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I began walking around the water's edge and scanning the rocks and plants for any sign of movement.
Right off the bat I watched my first snake of the day slip into the water in the form of a Northern Watersnake. I kept
walking on to kill some time before Mike got there. As I got to a small culvert I looked down and noticed something
big stretched out across the bank with a fish in its mouth...another big Watersnake!
Nerodia
sipedon sipedon Northern Watersnake
After checking some more areas around there and finding nothing more than alot of basking Painted
Turtles and a Map Turtle, I headed back to the parking lot. On the way back I grabbed a Gartersnake, but I saw Mike
pull up so I just carried it with me as I walked over to meet him. By the time I met him, I had an additional Watersnake
in my hands and was back in the culvert searching for a third snake.
Thamnophis
sirtalis sirtalis Eastern Gartersnake
As we walked back to our cars we spooked a few more Watersnakes and near the parking lot I noticed
quite a few Toad tadpoles that appeared to be americanus.
Bufo
americanus americanus American Toad
We then moved on to search out our quarry. After flipping cover in a marshy woodland area
in search of Kirtland's and Dekay's Snakes we moved out into the open. Very few creatures seemed to be stirring...lots
of nice big Garters, but little else. We walked all of the areas that looked good for Massasaugas, but were not able
to spot any. We did however find this Toad that very much appeared to be fowleri. As Mike had not found
that species there before, we were skeptical as to its true identity.
Bufo
fowleri Fowler's Toad
After another round of cover flipping we turned up our first significant serpentine find.
It was a beautiful Blue Racer...or at least it would have been beautiful had it not been in the blue.
Coluber
constrictor foxii Blue Racer
After releasing the Racer and continuing on, we sort of decided to write the saugas
off as a no show for the day. They were now simply an unlikely possibility rather than a target. It just seemed
too hot and dry, but as I flipped some cover at the end of the open area, I saw small coiled snake with a very distinctive
pattern and body shape. "Sauga!!!"
Sistrurus
catenatus catenatus Eastern Massasauga
After a VERY long photo session we let the little guy be and moved on with a feeling of accomplishment.
Well, we had found my main target and that was that, right?...wrong! We moved back into a marshy area and I heard Mike
say "what is this...a Nerodia?". I ran over to see that he had flipped some cover and a small, dark head was
protruding out from under a patch of grass. I was puzzled for a second, but as the rest of its body materialized we
both realized what it was. Another target was now obtained as we had found my first adult Kirtland's Snake!
Clonophis
kirtlandii Kirtland's Snake
The rest of the day consisted of checking some nearby marshes and ponds for Spotted Turtles
and whatever else we could find. Unfortunately the Spotteds where no where to be found, but the Snappers were another
story entirely. As we waded through the waist high mud (the water was only about ankle high!), we saw the large
shells of Chelydra sticking out everywhere we turned. At one point, Mike and I both had just pulled out two
huge Snappers and were struggling to keep them away from the mud that they desperately wanted to be reunited with.
Chelydra
serpentina serpentina Snapping Turtle
As the it got to be time for us to head out, the calls of Soras filled the cattail strewn marshes.
We walked back to a small creek to wash the mud off, because not only had I not ever seen a Massasauga until that day, but
I had also never been so coated with mud. After such success, I just considered the mud to be a good sign of the
hard work that produced the success.
Species List:
- Chelydra serpentina-Snapping Turtle
- Chrysemys picta-Painted Turtle
- Graptemys geographica-Northern Map Turtle
- Clonophis kirtlandii-Kirtland's Snake
- Coluber constrictor-Eastern Racer
- Nerodia sipedon-Northern Watersnake
- Sistrurus catenatus-Massasauga
- Thamnophis sirtalis-Eastern Gartersnake
- Ambystoma barbouri-Streamside Salamander (larvae)
- Plethodon cinereus-Eastern Red-backed Salamander
- Bufo americanus-American Toad
- Bufo fowleri-Fowler's Toad
- Rana catesbeiana-American Bullfrog
- Rana clamitans-Green Frog
- Rana pipiens-Northern Leopard Frog
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