiss0kiqely1QhmjxC-CiAaAw5Qo6xfCWVsIYmYlm7wQXF-kHrBg_0ovP7nv-Rgi91FbxvFeuEMnDKkA/s5184/IMG_6727.JPG" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="5184" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5gsJi8NZAkl1nmosOV51-sfB55wIkajh67FRt-jG93oSDWTOUOyDIkE7WTJY5Iw84SYKVe7xupBrHtsUb0ecsUSQD9ZDMSiDlSa-sL4nAMdDfiss0kiqely1QhmjxC-CiAaAw5Qo6xfCWVsIYmYlm7wQXF-kHrBg_0ovP7nv-Rgi91FbxvFeuEMnDKkA/w400-h266/IMG_6727.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The biggest lizards we saw were about eight inches long.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /> Today I went to Boston to look for lizards. As crazy as this sounds a species called the Italian <br />Wall Lizard lives in a park in Boston. As the name suggests, they are from Italy. While they are introduced, they are not invasive because they aren't hurting anything. There aren't any native lizards to displace, eat, or outcompete. Our mission today was to find them.<p></p><p> Thanks to a kid I met in Uxbridge while I was fly-fishing for invasive Green Sunfish after herping, while he was fishing for carp, I got info about where to look for these Italian Wall Lizards. Yes, I purposely made that last sentence complicated just to see if you were following along. When I met Michael, we talked for a couple hours about snakes, fish, and adventures. We exchanged info. Since then we have kept in touch. I helped him with Copperheads and he told me about these lizards. Unlike birders, herpers rarely share info. The big fear is that sharing info can lead to a snake or frog getting killed or captured for a pet. So it is rare to trust someone enough to share information. </p><p> I met Charles today on the train. He came up from Newport and I met him when I boarded the train in Attleboro inbound for Boston. We had a mile walk when we got off of the train. It was still a little chilly after a fifty four degree night. Almost immediately we ran across someone with a big camera. Being that Charles is not shy, he went up to the guy and asked if he was a naturalist. The guy is a regular and was looking for hawks. He knew the park well and told us the general direction to look for lizards sunning themselves. </p><p> Sure enough while walking up the path I spotted a lizard sunning itself on a rock. The view was through chicken wire. Still, the view was great even if the photos weren't going to be. Following that lizard, one was right along the walkway. It was on some rocks and we both got some great photos. After that, the fun was on. The sun was warming up the rocks and pavement and the lizards were everywhere. There were also some compost piles and we saw a bunch in there. </p><p> </p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmnAeC1XwUHd8_6BGytPeHVZG7v9I0jwPfMrhVLYmwapQIzV91UKbfLDGlqipAdMG8pkOlYtT4tcTH0gpgiZ7qdwsZZ2JnjFBWFyCgxIJkG7XUdYETYSYY_e2sPehN0CglRGx1PDl9q5xIFiXLnMMCIEOiUDTzbNwdFZbEE-lQVy0NF67nIvEBqizEJYY/s5184/IMG_6741.JPG" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="5184" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmnAeC1XwUHd8_6BGytPeHVZG7v9I0jwPfMrhVLYmwapQIzV91UKbfLDGlqipAdMG8pkOlYtT4tcTH0gpgiZ7qdwsZZ2JnjFBWFyCgxIJkG7XUdYETYSYY_e2sPehN0CglRGx1PDl9q5xIFiXLnMMCIEOiUDTzbNwdFZbEE-lQVy0NF67nIvEBqizEJYY/s320/IMG_6741.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A lizard that lost its tail but lived to tell the tale.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /> After thirty photos or so, I realized my camera battery was dying. I decided to save the battery in case something great came along. This was not a hard decision because my other goal was to catch one and get a photo of one in my hands. I failed. They are so fast. I probably tried fifteen or more times and only once felt a tail. Every other lizard bolted. So needless to say, I didn't even come close to getting a lizard in my hand photo. <p></p><p> All in all, we probably saw forty lizards or more. We were hoping to see one. We took a lot of photos of the one behind the chicken wire and were thrilled to have seen it. After seeing the second one out in the open knowing we had "great" photos we were already satisfied. Once it warmed up and all the lizards were sunning and feeding we were kids at the candy store. I hadn't taken the train to Boston in a decade. Seeing this European lizard and hearing Charles's stories from his pirate days made today an amazing adventure! </p><p><br /></p><p>More photos below...</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5fc99b0AgZkuPzv-ERN6JizPyoN4u5DnRNo56eHhDvPnIhBSaDtZQHA1UQTpmgqzZjYjHy-gV8_I1MXUT2FiLzdGRezLExLbsQACaW2cufY92oVW69Jzynx5kgNHHjHqv10FmPxv8vwXN7NEFmmXyriiNA7GgGlReM16xtkHuMDyS84e0M499IO1aLe8/s5184/IMG_6713.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="5184" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5fc99b0AgZkuPzv-ERN6JizPyoN4u5DnRNo56eHhDvPnIhBSaDtZQHA1UQTpmgqzZjYjHy-gV8_I1MXUT2FiLzdGRezLExLbsQACaW2cufY92oVW69Jzynx5kgNHHjHqv10FmPxv8vwXN7NEFmmXyriiNA7GgGlReM16xtkHuMDyS84e0M499IO1aLe8/s320/IMG_6713.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1QYzTXjI5jw5qTRHFVW3pz-xD9-Bp-wKQdUZFQP-IeqwR_-eJXadHVT5OIjUd51MdL5wJxfwzi8jhT2-IMmxG3j3-ImbwzsrX6cZ54SpRKEM0bt6EeVIkXrI1CndImP6fB_I7M4pP6WFPiB1kTZ779Qq52Z4EFsFecSzo_DQII36sQrbDxpPFH6xdpPs/s5184/IMG_6718.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="5184" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1QYzTXjI5jw5qTRHFVW3pz-xD9-Bp-wKQdUZFQP-IeqwR_-eJXadHVT5OIjUd51MdL5wJxfwzi8jhT2-IMmxG3j3-ImbwzsrX6cZ54SpRKEM0bt6EeVIkXrI1CndImP6fB_I7M4pP6WFPiB1kTZ779Qq52Z4EFsFecSzo_DQII36sQrbDxpPFH6xdpPs/s320/IMG_6718.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A lizard eating what I believe is a cricket</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7EXtHeHjYSeLYnNPf9Or_r3jUzRECRDFeugBlaq7mK0mNlc786JJ45cWYxxpkkAxWGQ9HPGDeUUO7awaOHfnQHlQgi1akHNVMLpJWzKeY6zbE65zEY-G7gcH904Yb99UJ80Knjvi8-_kDdY_0OzOcfePfWDT7uUvMMrmdEKJC8ZcyijoKYui0vZbQxfo/s5184/IMG_6727.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="5184" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7EXtHeHjYSeLYnNPf9Or_r3jUzRECRDFeugBlaq7mK0mNlc786JJ45cWYxxpkkAxWGQ9HPGDeUUO7awaOHfnQHlQgi1akHNVMLpJWzKeY6zbE65zEY-G7gcH904Yb99UJ80Knjvi8-_kDdY_0OzOcfePfWDT7uUvMMrmdEKJC8ZcyijoKYui0vZbQxfo/s320/IMG_6727.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWh9NPgYyUbLR4jRyY8dOH1ga_R89a9EppMIgEMKCa1PivjmQP_q2ddJqZAjgTH_1gSw6_F7E1OpGi1S1FCONKxA1GCzXm1NlP8d2KrffCVOe682qhCRenSIIMlUj5MSpcQaYiswj1jjEX7DQcRJWwX4umW-4pA4E4lbh0yX6Moc2wuxwujTHxF5bhiGo/s5184/IMG_6736.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="5184" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWh9NPgYyUbLR4jRyY8dOH1ga_R89a9EppMIgEMKCa1PivjmQP_q2ddJqZAjgTH_1gSw6_F7E1OpGi1S1FCONKxA1GCzXm1NlP8d2KrffCVOe682qhCRenSIIMlUj5MSpcQaYiswj1jjEX7DQcRJWwX4umW-4pA4E4lbh0yX6Moc2wuxwujTHxF5bhiGo/s320/IMG_6736.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p>Nick Pacellihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07160728044281317803noreply@blogger.com0