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

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

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

But it was a Bullfrog day first and foremost.

Every one is a beauty!

An Orange-striped Oakworm was tooling through the sand.

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

Back to the bogs... and Bullfrogs.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

And the molting one!

And the sneaky one!

Fabulous!

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

We ended the day on... Painted Turtles.

Yes, he is judging you.

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

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

Birding With Our Grandkid. And More... 8-25 & 26, 2026

We gave my granddaughter Lilah a pair of binoculars for her 14th birthday and she actually requested that we go up to Maine to take her birding at some point this summer. With Andrea being on vacation, this was the week (also because school starts next week). We made plans to visit an Audubon sanctuary up there but on the way up, Andrea found that it was closed that day. Quickly, she found another spot that wasn't too far off. We picked Lilah up and headed to a marshy area a few towns over from her in Cumberland County.

When we got there, we first went to a spot where lots of people were sitting out with cameras and binoculars but despite that, there wasn't much going on over there, so we headed across the street to walk the trails along the marsh. We saw tones of Egrets, both Great and Snowy, in the distant fields but nothing up particularly close. Finally, towards the end we saw a few birds flitting. I got an ass-end shot of my #73, an Eastern Bluebird.

This Phoebe is molting and looks like it's not happy at all because of it.

We saw a shorebird flit next to the marsh and we snuck over to peer over the edge of the grass and saw a group of Lesser Yellowlegs on the sand. Lilah was ecstatic.

At the end of this path, I looked across the street and saw that there was another parking area and walkway so we headed back to the front for the car. On the way, we marveled at the wind-blown grass.

The next spot was really nice, with loads of Double-crested Cormorants (which entertained Lilah to no end) and plenty of small shorebirds hopping around. On the far side of a marsh was #76, a Common Raven, who also looks a bit disheveled.

Lilah has a pretty keen eye and saw this momma Wolf Spider with a back full of babies.

Some Sandpipers... a Least and a Semipalmated.

I was chuffed when I saw our #77, a few Semipalmated Plovers.

What a treat it was to be out in nature with my grandkid. The apple doesn't fall far, as they say. She's in a Bird Club, is into isopods and all nature in general. It was great to spend some time together doing what we all love.

The next day, we had to stay close and since we slept in a bit, we just went over to our favorite pond in Norfolk County, a place we've been going to for almost 20 years. We didn't expect to see much and we didn't, really. But we got in our 5+ miles despite being a bit tired. Plus, we saw some stuff!

The only turtle on the day, a very happy Painted Turtle.

The pond was low, making for sandy areas to walk along the edges. That scared up a Pickerel Frog or two. This guy was wearing an ill-fitting purple sarong.

Walking along, I thought I saw an acorn top, but then I stopped thinking it looked like a weird design for that. Sure enough, it was the coil of a new model shoestring Garter hiding in the brush, safe and sound.

Up at the Hobo Camp, a super pretty Garter was coiled up in between a couple of flat rocks.

Last up was one more Garter that was near a log I'd planned on flipping. Not an easy shot but it came out OK.

So that was the Tuesday and Wednesday of Andrea's vacation week. I had a doctor's appointment on Thursday so that would be our day off. Maybe. But it was great to be in nature, see my kid and her kids and, mostly, to spend more time together. Good stuff.

Second 10 Species Day in a Row? In MA?? Git OUT! 8-24-2026

We had to stick close to home after a long drive the day before and a planned trip to Maine the following day. We chose a spot deep into Norfolk County that is usually pretty good despite lots of humans. But this was a Monday and while Andrea was on vacation, not everybody was! We were hoping for shoestrings and walking pebbles.

Our first sightings were quite froggy. This Green hopped right in front of me!

Not to be outdone, this Pickerel hopped right in front of me.

Another Green! Hopperiffic!

Out on the archipelago, I saw a random plant wobbling for no reason. I peeked down at it's base and noticed a Garter body was what was moving it. Definitely chomping down some breakfast.

I could see a Painter basking from there, too.

It's good to have Redbacks back!

A culvert that is often good for Garters, especially babies, was good for a medium sized guy this time.

Nearby was a small Pickerel who had best have been careful. He'd have been perfect for that Garter.

Some Painted Glory.

The search for walking pebbles continued and Andrea found what she thought might have been a successful nest. Upon digging in, she startled a wee American Toad.

I unearthed a massive sausage of a Spotted Salamander!

And then, at the other end of the spectrum, I flipped a tiny all-head Redback.

Another six foot, hot lookin', all American Toad.

Then we finally got a shoestring. It was in the grass and I somehow managed to gently corral it and get it into Andrea's hat.

Re-donkulous!

From there, we went for a while with no sightings. Then we got to a pond and a guy was fishing. Politely, I asked him if "they were biting" and he said it had been OK, except for a Snapper that was trying to grab everything and was following him. He pointed over to...

This is an absolute UNIT of a Snapper. We watched it for quite a while, Andrea down on the ground talking to it. Not what the guy was thinking when he pointed to it! I got some film where you can see the algae growing on it... mohawk tail!

It was nice to see some Cardinal Flowers.

A Water Snake having a snooze under a branch.

We were having a sit-down when we saw this Thread-waist Wasp carrying a Saddled Prominent Caterpillar. Weird.

Luckily, I turned on the camera to film it pulling the caterpillar down into a hole.

Wow!

A distant Painter.

Earlier in the day, Andrea had seen a snake slide into the brush and she was chastising herself for not trying to grab it for a photo. She considered this her redemption... a tiny, wee Ringneck.

There were two girls there and I asked if they wanted to see it and they were both huge snake fans so this wee cutie was very popular!! "Oooh! Bee-bee!" They both held it, though obviously, it slipped away and hid under one of the girl's legs! That made for a cute coil shot when she got up.

I pointed out a Water Snake that was also nearby and the kids cooed at it and watched it lovingly!

More hope for the future and once again proving that I have more in common with teenage girls than people my own age.

Hey, what do you know. We were at ten species! Everything else would be gravy! Like this stern looking American Toad.

Another small Pickerel.

Up on a small deck platform, this 4" or so young Snapper tried to hide under a leaf. Not sure if it was unable to get down. Couldn't even figure out how it got there. We put it in the water's edge. He was stinky!

Last up, an American Toad.

So, wow... a second 10 species day in a row. Ice Cream was had. Could this have been the best Monday ever? It's possible!