Ocean State Bird Club Blog: Filling the Gap between Spring Migration and Shorebirds coming back

My lifer Black Racer

Before I even start, I need to address two things. The first, this post isn't about birds. Secondly, if I would have thought about it, I should have wrote this post a month ago. The thought came to last night so I am writing it today. Everything that I am writing is still relevant but could have been useful for over a month now. I truly apologize. Now that is out of the way...

I will be the first to admit that after migration is over I can get into a funk. I get such a high from seeing all of the warblers that June can be a letdown for me. I get "seasonal depression" worse after migration than I do when it gets dark at 4:30 in December. Despite glorious weather the first couple of weeks of the month I find myself inside the house feeling like there's nothing "worth the drive". To combat this annual phenomenon for the last few years I have taken my vacation in June. This year and last I went to the Outer Banks.

However, once I get back from vaca, there was still a lot of time before shorebirds show up on their way back home. This year, I have had no problem keeping busy.

Herping...

Northern Water Snake devouring
a bass twice its width

For the past month I have been looking for reptiles and amphibians. I really haven't been birding but have spent a lot of time in the woods, fields and by freshwater ponds. I think I caught the bug when I was in Florida and saw Cottonmouths last November. Then in March I actively looked for Spring Peepers. Since then, every chance I get I've been looking at the ground for herps as much as I've looked in trees for birds.

All summer (from June 1 on) I've been looking for snakes and rarer turtles and frogs. My first big find was seeing a Northern Water Snake eating an eight inch Largemouth Bass. Along with Sue Palmer, we watched the snake take forty five minutes to turn the bass and swallow it. Later that day I came across my lifer Black Racer.

This new hobby has had many moments of discovery so far. I've seen Fowler's Toads on three separate occasions. I found a second Black Racer and many more Northern Water Snakes. Yesterday I was walking along the water's edge and came across no less than nine Pickerel Frogs.

Seeing Bullfrogs, Green Frogs, Painted Turles, and Snapping Turtles is easy. All four of those species are very common. I've been concentrating on finding the harder species. This includes all species of snakes. Even common Garter Snakes are a challenge. When I find a snake of any species, I consider it a great day. This is also true of any frog or toad that isn't a Bullfrog or Green Frog. When I saw the Pickerel Frogs, I watched them for over a half hour.

Northern Red Bellied Cooter and an unfortunate
branch

I've made special trips to find herps. Just like we do for rare birds, I "chased" a turtle last week. While I was in Virginia, on my way to NC, I took photos of what ended up being Northern Red Bellied Cooters. I had to ask someone the ID. Later on when I was researching them I found out there is a population of Northern Red Bellied Cooters in Plymouth County, MA. There are no other Red Bellied Cooters for 200 miles. The next closest population is in New Jersey. They are an endangered species in Massachusetts. There happens to be a national wildlife refuge in Plymouth specifically to protect the Cooters. However, it off limits to the public. I looked at a map of the area and saw multiple ponds just outside the refuge border. I took a trip to scout for public access. It turns out those ponds were very private, but I did end up seeing the cooters on state property in Plymouth. Needless to say, I felt very accomplished.

I'm pretty much addicted to chasing herps now. I'm keeping a list of species I've seen and where I saw them. Even if I only have an afternoon after work, I'll go look for a roadside lily pad filled pond or look for snakes along a wooded trail. Finding herps is challenging. I think it is much harder than finding birds. Finding snakes can feel like work. It took me almost four hours of walking through the woods and along a canal before I found my one and only snake yesterday (Northern Water Snake) but what a treat when I saw it.

Two photos of
Baltimore Checkerspots

Butterflies

Okay, now that I bored you with herps, let me bore you some more with butterflies. That's right, when I haven't been herping ( and even when I have) I've been looking for butterflies. I enjoy seeing butterflies and trying to ID them. As far as I know, the best place to see butterflies in RI is Francis Carter. A walk through the field will get you multiple species. I went there a couple of days ago and it was loaded with Eastern Wood Nymph, American Coppers, and I saw my first Monarch of the season.

Last month I "chased" a butterfly species. Yes, I have a sad life. Anyway, I drove to Crane Wildlife Management Area in Falmouth, MA and looked for Baltimore Checkerspots. This is a species I've wanted to see for a long time. When I was there in May, there were Checkerspot caterpillars everywhere. It was only a matter of time before they morphed. My friend Mike Tucker lives close by and he sent me a text that the butterflies were everywhere. That afternoon I took a ride down with my friend Laurie. It was awesome to see so many of such a beautiful butterfly.

Knowing myself, I can feel myself getting more interested in butterflies, so I invested in an adult butterfly net. It got delivered today. I can only imagine all of the ways it is going to change my life.

I have friends that catch dragonflies and damselflies. They are very good at IDing them. As of now, I still have so much to learn about herps and butterflies that I just don't have the time to try to add dragonflies as a hobby. However, if it something that interests you, there is another option to keep you busy over the summer.

I really do apologize for not writing this sooner. However, even though shorebirds will be here soon, the snakes and butterflies will still be around all summer. If you go out herping, you may fall in love with it like I did. If you are grossed out by snakes, maybe it isn't for you. But there are still plenty of species of butterflies to discover.

As for the shorebirds, The day I went to Carter, Saturday, I also went to the mudflats behind the Breachway. There were very few birds. Maybe twenty peeps, ten Least Terns, and three Common Terns. I have friends that went to Napatree this morning and they said it was very slow. The shorebirds aren't really here yet, but they will be soon enough, until then, you can find me chasing snakes, frogs, and butterflies channeling my inner Tom Swayer.

More photos below