tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5375583216351645622024-02-21T12:23:09.227-05:00The South Philly HerperAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02751672069847283932noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-537558321635164562.post-31407118517270274772017-05-25T11:20:00.000-04:002017-05-25T14:17:44.618-04:00"Random Acts of Herping" or "I forgot to post these at some point"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So I'm bored and decided to write another entry, because I have some unaccounted-for pictures and stories. One I've literally put off/forgot about for a few years.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfYJl6rMHIuFDJerAs-Bcs5sibHqGY52FWaR-DoEiRyTi9ANXYxaPzCHCoPkTrTADoeaElnEfN8MIAqtBpPwo2Hv0JHZUEpOloYZDeTkiG09YIbRnQMOPlTXxkh4hkNECyvG7jeqIl-74/s1600/received_10154388863874002.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfYJl6rMHIuFDJerAs-Bcs5sibHqGY52FWaR-DoEiRyTi9ANXYxaPzCHCoPkTrTADoeaElnEfN8MIAqtBpPwo2Hv0JHZUEpOloYZDeTkiG09YIbRnQMOPlTXxkh4hkNECyvG7jeqIl-74/s640/received_10154388863874002.jpeg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i>Me totally striking out on the Wissahickon with Princess</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Princess and I walked around the lakes a few times this year so far for exercise and came across some easy finds. This month there were a plethora of painted turtles, some we couldn't even get a picture of.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsOG67ni_1qWmZ7BUzNkaUcNcDJy9f4pZ0MlQp_MNTDbePuI7nZi4fjjL4UNcc-YzG310as3K3lTSBIfQPJB-VWm9RlgWsUYZc_rzSV21YJ94wVT0BwYoEOfekVlidyzQY0Zv4-YpUAYE/s1600/20170409_153748.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsOG67ni_1qWmZ7BUzNkaUcNcDJy9f4pZ0MlQp_MNTDbePuI7nZi4fjjL4UNcc-YzG310as3K3lTSBIfQPJB-VWm9RlgWsUYZc_rzSV21YJ94wVT0BwYoEOfekVlidyzQY0Zv4-YpUAYE/s640/20170409_153748.jpg" width="360" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0GwSy5Fr1iIxHgMkUeC69D1mitIPP2lmEkyiKTYKR9M29e-DoC_s4CkTo3_93iZO9vzqujlkiWBDq6tCtaWKW-2hWqAzYea2A76MUWxZlR7mBLyUHh-aZv0QaGiraKTFTu4mTY9l11rU/s1600/20170409_153451.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0GwSy5Fr1iIxHgMkUeC69D1mitIPP2lmEkyiKTYKR9M29e-DoC_s4CkTo3_93iZO9vzqujlkiWBDq6tCtaWKW-2hWqAzYea2A76MUWxZlR7mBLyUHh-aZv0QaGiraKTFTu4mTY9l11rU/s640/20170409_153451.jpg" width="360" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It always makes me happy to see these guys, as common of a sight as they can be. At least these walks aren't a total bust.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgti_dBzQBstDi3CP2djXYdlLGNHUEwC1NcT-cS3FXjpUnUVStn7AFjfLwaZAfAfVmmtZ-cqRCVEB9tEKC6EOkMWoKfovvU7n70CLBHz_rFGD5wQJeTP2WYipDEdNIb4soT3PesG86PvbI/s1600/received_10155036638754002.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgti_dBzQBstDi3CP2djXYdlLGNHUEwC1NcT-cS3FXjpUnUVStn7AFjfLwaZAfAfVmmtZ-cqRCVEB9tEKC6EOkMWoKfovvU7n70CLBHz_rFGD5wQJeTP2WYipDEdNIb4soT3PesG86PvbI/s640/received_10155036638754002.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">But then... </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> And now, for no reason at all...</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i>URBAN RACCOON!</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This fella scared the bejesus out of Princess while we walked back to the car from dinner in Northern Liberties, but allowed me to get pretty close even after this picture was taken. I guess he really didn't want to part with his leftover Chinese food.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />Here's a picture, stolen from Facebook, of my old neighbor with a mammoth snapper she saved from being roadkill in upstate New York! He seems extremely relieved and grateful, and not at all attempting to take a finger off.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Here's one I think is really cool, another unlikely urban herp: a few summers ago, my friend texted me and asked me to ID this critter, who was captured outside a bar near the Phillies stadiums. I honestly couldn't believe it and was SUPER jealous I didn't make this find on my own. Nevertheless, it was a grey tree frog, right in South Philly. I was excited at the prospect of such a find. This little guy looked healthy and was returned to where he was found. Hopefully that's a good indication that there is a population down around there/FDR Park, which would be magnificent.</span><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02751672069847283932noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-537558321635164562.post-28213379149388779212017-05-17T09:47:00.002-04:002018-06-29T10:56:14.369-04:00"Turkey Hunt Herping" or "Eft this hunting stuff!"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Second post of the year and I actually got some herping done. When, you ask? You guessed it: during Pennsylvania's spring gobbler season. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><u><i><b>Saturday, 4/29/17</b></i></u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">First up was opening day with my father and Poppy. Another three-generation hunting trip. My grandfather is now 90 years old, going on 91 in a few months, and he's still hanging with us young folk. Gahblessem.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We woke up ass early around 3 AM to drive up IN THE POURING FUCKING RAIN for about 2 hours to get into the woods before first light. The rain stopped before we got up there eventually, but on the way up the PA Turnpike up until around Quakertown, we were smack in the middle of a lightning storm. Some close strikes actually shook the car a bit, and it was like Zeus' Light Show Extravaganza for a while. So driving in a torrential downpour with Thor's pyrotechnics from his '94 tour (think I got enough lighting mythology references in yet?) = not good times. But the weather subsided and we made it up in one piece, ready to hunt (and herp).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I must admit I wasn't really in the herping mood. I was actually focused on the hunting aspect of our turkey hunting trip,and figured I'd see some stuff anyway. The morning was brisk but not chilly, and was warming up slowly. The woods were damp but not very wet as the spring rains usually have them. And they were still. No early morning turkey calls.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">At least we got our early morning cardio in.</span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I won't bore you with our bad luck. Walked up and back on the road and hear not a sound. But eventually, my old familiar lil frands started showing up...</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i>"We're heeeeeeere....."</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And they showed up in force. A little orange army.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVtl2Sx9_5vfbr5dPTynDC6G4_57vUQnmu85vjItIoVdz89NmMgz7pmwqNW68D7YbeZd89VO2iZwf-4RMXolr84SQppqAePAX9ELaTQ5jRKn1sTLB5kYwyGTrcu9_Fk1DmpPRuY2tSj7g/s1600/20170429_062245.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVtl2Sx9_5vfbr5dPTynDC6G4_57vUQnmu85vjItIoVdz89NmMgz7pmwqNW68D7YbeZd89VO2iZwf-4RMXolr84SQppqAePAX9ELaTQ5jRKn1sTLB5kYwyGTrcu9_Fk1DmpPRuY2tSj7g/s640/20170429_062245.jpg" width="360" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i>Here's one.</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX1-XD1Xud4eKKEGHnbN4YoM2Bkjd8Y7EwK2Q-io0KouqzzO6zJWVvbx5gYqCsVDxRYWK7XbDqB9YHvBRTFIKmkcVzxzTBG5TfAFrsfDLIYyNJvXnP1onr03-YoTKUDO6uUqCybouHkBo/s1600/20170429_062234.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX1-XD1Xud4eKKEGHnbN4YoM2Bkjd8Y7EwK2Q-io0KouqzzO6zJWVvbx5gYqCsVDxRYWK7XbDqB9YHvBRTFIKmkcVzxzTBG5TfAFrsfDLIYyNJvXnP1onr03-YoTKUDO6uUqCybouHkBo/s640/20170429_062234.jpg" width="360" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">...and another.</span></i></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPj3MmsapghEBY1pPlyan9hWW7fGtBkKpL4qNizflxPRoiphZoaoEA1FTFaSM_3M35L8JKSPsHYJedFwukzK2hlt_zWrcu-3HfSMNWP-5Y9uvuCB-PVaHQBkZZ9YUee2tQkjuvytHEJfw/s1600/20170429_062259.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPj3MmsapghEBY1pPlyan9hWW7fGtBkKpL4qNizflxPRoiphZoaoEA1FTFaSM_3M35L8JKSPsHYJedFwukzK2hlt_zWrcu-3HfSMNWP-5Y9uvuCB-PVaHQBkZZ9YUee2tQkjuvytHEJfw/s640/20170429_062259.jpg" width="360" /></i></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i>...and another 'nother.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Now I know I posted a lot of red eft pictures in previous posts. And there probably weren't AS MANY efts out as in those previous posts. But there were still a whole buttload of them, so I tried to make the photos a bit more interesting this time around. Also, my front camera lens is broken, but that has nothing to do with it. To spare everyone from my horrible and blurry pictures with a spot on the exposed lens, I tried taking some newt selfies....or "newties" (trademarked. I'll see you in court.)</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkocCRwnoeHUPsW4iKpptv4BszqwkfyJpIKXw7uunBrCgbLNxrs-j7iABjg_8Jlhd9Wf3FeEQA-ZTfk1GYA2J7A1rLtLXG-SSYictuhI2xqotWmIR3nK3zCdQ1epF6wqr8c_ua3eC37_w/s1600/20170429_062621.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkocCRwnoeHUPsW4iKpptv4BszqwkfyJpIKXw7uunBrCgbLNxrs-j7iABjg_8Jlhd9Wf3FeEQA-ZTfk1GYA2J7A1rLtLXG-SSYictuhI2xqotWmIR3nK3zCdQ1epF6wqr8c_ua3eC37_w/s640/20170429_062621.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Which is easier said than done.</span></i></td></tr>
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<br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And then I took it a step further by trying not to even pick them up and really disturb them. </span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCa2ZhyEede-cYBlqvspZcpREZqB8xJ0yS7Fjge6UmY51kFpF4lUuIFQnu3nCIaADanSKSS5PNViUiYQEoZ3BgJ5b8QuDonIWOzsVgapbS6zYSciXANYOqMxioTD7RHGNWJ4eNbk94cQU/s1600/20170429_062712.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCa2ZhyEede-cYBlqvspZcpREZqB8xJ0yS7Fjge6UmY51kFpF4lUuIFQnu3nCIaADanSKSS5PNViUiYQEoZ3BgJ5b8QuDonIWOzsVgapbS6zYSciXANYOqMxioTD7RHGNWJ4eNbk94cQU/s640/20170429_062712.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Peek-a-boo!</span></i></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGkR-tYn8DPBt4E_mdFQx6pMqS3JnnwrX8hBfTGOB6hpRxuTHb_JBggEbycgosGd9auSSThw14-SN7gyWdfQaSd2_VgO-kb_i0yTKs2NU2PRG2mkX8SvIS-STfGX3kxvXQQfPZS6rpcHo/s1600/20170429_063157.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGkR-tYn8DPBt4E_mdFQx6pMqS3JnnwrX8hBfTGOB6hpRxuTHb_JBggEbycgosGd9auSSThw14-SN7gyWdfQaSd2_VgO-kb_i0yTKs2NU2PRG2mkX8SvIS-STfGX3kxvXQQfPZS6rpcHo/s640/20170429_063157.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">SEND NEWTS</span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It pretty much went like that for a while. Walk around, call for turkeys, take pictures of efts. Rinse and repeat. The more we hunted, the less I wanted to hunt and the more I wanted to herp. The turkeys weren't biting that day, but the efts sure were! They were everywhere once again. They were in groups and pairs and seemed to be sticking together, at least loosely. That, or there were just THAT many efts around.</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD-9CxFIG22qOIYpsXIIbdHa7PBwBOjT7oWDFFTgsz5zu02EQ8cNlO1XhxVsrK9X5vQIw72Z-6WNnm2O1M0Rq53wVwIFZclW7Z8rpz0bopSimDC0QlqEB_aWjQjBlQB1AH8gcIKnqet1Q/s1600/20170429_063221.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD-9CxFIG22qOIYpsXIIbdHa7PBwBOjT7oWDFFTgsz5zu02EQ8cNlO1XhxVsrK9X5vQIw72Z-6WNnm2O1M0Rq53wVwIFZclW7Z8rpz0bopSimDC0QlqEB_aWjQjBlQB1AH8gcIKnqet1Q/s640/20170429_063221.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">We adhere to "the Buddy System" in these parts.</span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">They showed up in the strangest of places...</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3KPsdEEqJKZ8Svo3i-I5zHN09fpBFMSNnP-9pvdufXm5L-JSa4tt_VzRf1jZ2yiF-sRGUWUEvguHK5HIFAqVBhWXsX19XCkre3yQ-s1znHF5fcOmRv_EIYaX_6ZiL9yTDxfrFjljuJJA/s1600/20170429_063350.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3KPsdEEqJKZ8Svo3i-I5zHN09fpBFMSNnP-9pvdufXm5L-JSa4tt_VzRf1jZ2yiF-sRGUWUEvguHK5HIFAqVBhWXsX19XCkre3yQ-s1znHF5fcOmRv_EIYaX_6ZiL9yTDxfrFjljuJJA/s640/20170429_063350.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Totally not staged at all: eft on a turkey box call</span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I actually feared stepping on one this year more than years prior for some reason. And they were ALL OVER THE ROAD.</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPRAm9_taz-uPtOSfAVKazczJ7e0WQVJMw14l0CkhDGb9ZDCZDPWs_ujK6MFrUGYjf2jMI-RgPDQS8NwWg1vqjAfqgAtD6d6YYkbmFZrdzZfiy4fJoazInOUaAKhW1RnxOk-fQX-s53Io/s1600/20170429_063453.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPRAm9_taz-uPtOSfAVKazczJ7e0WQVJMw14l0CkhDGb9ZDCZDPWs_ujK6MFrUGYjf2jMI-RgPDQS8NwWg1vqjAfqgAtD6d6YYkbmFZrdzZfiy4fJoazInOUaAKhW1RnxOk-fQX-s53Io/s640/20170429_063453.jpg" width="360" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i>Like little amphibious Asian drivers</i></span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFs3pgZ_enEEbaRUIjUBJyw1lHMXrWJJfs6EOiMvoEsHc1r5lMyeg7gZJFlbW7HiTEervS1fi4Ew8x3jCRVAxfQcyeVEzD-JtZdMl1h_SyXiRbITtum-3FeuqMDr8bODkJI5zeUXWlT04/s1600/20170429_063529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFs3pgZ_enEEbaRUIjUBJyw1lHMXrWJJfs6EOiMvoEsHc1r5lMyeg7gZJFlbW7HiTEervS1fi4Ew8x3jCRVAxfQcyeVEzD-JtZdMl1h_SyXiRbITtum-3FeuqMDr8bODkJI5zeUXWlT04/s400/20170429_063529.jpg" width="400" /></span></i></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Blurry.</span></i></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjijdr7vP9w27lXxPApP9RbBOtdL9HiAz6SA-DVCSpiLr2DOKSGy-sGfwiM1nv7GeCI9x_HY-ZepeJWEDCqauSK-DKFxQp45oMDpNCZbnKEfVoPbiI6jYAvogQqIIHAqwCXqz7P2fkpidw/s1600/20170429_063835.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjijdr7vP9w27lXxPApP9RbBOtdL9HiAz6SA-DVCSpiLr2DOKSGy-sGfwiM1nv7GeCI9x_HY-ZepeJWEDCqauSK-DKFxQp45oMDpNCZbnKEfVoPbiI6jYAvogQqIIHAqwCXqz7P2fkpidw/s400/20170429_063835.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i>Also blurry</i></span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL7LcVNyNaQLRE3D6yGOyG_zCuT8XdsGwat_u-q0vep-qHE86eK0JjWpsDHGnzPoe90pc7A6k1jYtPJVxQi-Qq2KI8Xr9TWFAllVRGBmtz8EmJX6J3Om1JG1M3plhkI3h5KhfxkK7QwYY/s1600/20170429_063922.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL7LcVNyNaQLRE3D6yGOyG_zCuT8XdsGwat_u-q0vep-qHE86eK0JjWpsDHGnzPoe90pc7A6k1jYtPJVxQi-Qq2KI8Xr9TWFAllVRGBmtz8EmJX6J3Om1JG1M3plhkI3h5KhfxkK7QwYY/s640/20170429_063922.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Cuuuute!</span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I actually got sick of counting around #37, because I couldn't walk 3 feet without seeing one or four of them.</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw5FVyQqO4ZLyXKAA3kf5SSHJVMY3sXrE4nUrl0YLVfhdHjxq_8XZFHR1xLh-KTSuCt62ETtLzC2KbTwU8b4IsmOwxhCDylIPUKnhBIJ9DFHNLhnsxcozaKhQebI4zq4C6GjtFIirwgcI/s1600/20170429_065658.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw5FVyQqO4ZLyXKAA3kf5SSHJVMY3sXrE4nUrl0YLVfhdHjxq_8XZFHR1xLh-KTSuCt62ETtLzC2KbTwU8b4IsmOwxhCDylIPUKnhBIJ9DFHNLhnsxcozaKhQebI4zq4C6GjtFIirwgcI/s400/20170429_065658.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Here's a shameless selfie with my unsuspecting father and grandfather.</span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I must admit, I really like some of these shots. They're a different perspective and viewpoint of the woods in the spring, the hunt, and from the herp. How often can you say you've gotten a newt's eye view of the world?</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcN7A9qYLujRMlrDe4Gr9vNJpB3UQA5qx9UzUNy47lDeMXadoFb2vPU7FqaITPCtjWjITrcSLCTaiEdomzaSPcsRvWhTOzb-ODdK3tRnibeaVC4eNY8xyX1deBgftH1QJgLqKFCTNDBLc/s1600/20170429_070205.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcN7A9qYLujRMlrDe4Gr9vNJpB3UQA5qx9UzUNy47lDeMXadoFb2vPU7FqaITPCtjWjITrcSLCTaiEdomzaSPcsRvWhTOzb-ODdK3tRnibeaVC4eNY8xyX1deBgftH1QJgLqKFCTNDBLc/s640/20170429_070205.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">"Just passin' through."</span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Most of these guys were undisturbed...until I moved them off the road in the direction they were going, that is.</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij4oulpvW_EkhliME45xw6FmzO1UAsu1wxNpVsPKLbqRAYcs-xJ-Wa19sXGvXCg9dZnkHV2ZK7WRQaA5VaQJyTThRCaVY1xwx1lJ5OmiRSFxgg04FyuDCjcR9Vu9ZcSDR_0u5J4sjX2QE/s1600/20170429_070855.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij4oulpvW_EkhliME45xw6FmzO1UAsu1wxNpVsPKLbqRAYcs-xJ-Wa19sXGvXCg9dZnkHV2ZK7WRQaA5VaQJyTThRCaVY1xwx1lJ5OmiRSFxgg04FyuDCjcR9Vu9ZcSDR_0u5J4sjX2QE/s640/20170429_070855.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i>4-eft pileup.</i></span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD-7X_q-_4THQq-9eA0AByYNu80Zp2iblDZdlqqDL68i9LWlgdRwODfvKYkp1OJ0VqFUCfiSVH9zdWQMIVhjl2C1UeNBB3IBGAQZ2OHlBuIqQ9qIhjgbwdKf4MkHqsc-6IRQF3KgkVnFk/s1600/20170429_070952.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD-7X_q-_4THQq-9eA0AByYNu80Zp2iblDZdlqqDL68i9LWlgdRwODfvKYkp1OJ0VqFUCfiSVH9zdWQMIVhjl2C1UeNBB3IBGAQZ2OHlBuIqQ9qIhjgbwdKf4MkHqsc-6IRQF3KgkVnFk/s640/20170429_070952.jpg" width="360" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Spider-Newt climbing.</span></i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6OGyRb_Afs5CE95WLNyZYpVTmBJWaokug9hMsNGfKbYEpzu-CqqN3AK8I_wz-QDNUWKmJSqO6ichgfHUJ_GMTA6cdRGIN0oIc5AUDZcGru-8fEoo9_fZopQonLW8MIjQwHD7fP6_at34/s1600/20170429_071001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6OGyRb_Afs5CE95WLNyZYpVTmBJWaokug9hMsNGfKbYEpzu-CqqN3AK8I_wz-QDNUWKmJSqO6ichgfHUJ_GMTA6cdRGIN0oIc5AUDZcGru-8fEoo9_fZopQonLW8MIjQwHD7fP6_at34/s640/20170429_071001.jpg" width="360" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Herping "Where's Waldo?"</span></i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCq3kIUTmTUSyI5XJvQEOOrZ3zLuYbJ8Pl2HTcoOLgBFnW8GXBFgkZ9f53qDuDt9r8ZWeVwZMlZ4YrlqKdswxHslhaBjZwhuf1CtgQ7SLs49ebnYsDVrgJkHeB7Xx4d-nhxerUEZzAAmY/s1600/20170429_071049.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCq3kIUTmTUSyI5XJvQEOOrZ3zLuYbJ8Pl2HTcoOLgBFnW8GXBFgkZ9f53qDuDt9r8ZWeVwZMlZ4YrlqKdswxHslhaBjZwhuf1CtgQ7SLs49ebnYsDVrgJkHeB7Xx4d-nhxerUEZzAAmY/s640/20170429_071049.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">He's camera shy.</span></i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivk9gHNkC9dXh3yE8GHDXi_QqCdBzb_3RipU_XY3onWhJePci-3aSA8mvS7dPQFyE73h8aJughK-6zEyA0nbQ4scuVGzwz-UitGtMiuCO4eUzwlwElHSXQWdQYPpNBbWBULSoIrNnvmnc/s1600/20170429_071128.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivk9gHNkC9dXh3yE8GHDXi_QqCdBzb_3RipU_XY3onWhJePci-3aSA8mvS7dPQFyE73h8aJughK-6zEyA0nbQ4scuVGzwz-UitGtMiuCO4eUzwlwElHSXQWdQYPpNBbWBULSoIrNnvmnc/s640/20170429_071128.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i>"Why, hello there. I wasn't expecting company."</i></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidsjk3T615oqrhMfKAFe3xw0EHzwHlN_GslXaEeeU7KCzUmasxTOf4g7pazbMp2_zzzszYxGMoEu_aKqCWZYoCW8Cf2s0tE_fLNlF1idOdt7VywAuV-yBybYA7Ki714CYf94hp1McCBZc/s1600/20170429_071157.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidsjk3T615oqrhMfKAFe3xw0EHzwHlN_GslXaEeeU7KCzUmasxTOf4g7pazbMp2_zzzszYxGMoEu_aKqCWZYoCW8Cf2s0tE_fLNlF1idOdt7VywAuV-yBybYA7Ki714CYf94hp1McCBZc/s640/20170429_071157.jpg" width="360" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">One of the smaller efts of the day.</span></i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh743knblq3JurjmG2h5VhWz1gMZcklhJ7zfXmvoWv1dI8rBKwAqKgFpLobvy-z8oMByA5KgkTx2e5ivsVmp9HsdF7CDAj1qrpJ4De51BEuV6JS7Me0War9gDuJCznHt6OTGvKBhZafCQc/s1600/20170429_071335.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh743knblq3JurjmG2h5VhWz1gMZcklhJ7zfXmvoWv1dI8rBKwAqKgFpLobvy-z8oMByA5KgkTx2e5ivsVmp9HsdF7CDAj1qrpJ4De51BEuV6JS7Me0War9gDuJCznHt6OTGvKBhZafCQc/s640/20170429_071335.jpg" width="360" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i>All teh eftz! </i></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifjNDH3ENS4oMPqDgXAavpg4CUz_FPlgtHP4EE3Zw0JvX8qnx0agzWiFxmd6-2ZSiUdnYs-Hl9_Fz9drihrLJMXaAORHnjMjQ8H5fOgjv3TzLFYBK793f1-KAW-NPQ1q7Ia_DHbKscLRs/s1600/20170429_071550.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifjNDH3ENS4oMPqDgXAavpg4CUz_FPlgtHP4EE3Zw0JvX8qnx0agzWiFxmd6-2ZSiUdnYs-Hl9_Fz9drihrLJMXaAORHnjMjQ8H5fOgjv3TzLFYBK793f1-KAW-NPQ1q7Ia_DHbKscLRs/s640/20170429_071550.jpg" width="360" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i>This is why I don't take pictures with the front facing camera on my phone anymore. But still it's time to play "Find Those Newts!"</i></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhk2Kfq4G6mNvmsB5aRMzr-2leiZvW8fRS4p0ZTNA7_O9PkZzMYomhf9nQywPocqc0d-jzeTaNrUUfRkgjrZSGC-HwonD6JhF-eNVCnrIOYNpopesqSNMsTjSZ7hYp3VW8NZBMc_KV7Gg/s1600/20170429_071800.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhk2Kfq4G6mNvmsB5aRMzr-2leiZvW8fRS4p0ZTNA7_O9PkZzMYomhf9nQywPocqc0d-jzeTaNrUUfRkgjrZSGC-HwonD6JhF-eNVCnrIOYNpopesqSNMsTjSZ7hYp3VW8NZBMc_KV7Gg/s640/20170429_071800.jpg" width="360" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i>Starting to lose count of these guys.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This was probably the easiest herping I've ever done. Pretty much every eft was on the road or right off it. All I had to do was look down. It actually got kinda boring because I was seeing SO. MANY. EFTS. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">As far as hunting went, we set up eventually up the ridge a bit and I sat down. I was calling (which had nothing to do with why we heard no turkeys) so I put my Old Yelper box call down on a big boulder to situate myself. Lo and behold, TWO MORE efts on the giant stone next to my box call. One was so small that it's almost barely visible even with the picture enlarged.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj79mocq0k1LdJPpcRgb6ZhfhEMEZQO19eKZwnPOAc8GdF6duXJOhUssjMczZMMrLqZxppaXxqcJTARNhLbepCSd5srruSwfwnxlzNxmeH80x7Y-Zi1vVTBRj36KpfMK1GJmiwd7eok2qE/s1600/20170429_073023.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj79mocq0k1LdJPpcRgb6ZhfhEMEZQO19eKZwnPOAc8GdF6duXJOhUssjMczZMMrLqZxppaXxqcJTARNhLbepCSd5srruSwfwnxlzNxmeH80x7Y-Zi1vVTBRj36KpfMK1GJmiwd7eok2qE/s640/20170429_073023.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">We are everywhere.</span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">After no luck for about an hour, we walked around and called some more. I made my way back down to the road while my father and grandfather took their time getting down and milled around up on the ridge. I took some more pictures waiting for them.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiASDLlV0ilQuOqYm3ysJrMl-AINeD3fNRUdrY_20VXkYeS3I1_XNomMdNl22NjQ98O7cu41z4bUiB_IVL8QjTYv1s667picbizkYDQ1yqoQmOGSiHZhVk82_p3I5uSOuKf_eVjOHUpQU4/s1600/20170429_073214.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiASDLlV0ilQuOqYm3ysJrMl-AINeD3fNRUdrY_20VXkYeS3I1_XNomMdNl22NjQ98O7cu41z4bUiB_IVL8QjTYv1s667picbizkYDQ1yqoQmOGSiHZhVk82_p3I5uSOuKf_eVjOHUpQU4/s320/20170429_073214.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-Cg68S8ZikkvRybkl-0AvVViZfDbT8NYDhd52uUopC5ZlEv9-ZVUy_N9dl6LYyu5H2l6pRUMxn7iW76CGB1pAVgurQVN_UV1dSbnzROReWdMY09Cou1PyAJsl2lujS8LngpaxW0bLO0I/s1600/20170429_084438.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-Cg68S8ZikkvRybkl-0AvVViZfDbT8NYDhd52uUopC5ZlEv9-ZVUy_N9dl6LYyu5H2l6pRUMxn7iW76CGB1pAVgurQVN_UV1dSbnzROReWdMY09Cou1PyAJsl2lujS8LngpaxW0bLO0I/s640/20170429_084438.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">More newt selfies.</span></i></td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN5RVjq4pdwThd1XvlykubLMciVtYZmOPaCs6h0RAzgZelNThgcc3j_zXORFsEMeVmAvxN2N0g1GVVUP6VehXHj2cWlOO_Z4HhIgE4IweJOXjnkABsAU8wrBW0NxW3rgH7c6uEqyf79Pg/s1600/20170429_084542.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN5RVjq4pdwThd1XvlykubLMciVtYZmOPaCs6h0RAzgZelNThgcc3j_zXORFsEMeVmAvxN2N0g1GVVUP6VehXHj2cWlOO_Z4HhIgE4IweJOXjnkABsAU8wrBW0NxW3rgH7c6uEqyf79Pg/s400/20170429_084542.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQvOLSqddR0OpX2E6PeJ9ohZ36s8ywej1cUApq6Z-tCm8bWGLmEzY-VPc4B-xSTYADIPfO88LUAXumC3RayZWE7mbqdO8SUigtwcRsZBQrqyjKOZV07fDneYDExUGVoMeIYN_TR5R4BLg/s1600/20170429_084644.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQvOLSqddR0OpX2E6PeJ9ohZ36s8ywej1cUApq6Z-tCm8bWGLmEzY-VPc4B-xSTYADIPfO88LUAXumC3RayZWE7mbqdO8SUigtwcRsZBQrqyjKOZV07fDneYDExUGVoMeIYN_TR5R4BLg/s400/20170429_084644.jpg" width="225" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I started to stir a bit at the bottom of the path up the mountain waiting for them. Right off the road where the path met was a big rotted log. I decided to give it a good lift and I was actually pretty surprised at what I saw. The log didn't come out of the ground fully, but rather split in half because of big holes in the sides and cracks in it. But in the center of the log, now exposed, I looked down to a <a href="http://www.paherps.com/herps/salamanders/slimy_salamander/" target="_blank">slimy salamander</a>! I haven't seen one of these guys in a few years (not that I've really looked), so this was a pleasant surprise.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7iZh1cvxQgEx0NNIwj3NiYSjFgjV4I4nqMbgAE22iCvnbjlzmxOK8vmGHYktj2aJ0lpgnMhwjZh-WOBofCIH3DmBew8v2T9oG_9aj-8onS4t3yrnQHfddVROMAsJX9cmg1lCAU9Y2EYM/s1600/20170429_084938.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7iZh1cvxQgEx0NNIwj3NiYSjFgjV4I4nqMbgAE22iCvnbjlzmxOK8vmGHYktj2aJ0lpgnMhwjZh-WOBofCIH3DmBew8v2T9oG_9aj-8onS4t3yrnQHfddVROMAsJX9cmg1lCAU9Y2EYM/s640/20170429_084938.jpg" width="360" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Switched it up a bit.</span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> He was a good size and healthy looking. Bigger than the two I had found two years ago. He took some wrangling to get to cooperate for a picture.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHkOBmHqQx7955o_3FU_IjGyJ6Jhx9-ZH7OzY1bGp1yP8Madxjag_Ra64Zuf02n6DXMP4J0pfgVBGCWqrXRBpVYwT46DV1kcwzV_POYlS03Df21SI7-qvfqUKTKHuNwPFagR_R19SepcQ/s1600/20170429_084947.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHkOBmHqQx7955o_3FU_IjGyJ6Jhx9-ZH7OzY1bGp1yP8Madxjag_Ra64Zuf02n6DXMP4J0pfgVBGCWqrXRBpVYwT46DV1kcwzV_POYlS03Df21SI7-qvfqUKTKHuNwPFagR_R19SepcQ/s640/20170429_084947.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i>"Look at how cute I am. LOOK AT ME."</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I happily put him back where I found him, reset the log, and by that time, I had showed my father and grandfather as they came down to the road. Neither one cared, of course. We made our way down the road again and, you guessed it, more efts. I'm not going to caption EVERY eft picture because 1) I can't be that witty to come up with a caption for EVERY eft picture, 2) do you REALLY care and would you read all of them? and 3) fuck you.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6v8DBJwR7HbAaAOIjpdZjVohYd9bYu-n3sqty8dJR2S3TA-AgqJH5nq5_DmdUFiS27TsT57K5wvMyYSGn87ZmTD-e2UmGm7OeAJQhVv_vFSZhM9kGZyqVUimsh6HyPyzYzTFzFCe3fkQ/s1600/20170429_090008.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6v8DBJwR7HbAaAOIjpdZjVohYd9bYu-n3sqty8dJR2S3TA-AgqJH5nq5_DmdUFiS27TsT57K5wvMyYSGn87ZmTD-e2UmGm7OeAJQhVv_vFSZhM9kGZyqVUimsh6HyPyzYzTFzFCe3fkQ/s400/20170429_090008.jpg" width="225" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Lifted a random log: <a href="http://www.paherps.com/herps/salamanders/redback_salamander/" target="_blank">REDBACK</a>!</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i>REDBAAAACK!!!</i></span></td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpy_sdfUocEd4LDBzY_uqWI6HKvL5fm5YkM-GlAt2bmDTHq7VUfxra14APchQehyphenhyphenpsmo9efEkhv_cKYY2uSStrFkCjdflVGXNG0d9ByxKjj05UOX5UCdO0eGktiCQ-DlhYYOMaJ8h__-Q/s1600/20170429_090534.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpy_sdfUocEd4LDBzY_uqWI6HKvL5fm5YkM-GlAt2bmDTHq7VUfxra14APchQehyphenhyphenpsmo9efEkhv_cKYY2uSStrFkCjdflVGXNG0d9ByxKjj05UOX5UCdO0eGktiCQ-DlhYYOMaJ8h__-Q/s640/20170429_090534.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhdYm1LUtx5EOdiC_TBGRKJ4pxmHokhOu6z3xrMEfGvIX7cGVJMFg5_bwvP5mwfD9nZRD9UBwyiUYJHysvVXJHICVR6g32Da5qYSgP80VHc1hHwZnUvbVexm_jYY3vRL4sUcQYMdcr_6c/s1600/20170429_090632.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhdYm1LUtx5EOdiC_TBGRKJ4pxmHokhOu6z3xrMEfGvIX7cGVJMFg5_bwvP5mwfD9nZRD9UBwyiUYJHysvVXJHICVR6g32Da5qYSgP80VHc1hHwZnUvbVexm_jYY3vRL4sUcQYMdcr_6c/s640/20170429_090632.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We walked back to the car to grab some water, rest a minute, and regroup. I was ahead of my fore-bearers so I walked around looking near the cabin. Something jumps in the tall grass near the porch. <a href="http://www.paherps.com/herps/frogs-toads/pickerel_frog/" target="_blank">PICKEREL</a>!</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9yF3xYQP5qv-QUd6Y82xznOrRRO9cE8PduXPxhDgIgEtqp8m3SPI9OshvPeOny3htIlKeFGc7bvvJXlh2zfbIuogobreJPNRo2D_XELf-w4WrmB0KkbieGIyc4atFqoTUYrgUqNwx5Ps/s1600/20170429_092147.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9yF3xYQP5qv-QUd6Y82xznOrRRO9cE8PduXPxhDgIgEtqp8m3SPI9OshvPeOny3htIlKeFGc7bvvJXlh2zfbIuogobreJPNRo2D_XELf-w4WrmB0KkbieGIyc4atFqoTUYrgUqNwx5Ps/s640/20170429_092147.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Slippery lil devil.</span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">He almost eluded capture under the porch but I scooped him before he escaped. I decided to give him the same treatment as the efts and the slimy, a selfie!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvucrDi6j97Z8miHJoGF6bSct8IcJuxJZtKRz2YBE90SGnmw93jd3TbxO41o4yRKFvLNBuh6pnIwdDmHDcvzOhuK7ZE6blp3RkvOBvf5tueqD6RyeAMkDqES_x1sguVy3s6VvaY76QCOI/s1600/20170429_092210.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvucrDi6j97Z8miHJoGF6bSct8IcJuxJZtKRz2YBE90SGnmw93jd3TbxO41o4yRKFvLNBuh6pnIwdDmHDcvzOhuK7ZE6blp3RkvOBvf5tueqD6RyeAMkDqES_x1sguVy3s6VvaY76QCOI/s640/20170429_092210.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYJzkUHnBhvCi-10oQT1e7IH4ztBiLnumsNLf3fYpdF3W9m-Iwk-WMmbCkbYcu8h5T8pDamkg6pMeejZ5ZRblrBAx2bLFMrB2GTsbCNtdJDGeyGJLM631ER2yQUGfre8gSHNWwvEIYu1o/s1600/20170429_092218.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYJzkUHnBhvCi-10oQT1e7IH4ztBiLnumsNLf3fYpdF3W9m-Iwk-WMmbCkbYcu8h5T8pDamkg6pMeejZ5ZRblrBAx2bLFMrB2GTsbCNtdJDGeyGJLM631ER2yQUGfre8gSHNWwvEIYu1o/s640/20170429_092218.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I couldn't decide which one I liked better.</span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I set him down and we decided to make our way back towards the big lake from previous posts. Before we made our way, a few more finds in the front lawn of the cabin.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib5nn5C9BiPgTD9zWx_O6OJ_rBe71DrIfauKAG63QirSezwts13RgwGlzchqFUsrOwjpIJzr9BoeEEgjzFwasKU6OYrmOsF8psoS86R9j-KnL5epnRYwejJXXA8usP6CDxDBY5tEfBHGA/s1600/20170429_093236.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib5nn5C9BiPgTD9zWx_O6OJ_rBe71DrIfauKAG63QirSezwts13RgwGlzchqFUsrOwjpIJzr9BoeEEgjzFwasKU6OYrmOsF8psoS86R9j-KnL5epnRYwejJXXA8usP6CDxDBY5tEfBHGA/s640/20170429_093236.jpg" width="360" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i>Eft.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> Flipped a log, another redback!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ_LrFw6Vb8nDNgwCKYSD0a3f72J2Eqvztv8wBw2bZwBaixjivhCSWO-DvJBX-5kAEEhZKz-mGCLPEcHicxg-9dZzdDrygTI7tK6t5w-wqvPFXXf-3ZIwksobbv2dIXybP0yEAB6AOxOY/s1600/20170429_101621.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ_LrFw6Vb8nDNgwCKYSD0a3f72J2Eqvztv8wBw2bZwBaixjivhCSWO-DvJBX-5kAEEhZKz-mGCLPEcHicxg-9dZzdDrygTI7tK6t5w-wqvPFXXf-3ZIwksobbv2dIXybP0yEAB6AOxOY/s640/20170429_101621.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGkpjxTZA1HZjUe2LV2NmOXZVp_EPbKs5pWOx5HErLf2KPG36DqPWXhcf5XjwIEBk0Du4sMrPDw4KjAol3wzKsuNL6xRCE2Yy6UuKmMdimqjcxEttii-cLOeg2yukVpz_Y-VhJyU4ryNU/s1600/20170429_102921.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGkpjxTZA1HZjUe2LV2NmOXZVp_EPbKs5pWOx5HErLf2KPG36DqPWXhcf5XjwIEBk0Du4sMrPDw4KjAol3wzKsuNL6xRCE2Yy6UuKmMdimqjcxEttii-cLOeg2yukVpz_Y-VhJyU4ryNU/s640/20170429_102921.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i>BLURRY PICKEREL!</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I actually found another that I couldn't get on camera, so 3 pickerels in one front lawn was pretty sweet. We changed our plan and decided to go up the mountain. </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">My grandfather said he'd stay with the car since we were going to traverse some pretty steep terrain, so that allowed my father and I to get to the top of the ridge and up the mountain further. On the way up, more efts.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp4uwyMOdAg7zqZApZ5jG14YVFA_OrkfiunnNn6VZ_qkQRwIfzqtRdC7JgazJKTOINm9r3qyZsL9jEN3hdxUsuZtQvwhU2dkJMG1RbD6v3YPsHwtnc8OVAc_ZZuWEPzpN8bTMKtY67tZg/s1600/20170429_095430.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp4uwyMOdAg7zqZApZ5jG14YVFA_OrkfiunnNn6VZ_qkQRwIfzqtRdC7JgazJKTOINm9r3qyZsL9jEN3hdxUsuZtQvwhU2dkJMG1RbD6v3YPsHwtnc8OVAc_ZZuWEPzpN8bTMKtY67tZg/s640/20170429_095430.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i>There was literally about 12-13 efts in this drying pool of mud.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We called for a bit on the way up. Nothing. As I stopped, giving up on photographing efts, I saw this terrestrial mollusk that I have no luck properly ID'ing...</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisShn-mKiu42cqnk3pzsLWcb65djHyQkju81KSFxc5egRbprcWsIvnZGPKK82or8FQv_SngUPftFpNoKCCqxjyEYZCZ2qAvhHe6EtRNspvis0iQZuWvbaSdGn_yp06ex5b-Pk9F9xmRyQ/s1600/20170429_104530.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisShn-mKiu42cqnk3pzsLWcb65djHyQkju81KSFxc5egRbprcWsIvnZGPKK82or8FQv_SngUPftFpNoKCCqxjyEYZCZ2qAvhHe6EtRNspvis0iQZuWvbaSdGn_yp06ex5b-Pk9F9xmRyQ/s640/20170429_104530.jpg" width="360" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Common Garden Slug? Someone tell me.</span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We decided to set up for about an hour on the top of the ridge. At this point it was about 10:30 in the morning. After that, we'd call it quits. We did so, which basically was like sunbathing on the top of a mountain, because all that happened was that I warmed leaned against a big rock. The sun was shining bright now and the temperature had risen enough to walk around in a t-shirt. So really, we sat there for an hour, making turkey calls in vain, while I watched a light breeze blow over my "strutting gobbler" decoy. This hunting shit was beginning to get to me. We gathered ourselves and headed back down. For the first two weeks of the season, you can only hunt until noon. By the time we would get back to the car, our hunting day would be over anyway.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyhoS_fjXG3BxWVagnOQCrXlUFYcOdBoa_dpsLiL8rXyotgrU_WjvG6rO8hgIIuxqR3Aa8bMwPvJAduS__hsKVrRVVJeFGJZPQj7CN8Tblh2ZsdaY7HSbX2Xz58d9FMNFzMq5O4bCtMZk/s1600/20170429_113215.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyhoS_fjXG3BxWVagnOQCrXlUFYcOdBoa_dpsLiL8rXyotgrU_WjvG6rO8hgIIuxqR3Aa8bMwPvJAduS__hsKVrRVVJeFGJZPQj7CN8Tblh2ZsdaY7HSbX2Xz58d9FMNFzMq5O4bCtMZk/s640/20170429_113215.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i>Although I've always loved this view</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">As we made our way back, I had my head down to navigate myself around all of the large rocks and stones in the dirt road that ran straight up and down the mountain, an access road for the powerline. I noticed something hop a few times at my feet. A BABY AMERICAN TOAD!</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjvC17XHZickv4X_KDl1IE3uQzEstb1pIdcLz4i-Rj1MhXLQhtUFVwn9lBaCZPRqtUJXMgSJvFmKJPt0zIPPtTj3yAXWsqamU4JQ2Mh8OUWmzTeXpS-OQQ3sF3pnRZq_lKL_qmi0_Q-JM/s1600/100MEDIA%2524IMAG0571_BURST002_COVER1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjvC17XHZickv4X_KDl1IE3uQzEstb1pIdcLz4i-Rj1MhXLQhtUFVwn9lBaCZPRqtUJXMgSJvFmKJPt0zIPPtTj3yAXWsqamU4JQ2Mh8OUWmzTeXpS-OQQ3sF3pnRZq_lKL_qmi0_Q-JM/s640/100MEDIA%2524IMAG0571_BURST002_COVER1.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i>I has a small toad.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">He was small and red. A beautiful little specimen. I've only seen juvenile American toads up here in the last three years. The only adult I've seen was dead in the big lake. But I've seen a ton of juvies, so obviously they're around and the population is healthy! I asked my father to take a picture since my phone had died at this point from all the eft photography. I put him back down and we continued the trek back.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Once we reached the flat between the mountain and the road, my father got a head of me. I saw something swerve through his feet as he walked. GARTER SNAKE!</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic3HeatEBC_Q9XocGfDN-pRTyJPegOgSuYqH5I2biNdJlZf_oKOkdlkKH4-Az63appNvnSMgD7lIJR7J-uEnrxKPXVJZ7FfERMubjvnRDvjqdKXXUApubhJ_hAhub4xoWgzeObeni91-c/s1600/IMAG0573.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic3HeatEBC_Q9XocGfDN-pRTyJPegOgSuYqH5I2biNdJlZf_oKOkdlkKH4-Az63appNvnSMgD7lIJR7J-uEnrxKPXVJZ7FfERMubjvnRDvjqdKXXUApubhJ_hAhub4xoWgzeObeni91-c/s640/IMAG0573.jpg" width="360" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">And a big one at that.</span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I snapped this photo of him with my father's camera. My father actually encouraged that I get closer and try to get a better shot. Probably wanted me to get bit. Joke's on him, obviously they aren't poisonous. I actually did get closer to him. He didn't move. I could have taken a better shot of him from that position too. I was right next to him, and very close. I instead thought to snatch him up. He postured a bit, then was off in a flash, literally slithered in between my legs as I crouched down. It was like a cartoon: me bumbling around trying to capture this much smaller creature who was too fast for me and running circles around me. I chased him a big and eventually grabbed him by the tail but let go as he escaped through the leaf litter. I didn't want to hurt him, and I had already gotten the shot.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Bad day for hunting, good day for herping.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><u><i>Saturday, 4/29 Count:</i></u></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">red eft: 37-50+ ...I stopped counting</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">pickerel frog: 3</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">American toad: 1</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">garter snake: 1</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">northern redback salamander: 2</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">slimy salamander: 1</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><u><b><i>Tuesday, 5/9</i></b></u></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I took my grandfather back up again for a midweek hunt. This was supposed to be a three day trip from Sunday to Tuesday, which would have afforded me a lot of time to herp, when I was hunting and when I wasn't hunting. My father and uncle bailed, so that was that. I still wanted to hunt, and so did Poppy, so up we went. Hopefully our luck would change this day. It did not.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWtnGbCK8_oElHx1OYHBmbD2v7eQZg0eCsVpOzyH6KAOyy77OUDMjMNBsZ3kDAe-DX3d1NcI4MGYPNq-5EDrRhL4J-0o6ynXLKco3eDnsdh1u0_stK9PAE0lbv0P6gs7BFpfjbB3jgOOQ/s1600/20170509_073942.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWtnGbCK8_oElHx1OYHBmbD2v7eQZg0eCsVpOzyH6KAOyy77OUDMjMNBsZ3kDAe-DX3d1NcI4MGYPNq-5EDrRhL4J-0o6ynXLKco3eDnsdh1u0_stK9PAE0lbv0P6gs7BFpfjbB3jgOOQ/s640/20170509_073942.jpg" width="360" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i>Ghost town.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We walked around to no turkeys all day. No efts, either, surprisingly! There's no point in going through any specifics. I had a good day with my grandfather, even on an unsuccessful hunt, and the day was warm, so I felt good about seeing some things.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The woods were quiet, and dry, which explains the lack of efts. I decided to flip some logs since I was surprised with a slimy salamander. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgdY44yrl9ZWwek9em8awrnc9g0-hIddGnm0p0S9Q0C35RIOca78UQsvbpzNi4Im_nbDKJ1AqcsLQGCk_vR1W2qU6Uh3lX8KJevswSIp8njdJ2xpBkBz49stb8x1yF29nq1-X-dM9RkZs/s1600/20170509_091914.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgdY44yrl9ZWwek9em8awrnc9g0-hIddGnm0p0S9Q0C35RIOca78UQsvbpzNi4Im_nbDKJ1AqcsLQGCk_vR1W2qU6Uh3lX8KJevswSIp8njdJ2xpBkBz49stb8x1yF29nq1-X-dM9RkZs/s640/20170509_091914.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Redbaaaaaaaack!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnjYRfuOW5XTIwk0urHBT7F1leX8q24wXZZ3s6A3iqrJGRBLXon4PuFZAkgMKgk1O8yw3zO4b85btlMT_T8VYN9JBUzywrNOPhr9jyfQUoSNFu2_9XNIo8XwyzaIcTm2o9pBTItoDo6xA/s1600/20170509_091954.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnjYRfuOW5XTIwk0urHBT7F1leX8q24wXZZ3s6A3iqrJGRBLXon4PuFZAkgMKgk1O8yw3zO4b85btlMT_T8VYN9JBUzywrNOPhr9jyfQUoSNFu2_9XNIo8XwyzaIcTm2o9pBTItoDo6xA/s640/20170509_091954.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">"Selfiemander"? Terrible</span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">One log afforded me two redbacks. The entire day was pretty quiet and boring, from a hunting and herping standpoint. ONE interesting thing happened to me though...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We wound up walking back to the big lake, and when we arrived, I was mildly excited. It was late in the day, and nothing else was happening. I looked down in the lake as I've done so many times, expecting to see it teaming with eastern newts and tadpoles, maybe even a cluster or string of eggs. I didn't really see anything at all. Could this day be a bust with both turkeys AND with critters for me to document? I slowly walked along the bank, and kicked up what was (probably) a pickerel frog, since they're the only type I've ever seen there. I made my way around and noticed a lone eastern newt swimming around in the weeds. As I went further along, I saw another, way out of reach, swimming near a school of big fish. It went up for a gulp of air, and the fish darted towards it. I swore I was going to watch it get eaten. The fish just stared at it and then turned around. I guess it thought better of a newt lunch. Then I saw some movement down at my feet in the water. Slowly gliding through the weeds, completely submerged: a snake. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It was bright brown and almost orange, very light in color, like rust. I reached down and grabbed it by the tail and pulled it on to land. I really didn't have any idea what kind it was, but I figured it wasn't venomous. It wasn't a rattler, and it wasn't a copperhead. I still didn't want to risk getting bitten. I fumbled for my phone. I pulled it out but the snake began to slither under the dead grass and almost out of reach. I pulled it back out, trying not to rip him out from under the grass. I noticed a very colorful and distinctive underbelly. I've maybe seen a watersnake ONCE in my life, and it was much darker, and I didn't touch it, so I'd never seen ones underbelly before. I finally got him out and he started to make his way toward the water. Before I could get a picture, he postured for a moment. He looked like he as about to strike, then raced into the water. No picture.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">After review, he was a <a href="http://www.paherps.com/herps/snakes/northern-water-snake/" target="_blank">northern watersnake</a>. For the sake of this blog, I'm glad I saw one. It actually gave me a bit of excitement, but I'm pissed I couldn't get a picture. My grandfather laughed at me through the whole ordeal, albeit a very short encounter.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We made our way back to the path through what I can only describe as ideal box turtle habitat, sat for a bit, and then made our way back out of the woods and to the road. We passed right by the spot where the <a href="http://southphillyherper.blogspot.com/2014/05/vernal-pool-party-or-what-eft-part-ii.html" target="_blank">gobbler came in like a ninja</a>, but this time, I was ready...for nothing. No turkey. I did see a string of unidentified eggs in a pool where there were tractor tire tracks.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBWbJJCSyCQgrmbsG98v9uHwa_WsqMFHarErw6vc32oQaAdc5DxecvbYHL7bBiVsvNFvLzVQC_jwZLVM5L9JaC5bh5RJcxlJ4pRWQHwbyR_XGyRIm43B5y37Eq4s0uRhhHfu6w4xlvpIw/s1600/20170509_104235.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBWbJJCSyCQgrmbsG98v9uHwa_WsqMFHarErw6vc32oQaAdc5DxecvbYHL7bBiVsvNFvLzVQC_jwZLVM5L9JaC5bh5RJcxlJ4pRWQHwbyR_XGyRIm43B5y37Eq4s0uRhhHfu6w4xlvpIw/s640/20170509_104235.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i>The best picture I've ever taken.</i></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW-MPNkx0MHr5hDnGh6_TbO1cTg60h70KTQkeGhq9CDh3HW5k7Z3Mj0RUhZNamZujYNnTyix9UphdUvFsOgKoDCHQofA0loQZRTMRqtvGJHSfmXHj5UbRKC9DQK6IcCdaVHqR6WEw1xZY/s640/20170509_104351.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="640" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Scene of the crime.</span></i></td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW-MPNkx0MHr5hDnGh6_TbO1cTg60h70KTQkeGhq9CDh3HW5k7Z3Mj0RUhZNamZujYNnTyix9UphdUvFsOgKoDCHQofA0loQZRTMRqtvGJHSfmXHj5UbRKC9DQK6IcCdaVHqR6WEw1xZY/s1600/20170509_104351.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br /></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW-MPNkx0MHr5hDnGh6_TbO1cTg60h70KTQkeGhq9CDh3HW5k7Z3Mj0RUhZNamZujYNnTyix9UphdUvFsOgKoDCHQofA0loQZRTMRqtvGJHSfmXHj5UbRKC9DQK6IcCdaVHqR6WEw1xZY/s1600/20170509_104351.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I knew that picture sucked but I was happy I saw an egg cluster. At the end of the tire track pool, there were a few egg masses on the dry land. I figured they were laid when the pool was bigger and of course were grounded and beached like the <i>S.S. Minnow</i> after the lack of rain. The didn't seem too dry, so I figured I'd return them to the deeper water and hope for the best. Maybe a few will survive.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho7N2So5j-3zfrNMUbm4o73QD4txwBz6cFqfotjO2SvmoF4fxr4HeK4nj4Ovn1ie0XkCTUJ8h6suriNcODGiKfN5FgyYy9ouzj1xSS70eRx6oUAOTt4WmUcSj12LejmgriUIz9lAHlsl8/s1600/20170509_104412.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho7N2So5j-3zfrNMUbm4o73QD4txwBz6cFqfotjO2SvmoF4fxr4HeK4nj4Ovn1ie0XkCTUJ8h6suriNcODGiKfN5FgyYy9ouzj1xSS70eRx6oUAOTt4WmUcSj12LejmgriUIz9lAHlsl8/s640/20170509_104412.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Bad parenting.</span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The remainder of the walk back was quiet. We saw some deer and not much else. Vernal pools that I had been teeming with tadpoles in years past were quiet. No frogs were to be seen. No salamanders (dead of alive). Was something wrong? Was I too late in the season? I figured the latter as I saw some tadpoles around and some egg masses in deeper portions of the pools. I guess I was just late to the party again. We made our way out. I told my grandfather to rest at the end of the road while I went ahead and got the car. Today was a great hunt...I mean, hike. I was a little disappointed in the lack of both game birds and herps, but I don't think I'll stop pursuing either anytime soon.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Poppy on the poultry prowl.</span></i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijyhcdYVew8wRv4a4EqT2c46gIbGM4j9oQ0sMtFG8un-z_dO-YxWGQ34U_loJ_HZtB3y8qnKQ54VrQuekLVHbF-zLRGPYsJiLMVobCuXFF8V_WLSvDG3ujF-UsfJGdxdpKj-H6gfBd4a8/s1600/20170509_105622.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijyhcdYVew8wRv4a4EqT2c46gIbGM4j9oQ0sMtFG8un-z_dO-YxWGQ34U_loJ_HZtB3y8qnKQ54VrQuekLVHbF-zLRGPYsJiLMVobCuXFF8V_WLSvDG3ujF-UsfJGdxdpKj-H6gfBd4a8/s640/20170509_105622.jpg" width="360" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Any day in the woods with him is a good day.</i></span></td></tr>
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<i><u><b><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Tuesday, 5/9 Count:</span></b></u></i><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">northern redback salamander: 2</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">pickerel frog: 1</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">northern watersnake: 1</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">assorted egg masses/strands and tadpoles</span><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02751672069847283932noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-537558321635164562.post-88537067938649387372017-05-05T15:18:00.003-04:002018-07-12T16:07:41.831-04:00"What I lake about you..." or "I didn't know bullfrogs made that sound!"<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Greetings and salutations, oh dedicated readers! I haven't posted in what feels like an age, nor have I gotten out to even write about it lately, but here we are. First post of 2016...and 2017...! So what it's almost 5 months into the year, and then a whole 'nother year on top of that? I began writing this post back in April '16 hoping to finish it and then get out a few more times, but as you can see, neither of those things happened. For shame! I actually really wanted to get out on a few early spring rainy nights (both this year and last), but with my schedule, you can just forget it. FORGET IT. One year I'll venture out as soon as a good herper should: early spring. I really want to catch a glimpse of some early season salamanders and whatnot. I</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">never manage to catch mating, but always the egg clumps and strands after all the amphibious boo-lovin' has commenced. </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Usually I get out around spring gobbler season and get some quality time in the woods then, but I didn't make opening day last season (2016). I did, however, manage to get some impromptu herping done in the city beforehand anyway...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span> <u><b><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> FDR Park, South Philly, </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">4/20/2016</span></b></u><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So my lovely lady love, whom we'll refer to as Princess, and I decided to take a walk instead of going to the gym. We're one of those #fitcouples (or at least her half of the relationship is. Daddy needs to lay off the carbs) who work out together. On this day, we decided to take it lightly and get out in the beautiful Spring air because THE WEATHER HAS BEEN SHIT. It's shit. Finally starting to warm up, that fickle bitch Mother Nature prompted us to get out and enjoy her as much as living in the city can afford. Princess wanted to walk around "the Lakes", much to my surprise. Normally, when we took walks last spring, we did so around the Philadelphia Eagles' training center, the Novacare Complex, but today, she thought a more scenic route was in order. Walking around and talking for a while was how this relationship got started, so I love doing so with the Princess. But it only took me a few minutes to get the idea to look for critters whilst we walked...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And it only took me a few more minutes before our first hit of the walk.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We began on the sidewalk path around the main lake. Princess walked with her hand tucked in her sleeve, covering her mouth the entire time. Why, you ask? She didn't want to accidentally eat any of the millions of gnats swarming around in little bug tornadoes on the path. Of course. I laughed EVERY time I looked at her. It amused me.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">My keen herper huntin' eyes managed to see our first specimen: the good ol' bullfrog. A constant and common sight on my herping expeditions, especially down the Lakes. Like Old Reliable. Tried and True. You get the idea...</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtI9wbTaMlHpwqE2Cu298H181JKan_Jk2B3-hvSwn9bWFmcUGzo7OGiRdgmqydJ8jdZPIM2TAoh0KesLdi-YuxjGiU28zSyJzGlMAYWrMiKDdRmEjvoadHk2tWGy0JTs74hENulYx4XLE/s1600/20160420_182300.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtI9wbTaMlHpwqE2Cu298H181JKan_Jk2B3-hvSwn9bWFmcUGzo7OGiRdgmqydJ8jdZPIM2TAoh0KesLdi-YuxjGiU28zSyJzGlMAYWrMiKDdRmEjvoadHk2tWGy0JTs74hENulYx4XLE/s640/20160420_182300.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Look how handsome!</span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I pointed him out, and told Princess to take a picture with her (much better camera) phone. As she did, I spotted another one to the left! I forewarned her not to get too close, lest she scare him away...Did she listen? Noooooooooooooope. As she inched her way closer to the edge of the lake to get the above picture, the bullfrog plunked in, bellowing as he jumped into the water. Except it wasn't the second bullfrog I saw. It was a <i>third</i>! I didn't see the third yet as I tried to get a picture of the second one. So he surprised me, but it scared the daylights out of her. As I composed myself from laughing and being disappointed we missed one, I was being interrogated: "What was that?" "You think it's funny!" "I didn't know bullfrogs made that sound!" I assured her, indeed, they did, and we continued to look around.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">If my memory serves me correctly, I managed a shot of our second target regardless:</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i>"We are everywhere."</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />We walked around the lakes and got some good pictures, although we only saw one more herp that we didn't manage to photograph. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i>Nature!</i></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i>The best wildlife photographer this side of the Mississippi.</i></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-dN706WAxpwU-oNNbp5GGoxdsLgUkExyYLkkpCT9OSNit-2lcaiXnfXbdsTpC6YLAGKLEyBqqZH1iexLr25NRyvKC69o1_Z6u6vL0nMFwtjreZmBqwhnu9BEElR8BMNO5Px8sYxb_itM/s1600/received_10154007857814002.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-dN706WAxpwU-oNNbp5GGoxdsLgUkExyYLkkpCT9OSNit-2lcaiXnfXbdsTpC6YLAGKLEyBqqZH1iexLr25NRyvKC69o1_Z6u6vL0nMFwtjreZmBqwhnu9BEElR8BMNO5Px8sYxb_itM/s400/received_10154007857814002.jpeg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i>In all of my natural splendor.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">On our way over one of the little stone bridges, Princess walked ahead of me a few paces. Much to her dismay, this didn't work out for her, as she kicked up a big brown <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_garter_snake" target="_blank">garter snake</a> from the foliage collected on the path. She jumped and let out one of those uneasy "ohgodohgodohgod" soft screams when she realized it was a snake. This made me laugh too, and I think that's about when she wanted to call it quits for the day. She was an amazing sport. And now a bonafide herper! I was so proud...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b><u>RANDOM FINDS THROUGHOUT 2016!:</u></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So just because I didn't actually go out herping last year doesn't mean I didn't see some stuff. Princess and I made it down the Lakes a few more times, and there were even some seashore herps to be found!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Upon one of our random outings back to the lakes, we encountered some turtles. Painted turtles, to be exact.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">"Sittin' on the log in the lake...watchin' the tiiiiiide roll awaaaay..."</span></i></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i>BOOP! Turtle nose!</i></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">"Heaven isn't too far awaaaaaaaayyyyy..."</span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Then on our way to the Jersey shore, I took a back road <u style="font-style: italic;">totally on purpose and not at all by accident</u> and was treated to a surprise and almost a shock. We drove up and in the middle of the road crossing, I saw another painted turtle! Princess shrieked as I slowed down to stop and demanded I go out and save him. So I did.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I picked him up as another car zoomed by on the other side of the road. Thankfully there was no other traffic on my side. But this little fella was almost a pancake, as he wouldn't have made it across before that other car got there. I felt like I <u><i>completely on purpose</i></u> took that back road for a reason: to save this guy. Thankfully I did. He did make me pay for it, though. </span><span style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">His claws were almost as long as Wolverine's on my t-shirt.</span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">*Snikt!*</span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And he dug them into me as I held him. Princess insisted we keep him, but it was early, and we were going TO the shore, not home FROM, and for a multitude of other reasons I listed, we decided not to, but I wasn't sure what to do with him. He was walking across the road into the woods and houses beyond the treeline...AWAY from a big lake. The lake was huge and across a big meadow, which was more like someone's front lawn as there was a house on it. It was also probably a few minutes walk. I really didn't want to trespass so early in the morning, so I held on to him and we continued to drive off. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I had a plan. I knew there were more lakes and marshes before we got to our little island in the sun, so I'd just hold on to him while I drove and would eventually pull over and set him free. After lots of scratches, I finally found a good spot to let him go.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Nothing about this was pleasant or fun.</span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I pulled over and made my way down the bank, where there was plenty of brush to further scratch me and plenty more bugs than that to get me itchy! Princess was laughing the whole time as I traversed the marsh in Nike flipflops and decided to take a few pictures. I went in as far as I could and set him on a path to his new, hopefully safer, life. I looked up and saw Princess, phone in hand, big grin on her face, snappin' away.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">As bad as this could have turned out, I felt like I had done a good deed for the day.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Almost immediately afterward, I started to worry if the marsh was too saline and if painted turtles can live and survive in salt water marshes. After some quick Google research, turns out <a href="http://www.ct.gov/deep/cwp/view.asp?a=2723&q=475292" target="_blank">they can.</a> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I also encountered a diamondback terrapin in a lagoon whilst in Wildwood, but I can't find the crap picture I took of it. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Not really a very good year for a self-proclaimed herper, but hopefully my next post will make up for it: opening day spring gobbler 2017! It feels good to get out there and write about it too, though.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Stay tuned, and happy herping! </span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02751672069847283932noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-537558321635164562.post-50048477793361926092015-07-01T16:42:00.001-04:002016-10-19T13:10:54.469-04:00"Something Old, Something Newt" or "A Bad Day in the Woods is Better Than a Good Day in the Office"<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">My first herping entry of 2015! Pretty late considering, but better late than never. Since this will include not one, but TWO herping excursions, it'll be chock full o' pictures and probably really wordy anyway. Don't get too excited and hold on to your butts.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><u>First up: John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge, April 2015:</u></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So my father has become my unofficial herping partner, much to his chagrin. Mainly because he's always around when I happen to be out in the woods to do so. This time, I specifically asked him to come out with me to the refuge, which is right outside the city, and walk around with me for a little. He agreed, which surprised me a bit, considering I told him specifically what I'd be doing. He shrugged it off as a father who's disappointed with is son is wont to do, and we made our way to the refuge.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i>Herper's Paradise </i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We basically walked the first orange and the red path around once. This outing was short, and not very sweet, as I only heard the presence of two frogs the entire time. But I managed to get some nice pictures and a good walk in. For April, it was hot, and for my purposes, dry. Too dry, actually. And it wasn't conducive to even finding any snakes either. I basically went out in the early evening on a hot day after there really hasn't been any rain. Total bust for a herping outing, really.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i>"Herp on <span style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">down a country road..." - James Taylor</span></i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I flipped some logs and rocks to find a shit-ton of earthworms, but not much else. The few vernal pools on the stretch of my path were stagnant, low, and algae-ridden, but this is where I spooked in two (what I assume were) green frogs as I saw them jump from the corner of my eye and heard the little splashes in the water. I don't know how I couldn't see them; the water was extremely low, and there was so much algae, it looked like the stuff they used for the "Ooze" in the second Turtles movie.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i>When they come back out, maybe they'll turn into teenage mutant ninjas!</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">My father just watched me strike out repeatedly while smoking on a cigar and wondering where he went wrong as a parent. After about an hour or so he wanted to go, as we were just walking around in the mosquito-ridden heat of the evening. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Pictured: no herps</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">On the way back around the one nature trail loop, I did manage to get some nice shots of the scenery. Unfortunately, I could NOT get a great shot of the family of wood ducks that were swimming away from us. You can (not really) see them center of the picture below:</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">"We're ghost, muhfuckaaa!"</span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Walking back on the path alongside the highway, we were treated to a familiar, but welcome sight: deer!</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrfqTzlKKlb6-0dRnw5XsqiaoUglfX1FESgd4U-MSSMD8jBUkX-3MAcfwKXiEVOwQicRDObpSPVmCljIaZuD07DZ0o8xDeau5u8mlkKMh3vfJ-vQ0Oi4YtrfqMoG1TV7otBH7NIUmFaR8/s1600/743.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrfqTzlKKlb6-0dRnw5XsqiaoUglfX1FESgd4U-MSSMD8jBUkX-3MAcfwKXiEVOwQicRDObpSPVmCljIaZuD07DZ0o8xDeau5u8mlkKMh3vfJ-vQ0Oi4YtrfqMoG1TV7otBH7NIUmFaR8/s400/743.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Clearly, I've missed my calling as a wildlife photographer.</span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">They were just out in the open, grazing around the little grass clearing (or "meadow" maybe? I suppose, although this was pretty small. What are the parameters for determining if something is a meadow or not? Fine: "grazing around the little meadow". You're a hard hypothetical reader to please).</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJWjREA05BDD2rTQo1QPvfoaVVJHCBDvTlWuY-9oRJ5d5Z9RKDN3JvB2l0EeB-q03hM2xT2AM_zUVO-PBklTte8LjfTR16-_PtnxjiLuGtihCi7Dr4a9WgBtI1lKXwXihd0dbhSlHqodg/s1600/744.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJWjREA05BDD2rTQo1QPvfoaVVJHCBDvTlWuY-9oRJ5d5Z9RKDN3JvB2l0EeB-q03hM2xT2AM_zUVO-PBklTte8LjfTR16-_PtnxjiLuGtihCi7Dr4a9WgBtI1lKXwXihd0dbhSlHqodg/s400/744.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i>This shot is a hunter's dream. Now only if it had antlers...</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">There were about 5 or 6 of them, probably does and fawns, although at that point in the year, it's impossible to tell at a distance. They were fairly unperturbed by our presence, and even though they were about 50-60 yards away, they mainly ignored us and continued to eat and do other deery things.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDcG5FKafEByXpNmvdMzQklg3Wz2gTKHCRQNlIDI70d6-3qRnd3JlyNMs5w-SsvaGngGev3DXGztEafwrQJhLrrfTRkLUeoyk9OCR9MfkwbNsZu8zODEMYRCLXA4GnT0W0jAkcZqD6Q1s/s1600/745.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDcG5FKafEByXpNmvdMzQklg3Wz2gTKHCRQNlIDI70d6-3qRnd3JlyNMs5w-SsvaGngGev3DXGztEafwrQJhLrrfTRkLUeoyk9OCR9MfkwbNsZu8zODEMYRCLXA4GnT0W0jAkcZqD6Q1s/s400/745.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i>^ Deery things.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I snapped another shot, as if I've never seen a deer before or something, and we made our way back to the car. I decided that before we'd leave, I'd try to circle back around another trail that cut straight through the cattails to see if I could get any closer to them. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0AwWqM9FjwIn8NsZ6ZSzVnCevj36OyMT9HYALAPzBJlEeVC5yy2hfJmUCkg25xsyBsDSr7g51z8pI9oB66-LAVhqgBPoK3CIwaV4HkHxJy3g9i-tTjmgM9imRqBJKWiOXFQVQDsW6kiM/s1600/746.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0AwWqM9FjwIn8NsZ6ZSzVnCevj36OyMT9HYALAPzBJlEeVC5yy2hfJmUCkg25xsyBsDSr7g51z8pI9oB66-LAVhqgBPoK3CIwaV4HkHxJy3g9i-tTjmgM9imRqBJKWiOXFQVQDsW6kiM/s400/746.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">More of my photography skills with a 5 megapixel camera in action. I call this shot "Where's Waldo?"</span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I made my way down the path, totally surrounded by tall grass and cattails...<i>engulfed</i>, even! The sea of grasses had blackbirds and orioles swimming across the path from side to side as I walked, but it afforded me no better shot at the deer. I couldn't get anywhere close to where I thought they were. Just cattails for days.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizd-RKSvhMCYK4hJtj-ylJcse3BKtenjqe_r52vIqpioeHP9sN3bBh5EHB6IFevYRZlT5LqwAZaH76lUBpDBTBEPf9dE9v8e4hgTIQ2Uegl7PtzKmSUD-lQ-pvA0z72CHjerRV4pMcLxA/s1600/748.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizd-RKSvhMCYK4hJtj-ylJcse3BKtenjqe_r52vIqpioeHP9sN3bBh5EHB6IFevYRZlT5LqwAZaH76lUBpDBTBEPf9dE9v8e4hgTIQ2Uegl7PtzKmSUD-lQ-pvA0z72CHjerRV4pMcLxA/s400/748.jpg" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i>I AM THE MOSES OF CATTAILS!</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Since this walk didn't really yield any results, I won't post any. Originally, this was only supposed to be so I could potentially write about something, as I hadn't gone out to herp until mid April. It was kind of a shot in the dark given the circumstances. But it was good to get out and walk around with my father. We saw some wildlife, which is always nice. The only other thing I had to show for my efforts was a tick I found crawling on my arm all the way back at my house as I sat at my dinner table on my laptop. Rest assured that I got the torch out and burned that little fucker to a crisp.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><u>NEXT!: Spring Gobbler Hunting, May 13-15, 2015</u></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">If you've ever read my blog, you'd know that I hunt, and that I mainly get a good herping expedition in every spring when I go turkey hunting in late April/early May. This time, things were a little different: <i>THIS TIME</i> I went out in <u><b><i>MID</i></b></u> May! Throwin' a lil' curveball in there to make things interesting. I like to herp dangerously...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>SPOILER!:</b> There will <u>NOT</u> be an overabundance of red efts like in the previous two Spring Gobbler hunt posts. I know, hypothetical reader, that you're upset you won't be seeing picture after picture of those oh-so cute and adorable bright orange faces. But I've got some good finds nonetheless. Buckle up.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /><b><u>May 13th:</u></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I took off of work Wednesday through Friday so that I could hunt turkey my birthday week/weekend. All of my friends asked, "Hey, what are you doing for your big Dirty Thirty?" My response: "I'll be sitting in the woods." No boozing, no debauchery. I'd be in camouflage most likely sweating my ass off in the middle of the mountains trying to shoot a living dinosaur. I now have no friends. Will <i>you</i> be my friend, hypothetical reader?!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So that Wednesday, I woke up early, drove all the way down to Cabela's in Delaware to buy shotgun shells as my friendly neighborhood gun shop was all out of the size I needed, and packed my stuff. I also decided to buy a HUGE finely-meshed fishing net that I had full intention of using over the next few days to catch me some <a href="http://www.paherps.com/herps/salamanders/eastern_newt/" target="_blank">red-spotted (or eastern) newts</a>. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i>A familiar and favorite sight.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">After packing, picking up my grandfather, driving up an hour and a half listening to old war stories and days of yore, we arrived at the hotel. Checked in, got changed, got into the woods to call.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Another old favorite.</span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It was fairly chilly for mid-May. We both had light cover for the wind and crisp mountain air. We called a bunch up and down the road and up the mountain until dusk, but no sign of any turkey nigh. The woods were still and solemn, save a few songbirds at a distance.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I had a feeling that we wouldn't have much luck hunting the next day.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i>At least the path is nice to look at...</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">If you recall from a previous entry, I found a juvenile ring-necked snake under a big plastic drum outside my grandfather's former cabin. Heading back to the car, as my pop got his things together, I ventured over to see if lightning would strike twice in the same spot. And boy, did it ever! Literally.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i>Scaly, coiled lightning.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I flipped the very same drum in the very same spot and found not one, but TWO juvenile northern ring-necked snakelings! "Snakelings" are a thing, right? What you can't see in the above picture is the other one, puckered up tighter than a snare drum in his coil, in the palm of my hand, whilst his brother made photographing extremely difficult.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIr90r3FilbZlm2mrS1EjAgLFBl0ubAjBTwDpp5mDF5Lm_s1OyAWTxqBx4hViexEOKN1S62xsckNppBlyUb-GuGZ8fXQyxeKjtiWoxyBePMHWZZK6DVlNI40U5FKFlXJYGy5wseABBEvQ/s1600/846.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIr90r3FilbZlm2mrS1EjAgLFBl0ubAjBTwDpp5mDF5Lm_s1OyAWTxqBx4hViexEOKN1S62xsckNppBlyUb-GuGZ8fXQyxeKjtiWoxyBePMHWZZK6DVlNI40U5FKFlXJYGy5wseABBEvQ/s640/846.jpg" width="360" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i>"Photograph me?! NEVARRR!"</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">His balled-up friend was much easier to capture on film.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxcg3AYzbnicbZsEQJ9m6men4xGYRqcAvwMGo2I-Ofm3-EQ2him-dCsT7kcN8eKuzDEe07qQQc1a8oV81wJDhYV6ttHlFFoT455pQw4tmntvBfqfod04ZcGvw-mnRQFmFo4fEDpUssXSA/s1600/847.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxcg3AYzbnicbZsEQJ9m6men4xGYRqcAvwMGo2I-Ofm3-EQ2him-dCsT7kcN8eKuzDEe07qQQc1a8oV81wJDhYV6ttHlFFoT455pQw4tmntvBfqfod04ZcGvw-mnRQFmFo4fEDpUssXSA/s400/847.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">"Leave me here to die."</span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">If you're wondering why I'm taking pictures in my car, it was because my terrible phone was dead, had to be put on the charger, and it was too dark without the flash. When I approached the car with a handful'o snakes, my grandfather asked what I had, looked at me, then laughed to himself. Surely he knew I was never going to change from the wee lad he once took along turkey hunts of yesteryear, where I followed him, shoving handfuls of red efts in my jacket pockets while fowl murder was afoot. I returned the ringers to their hiding spot and we made our way back. We had to be up bright and early at the buttcrack of 4 to be in the woods by a little before dawn.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">No turkeys were to be heard that day. We set up early, heard nothing, walked around and called my ass off to no avail. No sight nor sound of turkeys all over the mountain. We passed by my grandfather's old stand. He's made his mind up that he'll still be hunting out of it this fall. 88 years old and still on the hunt.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Ol' Reliable ready for action</span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Unrelated to herping, we haven't deer hunted from this spot in over a decade. This season will be interesting to say the least.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Back to the hunt and herping, but first...</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i>Let me take a selfie.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">While the hunt was unsuccessful by killing a turkey standards, it had its high points. I always talk about how utterly magnificent the woods are in the springtime. They're serene, even when you kick up a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=roi8jb9gsWk" target="_blank">ruffed grouse</a> (the Pennsylvania state bird). They sound like an Apache Longbow helicopter taking off when you spook them and they take off, which is what happened as we walked back down the path. The Poconos (and the wilderness in general, to me) can be entrancing and captivating in all its natural splendo.....OH MY FUCKING GOD, IS THAT A BEAR?!?!</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i>"Well, it ain't yo' mama."</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">While walking down the path to go back towards the road and big lake I've visited in the past, we encountered a young black bear. He walked parallel to the road, behind a big trailer. He made his way behind a mound, toward the road, then back alongside it VERY close, but then vanished into some thick cover. I lost sight of the bear. Although normally black bears are shy around people and will run rather than bearattack your face off, I didn't want to potentially get too close if he was uneasy with our presence. I was a little anxious as to his whereabouts. What the hell was I going to do if the bear decided he had had enough of our shit and tackled my grandfather? If the bear attacked me first, at least I'd be able to judo-throw him through a tree. We slowed our pace, and shortly after, the bear emerged from the trees to cross the road. He was about 60 yards away when I took the above picture. He mosied across the road, but as he got across and into the woods again, his ambling turned to a mad dash into the trees. I managed to grab one last picture of him before he vanished into the wilderness.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWJR1t-IWGLZJt2uIJLgKSK6zouEeU6dsW1QWhNXMoenOb7DXMiVNWs3NpqTMG6IQDjLClnR6V2j8SithJAZluGgVoLp_zcHg6BcGtCu-H47pR5I7Nb68urmFIkZv78TzZN_ijtF6WtPU/s1600/853.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWJR1t-IWGLZJt2uIJLgKSK6zouEeU6dsW1QWhNXMoenOb7DXMiVNWs3NpqTMG6IQDjLClnR6V2j8SithJAZluGgVoLp_zcHg6BcGtCu-H47pR5I7Nb68urmFIkZv78TzZN_ijtF6WtPU/s400/853.jpg" width="400" /></span></i></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">"Fuck this, I'm out."</span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">After BEAR-ly escaping the jaws of death, we walked out to the road and down another path to head towards the big lake at the edge of a field and tree farm. We called to no avail again. I decided since it was getting past mid-morning that I would flip some rocks and logs due to lack of action on the hunting front. The forest was relatively dry, unlike the past two years prior, where it was rainy and damp. No abundant efts this time. But lo! there were! I flipped a log to find this lone pair; the only efts of the trip. It's not like they aren't up here...</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKYg4qErI8fXHNwoObsejCm0EAK0u0jATXpLhU7KicuqlePvZJZkPiibpK6kaVuDZtc88D1VLTh2VegJEACqiMuc9d0U-vLafqtjaE08_ByHsfs7QI88-z2lbh7G9iqdLBFXRmCGsNMO4/s1600/854.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKYg4qErI8fXHNwoObsejCm0EAK0u0jATXpLhU7KicuqlePvZJZkPiibpK6kaVuDZtc88D1VLTh2VegJEACqiMuc9d0U-vLafqtjaE08_ByHsfs7QI88-z2lbh7G9iqdLBFXRmCGsNMO4/s640/854.jpg" width="360" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i>"Two of a Kind!" Like that shitty late-90s sitcom with the Olsen twins...except better.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This is when the herps came rollin' in. Turkeyless, we staggered on in the May sun back toward the lake, calling as we went. When we hit the lake, I got kid-on-Christmas-morning-at-the-top-of-the-steps giddy and placed the decoys and my fanny pack down. Yes, upon that day, my 30th birthday, I decided that not only was the form permissible given the function of a fanny pack, but it was okay for me to wear.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I kept my shotgun close by; my luck, there'd be turkeys swimming in the lake. Immediately I began to see amphibians. First was this pickerel frog, who kept eluding my capture.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">"Come and find me, bitch! Camouflage!"</span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I followed him through the cover on the bank of the lake. He didn't expect me to, I'd imagine, as normally, I'd chalk it up and not traverse the brush. I managed to grab him, albeit temporarily, to try to take a picture. He escaped my grasp as I fumbled for my phone. He made his way back into the cover, but I was able to shove my phone directly in his face without him moving. To fellow herper Mike H from Massachusetts (who posted <a href="http://hitmewithyournaturestick.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">in his blog</a> that he challenged <i>anyone</i> to take a worse picture than he did of one of these guys in a post): Mike, without knowing and before reading yours, I think I have you beat...</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1XOBazG0RLW54VYSUAI1x8LMlYzVPFeEjg9KnPJNkLYcoriXgUAnqF7jtyHplPZpxoalkS32ncSTlbnMBYnZUOtJOLrrs7ghyBMj9A1TJTn_ls7l-IMkGpMacEGGGEjP2E8E8ZDVhkJM/s1600/856.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1XOBazG0RLW54VYSUAI1x8LMlYzVPFeEjg9KnPJNkLYcoriXgUAnqF7jtyHplPZpxoalkS32ncSTlbnMBYnZUOtJOLrrs7ghyBMj9A1TJTn_ls7l-IMkGpMacEGGGEjP2E8E8ZDVhkJM/s640/856.jpg" width="360" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i>EXTREEEEEEEEME CLOSE UP!</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I eventually left him alone and moved on to greener herps. My grandfather watched from a distance and then went back up the road to sit down, disgusted that I was in his lineage. I started seeing my dear old friends, the red-spotted newts.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjujWEbMIirlf0bedtwwYxKdVbU2hyphenhyphenZFbzqmn0OU5Lhs-W54cZL-UQpQoVhiwHeWKmvhb8ypgx5wbajD9ag7o64Hp4P6y5q00GpnBeINJd_53Xbx8j9KgJ-_K5sttCPekwcL1B6jEIFaLs/s1600/857.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjujWEbMIirlf0bedtwwYxKdVbU2hyphenhyphenZFbzqmn0OU5Lhs-W54cZL-UQpQoVhiwHeWKmvhb8ypgx5wbajD9ag7o64Hp4P6y5q00GpnBeINJd_53Xbx8j9KgJ-_K5sttCPekwcL1B6jEIFaLs/s400/857.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i>"Hello. Is it me you're lookin' for?"</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I've capture countless eastern newts over my lifetime, both with an old potato sack net my grandfather made me and with my bare hands. Today I was going to try to dust off my forgotten skills and do it manually. I struck out a bunch last time I tried this. This year?:</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKZBxzbfO2Gg1xUHEz75GpbWF8CrZUuuSFNj6oRgDzRnY-dGRN2BIWrEWLsDcYP46596-eAVxvKW1VV-53dV0mApg2XV_iduAINcEcTc2J5deH4za9xgJBu7HOnTCEPZYWMMIcQHGG9ic/s1600/858.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKZBxzbfO2Gg1xUHEz75GpbWF8CrZUuuSFNj6oRgDzRnY-dGRN2BIWrEWLsDcYP46596-eAVxvKW1VV-53dV0mApg2XV_iduAINcEcTc2J5deH4za9xgJBu7HOnTCEPZYWMMIcQHGG9ic/s400/858.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i>The Mr. Miagi of newt catching.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Success. This one particular handful yielded 3 newts: probably a mating pair and a straggler...or it was a threesome?</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT7oomSA4psrHjUgcGtV-UNP2BCBsuUGdxPjxiqh2pa9ZR8QdS7AnqYw5TfLHgO8v1Vhm30S3Uu_qwmw4VoUi3OjGl5iO5uFEAdtaFbvGILrpKUWb_2RP7N5Nw4hNpB38dkoQreHZkHVM/s1600/859.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT7oomSA4psrHjUgcGtV-UNP2BCBsuUGdxPjxiqh2pa9ZR8QdS7AnqYw5TfLHgO8v1Vhm30S3Uu_qwmw4VoUi3OjGl5iO5uFEAdtaFbvGILrpKUWb_2RP7N5Nw4hNpB38dkoQreHZkHVM/s400/859.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i>Newt orgy? Or Three's Company?</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I placed them down and let them sort it out and make their way back to the water.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQdzHHQh3YGZVmaQq0_EAj2u4ApGIKWG6qSXgFUHFXPKAciFRNgwx6dpsZdWKm-bTQ6tJ0okH9lpijDE-V2_jeqAhH1tm4QF-xqYR4OMZg7Vd0ygif2xmkudgqKFDU5Ff581agJVGr1Y8/s1600/860.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQdzHHQh3YGZVmaQq0_EAj2u4ApGIKWG6qSXgFUHFXPKAciFRNgwx6dpsZdWKm-bTQ6tJ0okH9lpijDE-V2_jeqAhH1tm4QF-xqYR4OMZg7Vd0ygif2xmkudgqKFDU5Ff581agJVGr1Y8/s400/860.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i>"...What the fuck just happened?"</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And there's that cute yellow underbelly. This female was chubby. Eggs perhaps?</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv8UhQchiMj1PQ83bq3YQmYdJCqCv9NyiCqvTu6S4wlTfxG7l2dy1gSD3Cx1cVPo2rrJNqZD_mHFI9XAlbo2vwglCUUSRPSCJWZBBO4QhzK7sYUYJjw3kTv-Wt81PaWmezE2GOiFCMZaM/s1600/861.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv8UhQchiMj1PQ83bq3YQmYdJCqCv9NyiCqvTu6S4wlTfxG7l2dy1gSD3Cx1cVPo2rrJNqZD_mHFI9XAlbo2vwglCUUSRPSCJWZBBO4QhzK7sYUYJjw3kTv-Wt81PaWmezE2GOiFCMZaM/s400/861.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i>"When's the baby due?"<br />"What baby?"<br />"...Oh."</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Another fine specimen swimming around, taunting me to try to pick her up.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8c1Q5mRFG5c3GogDLWEj9e78YSevMdsW-ZVr8DvI1WbsMrSvMhzg2OIf_EJHvY1etuKj34QflvotHLlAOEMYcteFpmOuA7YQbspr2KBwmNyUiVVU5rCeQfLupCUhk84xl_eOfmA1J4AA/s1600/862.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8c1Q5mRFG5c3GogDLWEj9e78YSevMdsW-ZVr8DvI1WbsMrSvMhzg2OIf_EJHvY1etuKj34QflvotHLlAOEMYcteFpmOuA7YQbspr2KBwmNyUiVVU5rCeQfLupCUhk84xl_eOfmA1J4AA/s400/862.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i>"Come and get me, you big jerk."</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I noticed a plethora of tadpoles in this lake as well. Most likely pickerel or wood frogs. I managed to scoop one with my bare hands. I've somehow had luck with catching tadpoles without a net, a life skill that I believe to be pretty universal.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTvAAGnpYcjh3T1qc8QyD_bjNmgZ69BZY-iLUfPBQBJOFTmVs5NGyjTyn6P196bFrDE7yMAGaI291xJuWvL7o5JpVjMq5dLENzUp6lKId6u_UnyvloQRXaRScCA05u6inacaqTPK3v6B4/s1600/864.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTvAAGnpYcjh3T1qc8QyD_bjNmgZ69BZY-iLUfPBQBJOFTmVs5NGyjTyn6P196bFrDE7yMAGaI291xJuWvL7o5JpVjMq5dLENzUp6lKId6u_UnyvloQRXaRScCA05u6inacaqTPK3v6B4/s400/864.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Everything I ever needed to learn, I learned while catching tadpoles.</span></i></td></tr>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I managed another newt with my hands after I dipped the mystery polliwog back in.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyInXDsSb9qbp18pmPmW5I-7PjfQ_OpYBNWM_CdJuwoOboOXrHlx3QTCU8O9wbJk5kABJBGe0VwVRyneRpjJ1g08LhjhIGvgYa7pi2AyoGYOL-V9nkghXwu8GvmQI2-bhLuL_oPjq6_rQ/s1600/879.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyInXDsSb9qbp18pmPmW5I-7PjfQ_OpYBNWM_CdJuwoOboOXrHlx3QTCU8O9wbJk5kABJBGe0VwVRyneRpjJ1g08LhjhIGvgYa7pi2AyoGYOL-V9nkghXwu8GvmQI2-bhLuL_oPjq6_rQ/s400/879.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i>It's a boy!</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Male and female eastern/red-spotted newts are easy to distinguish from each other because the males have fanned tails and thicker back legs, equipped with pads for gripping while mating. I posted a video of eastern newts mating in one of my previous blogs, because apparently, newt porn is okay on Blogger.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I walked down the bank a few feet and noticed ANOTHER casualty in this lake. Again, I'll attribute it to cold snaps during mating season, but it's still kinda odd that it's primarily in this lake, and year after year. This time, a behemoth American toad.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwChG2CtH46ZnEu_y5yRLH8UY1U0J8rSwsDGS4DnETcJMnuQepqezMVD2hHbxTjR4F7D0QM5AVpWllHrLiZahLvoC0vYIA4jaLlSGwg3_BZBuq2DW4Y4rS7mwxWUcgAziZlqsqLUgWAHM/s1600/865.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwChG2CtH46ZnEu_y5yRLH8UY1U0J8rSwsDGS4DnETcJMnuQepqezMVD2hHbxTjR4F7D0QM5AVpWllHrLiZahLvoC0vYIA4jaLlSGwg3_BZBuq2DW4Y4rS7mwxWUcgAziZlqsqLUgWAHM/s400/865.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">R.I.P. StayPuft Marshmallow Man</span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">He was pretty big; probably dead a few days. I haven't seen a toad up there in quite a few years, so this nevertheless was a positive sign that there are still toads up in this particular area.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The water was cold and clear and you could see all the way to the bottom. I often thought about what it'd be like to snorkel there, though I'm not sure what pathogens I may accidentally ingest. There were some unidentified fish that I was sure would be on the lookout for newts to eat, but they swam right past a bunch of floating ones. Eastern newts have a bad taste to predators, so maybe these fish were well aware already.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPFuf51KFodleE8luhzSXhFd82ZF5OHwBmWiC8ztv5OAW2zEqjYi3Q6Evctx08IOOHMHnsEYtjOa6b0pp2V2npIXeKZ9-ZArsw13zY4v7cuY_pUp_mj7dcksRzJfvKppaHLz04IXWbYak/s1600/866.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPFuf51KFodleE8luhzSXhFd82ZF5OHwBmWiC8ztv5OAW2zEqjYi3Q6Evctx08IOOHMHnsEYtjOa6b0pp2V2npIXeKZ9-ZArsw13zY4v7cuY_pUp_mj7dcksRzJfvKppaHLz04IXWbYak/s400/866.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i>*Cue "Jaws" theme music*</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The tadpoles were EVERYWHERE and out in full force.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFJGROLVFmGS2B5bjKbYhHx9h8ChuQm4cr0MwaVHF4_J62j9EY-kZyyyR1yGBkMV9sVC3z4z4HWyYcqKzzYZE1TtfYipxi-JIK1KvrOGMUI3p9wKspqj4O8yZJBjb1Klxy-AG7TwoX9V0/s1600/867.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFJGROLVFmGS2B5bjKbYhHx9h8ChuQm4cr0MwaVHF4_J62j9EY-kZyyyR1yGBkMV9sVC3z4z4HWyYcqKzzYZE1TtfYipxi-JIK1KvrOGMUI3p9wKspqj4O8yZJBjb1Klxy-AG7TwoX9V0/s400/867.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i>OMG hal cuuuuuuute!</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">More of the lil' guys:</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyPhFY0g6cdatyvqgB98zfsUGBoMKVzulMliYoAnb2eQWHnu1nu4ZelADTJlztzDv_5RzpxEjQXMs4C9qDgwHc_-RJlkDU19PHrzxK_UQpUgxI38S7NaO9rl1hajOXRdlIECpzEvVzr5U/s1600/868.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyPhFY0g6cdatyvqgB98zfsUGBoMKVzulMliYoAnb2eQWHnu1nu4ZelADTJlztzDv_5RzpxEjQXMs4C9qDgwHc_-RJlkDU19PHrzxK_UQpUgxI38S7NaO9rl1hajOXRdlIECpzEvVzr5U/s400/868.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i>If this were a photo on the touch screen game at your corner bar, you'd be fucked.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I bid the lake fare thee well and found my grandfather sitting on a log back on the side of the path waiting for me. We made our way back down the path where the <a href="http://southphillyherper.blogspot.com/2014/05/vernal-pool-party-or-what-eft-part-ii.html" target="_blank">ninja turkey got the jump on me last year</a>, but this year, no turkey. Same vernal pools along the side of the road though. The first one had a pleasant surprise for me: a wood frog! I haven't seen a wood frog in the wild up here since I was a young fellow, so it was actually really exciting to see one. This was the closest he'd allow me to get before jumping in.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4vglua4myA98JO6vWsa-L8F5A-qha0qWX3OHqOnPFWNthAEoaRdrWGzIXVVGcmzh15VatDVJwa2Qjhv1xpyUmstGdEQIKycP9Ls8mZDtySnU7uIb0ZhNV1QhyphenhyphenT5g9SB8EgeTyWTO_c_k/s1600/872.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4vglua4myA98JO6vWsa-L8F5A-qha0qWX3OHqOnPFWNthAEoaRdrWGzIXVVGcmzh15VatDVJwa2Qjhv1xpyUmstGdEQIKycP9Ls8mZDtySnU7uIb0ZhNV1QhyphenhyphenT5g9SB8EgeTyWTO_c_k/s400/872.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i>"Peace, foo'!"</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Down the path a little was another big vernal that had a colossal bullfrog right near the edge.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYGGBrW68AGScQbtLIG2AyHsPfVDkvu7RmCDDLegTXRMss8DE7DVvItx2pHRs2K-RAN7MROgZLXHO3SXUuSXZMWyhRPpanyQ8jwI7Q4iNET4wvS1CCdoBRS0ocmFUg-U7WJij7jFoiCBM/s1600/873.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYGGBrW68AGScQbtLIG2AyHsPfVDkvu7RmCDDLegTXRMss8DE7DVvItx2pHRs2K-RAN7MROgZLXHO3SXUuSXZMWyhRPpanyQ8jwI7Q4iNET4wvS1CCdoBRS0ocmFUg-U7WJij7jFoiCBM/s400/873.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i>He was a good friend o' mine.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I say that due to what I perceive to be lack of dorsal lines. Anyone is welcome to call me out on any "misidentifications", which apparently isn't a real word. Don't try to make a fuck out of me and be wrong, though. Then, you'll be the fuck.</span><br />
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The next vernal had another frog, this one we'll call a green frog, although it's probably a bullfrog. It's too far to tell, and because fuck you.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSXq4EZFjS15YsbvINfHM7CJ8hcFwNwSenamy1d4KHk910wWnGrYEBVwDHRJqSomNMZo_dFc2Nyqz0jjrx88uF9dqc3VaKikdwLQyfde5FK5hd_qeEhvsjNCjmmAmvaLY-PPiG2Kakri0/s1600/874.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSXq4EZFjS15YsbvINfHM7CJ8hcFwNwSenamy1d4KHk910wWnGrYEBVwDHRJqSomNMZo_dFc2Nyqz0jjrx88uF9dqc3VaKikdwLQyfde5FK5hd_qeEhvsjNCjmmAmvaLY-PPiG2Kakri0/s400/874.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i>Can YOU spot him?</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">As we trudged on in the late morning sun, I veered off the path and took advantage of my awesome waterproof hunting boots and actually stepped through the next vernal pool. This one was literally<b> teeming</b> with little black tadpoles, but also was a spring home to a juvenile wood frog who I managed to grab among the leaf litter at the bottom.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmRVoMqQRZEF7ncyK4LpzmhtGEQV4QACtFQGqxtB0xrBH5RzVVk-WN88tGu_WkC13oKrDn9klB729ePmEcFcE3LGmudObFLYrODN1K2w_eFG7jzagJEu7gNY-jYVySn4x663sYz_oDj18/s1600/875.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmRVoMqQRZEF7ncyK4LpzmhtGEQV4QACtFQGqxtB0xrBH5RzVVk-WN88tGu_WkC13oKrDn9klB729ePmEcFcE3LGmudObFLYrODN1K2w_eFG7jzagJEu7gNY-jYVySn4x663sYz_oDj18/s400/875.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">"Dammit."</span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">As you can see, I wasn't exaggerating when I said this pool was "teeming" with frog babies.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy_rGXnmHUmvzoRwMOKHmY1l1d9TP6NK2PL0ECUOCcyBXxsb57o_Cg6X64fhL1oVmABsulOvE0L6uJ3sUbF_SjxAwmoXpPRG4BFDiBVPf2uR9-THjEoXhtNkzYpxG7wMD3oD75dnBzPJA/s1600/877.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy_rGXnmHUmvzoRwMOKHmY1l1d9TP6NK2PL0ECUOCcyBXxsb57o_Cg6X64fhL1oVmABsulOvE0L6uJ3sUbF_SjxAwmoXpPRG4BFDiBVPf2uR9-THjEoXhtNkzYpxG7wMD3oD75dnBzPJA/s400/877.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">"Most of us won't make it to adulthood!"</span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Eventually, we gave up on the hunt close to noon and made our way back down to the car. Seeing our old family cabin still depresses me deeply.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_cs_5_ymkfp6Y64FmnJH42gtwREq1Y6rfVndan9RZYYa2L0EP4gnEVz5ChJoiD7cF6KdD2MGf9_YUrc1figrWtVY9qhLQCofd00U2KKwhh4hMF_ixCRsYjUZZl8wVvQ6hSxvYTcNL9Ds/s1600/878.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_cs_5_ymkfp6Y64FmnJH42gtwREq1Y6rfVndan9RZYYa2L0EP4gnEVz5ChJoiD7cF6KdD2MGf9_YUrc1figrWtVY9qhLQCofd00U2KKwhh4hMF_ixCRsYjUZZl8wVvQ6hSxvYTcNL9Ds/s400/878.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">"Memoriiiieeeeees..."</span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">After heading back and changing, we decided to hit the hot tub. I was treated to more tales of war and old hunting stories that I've heard countless times already, but still listen to intently because I love hearing them over and over. How I spent my 30th birthday:</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq3uolfjj_qhyphenhyphenFOk3i9QrTAMvNoHqIRATbrfTdiaMGr1Y4mwgAoKlH7qvTYOI966Uq9WIjJNkrxZ8okvbadoqD1SD7VapE8p3LteHdw-nZfvbrOXcTWBkHJox5PAAL5yLL7FXTpbDjEi8/s1600/880.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq3uolfjj_qhyphenhyphenFOk3i9QrTAMvNoHqIRATbrfTdiaMGr1Y4mwgAoKlH7qvTYOI966Uq9WIjJNkrxZ8okvbadoqD1SD7VapE8p3LteHdw-nZfvbrOXcTWBkHJox5PAAL5yLL7FXTpbDjEi8/s400/880.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i>Take it in, ladies.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We took a nap after relaxing in the pool area until my father arrived. Eventually we made it back into the woods to call and attempt another roost, although I wasn't very optimistic this time.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBrXAcf4cIi-tSEXAJm-SwJSjZz8BKkgHpCOQ9GEhNbIeGZ2xFVSUsVVDFlfwGFPvzv63nvqJuX3s0V4YliKX52aguLM5qTaVC_ok_IMf-geD5GvPqcJSjm1fzStdZZM-DbiXDOr6Y3Ic/s1600/881.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBrXAcf4cIi-tSEXAJm-SwJSjZz8BKkgHpCOQ9GEhNbIeGZ2xFVSUsVVDFlfwGFPvzv63nvqJuX3s0V4YliKX52aguLM5qTaVC_ok_IMf-geD5GvPqcJSjm1fzStdZZM-DbiXDOr6Y3Ic/s400/881.jpg" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i>Three generations of hunters.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The roost attempt had more shenanigans, sightseeing and herping than it did successful hunting strategies. The turkeys were not on the mountain this year, and it was a little later in the season (which means they might not be as hormonal, or, well...horny), so they may be less responsive to calling.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Up the road, we walked to the path near the creek that runs down the side of the mountain, where I was able to snag another juvenile wood frog in a pool.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCcTfki3l0WdnDEbC8PerRD0K-mxZPLG2UaeZ-3-3MS-eee_tcopihCa6CTq2V9-b-s22fRP8hO6s6GN9e-I_SWJFEcFBoq4Ohc8DXxV1OkDtAyXh_-r74oxc45nlofhtbpaFGlpPDcJk/s1600/882.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCcTfki3l0WdnDEbC8PerRD0K-mxZPLG2UaeZ-3-3MS-eee_tcopihCa6CTq2V9-b-s22fRP8hO6s6GN9e-I_SWJFEcFBoq4Ohc8DXxV1OkDtAyXh_-r74oxc45nlofhtbpaFGlpPDcJk/s640/882.jpg" width="360" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i>"YOU get a wood frog! And <span style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">YOU get a wood frog! </span><span style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">EVERYBODY gets a wood frog!" - Oprah</span></i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This is how I walked around most of the evening:</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHU3mYG33RYpzdJWqacBiQOoP1E72_hwkhC1_bQncpgIuYYFOzLUyI0vCFVOr_PV_EgGUz8u-q9qVbVkb2iMQUdAhOUl66BCcmQzYlD2tkcOxREE2RurnUgnOPP9ozE6clqCrcpF4U7CA/s1600/883.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHU3mYG33RYpzdJWqacBiQOoP1E72_hwkhC1_bQncpgIuYYFOzLUyI0vCFVOr_PV_EgGUz8u-q9qVbVkb2iMQUdAhOUl66BCcmQzYlD2tkcOxREE2RurnUgnOPP9ozE6clqCrcpF4U7CA/s400/883.jpg" width="225" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i>And ladies ask how I'm still single...</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We decided to kill two birds (not turkeys, unfortunately) with one stone and do some recon and scouting for this fall's deer season. We looked for sign, we visited the old stands that we haven't hunted out of in over a decade, all the while calling for gobblers. My grandfather, not wanting to climb up the steep hill, stood in the flat before the ridge, surrounded by aged and venerable spruce trees lining the creek. My father and I made our ascent up the rocks to the top of the ridge and headed toward the power-line.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Up the power-line towards the top of the mountain, my father's old stand was still upright and ever watchful, although a bit weathered. He insisted on climbing up to test its stability and integrity, to which I reluctantly allowed him to do so, even though I offered to climb up the tree myself to do it. My reasoning was that if the stand breaks and one of us were to fall 15-20 feet to the ground, my recovery time would be shorter and my survival chances would be greater. I really just didn't want to have to drag him through the woods back to the car to take him to a hospital if the stand was rotted out.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It wasn't, thankfully.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixI0U5lzzDgIEv2rn2Zg2rnEv4TZBza8-rAmxFdeo1khwmBQt8X7Etstj5mezDqThnq4_6kU0U_2bo96bSjRDaj4upkJMvKNXoU018lGgaG-ZlDuwpGDch84jB2LbsX10-K87xdsFv0zQ/s1600/884.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixI0U5lzzDgIEv2rn2Zg2rnEv4TZBza8-rAmxFdeo1khwmBQt8X7Etstj5mezDqThnq4_6kU0U_2bo96bSjRDaj4upkJMvKNXoU018lGgaG-ZlDuwpGDch84jB2LbsX10-K87xdsFv0zQ/s400/884.jpg" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Many a deer taken from this post</span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Pleased with himself and his handiwork a decade ago, he climbed down and we walked back down the mountain, scouting out the area for deer season. Being up in this part of the mountain sparked up nostalgia of hunting seasons past, and even herping outings when I was much younger. I had shot <i>my</i> first deer out of that stand, and my father helped me find it afterward. It was a coming-of-age moment; part tradition, part becoming a man. It was good to think that this year, we'd be back to our old stomping grounds. This mountain and these woods were the first places I've hunted and herped. It will always hold a special place in my heart.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguTBXBZre46ODoxkzRtZ9MsW_SGKLBLXfGT-EgIApqudEJUlAadVffc4HQTpmOI5tNAvyO9uJ7KMF3rXKaGThoISrXVdCGFjMMafxHko-CUW9cbxjcal37Fb83rO06G7zgJN7C-EXnDrw/s1600/885.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguTBXBZre46ODoxkzRtZ9MsW_SGKLBLXfGT-EgIApqudEJUlAadVffc4HQTpmOI5tNAvyO9uJ7KMF3rXKaGThoISrXVdCGFjMMafxHko-CUW9cbxjcal37Fb83rO06G7zgJN7C-EXnDrw/s640/885.jpg" width="360" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">"Get out of the creek." - my father</span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">That was my emo moment-of-the-day. As we hiked back down, I saw some deer bones. Vertebrae, some leg and hip bones. It's those damn coyotes!</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz3xkWb-x0w_FkruYLTI5zj83MyESWm5cd4v-YeEU19NGA_erKnU05O3MA-KdlCWqYCEoSxtC4jlSAUweJ-9QSvfOjLzcYL3PrjRnH0hG2QXB0RwgdGAvemU3IwvudjMz0rQ7XbzipVow/s1600/886.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz3xkWb-x0w_FkruYLTI5zj83MyESWm5cd4v-YeEU19NGA_erKnU05O3MA-KdlCWqYCEoSxtC4jlSAUweJ-9QSvfOjLzcYL3PrjRnH0hG2QXB0RwgdGAvemU3IwvudjMz0rQ7XbzipVow/s400/886.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">"Gon' end up a big ol' pile of them boooones!"</span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Going back down the steep ridge to my grandfather, I flipped some good looking rocks for salamanders, but struck out. My father got way ahead of me, but overlooked a sign! A turkey feather! Those bastards were around here somewhere...</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja1TSPDMZZc6cFAvOGmhAm8SfsmlFIjRU2UOFMXesmuP8tu85Q-O7I_xxcDGOnMw2s2Ms_naSAxZtntrfmlgwx5t95qWyKqtsvnMv_f5HxFriw1eToFIuYqlm7cAZ6KpW2FUHwgIo3DJ0/s1600/887.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja1TSPDMZZc6cFAvOGmhAm8SfsmlFIjRU2UOFMXesmuP8tu85Q-O7I_xxcDGOnMw2s2Ms_naSAxZtntrfmlgwx5t95qWyKqtsvnMv_f5HxFriw1eToFIuYqlm7cAZ6KpW2FUHwgIo3DJ0/s640/887.jpg" width="360" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i>The closest I'd get to a turkey this season.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The three of us made our way back out to the road. We had the idea that we'd split up to call, so I was driven down to the end of the road to where we'd walked earlier in the day. It was getting dark and I thought this would be a perfect time to herp and not be judged. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I put the feather in my cap, literally. Was heap good time.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA-Ac0ZOqjaFEQSqMIKGktcPOTyWRnW1Jlca64EtC19VQWvF09GWnptwGiPewNLX00RReiAU8Y6d5Xeuf6CtPOYOcgWSQzMisa_YIXlpTKvgUeTUiIlkc-VSsrop2tbW2apEcE03IlBo0/s1600/888.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA-Ac0ZOqjaFEQSqMIKGktcPOTyWRnW1Jlca64EtC19VQWvF09GWnptwGiPewNLX00RReiAU8Y6d5Xeuf6CtPOYOcgWSQzMisa_YIXlpTKvgUeTUiIlkc-VSsrop2tbW2apEcE03IlBo0/s400/888.jpg" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i>I have no respect for anyone.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I swapped out the Native American headdress look for my headlamp again. I got my flashlight out as well, walked down the suddenly eerie path, calling as the light faded. I apparently spooked some bedding deer, who in turn got up and ran, making quite a racket and briefly causing me to believe in Bigfoot. After having the shit scared out of me, I continued to comb the forest floor across the grassy path for herps. I thought I'd see some salamander activity, but again, the floor wasn't very damp.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The woods are a different place at night. Songbirds calling even as the darkness crept in, slowly dissolving into the twilight. Strangely though, no herps. As it got instantaneously dark out of nowhere, I walked back out in silence. No turkeys. No herps.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The next day was so boring that I won't go into detail. We hunted the morning until about 9 and slunk back to the car. My grandfather was calling it quits, but my father and I made our way back down the road and on the other path towards the lake again. This time, I brought my brand new, retractable steel net as a walking stick. We called with no luck, all the way down to the lake. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">My father stood there as I tested my net. It wasn't even <b>FAIR</b>. A pickerel frog jumped in and hid at the bottom, still in plain sight. I extended the net, dipped it in the water and placed it over top of him, instantly beating millions of years of survival evolution to dive and hide. Take THAT nature.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A bunch of newts paddled out of reach of my hand, but not Ol' Betsy (that's my net's new name). I scooped up a few with ease and placed them in my empty water bottle to photograph.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This obviously doesn't work as well as a clear plastic tank or cylindrical container. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-HmsgUhPucbngTka61SuY-Pa5wmaGjumxl8O-PFzkHGyoEdzrUN7isQ2JCz6C0TagAEl4-S5C3zHkJ6YUdJMmScB1ZYkiPrQQgBa4ySx2DPL-uItqoPpzMvmT2eCtqYjauF9yKLYvhko/s1600/889.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-HmsgUhPucbngTka61SuY-Pa5wmaGjumxl8O-PFzkHGyoEdzrUN7isQ2JCz6C0TagAEl4-S5C3zHkJ6YUdJMmScB1ZYkiPrQQgBa4ySx2DPL-uItqoPpzMvmT2eCtqYjauF9yKLYvhko/s640/889.jpg" width="360" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">"Let my people go!"</span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">With that, the hunt was over. No turkeys, but plenty of herps. I'm starting to notice a pattern over the last 3 years...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><u><i><b>Wednesday, May 13th count:</b></i></u></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">northern ring-neck snake: 2</span></div>
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<u><i><b>Thursday, May 14th count:</b></i></u></div>
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red eft: 2</div>
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eastern/red-spotted newt: 10-20</div>
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pickerel frog: 1</div>
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America toad: 1 (deceased)</div>
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bullfrog: 1</div>
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green frog: 1</div>
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wood frog 3</div>
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assorted tadpoles: a bazillion (again!)</div>
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<u><i><b>Friday, May 15th count:</b></i></u></div>
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eastern/red-spotted newt: 3</div>
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pickerel frog: 1</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02751672069847283932noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-537558321635164562.post-8819952190896029882014-12-08T11:05:00.002-05:002015-07-27T13:07:53.383-04:00"All My Friends Are Turtles" or "People, let me tell you 'bout my best frog"<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Since I totally blew it and didn't go out since the springtime (or my last post), I figured I'd introduce everyone to my home herps: my pets. It's beyond the point where I can get out on a relatively warm day and unearth anything else but regret for not making better use of the warm weather months. So what better way to bring the herps to you than to bring the herps I already have! That reads <i>so</i> wrong...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I got this idea last week during feeding time. My grandfather bought me, my father and cousin headlamps to use for hunting/fishing, which he gave to us last week. I of course had to try it on, so upon entering the dark room where my tanks are, instead of turning the lights on like a normal person, I tested my headlamp.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgebq5EHmkGx-qDUWQGZOcAsQPocyxykpqLp34RGoqacm-W3HBy27sCdJ4NQ-mJjBD-ihkAiQqckfQ774Zue_2K3u7qkARQA1s-f-8UFAw9vJ5PxWRn2rJEw1osJPdJYFrbHcDPzu7QAAs/s1600/574.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgebq5EHmkGx-qDUWQGZOcAsQPocyxykpqLp34RGoqacm-W3HBy27sCdJ4NQ-mJjBD-ihkAiQqckfQ774Zue_2K3u7qkARQA1s-f-8UFAw9vJ5PxWRn2rJEw1osJPdJYFrbHcDPzu7QAAs/s1600/574.jpg" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I have issues.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'll introduce them, even though they all do not have names (something I've been yelled at for before), talk about the species, and about them individually. That'll be fun, right?...RIGHT?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><u>Painted Chubby Frog/Banded Bullfrog (<i>Kaloula pulchra</i></u></b></span><b style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><u>)</u></b><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmU2Q4a_V2Z3D6IohlC2gDjbIR2ASi8aabw6G2eX1gEeOV0Asjtqzi5DwKV3KrsVPJM0_ch7aJbEOjBVuNIxMWA2Vjp4A8Ry5SFU1diGb9fM388Y2xHpPrOATa5GLS9i2IQhlnLCaXs-g/s1600/569.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmU2Q4a_V2Z3D6IohlC2gDjbIR2ASi8aabw6G2eX1gEeOV0Asjtqzi5DwKV3KrsVPJM0_ch7aJbEOjBVuNIxMWA2Vjp4A8Ry5SFU1diGb9fM388Y2xHpPrOATa5GLS9i2IQhlnLCaXs-g/s1600/569.jpg" width="360" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">"I is chubbeh."</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This lil guy is one of my favorites. Banded bullfrogs (AKA painted frogs, chubby frogs, bubble frogs, and other offensive names) are awesome. I've had about 3 or 4 of them over the years, and this one I inherited with buying the <i>Exo Terra</i> tank he's housed in. I've had him for at least 2 years now, and he's still going strong and as fat as ever.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Painted frogs are native to South East Asia, so this one was obviously store bought, as I have not been overseas to stock up on amphibians recently. They hide out on the forest floor or in rice paddies (hence them also being known as "rice frogs"). As you could imagine of a Southeast Asian frog, they love warm and humid weather. They're buried or hidden during the day, and most active at night. Slow, as his plump physique would suggest, he's not the most agile hunter, but he's voracious. Those love-handles didn't come outta nowhere.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlVMW8TEJ8wBI0uEMb_CCqCxL14DhM_ibQqc0VmeVGPlYGiL69hR4RP6oUjuW_FYmKMRJ1_9gIVG8K1FgbG2tcm35_yYt2Sl68_lu89pKzwnZPErFF_5hxJyYVqXXHwrw9mRGP50jzLWk/s1600/20141129_174813+(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlVMW8TEJ8wBI0uEMb_CCqCxL14DhM_ibQqc0VmeVGPlYGiL69hR4RP6oUjuW_FYmKMRJ1_9gIVG8K1FgbG2tcm35_yYt2Sl68_lu89pKzwnZPErFF_5hxJyYVqXXHwrw9mRGP50jzLWk/s1600/20141129_174813+(1).jpg" width="360" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">"I'm too sexy for this blog."</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This flubbery fella is buried most of the time, except for when he hears the pitter-patter of little cricket feet above him, or it's night time, or I just spray-misted the tank. Sometimes he'll have his head poking out of the soil, awaiting a meal. Above is a rarity for him to be out and about.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Also, Google the male's mating call. They sound like those moo cow cans. Ya know, the little toy cans that you flip upside down and they make a cow sound? They moo. The frogs moo.</span></div>
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<b><u><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">American Toad (<i>Anaxyrus americanus</i> or <i>Bufo americanus</i></span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">)</span></u></b></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-oR-DnAMzSQRtg7b0lUxNxqnC8axsFR6LMJPAsO02QxWx7WF2n0CfOgtwxxnapiIaARFmWxuwLldLbVuEE29D9urc_sRFyOQ1WwtgndX26trZGJ2jbOhqpLZZm2UW_JudTyaE_qGkcps/s1600/570.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-oR-DnAMzSQRtg7b0lUxNxqnC8axsFR6LMJPAsO02QxWx7WF2n0CfOgtwxxnapiIaARFmWxuwLldLbVuEE29D9urc_sRFyOQ1WwtgndX26trZGJ2jbOhqpLZZm2UW_JudTyaE_qGkcps/s1600/570.jpg" width="360" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">"I'm a dirty, dirty girl..."</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">They went and changed the scientific name for these guys for whatever odd reason (as stated in a <a href="http://southphillyherper.blogspot.com/2014/01/im-currently-sitting-alone-bored-at.html" target="_blank">previous blog</a>), but whatevs. Always have a soft spot in my heart for these. This one, I admit, was a wild one I saved from a parking lot at my old job. I really don't trust slow animals around people, so instead of letting her sit out in plain view only to be stomped on, I commandeered her. I haven't had a wild toad since I was much younger, and she's doing very well since I scooped her up a year ago.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I won't go into much detail about the species, since they're really common around the area, and I did a whole blog entry on them already, so I'll just reiterate how fond I am of them, and how hearty they are as species. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This little lady has quite the appetite. She's usually stays hidden or completely buried, but since I dug her up to eat, she's not submerged herself back down and kinda just sits out in the open. Maybe she's waiting for more food...</span></div>
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<b><u><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Fire-bellied Toad (<i>Bombina orientalis</i></span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">)</span></u></b></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjI37VYf5or338hXX8jCfhS5wSFCq8lEJilSj8AKno3N6AvYuKdMN7fqWo6bWw8zQQhxEQXJFRbGx9XPmoZkRnVtQ4Z5uwLa6tdmkcQXHjB63wxTZgdofLRFU5hioDWKsRjwzSwjv4WKM/s1600/573.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjI37VYf5or338hXX8jCfhS5wSFCq8lEJilSj8AKno3N6AvYuKdMN7fqWo6bWw8zQQhxEQXJFRbGx9XPmoZkRnVtQ4Z5uwLa6tdmkcQXHjB63wxTZgdofLRFU5hioDWKsRjwzSwjv4WKM/s1600/573.jpg" width="360" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">"What you want, round eye?"</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I've always loved this little exotic critters. Hailing from China, or Korea, or south Russia...or sometimes Europe (there are different sub-species that are all over the darn place), these guys are pretty common in pet stores. This fella was a PetSmart special, and are often considered beginner, or "expendable", starter pets due to their abundance and ease of care. I've had this one for a while now, and usually have pretty good luck with them in captivity.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This guy has been moved around from different habitats, now finding himself in a giant 50+ gallon freshwater tank shared with a red-eared slider and a paddletail newt. He's pretty active and eats well. He loves going after crickets that are more than half his size...and wins every time. He also usually is the one to get the special "treats" (i.e. bugs that either get in the house, are near the light fixtures outside in the summer, or what I find in the backyard.) I spoil him.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'm actually going to be moving him (and possibly the newt) into their own, smaller enclosure that's more suitable to their needs. For now, all parties seem to be content.</span><br />
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<b><u><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Paddletail Newt (<i>Pachytriton labiatus</i></span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">)</span></u></b><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy_woe6OP4uHZkLIkPtHoTKuoFio_zK9kdHPTw8-4YHuLtV0uGK1JW_de9U4NrOB_2Fv5XZ7pL5OEYzZeIuFEgZ7VcqUmP34QE2g2LCTBaWGoEqwzcRBwxzC-50DSHzofJVZaYgJX3VfQ/s1600/20141128_210739.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy_woe6OP4uHZkLIkPtHoTKuoFio_zK9kdHPTw8-4YHuLtV0uGK1JW_de9U4NrOB_2Fv5XZ7pL5OEYzZeIuFEgZ7VcqUmP34QE2g2LCTBaWGoEqwzcRBwxzC-50DSHzofJVZaYgJX3VfQ/s1600/20141128_210739.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">"I know Kung-Fu."</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This feisty bastard is pretty elusive, as are most paddletails. He doesn't come out often, but when he does, he's on the prowl.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Another Asian amphibian immigrant, I've developed an affinity for this species due to their heartiness and stout little bodies. They're extremely territorial and have a ravenous appetite. Being naturally aggressive, he's even nipped at my red-eared slider before, which amuses me, because that guy is a jerk.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This dude loves him some blood worms, and usually gets the entire cube to himself. I'm fairly certain he's picked off a few guppies as well, as some magically go missing.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I will also say that I'm not too sold on the idea that you can't house these guys with other species. I've had paddletails in cohabitation with fire-bellied newts, African clawed frogs, and my current fire-bellied toad above, and never had an issue with aggression. Go figure.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Coincidentally, these guys are often mislabeled as "fire-bellied newts" in pet stores, and he was no exception the day I got him (I of course corrected the employee there).</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijGvIdtsNgHs3fbk5EquVngd451IW1bZ_R_ZA0LHtkdqsndsIMLIuJ2BQy7FX_RN7dqS8INC0JrT-X8qsCO8SQYis3QfZLNRcSYfkYq4jFe-h_7mpcMKNUhqkY4TyDXZQpddHtkU0Osj4/s1600/20140930_214117.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijGvIdtsNgHs3fbk5EquVngd451IW1bZ_R_ZA0LHtkdqsndsIMLIuJ2BQy7FX_RN7dqS8INC0JrT-X8qsCO8SQYis3QfZLNRcSYfkYq4jFe-h_7mpcMKNUhqkY4TyDXZQpddHtkU0Osj4/s1600/20140930_214117.jpg" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">"I'm king of the world!"</span></td></tr>
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<b><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><u>Eastern Box Turtles (<i>Terrapene carolina carolina</i>)</u></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I've always had an affinity for turtles, despite being more of an amphibian guy. They interest me, and I loves them. I got my first box turtle when I was in 3rd grade and lived for years. I had one that I got in grade school (about 7th grade) up until last year. His name was Happy. Happy liked to climb into our neighbor's yard. Happy got stuck in an empty flower pot in the July heat one day and I came outside too late. Happy was a rebel until the end.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Box turtles are awesome pets. Good luck getting one now, though. They're protected in the wild and they don't sell them at pet stores. I found both from my current lot on Craigslist: Peanut and Herman. Peanut I got from a family who had him for like, 12 years, and their kid didn't want to take care of him anymore. Herman, well, I got Herman from some rednecks in Jersey who I'm fairly certain found him in their yard and decided to sell him. They were drinking PBR at the time when they answered the door.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I've found a few box turtles in Jersey in the woods, but never any in PA. I've only found old shells. Eastern box turtles are now protected in the wild due to over-harvesting for the pet trade. I'm pretty sure both these dudes were wild at one point. That probably explains their adventurous nature.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Every turtle I've had likes to climb through the iron fence into my neighbor's yard and dig into the mulch, despite having more than enough cover via garden plants and soil in my yard. Happy and Peanut spent a lot of time together, and Happy taught Peanut his escape route. They both at one point got through my neighbor's door into the alleyway and went to the other end of the block into another neighbor's yard, because fuck me, that's why. Happy used to prison break a lot, and that wasn't the first time I lost him to the alley. At one point, he was gone most of the summer. Since Happy is no longer with us, Peanut passed the Andy Dufrene escape route to Herman.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIxCTDZz15r0UCypfcWsEUPXpo0NwUe69HcfBnkQ8ojyEzm2uM-Axc4eRgWudU83ysvOvyzQsqdsELZpUPjGy0y0EH-lYB23LQXVaLRS-CW107lW7ejjvfxN1G1r6ZHJpMmumfLKyGgfo/s1600/20141123_174240.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIxCTDZz15r0UCypfcWsEUPXpo0NwUe69HcfBnkQ8ojyEzm2uM-Axc4eRgWudU83ysvOvyzQsqdsELZpUPjGy0y0EH-lYB23LQXVaLRS-CW107lW7ejjvfxN1G1r6ZHJpMmumfLKyGgfo/s1600/20141123_174240.jpg" width="360" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">"Get busy livin', or get busy dyin'." - Peanut</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Herman is slower, and bulkier, and therefore less nomadic. He doesn't always follow Peanut and more or less is chill. When I let them out to walk around the house (which has both startled and amused my mother and roommate when living with them respectively), Herman pretty much finds a spot and stays there. He also has a deformity on his left cheek that makes his jawbone jolt out, but other than that, these two are healthy and content.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">They pretty much eat anything. I keep mine in a tank in the cold months, and out in the yard in the warm months. Warmer months make it easier to care for them. I dig them worms, find them slugs (that grossed my roomie out, but not his girlfriend. Pansy.) They get all sorts of food and treats. They get a mix of proteins and fruits and veggies. They were devouring crickets in these photos.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEcV6aEEzOD2Z6k6Xfc27iYIQmb2NAxv2D7j5fe3lWaWyHuhp42PN_D6i_0eSQKq9JpKD8jfG401dHh1RabBiFOkUkSlpRsBkMDZVA_RAnidZQX7pgLEIUx4zOGr_J0m9uYPdg3KDeSZ0/s1600/20141123_174257.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEcV6aEEzOD2Z6k6Xfc27iYIQmb2NAxv2D7j5fe3lWaWyHuhp42PN_D6i_0eSQKq9JpKD8jfG401dHh1RabBiFOkUkSlpRsBkMDZVA_RAnidZQX7pgLEIUx4zOGr_J0m9uYPdg3KDeSZ0/s1600/20141123_174257.jpg" width="360" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">No bug is safe.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I truly enjoy watching and interacting with these guys. Box turtles are definitely my favorite species of reptile, and one of my favorite pets to have. They even get along with my parents' dog. Hopefully these guys live long enough for me to show my hypothetical children.</span><br />
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<u><b><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Green Tree Frog (Hyla cinerea</span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">)</span></b></u><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWHqtPRoc0BzqSNPOpqWk-E0gAUDu9UkZnxQWcpKGgxNGTTtuM1OrOJ4wiF2dSjXeC5I1dzgs4QAPaN444BQVYbGo45oig56NEwpZYUwHB8VdGCU11yQrgNDdX9NiYBpxtABC4T8YR5ZU/s1600/Screen+Shot+12-07-14+at+03.31+PM.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWHqtPRoc0BzqSNPOpqWk-E0gAUDu9UkZnxQWcpKGgxNGTTtuM1OrOJ4wiF2dSjXeC5I1dzgs4QAPaN444BQVYbGo45oig56NEwpZYUwHB8VdGCU11yQrgNDdX9NiYBpxtABC4T8YR5ZU/s1600/Screen+Shot+12-07-14+at+03.31+PM.PNG" width="398" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">"I'm very photogenic."</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I couldn't even begin to count how many green tree frogs I've had over the years. From my first two as a pair as a wee lad, Kermit and Flip, to my current one, tree frogs have fascinated me. They can climb vertical surfaces like Spider-Man, for cryin' out loud!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I was fortunate enough to catch a few wild ones whilst vacationing in Florida and South Carolina. I'm a sucker for tree frogs in general, but I'm a little biased towards these little dudes.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9SW0KvW6TeGtkgA8XBhUYJZtSh7ZgY_-Bpy4gJMpwLQJbFxXSewltOuXkXVuQtLHlHtylko5TJtkSgJ13Um0FoYZkW6EYADU4mviL_eJ36cBVh8HEc3pmXT4cqGAJlTl_r3bNOEem_Ns/s1600/20141129_174739.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9SW0KvW6TeGtkgA8XBhUYJZtSh7ZgY_-Bpy4gJMpwLQJbFxXSewltOuXkXVuQtLHlHtylko5TJtkSgJ13Um0FoYZkW6EYADU4mviL_eJ36cBVh8HEc3pmXT4cqGAJlTl_r3bNOEem_Ns/s1600/20141129_174739.jpg" width="360" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">"Yo bo, it ain't easy bein' green." - Kermit the Frog's Soufilly cuzin</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">To say that green tree frogs are "spry" would be an understatement. I have to keep an eye out for this guy springing out every time I open the tank. Although he stays fairly active when I'm looking, he mainly sits out in the open and on the vines suction-cupped to the side of the tank. These guys get along with other species, as they're small enough to not try to eat anyone else, but big enough to not be lunch. He holds his own at feeding time against his other, bigger roomies.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh16RPEDoa3Z8ikiidfHs_yxOUcwJRdUXAeIapNWjvWRKnBnZ5_T5yUL4G67C0N-hUufMnAhyphenhyphenBIDbPXhri82wh7UlBfKUAHdXBU8hWcJQSLXrHcEPMtcOmqMtV6xAiitka1RAwhFdAg8i8/s1600/20141123_173830.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh16RPEDoa3Z8ikiidfHs_yxOUcwJRdUXAeIapNWjvWRKnBnZ5_T5yUL4G67C0N-hUufMnAhyphenhyphenBIDbPXhri82wh7UlBfKUAHdXBU8hWcJQSLXrHcEPMtcOmqMtV6xAiitka1RAwhFdAg8i8/s1600/20141123_173830.jpg" width="360" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Can YOU spot all the frogs? Camouflage in action.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><u><br />Red-eared Slider (<i>Trachemys scripta elegans</i>)</u></b></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB6KaPsQkHgJmHtGr9jnPok9k9GxEZGytQUny8tsMG9W1SduzAOirDdjUwXRm37-2HmqTu43jw4ZsQy2qUqHTleqehWGSOZiq0A4fzcF2kdjfm_ajmwzRoHe3ftuuHc2mZuvrFP0hBpXM/s1600/20141205_223152.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB6KaPsQkHgJmHtGr9jnPok9k9GxEZGytQUny8tsMG9W1SduzAOirDdjUwXRm37-2HmqTu43jw4ZsQy2qUqHTleqehWGSOZiq0A4fzcF2kdjfm_ajmwzRoHe3ftuuHc2mZuvrFP0hBpXM/s1600/20141205_223152.jpg" width="360" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The dbag of all my pets.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My silder has a first name, it's W-A-L-T-E-R...and he's kind
of a dick. Walter has an insatiable appetite, he's aggressive, and has claimed
the lives of 2 African clawed frogs since I've had him. Water turtles eat
anything they can capture, although he mainly lives off of pellets, flakes, and
a special water turtle food blend with mealworms and shrimp in it. The thing
is, he's not a very good hunter, as he half-heartedly chases the guppies around
the tank for a minute, only to admit defeat and start shit with the other
animals in the tank. Since I moved him into the bigger fish tank, giving him
more room to swim freely, he's calmed down a bit. He doesn't bother my
fire-bellied toad, and the paddletail newt is never really out to have a
confrontation with him, so he's a little less of a jerk. Before, he was
constantly eyeing up whatever I housed with him, despite their size.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'm full aware that sliders are actually not indigenous to
the East Coast (they are actually from the Midwest), and these pets are often
given up or released by owners who have no clue how to care for them, or don't
know that they don't say silver dollar-sized forever, or get too lazy for the
upkeep required to house them. With that being said, I have no intention of
giving him away or releasing him as an invasive species into the local habitat.
He's just...such a dick.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPXU_ZOxSABCs3shMVsj9ktdaogEglM7DDJ-36EKLG9HBaOkJGW4RlwVX2GTFCKy6r_bmEIRt9r6GTP7IY-o4E-rqarkaxqtWplwR-Ti7Y_bYZPiLEHBxu3bL7IW6OAwa7M7uSvlIgIMM/s1600/20141205_223217.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPXU_ZOxSABCs3shMVsj9ktdaogEglM7DDJ-36EKLG9HBaOkJGW4RlwVX2GTFCKy6r_bmEIRt9r6GTP7IY-o4E-rqarkaxqtWplwR-Ti7Y_bYZPiLEHBxu3bL7IW6OAwa7M7uSvlIgIMM/s1600/20141205_223217.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">"I run this shit."</span></td></tr>
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<b><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><u>White's Tree Frog (<i>Litoria caerulea</i>)</u></span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My most exotic, and perhaps, almost favorite pet. White's tree frogs (or dumpy tree frogs, or smiling frogs, because they're TOTES ADORBS).</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHhxZgxokOBSUsDxjCRhHVyu063FEJQ-dgJo4sDikpymEeZYw_JPXQK98qL25emseoG6fOyLszFCi6gg5RaAzmOVk0PtqMU2CGSjuTes7E9DnAQZyBJIou_mPuxO1-1t6USignvGoaxjA/s1600/Screen+Shot+12-07-14+at+03.32+PM.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHhxZgxokOBSUsDxjCRhHVyu063FEJQ-dgJo4sDikpymEeZYw_JPXQK98qL25emseoG6fOyLszFCi6gg5RaAzmOVk0PtqMU2CGSjuTes7E9DnAQZyBJIou_mPuxO1-1t6USignvGoaxjA/s1600/Screen+Shot+12-07-14+at+03.32+PM.PNG" width="395" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Meet Carl. Carl is my White's tree frog, who I've had for quite some time. Carl hails from Australia and New Guinea. Still young, Carl will eventually become a Jabba the Hut-like behemoth of a tree frog.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I've had a few White's tree frogs over the years and have always thought they were great pets. They (along with the green tree frogs) can stand moderate temperatures and humidity, so you don't need a misting system or elaborate setup to keep them comfortable. They're not the most agile bunch, so they make for some good pets you can take out of the tank and let roam around without them darting under a radiator or behind your entertainment center. Calling them "cumbersome" is accurate.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Carl treats me to his mating calls random nights. I can't pinpoint if he's doing them under certain circumstances (temperature changes, moisture in the tank, etc.), or certain times. I'll say the loud bellowing croaking doesn't even startle me in the middle of the night anymore since he does it most nights (for the first time in a long time, my pet tanks are in my bedroom). Carl is also a bit of a celebrity with my friends, as he's met some of them, and they love him...for the most part. My roommate and Carl didn't see eye to eye on very much.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiapPRG284uoZG_ccYhro0x8fZOfCKKlLp0fy_B8z5svSFRpA1_9fnSY-BRsZfxiHEb_kRgTBxsmnDZja0oyHA0SyWOxTOGzZsLLnWWxpsBd_f80TuL0O5JUqaGQmk4qR8QVibn-MWrynY/s1600/1385365_10100171791475727_1891830732040437021_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiapPRG284uoZG_ccYhro0x8fZOfCKKlLp0fy_B8z5svSFRpA1_9fnSY-BRsZfxiHEb_kRgTBxsmnDZja0oyHA0SyWOxTOGzZsLLnWWxpsBd_f80TuL0O5JUqaGQmk4qR8QVibn-MWrynY/s1600/1385365_10100171791475727_1891830732040437021_n.jpg" width="360" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The epic staredown of 2014. Carl won.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As you can imagine by now, I love all my pets. I've cared for them since I was a youngin' catching frogs up the Poconos. I enjoy being able to observe them on a daily basis, talk to them even though have no fucking clue what I'm saying, and be their caretaker. As dumb as it sounds, my pets have always been able to teach me about both the natural world, and life in general, small and simple as they may be. They keep me balanced, and having them around always reminds me to do what I can to help conservation efforts, and give me a respect for life, no matter how big or small they are. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">They also make me want to go herping, but it's December, so I'm ultimately fucked until the springtime. I plan on using that headlamp a lot during the early spring months. So thanks for the motivation, fellas, along with putting a smile on my face when you do something interesting...or stupid, like jump into the top of the tank and faceplant.</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02751672069847283932noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-537558321635164562.post-87112027159529565042014-07-25T12:53:00.003-04:002015-07-02T12:06:20.030-04:00"Urban Herpin'" or "You can take the frog out of the city..."<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Editor's note: I GOTS A NEW PHONE!!!!!!!!! FINALLY!!!!!!!!!! Samsung Galaxy S4...I know, it's not the S5, but fuck you. It's better than my 3 megapixel Conquer. So this means better pictures. Suck it.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I've totally slacked off with my herping responsibilities this year so far. I haven't gone out since turkey season in early May, so I've totally blown it more than usual. With that being said, I decided to really make an attempt to get out and see some stuff one way or another. I really have no excuse for the matter, as even living in South Philly, I have the perfect herping location blocks away from my house: Franklin Delano Roosevelt Park. You know, that park directly across from the sports complexes and stadiums. AKA to all the locals as "The Lakes"...'cause it has a bunch of big lakes in it. Duh.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A friend from work, who we'll call Apple (as she insisted upon it), wanted to hang out one evening. Who am I to deny someone my awesome presence and quality me-time?? She however made a great suggestion: let's take a walk somewhere; we'd been sitting in the office all day. I agreed, but then the little lightbulb in my head went off...a rarity, I know. I thought it'd be the perfect opportunity to get some herping in. Lil' Apple asked to go to a park, so of course I suggested FDR. She had no idea where or what it was, despite me explaining where it was, and despite the fact that she'd been down to the sports complexes before...and despite the fact that she Google'd it too. I assured her it'd be a good time (not telling her my master plan to look for critters), picked her up, and drove to The Lakes. We parked in one of the lots towards the west end and began walking around on the paved paths surrounding the lakes. Thankfully, parking was free, as there was a Phillies game going on, and usually they'll charge to park there and walk down the street to Citizens Bank Park. But the Phillies suck balls this season, so we were spared from paying $25 to walk around in a big circle and get bit by mosquitoes.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We parked and began to walk around the various lakes. I would venture closer to the water's edge every time there was a decent opening, hoping to either kick up some frogs or see a turtle or two on a branch in the water. After striking out a few times, we did manage to see two people rolling around making out, spooning and/or forking in a blanket in the grass. That was fun to see. Those two should be required by state law to keep their clothes on at all times, especially in public. Tuck your shirt in next time, in the least.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Other than those two wild animals wrestling in the grass, nothing was to be seen except for bird and squirrels, and few misplaced hipsters barbecuing at a picnic area. We made it around to one of my favorite lakes: Meadow Lake (yes, the lakes in The Lakes actually have names). This lake is a little secluded/removed from the beaten path, as you have to walk from the main road onto an offshoot sidewalk to get to a trail that circles the lake. This time of year, it's ridiculously overgrown. Apple was not happy about walking through the jungle of shrubbery overtaking the nature trail. She also asked if there were snakes about, to which I responded "Of course there are." Somehow, I convinced her come take a look around the lake by piggy-backing her through the thick stuff until we hit a point on the trail where it was a little more open. The ride was magical...for her, that is. This was the place I had released a dozen bullfrogs 2 years ago. This EXACT spot. It was pretty thick and overgrown, and I didn't want to trudge in closer to the water in sneakers, but I still saw no signs of anything. I snapped this picture:</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxDTuwqKK6trYxrHA_77_GGshs22lAf3l68D1oY-HLMD9a5lMrA5WaL2gN7FgVRyYRBPxtBuCBqseT-6D5UpoTJhRQisSpvqfP5eGf22awcLhch7UOkvFdWvNtlniIL6LwnmCxfQqUiow/s1600/20140721_195416.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxDTuwqKK6trYxrHA_77_GGshs22lAf3l68D1oY-HLMD9a5lMrA5WaL2gN7FgVRyYRBPxtBuCBqseT-6D5UpoTJhRQisSpvqfP5eGf22awcLhch7UOkvFdWvNtlniIL6LwnmCxfQqUiow/s1600/20140721_195416.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Duckweed + algae = beauty</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Apple proclaimed "Okay, it's pretty, now let's go" very promptly after I took the picture. Then she saw the sunset and decided she wanted to stay. That, or she has the attention span of a gypsy moth. She commanded that I "take a picture of the pretty sunset." It was pretty. I obliged with this stunning shot.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBylA0vyRSYas6nyNF3I09cYKxYEaNErUbsjtP9T0AtBlHn8aDlfuXfvHYIdrqppXlB01XKgAIsNWw0Kpz77ko0RpUeLWQzGBTI-jN8eiZhhlmhJIpFk8EfgHTdasPABu8Hx_tpVCZOdE/s1600/20140721_195424.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBylA0vyRSYas6nyNF3I09cYKxYEaNErUbsjtP9T0AtBlHn8aDlfuXfvHYIdrqppXlB01XKgAIsNWw0Kpz77ko0RpUeLWQzGBTI-jN8eiZhhlmhJIpFk8EfgHTdasPABu8Hx_tpVCZOdE/s1600/20140721_195424.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Stunning.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">And when I didn't actually get the sun in the shot, I got yelled at to do so. Apple's so nice.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHU-UgSTFJf9c4XVJHSWGCFT-FppUhcvdsSnEPofbNH8Bw1fvf1Hhyphenhyphen7wf7uMMm2UyQdAnhQXD0rcHa0ecEsOL0ENwwc80llOlkbiEL2so7rOqzCrke4aA73ofMy-yexOilD6nJu-TBJFs/s1600/20140721_195543.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Are you happy now?!?!</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I was disappointed: no frogs or turtles. This lake (almost) always has <a href="http://www.paherps.com/herps/turtles/eastern_painted_turtle/" target="_blank">painted turtles</a> basking on the logs and branches. Today was not one of those "always" days, apparently. We ventured around the lake as Apple got more relaxed being in the "outdoors"...until she heard something in the bushes and screamed. It was most likely one of the many stray cats that live near the service areas, but she was convinced it was a giant Apple-eating monster. She almost ran me over to get away from it. At a point, she was technically up my butt. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After I removed her from my derriere, I showed her a sign for the park's restoration project. Basically: them trying to make the lake less shitty and promote the return of natural wildlife to the park and lakes.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6gDaJaPkdESWMJjV4v9LfGo-yGX4aisZpCyQTmImxjM7MZVwdUTsjvVa2W6aWvpJg2CCU0pydqtw0srdGmFybIiW5wD74a67ymCp8SWRomAOgdUmJkbbmG3TMB41xhvCvkihw-gzmslg/s1600/20140721_195711.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6gDaJaPkdESWMJjV4v9LfGo-yGX4aisZpCyQTmImxjM7MZVwdUTsjvVa2W6aWvpJg2CCU0pydqtw0srdGmFybIiW5wD74a67ymCp8SWRomAOgdUmJkbbmG3TMB41xhvCvkihw-gzmslg/s1600/20140721_195711.jpg" width="360" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">And here's a bunch of shit you'll never see here: nature!</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I was dead sure we'd see some painteds and some greenies, but the pond barely looked like it had anything in it other than duckweed and algae (which Apple called "seaweed". She's smart, too.) We walked around to where the trees closed in around the path and it got considerably dimmer as the sun was setting. I went to a spot that "always" has a few green frogs hanging around. Usually when I approach, they all jump in screeching like little frog maniacs. Yet this time, the sound of silence...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Apple was getting afraid of gnats and lightning bugs ("fireflies" to all you non-South Philadelphians)...even though she wanted to catch one, just not with her hands. She ran out into an opening in the woods to a field that would lead back towards the street/paths. I ventured forth to a spot where I've taken pictures of bullfrogs before. And lo! <a href="http://www.paherps.com/herps/frogs-toads/bullfrog/" target="_blank">there was one</a> (perhaps the same one) I've photographed before. He was a decent-sized specimen</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVTNq3TKiFamtm34vvHoZnp3-Spl3v17CHT8v6mkpOJX3Nq2eEsiudiIL6tj2YFlDHzxOB9qv9y282prTeXACNZu_IfpPQPEeXbrCS02zipWHB4Ie50wgk3mFpXpCtpZd9mTg6CmMvfgQ/s1600/20140721_200137.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVTNq3TKiFamtm34vvHoZnp3-Spl3v17CHT8v6mkpOJX3Nq2eEsiudiIL6tj2YFlDHzxOB9qv9y282prTeXACNZu_IfpPQPEeXbrCS02zipWHB4Ie50wgk3mFpXpCtpZd9mTg6CmMvfgQ/s1600/20140721_200137.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">"Daaaaammmmmmnnnn, look at all dis seaweed!!"</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I didn't want to get too close as not to scare the one herp I saw that day, so I snapped this amazing shot with my awesome new S4 and called for Apple. No answer. I went back and she was running away from lightning bugs in circles in the field. I told her to follow me to see the bullfrog. Reluctantly she did. She was surprisingly pleased with the find, and started asking questions about it, all inquisitive-like. Like, what kind of frog, how do you know, are you sure, why don't my parents accept my life choices, etc. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As we conversed about how she didn't trust in my species identification and judgement, the bullfrog jumped in and turned around. He'd either jumped in to eat something, or was totally spacing out and finally realized we were there and scared half to death.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia87RoxIF3akms2idUy-evXz4AYlFIdoxWmoePVvRAXE3OE0oeS7DWzd8r-vf2219WWz-CAvMsgQpAzIdW4xnVlM0S1HohSUg7Gi25oX82jwTw4PW7jXlbF4p7FxXVLamRX_wwER_NqQQ/s1600/20140721_200357.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia87RoxIF3akms2idUy-evXz4AYlFIdoxWmoePVvRAXE3OE0oeS7DWzd8r-vf2219WWz-CAvMsgQpAzIdW4xnVlM0S1HohSUg7Gi25oX82jwTw4PW7jXlbF4p7FxXVLamRX_wwER_NqQQ/s1600/20140721_200357.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">"Duuuude...I was like, hearing colors and stuff, then like, they just appeared out of NO WHERE, MAN!"</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I attempted to get closer to get a better picture. I almost slipped in, since the lake at least partially man-made with cement surrounding the bank. That gotta a giggle out of Apple, and scared my bullfrog in, and that was that. We left Meadow Lake and walked all the way around close to where we started. We people watched and made inappropriate conversation until the next big/main lake. I once again was instructed to take purdy landscape shots. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbJ3eb399ycFzmBYYR7gcbqN7-TrYpK3_xmqaP0leg1Boa6xifYEedXqPrr-t3UfPJBZlwW8zHvsTwz2zspdq8bnXnT3xPIbAgMbvXLGD1qaoFuky6SkRzGkLih4v1u-0gX2dtuiQ9jCI/s1600/20140721_201732.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbJ3eb399ycFzmBYYR7gcbqN7-TrYpK3_xmqaP0leg1Boa6xifYEedXqPrr-t3UfPJBZlwW8zHvsTwz2zspdq8bnXnT3xPIbAgMbvXLGD1qaoFuky6SkRzGkLih4v1u-0gX2dtuiQ9jCI/s1600/20140721_201732.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">A purdy landscape.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As I walked over, I looked at bubbles coming up from the shallows. Most likely turtles, but no way to know what kind, or if they were turtles for sure. I did happen upon a <a href="http://www.paherps.com/herps/frogs-toads/green_frog/" target="_blank">green frog</a> sitting farther away from where I could get a better shot. My zoom only goes so far.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Apple came down behind me and asked what I had found. Again, she questioned why I knew it was a green frog. I explained in the absolute nicest way possible that<b> I JUST FUCKING KNEW.</b>..and that he'd jumped in and made then familiar and unmistakable green frog screech as he high-tailed away from me.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Apple commanded ever-so politely for me to take an artistic picture of her. As she spouted orders at me on what to do, I actually took a decent one.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We walked around back to the car, mildly satisfied with my finds of the evening. I was really hoping for a wee bit more, but beggars can't be choosers. I kicked up two more greens as I hit the last spot around the lake before we left. The night ended with ice cream. ICE CREAM!!!!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Not a bad impromptu evening for herping in the city.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><u><i>Monday 7/21 count:</i></u></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">bullfrog: 1</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">green frog: 2</span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02751672069847283932noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-537558321635164562.post-921677690379505682014-05-16T02:19:00.000-04:002014-05-16T02:19:19.895-04:00"Vernal Pool Party" or "What the Eft?: Part II"<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So far, I haven't been able to get out to herp in 2014 due to my schedule sucking ass, and March and most of April being pretty damn cold. We've gotten used to milder "winters" over the last few years, which means spring used to *snicker* <i>come a little earlier than it should</i> (that's what she said)!</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> NOT the case this year. It was a bit colder than normal, and those few warm days we had in April, I couldn't get out. So it took me a good 4 months into this year to herp, which I don't like...at all. <b>BUT</b> it turned out to be pretty worth it considering I (yet again) was limited to herping on the hunt. </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The <i>turkey</i> hunt...again!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This blog may seem oddly familiar to those who've read my first entry from last year, but don't you worry, child, daddy's got a surprise or two for you!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I will forewarn you, oh brave hypothetical reader, that my phone died midway through the morning on the first hunting/herping excursion, and I of course couldn't get pics of some pretty cool stuff. That FORTUNATELY didn't stop me from photographing something I've never found prior. But...the pictures are mainly of red efts...again...so, yea...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">ANYWAYS...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><u>Day 1:</u></b> a day trip to the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania (same place as last year) to go on a spring gobbler hunt with my grandfather. He's 87 years old and still acts the same as he did all of my life. He hasn't "gotten old" or anything. Sure, he can't really hear that well, but heck, he's awesome to be around. When asked when he'd stop hunting, he responded with "When I'm dead." So there's that. We got in the woods around 5:40 in the morning and began what I can only describe as a <i>memorable </i>hunt. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As I said, there's no photographic evidence of anything I encountered this particular day, but I still wound up finding some cool stuff. We heard NOTHING of turkeys the entire day. Not a Goddamn peep. It was pretty frustrating to say the least. For all the nothing that was happening, I wasn't even looking for stuff. We just kinda walked around, making turkey calls, sitting for a bit and calling. Nothing. Thankfully it was a nice sunny day, and the quiet of the woods made for some good conversation when we were sitting around. I just enjoyed being out there with my pops, and at this point, he's only going out to hunt with his grandson. He's shot enough turkeys (and everything else) to not really care if the hunt was "successful" or not. To him (and slowly but surely, to me) it's a success to be able to hunt with family...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I..I promised I wouldn't cry...but...*sniff*...OKAY, we're good.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So, we walked around for hours, until about 9:30 we reached this big lake. Since we still didn't hear anything, we decided to take a bit of a break. We sat around for a few minutes, as I gazed into the cool, fresh-water paradise that was calling my name. "<i>Come, wade in my tranquil waters and catch newts</i>," it teased me. That lake usually is LOADED with <a href="http://www.paherps.com/herps/salamanders/eastern_newt/" target="_blank">red-spotted newts</a>. The herping sirens sang their call, and my inner-big kid and newt-catcher couldn't help myself. I dropped the decoys, laid my shotgun down, and walked to the edge of the water. Almost immediately, I started seeing newts. They were too far out for me to just grab, and I obviously didn't have a net (<b>KNEW</b> I forgot something!), so I walked around the bank a little. My grandfather kinda looked at me funny and asked what I was doing (surely, I had outgrown such childish pastimes by now), and when I told him, he just walked away from me and sat down in the woods, more than likely questioning what went wrong in my youth. I started seeing a few more closer to the bank, and I of course <i>had</i> to try to catch one. I used to be pretty good with catching them with my bare hands. <i>Used to</i>. I struck out about five or six times. I was a little pissed off, to say the least. I even saw two doing their little mating thing (<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dadh0fofs0A" target="_blank">the male choking the female with its hind legs</a>. Ain't nature grand?!) After a few minutes, and not even halfway around the lake, I doubled back, ready to grab my gear and continue the hunt. I saw a dead <a href="http://www.paherps.com/herps/frogs-toads/pickerel_frog/" target="_blank">pickerel frog</a> in the reeds, just kinda floating there. He looked limp and swayed with the ripples in the water from the wind, and was all grey. Odd. Then I noticed right near him a dead newt on the bottom of the lake, also grey. Double odd. I figured these two were unfortunate victims of the cold snap we had late in April. It probably got a little too chilly up here, and these two didn't make it. Poor lil guys.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I grabbed my stuff and looked for my grandfather, who I must admit, was hard to find for an 87-year-old who was sitting down. It's the damn camouflage. We started walking down a different, bigger, maintained path that would lead us back out to the road. This one had a ton of puddles and vernal pools along the sides, and they were teaming with spring-time amphibious life! I noticed a ton of egg clusters at first. This made me happy, as it's been a long time since I'd seen these up there (or anywhere really). I don't really get into the woods in early spring, so this was a delight. Now's where the story gets interesting.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Let me reiterate that we heard NO SIGN of turkeys the whole day. I would make the hen call, nothing. Walk a few minutes. Call again. Nothing. All day, the same thing. We had just hit a bend that would go straight away to the main road and back towards the car. On my right there was a long vernal pool off the path. I looked down and saw BUTTLOADS (a technical term) of little black tadpoles, and egg clusters. I won't hazard a guess as to what kind they were, and truth be told, I didn't have time. As I looked at the cute lil' polliwogs, I heard some footsteps in the leaves. Let me also reiterate that my grandfather don't hear too good...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I looked up. A few seconds later, out pops a turkey coming from the left side of the road about 15 yards ahead. I froze. I wasn't exactly going to be able to shoot this thing anyway; I had the decoys flung over my left shoulder holding the rope, my gun strapped to my right shoulder, and the wooden box call in my other hand. I was dead in the water the second that stupid turkey showed his stupid turkey face. Turkeys have excellent vision. The slightest movement, and he'd be gone. I was hoping I was off the road enough and camo'd that he wouldn't see me if I was still. Undoubtedly, my grandfather would see all of this, raise his shotgun, and smite the foul turkey once it came out from the trees!!! Right? RIGHT?? Oh. Remember that part about my grandfather not being able to hear very well?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">He didn't hear the leaves. He didn't see the turkey, seeing as how they were on the same side of the road, and the turkey (uncharacteristically) was walking through thick stuff. He also apparently was too busy wondering what the flying fuck I was doing looking at tadpoles. He began to walk over to me. I tried to motion over to him to stop. POOF. The turkey turned around and flew the hell out of there. I saw its beard on his chest as he turned and flew away: it was indeed a gobbler. I promptly shouted "You motha' fucker!" at the foul fowl. </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I turned around to my grandfather as he walked up to me. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"Do you believe that?" I rhetorically asked him. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"What?" he replied. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"...You didn't see?" I questioned. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">He looked at me like I had 10 heads. <b>Facepalm.</b> He didn't see. Or hear. Or notice anything other than me looking for tadpoles. I explained to him what had just transpired in that 5-second time period. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"I was wonderin' what the hell you were doing looking in that puddle." <u>I'll never herp on a turkey hunt again.</u> That lasted about 10 minutes. In reality, there wasn't anything we could do. We were toast the minute he popped out. Turkeys rarely come in silent, but this happened to be just such a rare occasion. Even if we were both paying attention, the minute we would have raised our guns to fire, he woulda been out like Michael J. Fox in Jenga.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We made our way down the path, and I was a bit disappointed. I did keep looking in the puddles and pools. I saw tons more egg clusters and strings of toads and salamanders and frogs, oh my! The jelly string of toad eggs was a first for me. I always saw frog clusters, but never toad strings. Guess this wasn't a total loss, right? Fuck that. I wanted to shoot a turkey. The day got slightly less sucky with the next deep puddle. This one was wide, and in the middle of the path, shaded by big hemlock trees. I first noticed the big milky egg clusters (that sounds kinda...yuck), and lo! I saw a head poking out from under the leaves. I knew immediately: it was a <a href="http://www.paherps.com/herps/salamanders/spotted-salamander/" target="_blank">spotted salamander</a>. I'd seen pictures and videos of spotties mating and swimming along the bottom of vernal pools among the leaf litter, but I didn't think I'd get a chance to see it, midday, late in spring! I reached down to pull him out of the puddle. As I got closer, I noticed something: It was dead. I sighed. I noticed it, too, was pale and grey in color. I was convinced that my "cold snap" theory was true. Three different specimens of three different species all with the same stages of decay present. Science! As I pulled the salamander out from the cold puddle, I noticed some jelly oozing out from its..."hindquarters". That was a bit gross and unexpected, I admit. Turns out it was a female, and her last act was becoming a new mama, as one of the clusters seemed to be hers. Sadface. It was still a first for me to find out in the wild. She was a pretty decent size as well. I've actually owned one as a pet before, but never caught one in its natural habitat. This one just made it easier for me by not being alive to hide or run away. We also saw a bunch of deer going across the road, which was cool, as they'd become a little scarce up in that particular area in recent years. I found ONE red eft on the walk up to the lake, which was strange considering all that I'd found last year. I wondered if I'd see anymore. Little did I know...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So yea, the first day ended pretty much the same way it began: turkeyless. I did find some interesting stuff; things I hadn't seen in a while and things I hadn't seen before. I was disappointed in not having any hunting luck, and that some of the things I found had no pulse, but it was a good day. I got to spend some quality time with my grandfather, and now we have a funny hunting story out of it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><u><b>Day 2:</b></u> this was the trio of me, my father, and grandfather. Three generations of hunters! It started to rain as we got about 15 minutes away from where we were hunting. Awesome. I got out of the car when we arrived, and was ready to go. I was already up here, so fuck it, I'm hunting, rain or not. My father agreed, except he had a Gortex water-proof jacket. I did not. My grandfather opted to sit in the car until the rain stopped. Smart man, and a seasoned hunter. We ventured out and I started to see efts pop up all over the place. Like...ALL over the place.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj39XDHtD-U8BPS6cLnJdcVrcjp9HCwYAaDkm8AQ4s8Ceow-lvRyAkwcoYs1pEg6I4FsshKV5kAIv_nlzN-3giuTm8L91N8rmkoOjOfAQ99QH0F4P03574ZE3YVTg8w6Yf3Gyi_7f4-E7k/s1600/IMG_20140508_055615.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj39XDHtD-U8BPS6cLnJdcVrcjp9HCwYAaDkm8AQ4s8Ceow-lvRyAkwcoYs1pEg6I4FsshKV5kAIv_nlzN-3giuTm8L91N8rmkoOjOfAQ99QH0F4P03574ZE3YVTg8w6Yf3Gyi_7f4-E7k/s1600/IMG_20140508_055615.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">This picture looks oddly familiar...</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I couldn't walk two minutes without almost stepping on one like this:</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQNrD34Hhmutlwq4RA8tD2FjGmPcL27MW3wWWTDELZBDZEwwl8l4jOrv-i6qzaINFYv956piZyG5mCCbSABZrEcvvELp3b8Fmt5MWqI9SuACSzcV04NwKjE8N93gHhbRJuZxKGA_gLY9E/s1600/IMG_20140508_055621.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQNrD34Hhmutlwq4RA8tD2FjGmPcL27MW3wWWTDELZBDZEwwl8l4jOrv-i6qzaINFYv956piZyG5mCCbSABZrEcvvELp3b8Fmt5MWqI9SuACSzcV04NwKjE8N93gHhbRJuZxKGA_gLY9E/s1600/IMG_20140508_055621.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"Watch it..."</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Or this one:</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu8dGUBgZw0tETqgeAnggdo6jWw1g-rWNACp2SeTM-L_5jVSzzAJ66d8iGIhfv1KqcTyqDIbmHpYOYMrzsTQIRgCZPr3jcLt1tVMShUrw95BKGmdcWV1JyYnn8NvEk-SYRacqCSOmO1vI/s1600/IMG_20140508_055632.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu8dGUBgZw0tETqgeAnggdo6jWw1g-rWNACp2SeTM-L_5jVSzzAJ66d8iGIhfv1KqcTyqDIbmHpYOYMrzsTQIRgCZPr3jcLt1tVMShUrw95BKGmdcWV1JyYnn8NvEk-SYRacqCSOmO1vI/s1600/IMG_20140508_055632.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">"Don't Tread On Me!"</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Or this one:</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ3juZsRLW3PsN3ov-HkoYUro_l9SVnZfzGYLzc1pfYJ2t1ylCDYg0QQr9vMZpxghv_8XTtJweW_rnl5QUaac8HPpsdx9SHI2oHgqQn0MGAksNJUJt51-VDUrV1dUmEZM97l4z4OxC_so/s1600/IMG_20140508_055921.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ3juZsRLW3PsN3ov-HkoYUro_l9SVnZfzGYLzc1pfYJ2t1ylCDYg0QQr9vMZpxghv_8XTtJweW_rnl5QUaac8HPpsdx9SHI2oHgqQn0MGAksNJUJt51-VDUrV1dUmEZM97l4z4OxC_so/s1600/IMG_20140508_055921.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Haven't I seen you here before?</span></td></tr>
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You get the idea...there were a lot of efts. A LOT.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi0Mwst2V7iuYomNjNpuTwX1tjmxHsNkt-HYG3YrBfz60atfvBPKicuPaETTWfwtDvVaNUKdQU3aoPqThpH81fxdaVYLzPdqGbLGrP3GZ4Y0D5WOPkzvOmQTy8zDabkJdCPdCpkCQA2gM/s1600/IMG_20140508_060517.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi0Mwst2V7iuYomNjNpuTwX1tjmxHsNkt-HYG3YrBfz60atfvBPKicuPaETTWfwtDvVaNUKdQU3aoPqThpH81fxdaVYLzPdqGbLGrP3GZ4Y0D5WOPkzvOmQTy8zDabkJdCPdCpkCQA2gM/s1600/IMG_20140508_060517.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The elusive and out-of-focus Bigfoot eft.</td></tr>
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These shots were just from me walking from the road to the first spot we were going to set up. I literally wasn't even trying to look for them. The rain made the forest floor come alive with little florescent orange newts! We finally set up the decoys and got into position. My father made some calls, and we sat around in the rain for an hour or so. No sign of turkeys. They, unlike their eft neighbors, don't like the rain too much. Before I even sat down, I had to remove 3 efts from where I was going to sit down.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFcHpouZ1Eil2b8VIruG6eNH4-wwap26-ebe0qtqneDyjOtR8tSjKWeDf5LQinRdjOF3Afa_ciiNVc6LsQDSWLDQV4ZJjgNh4NXLOoh6N0zjF-bRmoyBeI-BXegjsqpzdrRu8_15XP03U/s1600/IMG_20140508_061417.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFcHpouZ1Eil2b8VIruG6eNH4-wwap26-ebe0qtqneDyjOtR8tSjKWeDf5LQinRdjOF3Afa_ciiNVc6LsQDSWLDQV4ZJjgNh4NXLOoh6N0zjF-bRmoyBeI-BXegjsqpzdrRu8_15XP03U/s1600/IMG_20140508_061417.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">You were almost newt jelly.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And one of the smallest widdle efts I've ever seen!</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4p0qMAXrdybvO2TCctNGAaJwCH0IWkRqeiDUeeUXDENwgd_odcvsE3RHZxqjFSKBCZFwSe6cZgUBEuSSFO9OA4_uLsdTlzv6qpSDecz5c-p9gfDjg5tArqcADhXl0nZuF1bjQUODPHXU/s1600/IMG_20140508_061444.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4p0qMAXrdybvO2TCctNGAaJwCH0IWkRqeiDUeeUXDENwgd_odcvsE3RHZxqjFSKBCZFwSe6cZgUBEuSSFO9OA4_uLsdTlzv6qpSDecz5c-p9gfDjg5tArqcADhXl0nZuF1bjQUODPHXU/s1600/IMG_20140508_061444.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Ain't I just the cutest?!"</td></tr>
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</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As I sat propped against the base of a tree, little orange specs began to catch my eye.</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7bM-oE0YhCcbIM2Uy1Ash2DXeAbV25heFIxY2LyTNMEqhih4-mUcNAA1RTjSssieSKrkx8Gx8-nNmFKBIN9wDfix8Ksor7WNPdNDV6n4BdWwDSdFGtB3vyVc0k0SfNT0c0mWuy4oR13k/s1600/IMG_20140508_061221.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7bM-oE0YhCcbIM2Uy1Ash2DXeAbV25heFIxY2LyTNMEqhih4-mUcNAA1RTjSssieSKrkx8Gx8-nNmFKBIN9wDfix8Ksor7WNPdNDV6n4BdWwDSdFGtB3vyVc0k0SfNT0c0mWuy4oR13k/s1600/IMG_20140508_061221.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Pictured: ONE BILLION NEWTS!</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">That was my exact view from the tree, except there were three efts just millin' around the decoys and whatnot. After we got up, the rain had stopped. I gathered them up to take a shot, and also to ensure I didn't squash them with my hunting boots.</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0BulLJlDJNROm51LYbxNepqNLyLZ8KUorq8wiVwUisCQfvpOFf7WfTCsdgYvTi9j87iwO4JzbC-WO92rMUF5Ykk0ON4iIwc_dO3v53TXmBVxWn8HP8TAp48FtW7sWdeR_1hA6lJ577f8/s1600/IMG_20140508_065639.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0BulLJlDJNROm51LYbxNepqNLyLZ8KUorq8wiVwUisCQfvpOFf7WfTCsdgYvTi9j87iwO4JzbC-WO92rMUF5Ykk0ON4iIwc_dO3v53TXmBVxWn8HP8TAp48FtW7sWdeR_1hA6lJ577f8/s1600/IMG_20140508_065639.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">This is SO not getting redundant, like, at all.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One being THIS lil' fella, smaller than the previously smallest eft ever:</span><br /><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUQp4-rvwX5Zy3s0wm731UYEDsKiLqjMqctmVTkYcqnhq1p_YM2UEYmbKeMvT9paZE6txxZYHmUhyphenhyphenI4Ri0P36xgZn4ccGyCV5JUL6Z_M6Joay9HYsOTUVUO77UuPqXmRr_nc2iIU_kU4U/s1600/IMG_20140508_061453.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUQp4-rvwX5Zy3s0wm731UYEDsKiLqjMqctmVTkYcqnhq1p_YM2UEYmbKeMvT9paZE6txxZYHmUhyphenhyphenI4Ri0P36xgZn4ccGyCV5JUL6Z_M6Joay9HYsOTUVUO77UuPqXmRr_nc2iIU_kU4U/s1600/IMG_20140508_061453.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dawwwwwwww!</td></tr>
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I'm tellin' ya, I couldn't walk 10 feet without seeing one. Or three.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt5LQ8yivdTwrTnNu9OKLszcKMoKDxawdhz1JdV_1QUpg2X64R373SlI6ryUfEowWqVVkunOSBnUMOmLqZwuxBIfY_JKQzjOReN_NtR73FPndzm2-0cXZ7qmv3ttMZG5rDRQWlCWBZdTg/s1600/IMG_20140508_065303.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt5LQ8yivdTwrTnNu9OKLszcKMoKDxawdhz1JdV_1QUpg2X64R373SlI6ryUfEowWqVVkunOSBnUMOmLqZwuxBIfY_JKQzjOReN_NtR73FPndzm2-0cXZ7qmv3ttMZG5rDRQWlCWBZdTg/s1600/IMG_20140508_065303.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"They say we are birds of a feather!"</td></tr>
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</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Although the last one I took a picture off was pretty cool. It looked like it was just about ready to make that transition into the water to become an aquatic adult eastern (red-spotted) newt.</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBwQzt61KAFQ6Wg5yD4AMnmmFPkVGkELohm-rJYaKHmT6tui-whSTeLx2Zg1oNmvpA3PW9KOcvma9zWsO_MIXDQjudq3UrldPDvuCeNa0WmMB_-M0-DZwuGfybn-Chv4iSf2D_S4ZEvWA/s1600/IMG_20140508_070203.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBwQzt61KAFQ6Wg5yD4AMnmmFPkVGkELohm-rJYaKHmT6tui-whSTeLx2Zg1oNmvpA3PW9KOcvma9zWsO_MIXDQjudq3UrldPDvuCeNa0WmMB_-M0-DZwuGfybn-Chv4iSf2D_S4ZEvWA/s1600/IMG_20140508_070203.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">"It's not easy being greenish."</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I didn't even bother taking anymore eft photos. I did flip one rock to find a <a href="http://www.paherps.com/herps/salamanders/redback_salamander/" target="_blank">redback</a> underneath, but he scurried away promptly, and I've photographed a ton of them any old ways. My <i>amazing and not at all outdated </i>phone would soon die anyway. The thing is, if I tried to take a picture of every herp I found that day, it wouldn't have made it through anyway. Throughout the rest of the active, but unsuccessful hunt, I would find over 100 efts. ONE. HUNDRED. PLUS. Eft #39 peed in my hand. I made a successful turkey call with #47 (or something) in my hand. I kept counting. Once I hit 60, 70, 80, I thought that there was NO WAY I'd find more. But the rain brought them out like...newts in the rain! </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My father and grandfather even started helping and pointing them out. </span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> I counted all the way up to 127. That was including the ones I had photographed. Geez. There's no way I can top that number EVER, especially all in one day. If only turkeys were as abundant and easily captured...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">All in all, not a bad day. Great day for herping, bleck day for turkey hunting. Yet we still got some action twice in one day (bazinga!).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><u>Day 3:</u></b> overnight stay with a buddy, whom shall totally remain nameless due to his insane popularity and reputation to uphold. No herping done and nothing seen on the eve of the hunt when we went out roosting. I did flip a big plastic barrel outside of my grandfather's old cabin, and much to my surprise, I found something I'd never seen before.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUwiNHapKQxzrvjQDT8cajhLHyrkW1OdWaanp3bh3dU-K86bfKb5qGbKiAJiHImH2VF6wdpGKzwDyBZdvjreow9-ZAGqLEW3441gvJTjwL9EWhdLSZdZ6CyppSdHD0ga2BJvWGbKe3kKY/s1600/IMG_20140512_163915.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUwiNHapKQxzrvjQDT8cajhLHyrkW1OdWaanp3bh3dU-K86bfKb5qGbKiAJiHImH2VF6wdpGKzwDyBZdvjreow9-ZAGqLEW3441gvJTjwL9EWhdLSZdZ6CyppSdHD0ga2BJvWGbKe3kKY/s1600/IMG_20140512_163915.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">"Unhand me, fiend!"</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A very small and uncooperative juvenile <a href="http://www.paherps.com/herps/snakes/ringneck/" target="_blank">northern ring-necked snake</a>. I don't often look in areas conducive to snakes, so I don't often encounter them. This was a treat, and I was surprised to find another first. Just call me "butter", 'cause I'm on a roll! As I snapped the picture, my buddy disapprovingly shook his head at me. HE JUST DOESN'T UNDERSTAND!!!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Oh, we didn't shoot any turkeys this day, either, although we came pretty close. I saw one eft in a puddle off a little further than I wanted to trek to snag him, but eh...I think I've had my fill of efts for this season.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I may go out hunting once or twice more this season, but if I don't, I'd say that it was pretty memorable either way. Got to spend some quality time with fam and friends in the woods, saw some cool stuff, and I was off of work for 10 days. Can't beat that. Oh wait, I could have shot a turkey, which was the whole point of these trips. Dammit.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><u><i><b>Tuesday, 5/6 count:</b></i></u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">red eft: 1</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">pickerel frog: 1 </span><i style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">(deceased)</i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">red-spotted newt: 10+</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">spotted salamander: 1 <i>(deceased)</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">assorted tadpoles: a bazillion</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><u><i><b>Thursday, 5/8 count:</b></i></u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">red eft: I lost count (127)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">redback salamander: 1</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><u><i><b>Monday-Tuesday, 5/12-5/13 count:</b></i></u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">red eft: 1</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">northern ring-necked snake: 1</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02751672069847283932noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-537558321635164562.post-38938052227921814282014-02-25T23:14:00.003-05:002015-07-27T15:12:35.053-04:00"Herpin' 'Round the World" or "Reptile Reminiscing" <span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">With all of this snow and wintry business, there's been no warm windows to go out and winter herp, or even consider doing so. We've had so much snow, low temperatures, and general icy nastiness, herping in Pennsylvania is a distant memory...or dream...or whatever. It's just not been a plausible idea (even for winter). I've been jonesin' for spring as it is, and definitely can go for some warmer weather to facilitate my herping problem.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">With that all being said, I've been paying attention to my current herp pets (two eastern box turtles, a White's blue phase tree frog, a painted chubby frog, a juvenile red-eared slider, an oriental firebellied toad, a fire salamander, just to name a few) and watching them more to satiate my herp hunger (that sounds filthy). Reading <a href="http://hitmewithyournaturestick.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">fellow herpers' blogs</a> also got me all nostalgic at some of my past finds as well. All of these things made me decide to write a "throwback" blog to some of my historical (and best) finds, all on vacations, and not all in PA. So it's Throwback...Tuesday. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><u>Delaware Water Gap, Northeastern PA, circa 1998:</u></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'm not entirely sure when exactly this was. I believe it was my 7th grade summer. I was a strapping young lad, brace faced and awkward. When I wasn't fending off the ladies from all that adolescent man-candy, I was doing nerd things. Like, SUPER nerd things. One of those things (which now, is totally cool) was herping. Thinking back before cell phone cameras, or even regular digital cameras, were readily available and smaller than your wallet, I had some pretty respectable finds. This story contains one such respectable find.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I went to upstate PA with my friend and his parents for a few days to a cabin they rented yearly on a country club/resort type place near the Delaware Water Gap. My friend shared my interest in herping, so this was a perfect pairing. His father was an enabler, being interested in herps as well, so we were in great hands, much to his mother's dismay. We'd also do a lot of fishing, which was not only fun, but of course conducive to my herping addiction. My finds were mainly at a small pond near the side of the road where my friend (who I shall call Krabs) and his dad (who for comedic purposes, I shall call Mr. Krabs) have fished in previous years. It was LOADED with frogs and turtles. We fished (and herped) during the day and even at night, which was awesome. I found a few really healthy <a href="http://www.paherps.com/herps/frogs-toads/green_frog/" target="_blank">green frog</a> specimens:</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjepyRRTo2Rb0ahVIWkpdgFiy2taIKRhlRo_0q7SIOA293RXBT2Bn40eqBrAPRSqQyAmI1OPCD9ybh_KHKAc8IuVORscLDrMUgK_ABhUblQOS35mzvfIbia5fn0_ce_hGgZY6_HJheff8/s1600/herping+(9).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjepyRRTo2Rb0ahVIWkpdgFiy2taIKRhlRo_0q7SIOA293RXBT2Bn40eqBrAPRSqQyAmI1OPCD9ybh_KHKAc8IuVORscLDrMUgK_ABhUblQOS35mzvfIbia5fn0_ce_hGgZY6_HJheff8/s1600/herping+(9).jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>I'm on an all-protein diet, bro.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">That lil' fella was about two inches long. In between catching sunnies and a few other assorted fishies, I would catch a much bigger greenie (<i>Lithobates clamitans</i></span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">).</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjmkiyoaI7idBsRfJAdo96BClO949kn-qxwH9aBxAAKQtMxRe847J1pSNWCJY7ujG33sbjRbElRTruFYjvlg2qDA15xI4whZe2LNM6XqpLizhf_3Qct7sOkD9osIMBkWeY8iYfN7pQoQ0/s1600/herping+%252812%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjmkiyoaI7idBsRfJAdo96BClO949kn-qxwH9aBxAAKQtMxRe847J1pSNWCJY7ujG33sbjRbElRTruFYjvlg2qDA15xI4whZe2LNM6XqpLizhf_3Qct7sOkD9osIMBkWeY8iYfN7pQoQ0/s1600/herping+%252812%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Seen here in his natural habitat: a cooler with lily pads thrown in.</span></i></td></tr>
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I would release the green frogs after holding them against their will briefly like the TSA at the airport. My next find I kepy a wee bit longer. At this pond, many a frog alluded my capture: steep banks, high vegetation, and me with no net. Bunches of greens and bullfrogs jumped in whilst yelping. Every time one called and jumped in, they sounded like Nelson from <i>The Simpsons</i> shouting "Ha-Haa!!" at me. Eventually, we spotted a BEAUTIFUL <a href="http://www.paherps.com/herps/frogs-toads/bullfrog/" target="_blank">bullfrog</a> bellowing in a catchable position. I grabbed him after diving head first into the bank of the pond, and boy, was I happy. It may be one of my best physical catches to date. This guy wasn't very big, but he had a BRIGHT yellow belly and beautiful green markings. I decided to keep him for a few days in my frog cooler prison. We would let him jump around the cabin porch, even on the kitchen table, and watch with glee.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTKeKlai1IHvZGpjK7fX3tLoDUfT43hUo4eAmxROPixuodd9v-s9565y7GzjhiUwdTIVGwgYpf4gyBh9anQgwblMKxQ0ssKmH0dzC3sqohMFw6B1AasYGYxUEdFYiLZ6H9ku8FJ9Ske-E/s1600/herping+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTKeKlai1IHvZGpjK7fX3tLoDUfT43hUo4eAmxROPixuodd9v-s9565y7GzjhiUwdTIVGwgYpf4gyBh9anQgwblMKxQ0ssKmH0dzC3sqohMFw6B1AasYGYxUEdFYiLZ6H9ku8FJ9Ske-E/s1600/herping+%25281%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>"...I'm so full of glee!"</i></span></td></tr>
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Fishing also helped us hook some <a href="http://www.paherps.com/herps/turtles/eastern_painted_turtle/" target="_blank">painted turtles</a>. Krabs and I each caught one with our rods. For story purposes, I caught the larger one. Krabs wanted to keep these and take them home. Here's another picture of a picture, since I'm too lazy to scan them into the computer:</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB7qb6tCXzXASnltWKRznTj-snG1zXxRoir99jr6ry59L_8AqfdGJd2R3uOIouEVIyMclo5wqWmzKgUBSYhcGINW1xA3L3IxD6HrJ2BOuO8gjNGaQdPrW6HDVWAzHbltjd0E5a2fW3u2A/s1600/herping+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB7qb6tCXzXASnltWKRznTj-snG1zXxRoir99jr6ry59L_8AqfdGJd2R3uOIouEVIyMclo5wqWmzKgUBSYhcGINW1xA3L3IxD6HrJ2BOuO8gjNGaQdPrW6HDVWAzHbltjd0E5a2fW3u2A/s1600/herping+%25282%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>Superior photography skills at work. And yes, the original picture is indeed that shitty.</i></span></td></tr>
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They were both decent sizes. We kept these guys for a few days.These turtles weren't the only turtles we'd find. Oh no. We ventured on to the golf course one day (because why not) even though we weren't really allowed to mill around on the golf course if we weren't golfing. We dodged golf balls (because I say we did to spice this story up) and ran over to a creek that ran along the side of the course. Krabs and I looked around and didn't find anything at all, when I noticed a head sticking up from the middle of the creek. Whatever it was blended in with the big rock it was sitting on in, sunning itself in the middle of the creek. It was a ginormous <a href="http://www.paherps.com/herps/turtles/wood_turtle/" target="_blank">wood turtle</a>, which I had never seen before. I jumped in the creek and quickly scooped him from the rock. I'm sure he didn't mind at all. His carapace (fancy "shell" synonym) was over a foot long. He was the biggest herp I've ever caught to date; I couldn't get over how big he was (obligatory "that's what she said..."). We ran back across the golf course to show Mr. & Mrs. Krabs, Mr. Krabs was amused, Mrs. Krabs was not. Being about 13 years old, we convinced them to allow us to keep our finds for at least until the end of the trip.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5Ep9WFeEYH6iVEG1h7eTeKeum0OKFf-i2uuFnhmvNIKY7B_qE44aJkZ-LO7hxwcNsNlMveygp1V0v7MOPRR7X-lOLDj-UuGO3rEtkdWhk6Zkks6x9EtNR02G1uQwlnmw52iyqek8D8gE/s1600/herping+%252810%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5Ep9WFeEYH6iVEG1h7eTeKeum0OKFf-i2uuFnhmvNIKY7B_qE44aJkZ-LO7hxwcNsNlMveygp1V0v7MOPRR7X-lOLDj-UuGO3rEtkdWhk6Zkks6x9EtNR02G1uQwlnmw52iyqek8D8gE/s1600/herping+%252810%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>I love sleepovers.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After a few more days of trout fishing, attempted frog catching, and good times, we headed home with our reluctant bounty. I knew my parents weren't going to let me keep any of these animals, but being young and stupid, I tried anyway. Mr. and Mrs. Krabs figured they'd let me learn a lesson I guess, and Krabs was totes jeal of my new short-term pets. </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When I got home, my parents of course were almost furious (especially my mother) I took animals home and out of the wild. The wood turtle (</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>glyptemys insculpta</i></span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">) was described by the both of them as "a dinosaur" because of its size, and since it looked pretty prehistoric roaming my back yard. And again, this thing was ridiculously big. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG-HzZKTl4oawqpjKOWaUuVGlQ76krM5u0Sk0RAHUGtU3CjZulqx1oKbgVF6bkDScDm9XUa29cAReJ6ldnqM-0kA2PgB5Lp1myYlGaqrNdQWaQP4YrbmgOKom_tttSt_eiTSc_IOQj2wQ/s1600/herping+%252813%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG-HzZKTl4oawqpjKOWaUuVGlQ76krM5u0Sk0RAHUGtU3CjZulqx1oKbgVF6bkDScDm9XUa29cAReJ6ldnqM-0kA2PgB5Lp1myYlGaqrNdQWaQP4YrbmgOKom_tttSt_eiTSc_IOQj2wQ/s1600/herping+%252813%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I'm a grown-ass man.</span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After a few days, I had to set them free. No, I did not put them in the alleyway, nor did I dump them in a park just because there's grass there. NAY! I put them all in a huge wildlife reserve right outside the city. I let them go near a creek with small "ponds" that collected in the middle of them and watched them all scurry away (except the wood turtle. He was slow.) I was sad, but I learned a valuable lesson about taking animals from their natural habitat...and never really applied that lesson. One funny thing about that wood turtle though that I had still heard even up until very recently: he's still around. How, you ask? Well for one, every once in a while, the news stations do stories about the wildlife refuge (as a special feature or whatever since it's not a murder). When they mention the refuge, they briefly go over the types of animals you may encounter there. EVERY time they mention the animals, when they get to the reptiles and amphibians, they always add in something like "...and it's even home to a wood turtle, a rare species for this area." EVERY. TIME. Secondly, </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">they're pretty rare for the Philadelphia area. Ergo:</span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> they're talking about MY wood turtle. And I think that's pretty cool.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><u>Orlando, Florida, circa every time I've been there:</u></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One constant besides anoles whenever I go to Disney World are these guys: <a href="http://ufwildlife.ifas.ufl.edu/cuban_treefrog_inFL.shtml" target="_blank">Cuban tree frogs</a>. </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I've caught loads of them; more than green tree frogs, toads, anoles (although anoles are EVERYWHERE.) I usually catch them right outside my hotel rooms. They're considered invasive (seeing as how they're called "</span><i style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Cuban</i><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">" and not "Floridian" tree frogs. We'll get to invasive species later. Science!). Here's one of the only pictures of the abundant lil' bastardos:</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBfQ9LQWBUmsT-X0wdovOp8K8NwpMInEcIhJAURzutaU8Xzt0D6PK4_5637_afaTKKpyhH-day4AGFY45Og1QtRNzBFBu2gxc9Fy6AWhVG-ZENpbhAxtWuoYqEKM3f4SfaqCrgYOEG5lw/s1600/herping+%252811%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBfQ9LQWBUmsT-X0wdovOp8K8NwpMInEcIhJAURzutaU8Xzt0D6PK4_5637_afaTKKpyhH-day4AGFY45Og1QtRNzBFBu2gxc9Fy6AWhVG-ZENpbhAxtWuoYqEKM3f4SfaqCrgYOEG5lw/s1600/herping+%252811%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>"When I play the maracas, I go 'chic chicky boom.'"</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The last time I was in Disney, I did the extended hours at the parks, complete with color-coordinated what park I'd be visiting when.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here, for no reason at all, is a family of mallard ducks waiting for the shuttle bus with us. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkdp8Zf5mM1ZHdS4euucV9z54gQbs56_U0qMt85rmhyphenhyphen6fRWygPNCAE_NArRTfbX1zNQycofMS7XGOdpO6rdFc_N4nnHQ0MUMGVIpGca1dPrYBtBdbgEN4qpqWTTesbKDnI2lRfPP39KOk/s1600/DSC05985.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkdp8Zf5mM1ZHdS4euucV9z54gQbs56_U0qMt85rmhyphenhyphen6fRWygPNCAE_NArRTfbX1zNQycofMS7XGOdpO6rdFc_N4nnHQ0MUMGVIpGca1dPrYBtBdbgEN4qpqWTTesbKDnI2lRfPP39KOk/s1600/DSC05985.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><i>Hopefully, they did not eventually get squished.</i></span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One evening, I was in Epcot. Grabbed some food and sat around "Japan" where I absolutely was taking more pictures of the herps I was seeing in the koi ponds than I was of the Disney scenery.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEj7S4vGl4X631H9TEPXzN0B840GRBBPV6_MKymLVACDChDygs7ER2z41rzrtKDb5VNaYPEq0VcmrMgSvDu4M-UVzFWjwrKL7Vz_9g7GJUb9GFdOIpT5uB40I1Z7wugre35KeYKrqooMk/s1600/DSC06064.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEj7S4vGl4X631H9TEPXzN0B840GRBBPV6_MKymLVACDChDygs7ER2z41rzrtKDb5VNaYPEq0VcmrMgSvDu4M-UVzFWjwrKL7Vz_9g7GJUb9GFdOIpT5uB40I1Z7wugre35KeYKrqooMk/s1600/DSC06064.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The Most Magical Place on Earth!</span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Tourists usually take photos of important stuff. I took pictures of a man-made pond in the middle of an amusement park.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4rFkMC_ZLokp4OaCrFLajp8OgMgnR7uBYHTndSR6f3_FO7_UJc-_QROXlkg1qBfc2hZxhJsbf4jPBeqQVo6So7N0m9IULc167ClIH6pz5hGY6Rg2pZoPldMzkn0oxCf1X4ZhGhNfU02I/s1600/DSC06065.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4rFkMC_ZLokp4OaCrFLajp8OgMgnR7uBYHTndSR6f3_FO7_UJc-_QROXlkg1qBfc2hZxhJsbf4jPBeqQVo6So7N0m9IULc167ClIH6pz5hGY6Rg2pZoPldMzkn0oxCf1X4ZhGhNfU02I/s1600/DSC06065.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>Natural Disney.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I looked down and round in the water to see if I could find anything close enough to photograph. My first herp was a green frog tadpole:</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsuYinCpGDtoieLuPOA4wV1Ch7tMvDojGHCEbf7mD87sARb9g9DoLJBgtdaD4Cne_8YpTwS81omPcbORdj_042FUyy8Js5dkjbMo7Rsq-B_HyHj_8F4vaw7Ccq4-JypdCzEV2zTV3Xvk8/s1600/DSC06066.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="292" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsuYinCpGDtoieLuPOA4wV1Ch7tMvDojGHCEbf7mD87sARb9g9DoLJBgtdaD4Cne_8YpTwS81omPcbORdj_042FUyy8Js5dkjbMo7Rsq-B_HyHj_8F4vaw7Ccq4-JypdCzEV2zTV3Xvk8/s1600/DSC06066.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>Unused Disney Character: Petey Polliwog!</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I sat around for a while, just relaxing...possibly waiting for food...when some juvenile greenies popped up.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrk2iMCIvshHbq4P9lGf1Apaf_7r_ckvgDtvKkHEZH_-q7vCIeOGkAExgFhEkVX4z7GHqfGHqfFcB_nM5hosnZIQrAV0JioCL90RpG41CWXNXib2qef47JBlUpRN_t2LrHvzn7BNvuRyI/s1600/DSC06067.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrk2iMCIvshHbq4P9lGf1Apaf_7r_ckvgDtvKkHEZH_-q7vCIeOGkAExgFhEkVX4z7GHqfGHqfFcB_nM5hosnZIQrAV0JioCL90RpG41CWXNXib2qef47JBlUpRN_t2LrHvzn7BNvuRyI/s1600/DSC06067.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>...or is he a bullfrog?</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I stick by my initial identification. Shortly after, another one appeared.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqWah_VM5MeJG3CqrQCGgukQwPeN0iQDTSeGB5x7Zm8wGkCeP41BbybcQGFs5qvem_S3kX_tud3pgR6z_l37rokGs0h6_7KxLX0M_uUWsbpDz9yhcuCDw2OUwot8i7CWwMVpE-XmrZT2Y/s1600/DSC06068.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqWah_VM5MeJG3CqrQCGgukQwPeN0iQDTSeGB5x7Zm8wGkCeP41BbybcQGFs5qvem_S3kX_tud3pgR6z_l37rokGs0h6_7KxLX0M_uUWsbpDz9yhcuCDw2OUwot8i7CWwMVpE-XmrZT2Y/s1600/DSC06068.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>This one is </i>definitely<i> a green.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Another common sight were, as stated earlier, anoles. Green and brown, usually, although they're so fast, it's kinda hard to tell sometimes. I love watching tourists scream at them if they scurry across their path, or watch them in awe as if an alligator just strolled up from the pool where they used to have the <i>2000 Leagues Under the Sea</i> ride. "Foreigners" (i.e. tourists not of this continent) usually seem to be the ones that react to the lizards the most drastically. I wouldn't be surprised if some naive Norwegian family mistook one for the crocodile from <i>Peter Pan</i>. Of course, the Japanese tourist are the most easily frightened and intrigued, both snapping 800 pictures then screaming incoherently when the little fella scurries off. This one that I decided to pursue was a <a href="http://myfwc.com/wildlifehabitats/nonnatives/reptiles/brown-anole/" target="_blank">Cuban brown anole</a>:</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5pwU19OlZUA0rUiH3Kf1iOCPG3XO-91tIQn9_hixNZT6qg0tsz-Mg6ksJaoFdZZyqp_a_I9B1ZC-7JQtILFun6zjCHB1-uuORUnmQle5tHJ4YGvOgSDgwFbtwrzdTizsQk1ID9PkarCQ/s1600/DSC06069.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5pwU19OlZUA0rUiH3Kf1iOCPG3XO-91tIQn9_hixNZT6qg0tsz-Mg6ksJaoFdZZyqp_a_I9B1ZC-7JQtILFun6zjCHB1-uuORUnmQle5tHJ4YGvOgSDgwFbtwrzdTizsQk1ID9PkarCQ/s1600/DSC06069.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">"Oooohh! Gojira!" - every Japanese tourist</span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Cuban browns are an invasive species</span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(ANOLES, of course...you racist)</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">. There's that word "<u><a href="https://www.blogger.com/"><span id="goog_572105784"></span>invasive<span id="goog_572105785"></span></a></u>" again: For those who don't like nature and think all forests should be turned into shopping malls, <a href="http://www.nature.org/ourinitiatives/habitats/forests/howwework/protecting-native-plants-and-animals-taking-on-the-invaders.xml?matchtype=b&creative=33211618790&device=c&network=g&src=sea.AWG.PR0.CP142.AD1381.KW10197.MT1.BU376&gclid=CIaInMzs4bwCFSzNOgodohwA1A" target="_blank">"invasive" species</a> of animals are non-native to an area's ecosystem, and invades and disrupts the balance of the native species. So picture taking a bunch of lions from Africa and setting them free in New Jersey: they're going to fuck shit up. Cuban brown anoles are from (you guessed it) Cuba, as well as the Bahamas, and since riding tires across the Caribbean and establishing themselves in Florida, they </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">kinda</span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">have been blamed for displacing native green anoles</span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBRfUzxezVqnVmvVlhCDTFI1atZkDF3xM6r1MlLRD0cz7bYBeKhM519rTg0k_fM3QOeThm8TPVKg1JzKPfK30F-rFYYSkpY6qxcwyzDaiUf7k1w1Mdwu6RpjkukZYraNW5CrSDmW9-nuM/s1600/DSC06070.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBRfUzxezVqnVmvVlhCDTFI1atZkDF3xM6r1MlLRD0cz7bYBeKhM519rTg0k_fM3QOeThm8TPVKg1JzKPfK30F-rFYYSkpY6qxcwyzDaiUf7k1w1Mdwu6RpjkukZYraNW5CrSDmW9-nuM/s1600/DSC06070.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">"I'm invasive? YOU, sir, are invasive! Invasive of my personal space!"</span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'm not going to lie: I've had a terrible track record with catching anoles, both wild, and ones I get from PetSmart that escape all the time. However, I have resounding proof that I have indeed caught at least one, one time, sans net, bare handed in the "wilds"...of Disney World.</span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here is a random picture of a </span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">white ibis we saw roaming the front lawns earlier that day:</span></div>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq9Kim2NNkv24W1VO_MUznMEt_uaozot44p5VG9X9Fv4tMiuoFxvXdOzOFsKDeYX2VS8DAwxsTcRjf5lxXpkf0FBHzzgCn75t_V92aBEOf5lknno6Il1NDzi8WZyqw8DrwHRZ8ib1a-vc/s1600/DSC06075.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq9Kim2NNkv24W1VO_MUznMEt_uaozot44p5VG9X9Fv4tMiuoFxvXdOzOFsKDeYX2VS8DAwxsTcRjf5lxXpkf0FBHzzgCn75t_V92aBEOf5lknno6Il1NDzi8WZyqw8DrwHRZ8ib1a-vc/s1600/DSC06075.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>Foe to herps everywhere.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I also saw bunnies.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9dHk5yuiMN9tDXSQ7Uwkhqj6qDlrtzm8ebQZ37ThycMORhReiQjmXYxhAqpLeO__GfAULXTjw4b6ROx8nfI-YJwDUv8UcuQB9T4sQEku3YBGQSjG5gKIYivVGOs6_i0arngmoxU4PMtU/s1600/DSC06073.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9dHk5yuiMN9tDXSQ7Uwkhqj6qDlrtzm8ebQZ37ThycMORhReiQjmXYxhAqpLeO__GfAULXTjw4b6ROx8nfI-YJwDUv8UcuQB9T4sQEku3YBGQSjG5gKIYivVGOs6_i0arngmoxU4PMtU/s1600/DSC06073.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">OH, HEWWO WIDDLE BUNNIES!</span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Another evening, I literally did everything there was to do </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">the one night in the Magic Kingdom, since there were barely any other people there. I met those rare characters like Donald Duck that you usually have to offer to blow a park employee to get near. I even managed to get some herping in right in front of Cinderella's Castle! Whilst walking out of the park around 1 AM, there was a friggin' 'uge bullfrog right in the middle of the pathway! He was smack dab in the middle of what normally would be a path flooded with sweaty tourists. I picked him up, posed for pictures, because of course I did.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5Q9aPM_Y6cqExn8K-dbnmatssjto11MqJDypgzKsMjyKQ9suNYeUgc7mPzrulDk26D_QQTMJE_1lhR-FscMsW8_rjgz7_Q9oDh3KraOaPdqNJPLHtFHFY_TIGVtoZGGhCO2NPITVOtJg/s1600/DSC06105.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5Q9aPM_Y6cqExn8K-dbnmatssjto11MqJDypgzKsMjyKQ9suNYeUgc7mPzrulDk26D_QQTMJE_1lhR-FscMsW8_rjgz7_Q9oDh3KraOaPdqNJPLHtFHFY_TIGVtoZGGhCO2NPITVOtJg/s1600/DSC06105.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>"This is bullshit."</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I placed him in the grass near a pond so that no one else would mess with him like I did. I always get nervous for animals that (like in the case of the ducks near the shuttle bus) either a) have no fear of humans, or b) are too stupid to move, when they're in such close proximity to the general public. I fear that other people that would pick this guy up wouldn't be so kind to him. People put hamsters in microwaves, so I trust no one.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC11POPYkbZToJMlnmRVLg6KjPVTqYhyiqSfL1ZXZiDmMqX_Szz2_FH0lFUxsCTgQ23Boz6q9gqoNpYEKI7O9ukb9mrodHExMxs-uAW3Bx1nIylwG7wkb6vpekdjzXpmO5RyNQvFvyIPo/s1600/DSC06106.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC11POPYkbZToJMlnmRVLg6KjPVTqYhyiqSfL1ZXZiDmMqX_Szz2_FH0lFUxsCTgQ23Boz6q9gqoNpYEKI7O9ukb9mrodHExMxs-uAW3Bx1nIylwG7wkb6vpekdjzXpmO5RyNQvFvyIPo/s1600/DSC06106.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">"I'm going to go eat a mouse now...JUST FOR SPITE."</span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">No one looked at me funny, either. They were the ones taking pictures with poor college kids dressed in fake talking animal costumes...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">..and then there was the demon bunny.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuevf1SQ7bBY7aDpL_fYcBKVT2JTVbQ862zlbkchmlkAXf1jXswjr0xxLhcLsQ2IGhD6VLC7QRrOMe2lYK-Q9ISBzt40u_moSSV109UL4hconYZOX88w70JKWUahUEml8SzapekbBZCPA/s1600/DSC06111.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuevf1SQ7bBY7aDpL_fYcBKVT2JTVbQ862zlbkchmlkAXf1jXswjr0xxLhcLsQ2IGhD6VLC7QRrOMe2lYK-Q9ISBzt40u_moSSV109UL4hconYZOX88w70JKWUahUEml8SzapekbBZCPA/s1600/DSC06111.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">"My eyes glow red with the blood of the fallen."</span></i></td></tr>
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<b style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><u>Riviera Maya, Quintana Roo, Mexico, circa 2008:</u></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">On my one trip to Mexico, I of course had to sample the local fauna. My first real encounter was in my room upon returning from dinner one night. To my total lack of surprise, there was a visitor on the wall: a <a href="http://eol.org/pages/793350/overview" target="_blank">common house gecko</a>. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX2sUw_oH5kaZeBNEIryhy_UnVeb9WzOF9z0OvgsU_jTSUBjv5UgwU6Q-rvZRnNiiobWAZIp8UHquwd2CEb1FORNOXVdv-if0GMGPTsg00EbbYEixyuup0vX4DQpPh1RUbQtGbFcIPt5o/s1600/Mexico+356.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX2sUw_oH5kaZeBNEIryhy_UnVeb9WzOF9z0OvgsU_jTSUBjv5UgwU6Q-rvZRnNiiobWAZIp8UHquwd2CEb1FORNOXVdv-if0GMGPTsg00EbbYEixyuup0vX4DQpPh1RUbQtGbFcIPt5o/s1600/Mexico+356.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">"Don't mind me."</span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I managed to capture him with little effort (admittedly surprisingly, fa' real), and promptly snapped his picture. I apologize in advance for the raw, rugged, handsome man-ness you're about to inadvertently see (ladies).</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzqAMsHubogOMtBmkf8EbkbiL4L3kH3nHUGx-Fjegx9T5nMhCGpptuEhvVjftgTDGdsdPbyPD-NBi5TZKhgx7XdjerZXpnPrCe7bOZjsAXB4-v4q2VNchEUYoNz9WbA6TsapqQjvmEoFw/s1600/herping+%25283%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzqAMsHubogOMtBmkf8EbkbiL4L3kH3nHUGx-Fjegx9T5nMhCGpptuEhvVjftgTDGdsdPbyPD-NBi5TZKhgx7XdjerZXpnPrCe7bOZjsAXB4-v4q2VNchEUYoNz9WbA6TsapqQjvmEoFw/s1600/herping+%25283%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>I will love him, and pet him and call him "George".</i></span></td></tr>
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There was a nature preserve that I snorkeled in and explored the nature trails, with ridiculously prehistorically gargantuan leatherback and loggerhead sea turtles, but they were kinda captive, so they didn't really count. However, there were small herds of iguanas (mainly spiny-tailed) roaming around all over the place, and I got fairly close to this guy, who's missing a hand. This one, I believe, is a <i><a href="http://www.waza.org/en/zoo/pick-a-picture/ctenosaura-similis" target="_blank">Ctenosaura similis</a></i>.</span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> I could have probably scooped him, but I prefer to keep all of my phalanges...unlike Stumpy, down there...</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCdEKlyTGAx3v7kLusk3JLxxoSMq_bZ3__ZOba1LhC7zYvZnVRGfU-0Xp46lgG7sYeP-lvpoDjS2Vw0oQyH3n2AaG2waBR6j0OrmfY_jU7dXZ-RFcPrxQXyYZ4rRxCpBzD0IuUosYqin4/s1600/herping+%25286%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCdEKlyTGAx3v7kLusk3JLxxoSMq_bZ3__ZOba1LhC7zYvZnVRGfU-0Xp46lgG7sYeP-lvpoDjS2Vw0oQyH3n2AaG2waBR6j0OrmfY_jU7dXZ-RFcPrxQXyYZ4rRxCpBzD0IuUosYqin4/s1600/herping+%25286%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">His ghost-hand is actually flipping me off.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One <u>TOTALLY AWESOME</u> experience was going down to Tulum, about 20 minutes south of Riviera Maya, to snorkel on a not-so-crowded beach. </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It was here that I went in by myself (while poor touristy schlubs paid for "snorkeling tours" about 50 yards from me) and SWAM WITH FREAKIN' <a href="http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/reptiles/green-turtle/" target="_blank">GREEN SEA TURTLES</a>!!!</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhfTSQpfBGRmWNCYkVPu6LvQIcq7akeSbz-SmSRwjl4iIUrrRmL3owIXKUEImfFDpYz9wcLm3XMmsJkZlbsV3rXae_aVZ2jumTeBtv8IZ_jKFF2okOuzN88hakaeLapTXq5eRgcvxFbGo/s1600/IMG_20140225_223536.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhfTSQpfBGRmWNCYkVPu6LvQIcq7akeSbz-SmSRwjl4iIUrrRmL3owIXKUEImfFDpYz9wcLm3XMmsJkZlbsV3rXae_aVZ2jumTeBtv8IZ_jKFF2okOuzN88hakaeLapTXq5eRgcvxFbGo/s1600/IMG_20140225_223536.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Unfortunately, this is best picture of a picture of me swimming with said sea turtles.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This was some<i> Little Mermaid </i>shit. I would say "this is some Aquaman-type shit" instead, but that'd be lame. Maybe Namor. He's not as lame as Aquaman. But I digress. I was close enough to grab their shells and have them drag me in the water like frickin' Poseidon! </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj36yDWqYxSvXLMNCi9xbjo7p15xDCsWqWUE7MlAA_1x8W4HlvVdy7LwiuMm1dHlu-_lJCBsXvRp4S9fbBrt7Pql3LYutU9pG6VugudOaPRVjpBSYdklgt3KSZBNqsRte_iGyExgYLE-tI/s1600/IMG_20140225_223705.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj36yDWqYxSvXLMNCi9xbjo7p15xDCsWqWUE7MlAA_1x8W4HlvVdy7LwiuMm1dHlu-_lJCBsXvRp4S9fbBrt7Pql3LYutU9pG6VugudOaPRVjpBSYdklgt3KSZBNqsRte_iGyExgYLE-tI/s1600/IMG_20140225_223705.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">'Twas magical. I was singing "A Whole New World", Aladin-style, except under water. Wrong Disney movie.</span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But I didn't, sadly. There were signs all over the place to NOT touch the wildlife. Stupid conscience. The Mexican government wouldn't have ever found out if I rode a protected sea turtle like a boogie board, but they still denied me that chance. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ2ox6nZF-wCvkSMfCCQlGxkzRp1Erhq1oazfwFeHyeubfFMN9WQdR_oufC28WrnghT9exVrQTvLBsT6hW-yPf2PGeFewBo5oJtroYWGqgX96G-orLXfP1Bx77UR8x64XltDCVSP-0unY/s1600/IMG_20140225_223647.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ2ox6nZF-wCvkSMfCCQlGxkzRp1Erhq1oazfwFeHyeubfFMN9WQdR_oufC28WrnghT9exVrQTvLBsT6hW-yPf2PGeFewBo5oJtroYWGqgX96G-orLXfP1Bx77UR8x64XltDCVSP-0unY/s1600/IMG_20140225_223647.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I also had the overwhelming urge to yell "Cowabunga" while doing so.</span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Oh well. It was one of the coolest herping experiences...scratch that, just one of the coolest experiences ever. Being <i>that close </i>to wild sea turtles was something I may never experience again. I swam around with them for as long as they stayed in the area. I literally may have swam with them for an hour or so. It just didn't get boring to me at all. They swam around, feeding on plants at the bottom. I was able to get right up on them pretty much every time. They accepted me. I was one of them now. This must be what those crazy people who live with wolves feel like! I guess they're used to maniacs like me harassing them on their daily routines.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv0E0s65vGs07uXO0rZLgUZLTzhQbO9sPQ1E_7Z5ZLsQA52vGz0rQChGEflzu_39QiafidLewtbzYSFHYfAeaxfQwIbXHby_TaKA1HqrNwGMTqbzCY7jsye7LyTpEXVN3NkCcel8VUesQ/s1600/IMG_20140225_223617.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv0E0s65vGs07uXO0rZLgUZLTzhQbO9sPQ1E_7Z5ZLsQA52vGz0rQChGEflzu_39QiafidLewtbzYSFHYfAeaxfQwIbXHby_TaKA1HqrNwGMTqbzCY7jsye7LyTpEXVN3NkCcel8VUesQ/s1600/IMG_20140225_223617.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">"Don't make eye contact, Jimmy. He'll leave eventually."</span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I have a bunch more pictures (of pictures) that I could show you all, of stingrays, skates, and all sorts of fishies, but this is a <i>herping</i> blog. Plus the photos themselves are from a plastic case that you put a disposable camera in so you can take underwater pictures, so it's not exactly National Geographic quality. That case got the job done, though. I should probably invest in at least a decent digital camera eventually. Then, I should also at least take the time to scan the photos in instead of using my smartphone to take a picture of a photograph and email it to myself to put on here.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyKeJZE0UXP05bMQeNLR1BBokwz6BRO287CiWaVWRQRHt7d7FP_mxWcIXBdNucIgOH7X_zWYVqpU3s9VgBY_oRjRx8kICuxPNeUzorX7LurdiU6r30hHoP-4jKnf-JrhV7hjBbyYTXprw/s1600/IMG_20140225_225900.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyKeJZE0UXP05bMQeNLR1BBokwz6BRO287CiWaVWRQRHt7d7FP_mxWcIXBdNucIgOH7X_zWYVqpU3s9VgBY_oRjRx8kICuxPNeUzorX7LurdiU6r30hHoP-4jKnf-JrhV7hjBbyYTXprw/s1600/IMG_20140225_225900.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>Personally, think the flash adds composition to these shots.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Of the bunches of other aquatic sea life I encountered, (even the 3-foot long barracuda that made me piss myself as I plunged into knee-deep water as the very first thing I saw </span><i style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">right in my face)</i><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> the turtles were the highlight of the trip.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0J_93c69qW0Qhir26MzpH_S-zwWVURFqeryf8c6tRI5frgJAFKK5S5B6ni7Q0ImITXGufhMaakk6adUPqQKXAsQ1DWFzigtNdpeHI5DMDQnaKDJLZtoHmzpGogxd0dZLa8h79hZMimwM/s1600/IMG_20140225_225929.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0J_93c69qW0Qhir26MzpH_S-zwWVURFqeryf8c6tRI5frgJAFKK5S5B6ni7Q0ImITXGufhMaakk6adUPqQKXAsQ1DWFzigtNdpeHI5DMDQnaKDJLZtoHmzpGogxd0dZLa8h79hZMimwM/s1600/IMG_20140225_225929.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Caution: Nightmares may be closer than they appear.</span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Those are but a few documented herping encounters I've had when I was supposed to be doing tourist-things in places I've never been before. Vacation priorities, people.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIbdJgYK3nCnBbLiaV6VUEmGb1-9IUUbqUDHWdrddpQQDR_c9jPvX0WP6M3sV9ajotQIorTxJg2FFBRhoZctgQ1qrZ-n_UQ4npd_Ulczw9qhasHYK_HJukK_CZ6ey1TTSbamIMMBa0_X8/s1600/IMG_20140225_223604.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIbdJgYK3nCnBbLiaV6VUEmGb1-9IUUbqUDHWdrddpQQDR_c9jPvX0WP6M3sV9ajotQIorTxJg2FFBRhoZctgQ1qrZ-n_UQ4npd_Ulczw9qhasHYK_HJukK_CZ6ey1TTSbamIMMBa0_X8/s1600/IMG_20140225_223604.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>"<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">You blew this opportunity. No bueno. Adios, fuckface."</span></i></td></tr>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02751672069847283932noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-537558321635164562.post-9609483213854211262014-01-28T21:25:00.003-05:002014-01-29T01:04:13.751-05:00"Plenty o' Pocono Pickerels" or "We have treefrogs north of the Mason-Dixon Line?"<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>NOTE: So because I'm stupid and don't pay attention, it turns out that my short entry on toads up at work was still chronologically correct in relation to this (and future) stories. I guess that's not a bad thing. I has the dumb. But I digress...</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">September 2013 was warm overall as I recall, and I had <i>a lot</i> of herping action when looking back on it in retrospect. This time, I was back up in the Poconos, but 40 miles west on I-80 from where I was during <a href="http://southphillyherper.blogspot.com/2013/11/gobbler-hunt-herping-hi-jinx-or-what-eft.html" target="_blank">Spring Gobbler season and my abundance of red efts</a>. This time, I was in Monroe County, and I thought I knew what was in store for me. I've obviously herped in the Poconos before, I knew what I would find...right? Well, I was both right and wrong.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My band (<a href="https://www.facebook.com/downspellephilly" target="_blank">this is not a cheap band plug)</a> decided to do some band bonding and go up to my bassist's family's mountain house. It was in a private development and had lots of majestic Pocono scenery. I knew it was going to be a prime herping spot as soon as I stepped out of the car. A lot of the development was smack dab in the middle of the woods without much actual "developing", i.e., it had a lot of dirt/gravel roads, was very quiet, and...we were smack dab in the middle of the woods. At this point, I needed a few days to recharge, and what better way to do it than in the Pocono mountains? It was also good times with the bandmates, who have quickly become more of my friends than people I play music with (*tear*). PLUS I could go out and look for herpetological animals (that's too long to continually type out. Someone needs to come up with a word for "herps" that doesn't sound like an STD. Actually, I'm not even sure if that phrase was grammatically correct).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After arriving later at night than everyone else, and having to catch up on drinking and tomfoolery, we went and took a walk down to the creek and waterfall near the house. It was lit up with flood lights (after we flipped the switch on, actually) and pretty cool to see. I decided I'd make my way down there the next day and inspect the area. After some more drinking, we went to bed, ready for a full day of outdoorsing (I like making up my own words) and nature. I actually woke up at daybreak, went downstairs and read by the fireplace (I'm also sophisticated) until I decided to venture outside and take a look around the house. My bassist, Pedro Loco, told me that there was a big ol' toad that lives around the back stone porch, usually near the drain pipe. Mr. Toad was not at home. I continued making my way around the house, flipping rocks and logs, hoping I'd come up with something other than the more "common" (or at least common to me) species that I tend to find in Pennsylvania. Getting around to the driveway, there were tons of logs. No luck there, either. It was a little chilly out, being September and all, but I doubted that it was chilly enough to cause the herps to be really hiding. I finally came across a familiar sight:</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6fJrUnC1nFixXzeUI27THuEpsg_4BfsM351XguLC9qZyAo-SEytRH1pbRzDFjDNU3WTjj2Y7ELOMAap14BBuCZS0NIkA9HASMNCsNDOeOi9q7NZPefb3lvdLK_H1jgumkqfM1VYTj7LU/s1600/1654130_962584960287_2057533765_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6fJrUnC1nFixXzeUI27THuEpsg_4BfsM351XguLC9qZyAo-SEytRH1pbRzDFjDNU3WTjj2Y7ELOMAap14BBuCZS0NIkA9HASMNCsNDOeOi9q7NZPefb3lvdLK_H1jgumkqfM1VYTj7LU/s1600/1654130_962584960287_2057533765_n.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>Haven't I seen you here before?</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Good old <a href="http://www.paherps.com/herps/salamanders/redback_salamander/" target="_blank">redback salamanders</a>. I knew I could count on you to rekindle my hope for herps (t</span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">hat sounded terrible)</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">! After I found this little triumvirate of salamandery cuteness, that was about all I saw around the house..except for a ton of squirrels.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I decided to take a walk down the path from the night before towards the waterfall and have a look around. I forgot to mention: I never got changed out of my pajamas when I initially went outside, so I was walking through the chilly morning woods (ha! morning woods!) in my pajama pants and slippers. I painfully made my way down the path, flipping more rocks and logs that I thought would yield some herps. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjimqW8MqSrGprdo7kdyMRJ9eV_DdaC8qhypdZNEzid4HgVidgaNYnJmTp1RhKnFl_IhSpVwHYvHOPzgaUzLzs6SfVwzfmSdoKPzv2y5CuHaYO9xD7rhwg5PyfEgC6TN2fGjeriA_-m4fI/s1600/1601364_962584980247_1145696287_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjimqW8MqSrGprdo7kdyMRJ9eV_DdaC8qhypdZNEzid4HgVidgaNYnJmTp1RhKnFl_IhSpVwHYvHOPzgaUzLzs6SfVwzfmSdoKPzv2y5CuHaYO9xD7rhwg5PyfEgC6TN2fGjeriA_-m4fI/s1600/1601364_962584980247_1145696287_n.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>Slippers not welcomed.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Alas, nothing. I kept walking and sat down at a bench overlooking the creek and waterfall and relaxed a bit. It was rather nice, serene, even.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLl0HpWoK1OoNrPY8clClvP09PcNJM9n9An-g3VjdF1-zUeiwD3VTJKF8Phf0_AUixfQ4vkA9FLfP4kDVTFUpQCkGC7GlKt4I6B0C0rib7SlW8Ln5YX8yyOCEBH_Fm945YvXX1c-G2LCo/s1600/1517638_962585030147_616109729_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLl0HpWoK1OoNrPY8clClvP09PcNJM9n9An-g3VjdF1-zUeiwD3VTJKF8Phf0_AUixfQ4vkA9FLfP4kDVTFUpQCkGC7GlKt4I6B0C0rib7SlW8Ln5YX8yyOCEBH_Fm945YvXX1c-G2LCo/s1600/1517638_962585030147_616109729_n.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>This is not the waterfall.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> I didn't often just sit in the woods unless I was hunting, which usually meant I was preoccupied with actually hunting and didn't </span><i style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">really</i><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> get a chance to take in and enjoy the scenery. I sat there for a while and planned out my day. Everyone wanted to go fishing later at this big lake, which I of course thought to be prime herping real estate by the sound of it. But first, breakfast, and then I'd attempt to shoot some squirrels with Pedro Loco's air rifle. The hunter in me couldn't resist. I finally got up and made my way back to the house.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj786SKok_cbyYJuv1nBlFqSaGQlcjulF8t_Vzau2hAIZPsBbhWSDRj6EUHJCvl6mS67LP3WFFx099mBYY0Qkk8kHicRR8WTiF3PZ7n9OQbp4NazHqQxVSN7E2CFfJ2GuFpgRJyXUlzX-Y/s1600/71530_962585050107_378314982_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj786SKok_cbyYJuv1nBlFqSaGQlcjulF8t_Vzau2hAIZPsBbhWSDRj6EUHJCvl6mS67LP3WFFx099mBYY0Qkk8kHicRR8WTiF3PZ7n9OQbp4NazHqQxVSN7E2CFfJ2GuFpgRJyXUlzX-Y/s1600/71530_962585050107_378314982_n.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Some of the aforementioned Pocono majesty.</span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After breakfast and many failed attempts at shootin' me a squirrel (this air rifle sucked: it misfired, jammed, and would more so lob pellets than shoot them), we geared up and walked down the road a few minutes to the big lake. I usually herped around much smaller bodies of water (creeks, ponds, vernal pools, small lakes) up in the Poconos, so I didn't know if this huge lake would be a bust or not. I'm fairly sure it was man-made, or minimally altered by people. But Pedro Loco assured me there were tons of frogs and turtle and newts, so I was hopeful. When we got down there, I was impressed, and anxious to get to it. Pedro Loco said that there were bald eagles that lived on the lake. I was skeptical, but sure enough, we saw two young eagles flying around, and eventually an adult, white head and all, being all majestic. I was actually kinda pissed that the only camera I had was my horrible camera phone, and I failed miserably at trying to capture the eagles in picture form. I admit that was really cool to see, though. After that nature-tease, everyone else manned a few of the boats that the community had there and made their way on to the lake to fish. Pedro Loco in a canoe, and my drummer whom we'll call Baxter, his wife and their son Lil' Man in another. Our guitarist did not show up on our band trip, so an impromptu jam sesh at a bonfire near the lake was totally out of the question.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>Someone's getting flipped.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As I watched them struggle to paddle, I got right in the water along the bank (as I had my monster waterproof hunting boots on). Instantly, I watched the lake begin to come to life as I stirred and startled water. It was teeming with late-season tadpoles! They darted away in every direction, but stopped long enough for me to get a look: green frog and pickerel frog tadpoles. Awesome. I'd like to mention now that I had no net at all. I was going to do this all by hand (In my head, I'd like to think I'm an excellent frog catcher with my hands. I've had enough practice catching them without a net for years.) It didn't take me long to catch my first herp: a juvenile <a href="http://www.paherps.com/herps/frogs-toads/green_frog/" target="_blank">green frog</a>. I see these guys a lot, even in Philly, but these guys are still one of my favorites to catch. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'd like to think that the more there are of a common species like this one, or like my beloved toads, that the local ecosystem and herp population is doing well. For those that are out of the loop, amphibians especially are very sensitive to environmental changes due to their skin, so they're usually a good indicator on how it's doing. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I put him in my carrying tank and proceeded down the bank. I came across more juvenile green frogs, and as I suspected, juvenile <a href="http://www.paherps.com/herps/frogs-toads/pickerel_frog/" target="_blank">pickerel frogs</a> as well. I secretly always hope it's a leopard frog every time I see a pickerel, but I'm still glad to see them around. I caught one and put him in my carrying case. I missed about 4 or so more of each, catching another young green frog. I even managed to catch a tadpole with my hands, 'cause that's how good I am. A true <a href="http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=gangsta" target="_blank">G</a> among herpers. I went back and forth like this for a while as my bandmates and co. fished unsuccessfully. When they docked again, we pulled the boats onto the bank where we got them. As I walked away, Baxter called me over and pointed down at the ground: he had almost stepped on an <b>BIG</b> pickerel frog. This thing was almost 4 inches, which is big for them. It didn't move; it just sat there in the mud on the bank. Of course, as we all walked over to investigate and see if I could catch it, he jumped under the boat and then into the water. Bastard. My drummer's son, Lil' Man (that's what I'm calling him in the article) of course wanted to see what I was catching, which at this point, were 2 green frogs, a pickerel frog, and a green frog tadpole. I took a green frog out and snapped this picture, of course for blogging purposes.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>I'm being exploited for my looks.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I continued my search up and down the bank. I saw hundreds of tadpoles all along the way, but no turtles, no newts, and no more frogs after a point. I probably scared the hell out of them. The lack of <a href="http://www.paherps.com/herps/salamanders/eastern_newt/" target="_blank">red-spotted (or eastern) newts</a> was odd to me. I was still happy with my finds for the day, and it wasn't over yet. We wound up staying and fishing for a while longer and eventually went back to the house. After a lunch break and hanging around (and a nap), I asked everyone if they wanted to go on a hike down and around the waterfall. So, we did. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRgIGClHYKuy0EpYST9736hui4SmEWM8d4Ap9DPmnwqAtUuLcQn2sQwScnXVm7T2tNWefM4MPJaFAIPAC5qFo7vUzyrZ3OP1ZzvP1PYN4PhVlFH83kEPz8SupV040JqIvhawXPVxJhPn4/s1600/1622218_962585144917_959581597_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRgIGClHYKuy0EpYST9736hui4SmEWM8d4Ap9DPmnwqAtUuLcQn2sQwScnXVm7T2tNWefM4MPJaFAIPAC5qFo7vUzyrZ3OP1ZzvP1PYN4PhVlFH83kEPz8SupV040JqIvhawXPVxJhPn4/s1600/1622218_962585144917_959581597_n.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">THIS is the waterfall.</span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Pedro Loco and Baxter brought their fishing rods, and I naturally made my way around the edges of the creek and pool at the bottom of the waterfall in search of creatures. I crossed the wooden bridge from once side of the creek to the other and climbed the steep rock bank next to the waterfall. I managed to not lose my footing and slip on the wet rocks, painfully slip n' sliding my way down into the rocks in the water below, which was a feat. It flattened out and made a wide shelf a few times and had several small pools of water collected in the crevices of the rocks. There, I found more juvenile green frogs hanging out. I figured this was much safer for them near the waterfall, as predators probably didn't venture out near there on the slick rocks too often. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvl_HjTdgYKVf61JxR2NBTAtpKLQr-uUS8ARrsgIubL8SWixLWROpoPd-6UuQp6UkpgVesxmu-GBQyTe-wH0EB4fWzxyO1HkNFiUAA1Ely0YW265n15WZK07bDROBfzc1Zq5G8J72mqD4/s1600/1618690_962585164877_147383999_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvl_HjTdgYKVf61JxR2NBTAtpKLQr-uUS8ARrsgIubL8SWixLWROpoPd-6UuQp6UkpgVesxmu-GBQyTe-wH0EB4fWzxyO1HkNFiUAA1Ely0YW265n15WZK07bDROBfzc1Zq5G8J72mqD4/s1600/1618690_962585164877_147383999_n.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>I, however, am twice as brave, but half as smart as a raccoon or fox</i></span>.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The two green frog babies kept me occupied while everyone yet again unsuccessfully fished. We decided to put the fishing equipment back in exchange for the air rifle and an BB handgun. It's okay; they were Pedro Loco's guns, and I'm a hunter, and Baxter is a cop, so we were totally safe. We decided to have some target practice by shooting a can about 20 or 30 yards away. Pedro Loco (that is <b>so</b> fun to say!) suggested that we go back behind the house through the woods into an old stone quarry. He had actually suggested it before when I was talking about herping. He said that the quarry would fill up with water when it rained, and in the spring especially, it would be flooded and filled with frogs and whatnot. This, children, is called a <a href="http://water.epa.gov/type/wetlands/vernal.cfm" target="_blank">vernal pool</a>, and is very important to amphibian survival.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We walked back through a trail, and then through about 5 inches of mud to get to the quarry. It basically was just a narrow field totally filled with stones and some small boulders. It was also pretty dry, so I didn't bother looking for anything, and daydreamed of a spring rain filling the quarry and it buzzing with amphibious life while I waited my turn to shoot the air rifle. It turned out to be pretty accurate. The handgun...not so much. We basically pulled a Keanu Reeves in <i>Point Break</i> every time we shot it; just recklessly unloading the BB clip hitting absolutely nothing in the process. I hit the can every time with the rifle (<b><i><u>of course</u></i></b> I did), and it got boring pretty quickly waiting my turn, so I started looking around. I'm glad I did, because I literally never would have noticed my next find.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I saw something jump in the grass and rocks, but it was <i>really</i> tiny. I actually don't know what I thought it was at first: a <a href="http://www.paherps.com/herps/frogs-toads/northern_spring_peeper/" target="_blank">spring peeper</a>, a toadlet, heck, it could have been a cricket. Was it a cricket? Nay! It was a treefrog. My first treefrog! Well, not my first. I had caught <a href="http://srelherp.uga.edu/anurans/hylcin.htm" target="_blank">green tree frogs</a> down in Florida and South Carolina whilst on vacation, but I never expected to ever see one in Pennsylvania! Yes, I <i>KNOW</i> we have them here, but I just figured they were super hard to find, or I didn't know any good areas to look. So this was my first <u><i><b>Pennsylvania</b></i></u> treefrog: a newly metamorphosized <a href="http://www.paherps.com/herps/frogs-toads/gray_treefrog/" target="_blank">gray treefrog</a>!</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMxqeUl-J-fgEzPAp6B2fBXX-cRMVmsM7f20hhsWlCzgZtNBwPBMohllQtn-5YdJobXOyEHk8JG0QWvLXmC5pCr14LkrMTb9vX2qAQZokPZHFY9OHnmMgSFg6XEYjT_-nP8LKgLtpH1nw/s1600/20130921_131118.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMxqeUl-J-fgEzPAp6B2fBXX-cRMVmsM7f20hhsWlCzgZtNBwPBMohllQtn-5YdJobXOyEHk8JG0QWvLXmC5pCr14LkrMTb9vX2qAQZokPZHFY9OHnmMgSFg6XEYjT_-nP8LKgLtpH1nw/s1600/20130921_131118.jpg" height="640" width="360" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>Ain't I totes adorbs?</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I was extremely happy to find this little guy. I don't really have "lifers" that I look for when I'm out like a lot of herpers do. I just go out every time hoping I find <i>something</i>, and eventually something new I've never found before. This find definitely got me excited. We all marveled at this little fella, and I of course went into Steve Irwin mode and started explaining what it was and stuff to everyone. He didn't like to cooperate for the camera, or stay in my hand very long. He wound up free-fall base jumping out of my hands a few times, or crawling up my shirt to my chest. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUnNbLytnJLad-OCXSbl0TZudOFwZwHoFIuD1I8d5ntrvA-f2XDZqpK5LdAouCMmhYe7csw96OtHFUMa5NbjeaV7iMBL86ahVW9o0K4vaXmAMmSI2zkO8nyb4Dh1PRydA-n3NTT1WsxcQ/s1600/20130921_131135.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUnNbLytnJLad-OCXSbl0TZudOFwZwHoFIuD1I8d5ntrvA-f2XDZqpK5LdAouCMmhYe7csw96OtHFUMa5NbjeaV7iMBL86ahVW9o0K4vaXmAMmSI2zkO8nyb4Dh1PRydA-n3NTT1WsxcQ/s1600/20130921_131135.jpg" height="640" width="360" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">He's camera shy.</span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">He tried to escape a few times through the grass, but I managed to recapture him. During one escape attempt, I got down on the ground to get him, only to find ANOTHER ONE! This little guy had the green coloration to him, which I thought was so awesome. I'd never caught a gray treefrog before, let alone a new metamorph (which I believe are extremely hard to find in general due to their size and time of year you're looking), let alone TWO metamorphs! Then I got to catch one of both types of color patterns.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYpOfCW11p5qOyUto-rRBKcwWTN1L8GZDikAwos6Y-HuB5DiPm2nRBU5RMxIQb_MI_NRudcsHO0pI2FyoedBsr5Q8UIF1J4cquSZtnpwgxD6c0_znUqR3WqiwHP39sq0A22-tMvd2C9yE/s1600/20130921_131147.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYpOfCW11p5qOyUto-rRBKcwWTN1L8GZDikAwos6Y-HuB5DiPm2nRBU5RMxIQb_MI_NRudcsHO0pI2FyoedBsr5Q8UIF1J4cquSZtnpwgxD6c0_znUqR3WqiwHP39sq0A22-tMvd2C9yE/s1600/20130921_131147.jpg" height="640" width="360" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>HAND OVER THE GODDAMN TREEFROG NOW!</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My drummer's wife (whom may beat me if she reads this and I gave her a bad nickname) helped me corral these two little maniacs up long enough to snap some pictures of them. I even managed to get a pic of both of them on each hand together, but I either deleted it, or I absolutely made that part up. We showed Lil' Man, and he helped me release them into the tall grass after a few minutes of me entering herping heaven. All was right with the universe. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Nothing could top these finds. I had found something totally new, and the closest thing I had to a lifer. We walked back and I flipped a few more rocks to find, as expected, another redback. I thought it was fitting to end the day by finding another one of these little guys, who I don't mind finding at all, despite their frequency in my finds.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0HeX4AjIQb3TAwQ-iOVpGOV1cqn8i2H7d7Hap-I1g3M57EfGlXATNpdgL3Fg9Rx6RJxKRnlLVWq8pbpfxOEgGTmaMNtXwK9h5eLJoE4AAw8pN-S-j96vQ9sqhtVNTvl1XArdVTS4hhhk/s1600/1613800_962585114977_693333740_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0HeX4AjIQb3TAwQ-iOVpGOV1cqn8i2H7d7Hap-I1g3M57EfGlXATNpdgL3Fg9Rx6RJxKRnlLVWq8pbpfxOEgGTmaMNtXwK9h5eLJoE4AAw8pN-S-j96vQ9sqhtVNTvl1XArdVTS4hhhk/s1600/1613800_962585114977_693333740_n.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>You were expecting maybe, Humphrey Bogart?</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We went back to the house, had dinner, drank and were merry. I actually wound up feeling sick after we went to bed, so I packed it up and left in <b>utter darkness </b>of the woods and a cold rain in the middle of the night. I went slow on the winding roads, despite there not being another soul out at this time of night. In my headlights, I noticed what looked like leaves blowing on the ground, except it really wasn't windy at all. I slowed to a crawl, and I noticed they were frogs! This was my unofficial first time "road cruising" for herps in the rain. I put my high beams on, made sure not to move until there were no more frogs in my lane, and moved slowly ahead. There were tons of them everywhere! I finally got out to grab one directly in front of my car who wouldn't move. At first, I thought it was a leopard frog. He turned out to be a pickerel once I got close enough and picked him up. He was huge! Probably as big as the one who evaded capture at the lake earlier that day. Very healthy, and now very excited and not very appreciative I tried to help him cross the road, he squirmed and kicked. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>This blows.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I held on and looked at him in my headlights and was pleased that there was a healthy population of pickerel frogs around. I'd never seen such an abundance of amphibians on rain country road like that; I'd only ever read about them during an early spring shower at night. This turned out to be quite a memorable herping experience. I drove home with a smile on my face, even though my stomach was churning. I probably shouldn't have mixed that super market sushi with microwavable Jack Daniel's barbecue pulled pork for lunch...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><u><i><b>Saturday, 9/21 count:</b></i></u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">redback salamander: 4</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">pickerel frog: 10+</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">green frog: 6</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">gray treefrog: 2</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02751672069847283932noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-537558321635164562.post-42465929597381071642014-01-25T03:45:00.001-05:002014-01-28T21:25:43.797-05:00"Everybody's Herpin' for the Weekend" or "Toadal Recall"<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'm currently sitting alone, bored at work, so I decided to shake the herping timeline I've been adhering to up a bit and throw a curve ball. I'm deviating from the timeline to talk about herping here at work. I like to live on the edge, I know. This one will be short(er) than the rest, as there's not much to tell.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">BUT THAT WON'T MAKE IT ANY LESS ENTHRALLING!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I left my crappy job as IT Support at a bank in Philly to work at a data center in Norristown, PA. It's a good 20 minutes outside of the city, not counting traffic. This county (Montgomery) is actually where I hunt as well, so I know there are critters afoot! The shift is a night shift position, which means it sucks royal balls. However, that technically is prime herping time in the warmer weather. Although I don't get much free time while at work, I have managed to find some herpies (definitely need to come up with a better name for what I find) on the clock.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I started this job in the very beginning of September 2013, and some nights were still balmy and humid. The position I took when I first started required me to do hourly walkthroughs of the data center and facility, and in some cases, that meant I would be able to wander outside for a few minutes of fresh (sticky) air. My co-worker who trained me would take smoke breaks out back near the receiving/loading dock behind the building, so we would stand around back there and bullshit until he finished his cigarette. I, of course, much to his bewilderment, would be looking in the grass, in dark corners of the building, or just about anywhere for toads. Yes, toads. I had a feeling this place was loaded with my favorite herp (slightly better than "herpies" for a name) and I had a knack for finding them in the most precarious places. I've even found them around a Dunkin Donuts in the middle of South Philly. It's a gift. I AM THE MASTER AND COMMANDER OF TOADS.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Any old ways, my co-worker of course asked what I was doing. I told him flat out, and he told me that he does usually see them around outside. He also took smoke breaks out in front of the main building entrance, and he said there were HUGE ones around there. I was skeptical about the "hugeness" of the toads he claimed were milling around out front, even after my monster toad find near the Wissahickon. He even sized them up with his hand to show me how big the toads were. I wanted to see for myself. After a few days of searching, I found nothing. Was it already too late in the season? It wasn't cold, but it wasn't exactly toad-conducive weather. Then one night I kinda wasn't looking due to giving up, when I looked down and saw a small <a href="http://www.paherps.com/herps/frogs-toads/fowlers_toad/" target="_blank">Fowler's toad (Anaxyrus fowleri)</a> (...what? I'm trying to be studious by including the scientific name. Don't judge me.) I have caught tons of these little guys, but I was no less excited. My co-worker looked at me, confused at first, but then as I showed the toad to him, he was a little more interested. He also questioned how (moreover, WHY) I knew the exact species. I explained to him that I've always had an interest in them, and to stop fucking judging me, too. I snapped a picture (for just such an occasion as to showcase pointless herping stories online) and let him go into the grass near a tree stump. My faith in finding toads around work had been restored.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>this was clearly an Instagram moment</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The next night, something special happened. It was almost 90 degrees at night, hot, humid, and terribly uncomfortable. It was exponentially warmer than the previous few nights. I knew my luck would change. Out back on a walk-through cigarette break, in the very corner of the building sat another (and different) Fowler's toad. I picked it up and snapped another National Geographic worthy picture and put her ('twas a she) in my little traveling case that I keep in my trunk (I told you I was weird) and finished the walk-through. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">This is like the toad version of "Taken", except there's no toad-Liam Neeson to save me.</span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Afterwards, I went out to the main entrance parking lot to go put the tank back in the trunk and set my captive free, when I saw one: the mother of all toads. A large female </span><a href="http://www.paherps.com/herps/frogs-toads/american_toad/" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" target="_blank">American toad</a><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">; she was enormous, just sitting in the parking lot, not really paying attention to anything. I mean, she was too big NOT to be lazy. I walked up to her and with little effort, scooped her up to inspect. It was another female, and she put up little resistance as I looked her over. I carried her in my hand, only to go a few more steps and see ANOTHER huge toad mama. Same deal for the most part, except this one was flatter and wider. She sat there, semi-gelatinous and doing an excellent Jabba the Hutt impression in the middle of the sidewalk.</span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> She could not have cared any less that I was approaching to snatch her up. She had no more fucks to give. Now I was juggling two softball-sized toads and an smaller one in a tank. Just as I made it to my car, there she was: the toad queen. Did I say the first one was the mother of all toads? Scratch that; THIS ONE was <i>THE</i> MOTHER OF ALL. Every toad I was finding got bigger and bigger and bigger. By the time I got to my car, I felt like I was carrying an armful of raw meat home from the butcher. I had toads for days. I was holding SO much toad at that moment. It was a herping miracle.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I certainly didn't expect to have such luck in one night. You would have thought I won a $1000 scratch-off ticket. After I placed them down, it was hard to keep them all stationary long enough to take another award-winning wildlife picture. They were surprisingly agile and nimble for fatty-fat fats....kinda like sumo wrestlers. I lined them up and took a picture displaying just how big these motherload toads were.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">We're sexy and we know it.</span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Fowler's toad on the right was <i>maybe</i> 3 inches. That goes to show you just how big these other slobbies were. The one on the far left, a.k.a. "Big Bertha" easily covered the palm of my hand with her toad rolls. The other two (from left to right), a.k.a. "Beulah" and "Maud" were almost as equally rotund. "Beulah" was the Jabba lookalike. I laughed at just how overly pudgy she was. She just plops herself down and gives in to gravity. I almost can hear her breathing heavily as she fights to catch her breath. They were all huge!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">All fat jokes aside, these finds made me happy and kept me occupied on a boring, dragging night at work. Which is why I decided to revisit this evening's story. I'll definitely be exploring again for toads (and the like) once the weather breaks, and I've already planned on coming back out to Montgomery county on our hunting property on early spring nights to see what I can find. I'm getting excited just thinking about it.</span></div>
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<i><b><u><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Tuesday 9/10 & Wednesday 9/11 count:</span></u></b></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Fowler's toad: </i>2</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Eastern American toad: </i>3</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>P.S.: So you're interested in "gendering" American toads. How do I know how to do so, you ask? Well, hypothetical reader/literary device, I'm glad you asked. HOW I learned is trial and error, and reading way too many reptile and amphibian field guides growing up. So I learned from back then as a wee lad. It's fairly easy, and there are a number of ways to do it. First, the big three: throats, vocals, and forearms. Males usually have a dark or black colored throat, or at least a black patch on it. Females' throats are all white. Next is vocals. Females do not call at all (<a href="http://www.naturenorth.com/spring/sound/American_Toad.mp3" target="_blank">most toads actually "chirp"</a>). If you see it call (it's throat/vocal sack will swell up as he does so), or it chirps when you pick it up and handle it, it's a male. Lastly, males usually have thick Popeye forearms with "nuptual" pads on their thumbs. These help the male grip the female when they're making pollywogs. So those are the rules of thumb. There are also <a href="http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Do_American_toads_eat_baby_American_toads_who_are_not_related#slide=1" target="_blank">some other ways</a> to determine if your toad is a boy toad or a girl toad: females are typically bigger, fatter, and bumpier; males are typically smaller, slimmer, and smoother (this is why you need to moisturize and use the treadmill, ladies.) There you have it. Below is a video that is either considered toad foreplay, or a toad "how to pick up chicks" dating guide. Science!</i></span><i style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> </i><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02751672069847283932noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-537558321635164562.post-82457579183906948152013-12-11T21:37:00.002-05:002017-05-12T13:55:37.816-04:00"Wissahickon Creek Capers" or "You won't find a thing!...just kidding..."<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">After my successful herping during spring gobbler season, I decided to actually try to go out one day on a "scheduled herping expedition", but where? Where could I find small aminals to temporarily and unintentionally torture without their consent? Where could I do so while striking the fear of their almighty creator into them in a Godzilla-like fashion? Not that I don't know where to find stuff, but I wanted to go somewhere I knew I'd find something different than what I normally find. I also wanted to stay local, and go somewhere I've never gone, and kinda/sorta had a shopping list in my head of things I wanted to find...and had no idea where I'd combine all of these factors and come up with a productive outing. I'm picky. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">So I figured I'd find a place that's nice to look at, not hard to traverse, and where I could find something on my list so I'd feel accomplished. Ya know, special and alive like when a butterfly lands on a kid from the short bus. So I did some research (read: lazily Google'd "Philadelphia herping" for 4 minutes total) on good spots unbeknownst to me, and then emailed my <a href="http://phillyherping.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">new herping friend</a> (from my first blog entry) for suggestions. I told him my list of what I'm looking to find and asked if he knew of any places where I'd be sure to find what I'm looking for that weren't hours away. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><b><u>SIDENOTE:</u></b> I found out (albeit kinda obvious) that herpers won't really divulge locations for specific species, and keep that ish on lockdown so people don't go in and clear out the aforementioned species. Granted, I wasn't looking for the extremely rare yellow-bellied sap sucker or the <a href="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v98/speedyboris/renandstimpy/yaksmen09-300x229_zpsd453edec.jpg" target="_blank">Kodiak marmoset</a>, but I get it. I wouldn't want some yahoo coming in to one of my favorite spots and potentially harming the indigenous population either, or disturbing the peace in general. Plus herpers are greedy fucks. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">However, he told me to try a spot up on the mighty Wissahickon (Creek) called "Forbidden Drive" (spooky!) where I would find all that I was looking for. So it was set: The next free weekend I had would be a herping trip to the far-off and perilous lands of Forbidden Drive! Hurrah!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I had no idea where exactly I was going, and my GPS on my phone took me somewhere totally different than where I had put in for directions to, so after some finagling and rerouting, I took my GPS' suggestion on where it thought Forbidden Drive was. After almost getting lost, running out of gas, and not really knowing if this was going to be worth it, I arrived at a dead-end street on the edge of the woods. There was a huge colonial-looking white house with a giant mossy tree in the front yard, so that's where I parked. I put my boots on and walked to the very end of the road down a path that lead to a bike trail. Here I thought I was going to be all secluded and remote, when an older woman appeared around the corner of a tall stone wall walking her dog. So right off the bat I was totally wrong. I did ask if this was Forbidden Drive, and she said that indeed it was. I walked down to the bike trail, looked around, and thought that NOW I was among nature and secluded.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The last great frontier.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Then 20 college assholes, with backpacks presumably carrying Natty Ices, walked right around me. What the flippin' fuck? On the other side of the bike trail was a semi-steep hill, with no visible path, that lead down to another trail right next to a small creek that lead down to the Wissahickon. I fumbled my way down and got to the bottom. This is where the fun would begin...and NOW I was finally away from all those...oh look, a lone hiker awkwardly looking at me and kinda nodding as he passed. Oh well. Anyway, it was beautiful down there, and looked like a prime salamander spot.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Not pictured: college douchebags or creepy lone hikers</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I went right in to the shallow, flat part of the stream that created a small pool about a foot or so deep and immediately started flipping rocks. I figured I'd find some duskies/redbacks/two-lined at least and be able to call it a successful day. After a few rocks, I found a <a href="http://www.paherps.com/herps/salamanders/twolined_salamander/" target="_blank">two-lined salamander</a> that would not cooperate and let me catch it, the fuck that he was. He escaped and eluded capture and went under another rock. I found him again, then, <b><i>poof</i></b>, gone in an instant. Saw a small crayfish milling around, but nothing after that. I got out of the creek, and saw something run into a hole under a huge boulder in the bank, almost instantly giving me a heart attack and causing me to slip and crack my face open on the slick rocks. As it turns out, it was a muskrat (only slightly less dangerous than the Kodiak marmoset). After that brush with death, I made my way down the path (which was extremely slippery from recent rainfall) flipping all of the stones we could possibly flip. Not one goddamn salamander. There were plenty of worms, though! I finally made it to yet ANOTHER path that crossed over the small stream, parallel to the Wissahickon. Now, take note of this pivotal point in the story: I flipped rocks all the way down to the edge of this new path and found nothing but earthworms. I walked myself down across the path to the bank of the creek, flipping more rocks. Nothing. I have to say, I was rather discouraged. I'd been out there for a while now and found next to jack balls nothing. I was happy to just be out there doing something in all of Mother Nature's public park grandeur, but still was still pissed as fuck that this spot was a dud. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">No sooner did I give up hope and was surveying the area, that</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> two fine gentlemen stroll past me. One was shirtless, both smelled like booze, and I'm almost certain neither of them had all their teeth. Maybe combined they did. If my memory serves me correctly, the shirtless one had camo pants, and the other a haggard muscle shirt (sans muscles). They noticed my small transport/carrying tanks that I had brought just for kicks. "Whatcha catch?" one managed to formulate from his grizzled jowl. "Nothing yet," I responded. I said I was looking for salamanders, etc. He then informed me that there was a massive snapping turtle basking on the bank on the other side of the creek. He said I could see it from the path on our side. I thanked them, and they strolled on up the trail, presumably to go have intercourse with a farm animal. I figured "What the hell?" and made my way down the path where they had came from. I hadn't seen anything yet, so I figured it'd be cool to look at and talk about. After all, it was <i>technically</i> herping, even if someone else saw it first. I looked through the trees across the creek, looking for this behemoth turtle Jed and Chet (those are their alleged hillbilly names) informed me of. From the 5 or so minutes from when they probably saw it until they told me about it, it became a fish story. This thing could be seen from space, according to Jed's description. I walked down further, yet I don't recall seeing him. I noticed 3 rocks that were assembled to make a bench in the side of the hill on the path...ANOTHER PIVOTAL POINT IN THE STORY. We flipped some rocks and logs where I was <b><i>SURE</i></b> we'd find something, but nothing. I was pissed. These flack-jawed fucks either lied or the leviathan beast went back to the murky waters whence it came! At the bottom of the trail there was another paved path that lead up one way, and across a covered bridge that went across the creek to a long paved bike trail. I figured I'd rejoin civilized society momentarily (since I had been in the wilds, obviously) and walk across the covered bridge and on the bike path down towards the bank to look for this monster turtle. The bridge and the view were really pretty, but I wanted to see this friggin' turtle.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH6TXupl4-QzZBUwY7PRSvhK24uFhc2AgB4vEnnwRMjdJdHyBBCO48Cgf2Ba30exWYIhwikUJ6o0iE_ZbaHpWvi54w8ym79EqfOYCeJ6szI8ziKlt58yvQiJeS6zknbZs_-Eu_2CZyQRM/s1600/Wissahickon+bridge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH6TXupl4-QzZBUwY7PRSvhK24uFhc2AgB4vEnnwRMjdJdHyBBCO48Cgf2Ba30exWYIhwikUJ6o0iE_ZbaHpWvi54w8ym79EqfOYCeJ6szI8ziKlt58yvQiJeS6zknbZs_-Eu_2CZyQRM/s320/Wissahickon+bridge.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">You shall not pass.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I veered off the bike path from tons of people staring at me in my enormous hunting boots and went on a trail right next to the bank. Again, pretty, but no turtle yet. Then behold! A large </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i><a href="http://www.paherps.com/herps/turtles/snapping_turtle/" target="_blank">Chelydra serpentina</a></i> just a' sittin' on the bank of the creek...</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNrwI2ssaqT9VsKZ-pINWBqHyax1pau3RgSW-1MiWldkAEOAwaXb-EhgRDyG1f9aS6_qGR4H-eVd9NDsRbKbP0Pc_mrrIhJoXLI_HcbVplGR_h7GOWjc_6zPLZD74fHOSEOEVE2tQMk1c/s1600/Wissahickon+herping+(10).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNrwI2ssaqT9VsKZ-pINWBqHyax1pau3RgSW-1MiWldkAEOAwaXb-EhgRDyG1f9aS6_qGR4H-eVd9NDsRbKbP0Pc_mrrIhJoXLI_HcbVplGR_h7GOWjc_6zPLZD74fHOSEOEVE2tQMk1c/s320/Wissahickon+herping+(10).jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><i>Watchin' the tiiiiide, roll awaaay</i>...fuck, that didn't rhyme.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">His shell was over a foot long, and he's just lying there catching some rays. I was very happy to get some up close (not too close) and personal time with this big guy. I'm actually not sure if it was a male or female, as I didn't want to disturb it. Coincidentally, a turtle find was on my list for the day, and this more than sufficed. I got a few more shots with my terrible camera on my Samsung phone as close as Terrance (that's his name now) would let me.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpdeiibxF-vMJwxdEoT-MOI6fLgTaul9R8VF_X3SA35IhkT8mM4oSGwj-fjQC52sLYxFID_RWcl_6D9Lav6u44boBv5cHVgY6RLFhJiRfxd__3ZXdkAbLnQJCRQnGcuRaWvJi2rh6BGQE/s1600/Wissahickon+herping+(7).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpdeiibxF-vMJwxdEoT-MOI6fLgTaul9R8VF_X3SA35IhkT8mM4oSGwj-fjQC52sLYxFID_RWcl_6D9Lav6u44boBv5cHVgY6RLFhJiRfxd__3ZXdkAbLnQJCRQnGcuRaWvJi2rh6BGQE/s320/Wissahickon+herping+(7).jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">"Dude, stop being weird and get an iPhone like the rest of the world. <i>GAWD!</i>"</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Strangely, it had been a few hours and it was getting late in the day. I decided to call it quits, having at least encountered s<i>omething</i> cool. I traversed back up the path, up the bike trail, over the bridge, through the woods, etc. On the main stretch back up, I was passing the rock bench again. I glanced down at it to find a FRIGGIN' HUUUGE <a href="http://www.paherps.com/herps/frogs-toads/american_toad/" target="_blank">American toad</a>! I seriously couldn't believe it. There he was, just sitting in a little outcrop in the one "leg" of the stone bench. He didn't look like he was too elusive, so I reached my hand in and plucked him out.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFL-NtM6FuWrJ7bxcO6l-I7jiq5aWfHMRjuMV8oFwnVKft_YZwdgQ5hdkZX_ahotrOC_xM1xpYebAAuZ-4a_cdC-5_mrYbArioumloNEsycV3-8XdEDnljdG7czJmg2a09cJQomzu52GA/s1600/Wissahickon+herping+(8).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFL-NtM6FuWrJ7bxcO6l-I7jiq5aWfHMRjuMV8oFwnVKft_YZwdgQ5hdkZX_ahotrOC_xM1xpYebAAuZ-4a_cdC-5_mrYbArioumloNEsycV3-8XdEDnljdG7czJmg2a09cJQomzu52GA/s320/Wissahickon+herping+(8).jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I has a toad.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I have to admit, I was really excited. Now, I've caught literally countless toads, especially American toads</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">, but this one was special. American toads </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">(whom until I added that hyperlink, I was under the impression had the scientific name </span><i style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">bufo americanus. </i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Apparently I was wrong, or those scientist fucks changed it without consulting me</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">) are a herp near and dear to me.</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> First, it was on my herp wish list for this particular outing. I know they're abundant, and easy to find, and a cool "gateway" herp for beginners since they're easy to find and catch. Secondly, I haven't seen American toads around as much as I have in years prior, and never one this big in PA. The funny thing was, I wasn't even looking for anything, and definitely would have walked right by this one if not for chance. So I began inspecting my new friend. He was a she, and was plump and healthy; a fine specimen.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSfHrcpGlbAh7xsItdlIxgDzI_S27y90M6R8O5xKl-bXROcFnWc4Hs9uByoXFpH0yWrVJRtSP375CdoFnV02oxSAp7Udg5tngRUCPLxweVKv4BRi2dxMs5QNj0lmjgG4T5IvDCTlSYOBA/s1600/Wissahickon+herping+(4).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSfHrcpGlbAh7xsItdlIxgDzI_S27y90M6R8O5xKl-bXROcFnWc4Hs9uByoXFpH0yWrVJRtSP375CdoFnV02oxSAp7Udg5tngRUCPLxweVKv4BRi2dxMs5QNj0lmjgG4T5IvDCTlSYOBA/s320/Wissahickon+herping+(4).jpg" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">"Plump"?</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I seriously was so happy over this big girl. I'm not a chubby chaser, unless it pertains to toads...and she was chuuuuuuuubby!</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEina17nkF-k4b4h9hkQDn3BuuKMAthWxmXlmVs-avZ9FGtJnVC0wzYpbl_7qQ8C8XTXhH7isvvf328AejYVzL-acXWDQTZuTBSTaIA56h9bSFtXIOGpbwiMjZWWT0vLLr9l8bGfTm81G0E/s1600/Wissahickon+herping+(2).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEina17nkF-k4b4h9hkQDn3BuuKMAthWxmXlmVs-avZ9FGtJnVC0wzYpbl_7qQ8C8XTXhH7isvvf328AejYVzL-acXWDQTZuTBSTaIA56h9bSFtXIOGpbwiMjZWWT0vLLr9l8bGfTm81G0E/s320/Wissahickon+herping+(2).jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">"Who you callin' chubby, you fat fuck?!"</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I deemed the trip a success. Happy happy happy. I walked back up the path to the other path we started on near the creek. Remember earlier how I said it was a pivotal point how I flipped rocks all the way down to the edge of the path? Good. I hit that point again. I, still on my toad high, happened to look down and noticed something bright against the dark and dull muddy landscape. To my shock and amazement, there lie a </span><a href="http://www.paherps.com/herps/salamanders/red_salamander/" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;" target="_blank">northern red salamander</a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">! Just out in the open! I was there right in that spot and saw NOTHING under any rock or log, and now this thing is just sitting there, like "Hey, down here asshole!" My jaw dropped and I'm pretty sure I squealed with giddiness. I reached down for it, but I noticed it wasn't moving. It had expired. I was sad, to say the least. It didn't feel dried out, there was no physical wounds or anything on it, and he wasn't squashed. He was just kinda lying there, a little bloated. I couldn't figure it out. He was also out in the open, not under leaves or anything. It's like he just died mid stroll from under one rock to the next. The woods were wet from the aforementioned rainfall days before. I was stumped. I even sniffed him to see if he was dead long or not. Yes, I smelled a dead salamander. He was fresh. I was both puzzled and saddened for this find and loss! I did take a snapshot of him just to document:</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0lmwg7Cc4Xvl4dI5w2Z7GTZdYdlDvKQhb5cXonZtlJ6dB2nGseP1V_UdQDBZJCdaCv_oFJtKJtXiK-nHxXScTV97l2GDJ0yKdOFn8LK31qZNVooUR4V9q2cg9C0lK_S-VxhlRXAiR490/s1600/Wissahickon+herping+(6).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0lmwg7Cc4Xvl4dI5w2Z7GTZdYdlDvKQhb5cXonZtlJ6dB2nGseP1V_UdQDBZJCdaCv_oFJtKJtXiK-nHxXScTV97l2GDJ0yKdOFn8LK31qZNVooUR4V9q2cg9C0lK_S-VxhlRXAiR490/s320/Wissahickon+herping+(6).jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">We hardly knew ye.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">As you can see, he was a nice size, and hadn't been dead long. So he was there and died within an hour of me being at that exact spot. I actually dug a little hole at the base of a small tree, buried him, and placed a small flat stone over his new grave site. After this expedition, I emailed my herp buddy and told him of my findings. He was surprised and excited to see a northern red "so far south", but also was puzzled about the cause of death. He said he usually attributes things like this to birds. Well, <b>fuck you</b>, birds! I also must admit, this kind of salamander find was also on my herp wishlist. So <i>technically</i>, my entire wishlist for the day had been fulfilled. I was ecstatic. It really was an awesome day for herping, all in all. It was so bizarre: I looked for hours and nothing; I give up, and within the 10 minutes of walking back to the car, I find all sorts of stuff without even trying to. Don't that beat all? That goes to show you that you never know what you're gonna find (or when or where or how), and that things happen when you least expect it. See? My blogs have morals to the story, and life lessons. You're welcome.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><i><u>Saturday 6/8/13 count:</u></i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">two-lined salamander: 1</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">common snapping turtle: 1</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">American toad: 1</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">northern red salamander: 1 (deceased)</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02751672069847283932noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-537558321635164562.post-78890843383791763642013-11-11T12:13:00.001-05:002013-11-11T13:28:14.843-05:00"Gobbler Hunt Herping Hi-jinx" or "What the Eft?"<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hail, oh enthralled and engrossed reader! If you're reading this, a) you read the first blog entry enough to want more herping and tomfoolery from me, and b) you need to reevaluate your life choices in how you kill time at work surfing the web. The last entry was just an intro with some random facts and findings about my herping adventures. This one is an actual story/outing I had earlier this year in the Pocono mountains of Pennsylvania near my grandfather's old cabin. As I stated before, I am a hunter. That means, that with this particular hobby of mine, I spend a lot of time outdoors. This hobby makes it a perfect companion to one of my other hobbies: (obviously) herping! Hooray! It's usually the downtime in between the actual hunts that allows me to encounter the little herps (is "herp" a noun?) although there are exceptions to the rule. So without further ado, here's my awe-inspiring story of herping on the hunt:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It was late April...or was it <i>early</i> May? Anyways, it was the day before Opening Day of Spring Gobbler season. Spring Gobbler season started in May this year according to my Google search just now. I strive to bring my audience the facts. It was relatively warm and it had rained very recently. My father, grandfather and I arrived up the Poconos mid-afternoon. We checked in to the hotel (unfortunately, we do not own my other grandfather's cabin due to some fuckstick of an uncle, but I digress), and prepared to go out to roost us a turkey! For those of you who have never seen a live/wild turkey, don't watch the Discovery Channel, or are stupid, turkeys can fly. They also scare easily and are almost as weary as they are dumb. However, they are smart enough to not want to sleep on the ground at night. So they sleep in trees, thus protecting themselves from predators like foxes and coyotes, unless said predators can scale vertical surfaces like Batman and/or Spider-Man.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Side note: It baffles me how many people that live out in the sticks have no fucking clue turkeys can fly. That'd be like city folk saying "Oh, I totally didn't know that squirrels can climb trees, or that hobos will eat <i>anything!</i>"</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"Roosting" is when a hunter goes out around dusk, makes turkey sounds, and tries to locate the general whereabouts of a turkey (the gobbler in this case) for the next morning. Sure, it's stalker-ish, but as is all hunting. We tried to locate a big ol' Tom turkey so that we knew <i>about</i> where he was going to roost so we can show up the next day and shoot him in the face when he rolls out of bed. Simple.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">No sooner did we get out of the car did I begin my herping antics. I can't help myself! We parked near my grandfather's (former) cabin, and I immediately began searching places I've searched since I was a wee lad, places I had found stuff before. At first, no such luck. Then I lifted a metal plate that covers a well drain (I think. I'm not a plumber) and lo! a juvenile<a href="http://www.paherps.com/herps/frogs-toads/pickerel_frog/" target="_blank"> pickerel frog</a> sat at the bottom, about 3 feet down. I was delighted. I haven't seen them around as frequently (and the increasingly more elusive northern leopard frogs and wood frogs I've previously been accustomed to catch or see every year). He seemed like he was stuck, even though he clearly was there on his own free-froggy-will. The drain pipe was high enough that I knew he couldn't get out, so I tried reaching down to grab him, but alas, my short hobbit arms were no match for a yard's worth of space. It actually was pretty deep, but I wasn't going to let my new bestest friend ever be doomed to a dark, damp, bug-ridden prison...although he may have preferred that in retrospect. I didn't think that one through. ANYWHO... As my fore-bearers walked up the road, I tried desperately to reach him. After a few failed attempts and being yelled at to grow the fuck up, I had a great idea (at the time). I found two relatively even branches on the ground and used them to fish him out with what can only be described as Neanderthal chopsticks. Patent pending. I finally grabbed the little fella with the sticks like a web-footed dragon roll and put him in a small plastic tank that I (of course) took with me to turkey hunt. He was a little dry, so I scooped some water from a puddle into the tank. After some inspection and walking our way up the mountain, I decided to release him in the creek that runs down it. I bid my new friend farewell and snapped a picture, thus officially chronicling a herping trip.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6Oly3FeC6dIMjBEognC68rMmEIZiM56X7YRuJJXcn6TNZlcS3R5oAb3DkZE7vbj318sVVxZJmOCaiTVK-slGBov9DHDXHIJYb3h4G_IOLP48YjwqpySYCKm1-0KKT3nci9N44QoGZiu8/s1600/Pocono+herping+(12).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6Oly3FeC6dIMjBEognC68rMmEIZiM56X7YRuJJXcn6TNZlcS3R5oAb3DkZE7vbj318sVVxZJmOCaiTVK-slGBov9DHDXHIJYb3h4G_IOLP48YjwqpySYCKm1-0KKT3nci9N44QoGZiu8/s320/Pocono+herping+(12).jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">We hardly knew ye.</span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We made our way up the mountain more, and I casually flipped some small, flat stones alongside the creek. After only a few, I came across a <a href="http://www.paherps.com/herps/salamanders/redback_salamander/" target="_blank">red-backed salamander,</a> which I've literally found hundreds of in the past. I <b><i>WILL</i></b> be taking pictures of all that I find, even these common little guys, no matter how many reds I find!</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>Get used to this face.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The more we ventured up the mountain, the less I flipped rocks and worried about keeping my footing on the slippery, mossy terrain. We were keeping close to the creek under the cover of some old hemlock trees. As we walked and called, I looked down, and to my surprise and delight, I found something I haven't seen up there in a very long while: a red eft!</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>Surprise, muthafucka!</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It wasn't like I hadn't seen one before. I literally used to try to carry pockets full of these guys when I was young, walking around on turkey hunts with my family. They'd always climb out, but I kept stuffing more in. I of course released any that I managed to keep secure through the hunt, much to my dismay, and by order of my father. (He taught me very early on to not take little guys like the efts out of nature and to put everything back where you found it. I only listened sometimes, but thanks anyway, dad!) But I haven't seen them around in years. I've seen red-spotted/eastern newts all the time, but not the efts. As I'm sure <b><u><i>ALL</i></u></b> of you know, red efts are the <a href="http://elizabethnixon.deviantart.com/art/Life-Cycle-of-the-Eastern-Newt-143618291" target="_blank">juvenile, terrestrial land-stage</a> of the <a href="http://www.paherps.com/herps/salamanders/eastern_newt/" target="_blank">eastern or red-spotted newt</a>. The larva (which look exactly like the adults, but with gills) start out in the water, lose their gills, then go up on land for a few years as efts, then go back into the water as adults. It's the circle...</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr7p2dAx7uDD27DhmeX9JT0OuC6fx4kDO9Rd7h6XjMQMn4l_7K29PWj0wwo3WUo0uma08ug4bx8T1dSkWNRoDCYSWvY_3aMbSz5Y1jnani6peKCm6k3HqpaU9NQLCdccD-kn1N74EqE7U/s1600/Pocono+herping+(11).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr7p2dAx7uDD27DhmeX9JT0OuC6fx4kDO9Rd7h6XjMQMn4l_7K29PWj0wwo3WUo0uma08ug4bx8T1dSkWNRoDCYSWvY_3aMbSz5Y1jnani6peKCm6k3HqpaU9NQLCdccD-kn1N74EqE7U/s320/Pocono+herping+(11).jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>...the circle of life.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I quickly scooped this little guy up and inspected him. It's actually kinda sad and weird how happy I was to find him. After a few minutes and a mini photo shoot (as seen above), I put him back off the path and resumed the roost attempt. Except that now, I was on high alert for efts. I didn't realize it at the time, but finding that one little guy would be finding the first of many over the course of a few days. I very shortly afterwards found another (which I didn't take a picture of) to equal excitement as the first. Then the more I walked, the more I found. I was in herping heaven. The following shots were all taken <i>before</i> I picked them up to look at, no matter how staged they look. So <i>eft</i> you if you don't believe me...GET IT?!?!</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCtpytGR1EuC6dApzHZBDbwujM8ju5VofWnMIrkp-RFE7rhul612IFTMqgO2cIOFTjUREgFXA7mv06xmQdVcLu5gRXNDBfGQ5HhjDYI6POnHRADaucKI0unrOZuJ6CcBG9mNldu8hyphenhyphens6U/s1600/Pocono+herping+(4).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCtpytGR1EuC6dApzHZBDbwujM8ju5VofWnMIrkp-RFE7rhul612IFTMqgO2cIOFTjUREgFXA7mv06xmQdVcLu5gRXNDBfGQ5HhjDYI6POnHRADaucKI0unrOZuJ6CcBG9mNldu8hyphenhyphens6U/s320/Pocono+herping+(4).jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">This shot is magazine worthy.</span></i></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbwavi4qO5oiCRLU7G-2uej9vcCb62xWp8q5s82LO6U1PEASp3rK7kOTx72FC18a6Q6-NI7oxr2_2dtiEOkmCvVaxxXDkmnKXGDdyV7dcYG07eZoETnMfnptaLWlGIN_HiKdxIXPExAYA/s1600/Pocono+herping+(14).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbwavi4qO5oiCRLU7G-2uej9vcCb62xWp8q5s82LO6U1PEASp3rK7kOTx72FC18a6Q6-NI7oxr2_2dtiEOkmCvVaxxXDkmnKXGDdyV7dcYG07eZoETnMfnptaLWlGIN_HiKdxIXPExAYA/s320/Pocono+herping+(14).jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>...and another.</i></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8bC_vxL0BR-sxVsIQvw1sZu120RsYQM1Cqe6w93Cfy00C5HXc7V1vQbDLYPSkP-flcF89Y3omhtlEti8qnMu2EimMST8FHfxsjprfzEXjQ2R71Untit8q_ZlMAY9EtELmn-SmaE_UxZ0/s1600/Pocono+herping+(7).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8bC_vxL0BR-sxVsIQvw1sZu120RsYQM1Cqe6w93Cfy00C5HXc7V1vQbDLYPSkP-flcF89Y3omhtlEti8qnMu2EimMST8FHfxsjprfzEXjQ2R71Untit8q_ZlMAY9EtELmn-SmaE_UxZ0/s320/Pocono+herping+(7).jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>You get the idea.</i></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>Totes adorbs.</i></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Every side is my good side.</span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After the eftsplosion, I concentrated (finally) on roosting a turkey. I couldn't help but flip one last rock, just to see, and I of course found one more red-back salamander.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>I told you to get used to this face.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Believe it or not, in between all the amphibians I was coming across, we actually managed to roost a turkey. As a matter of fact, it was my calling that did it. We had split up: my father went up the mountain further, my grandfather and I went back down and all the way up the road. We called, I heard a gobbler respond, and quickly got almost as excited as I was for my eft encounters. My grandfather couldn't hear it, as it was about 60 yards away, and he needs a goddamn cornucopia ear-horn to hear. We went back to the car and rested for the hunt the next morning. </span><br />
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<i><b><u><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Sunday 4/28 count:</span></u></b></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">pickerel frog: 1</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">red eft: 7</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">red-backed salamander: 2</span></i><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The first day of the actual hunt was a good one. We got into the woods at a decent time; the sun really hadn't come up yet. We went down to where I heard the gobbler the night before and figured out our gameplan. Before we even got a chance to call or set up, or even really discuss it, the gobbler started calling from the tree. He was definitely hot to trot. That man-whore. We quickly came up with a strategy and set ourselves up. After about an hour of action, a second gobbler calling from a different location, and other signs we'd bag a turkey, the bastards walked away from the decoys and us, continuing to call as if to mock us. We walked around in the woods til almost noon, and called it quits. No luck on this day. We packed up and went back to the hotel to nap, then repeat our agenda from last night.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We came back out around 5, but it has started to rain. Great for springtime herping, not so great for turkey hunting. Most non-amphibious wildlife doesn't like the rain as much as we don't. They can't hear potential dangers as well, and their hair gets absolutely <i>ruined</i>! It didn't look like we'd have any luck tonight, or the next day for that matter, but we went out anyway, hoping for the best. At least I might be able to find some more critters with this crappy weather. We walked up the road and started calling, working our way back down towards to cabin.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>I'm going to start selling my pictures to Target so they can sell it as "wall art"</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My father decided it'd be a good idea to split up again. He would go all the way down the road with my grandfather, and I would go up alongside the creek like we had originally done the night before. I must admit, I wasn't very hopeful for finding anything, turkey or otherwise. It was chilly and miserable, and getting dark more quickly than it would normally. I began making calls </span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">halfheartedly, and figured this would be a perfect time to flip some rocks and screw around. With no luck for a long while with turkeys or salamanders, I continued to call every few minutes or every few rocks. As soon as I was barely paying attention to either, I came across two <i>plethodon glutinosi...</i>oh, I meant two slimy salamanders. Duh. And <b>yes</b>, that is<a href="http://www.paherps.com/herps/salamanders/slimy_salamander/" target="_blank"> their actual name</a>. I've never came across one of these before, let alone <u>two</u>, so I was excited to inspect and photograph them. The smaller of the two quickly darted in a hole in between smaller rocks from under the bigger one I lifted. The larger was almost as fast, but I pulled some rocks aside to grab him.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>Victory!</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It wasn't the first time I've driven my hand into a tight, wet space...to catch a salamander, that is. When I was about 10 or so, up around that same spot, a midst catching a bucket full of red-backs, I lifted a large rock that was settled deep in the soil. From under the rock popped a small head which looked like an orange snake. It "slithered" back under more rocks and dirt, so I plunged my small hand into the hole, determined to pull out whatever it was. Smart move, I know. I was always I thinker. Turns out it was a huge northern red salamander. This thing was like 6-7 inches long. I wish I took a picture of it, but this was before the days of having everything right in your pocket via shitty/outdated Samsung smartphone.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoxrbD4QVZgEciRp8JPfDh6I_hsf7N4hINYIWbGTV70G4EWufNzHI_uGznvIjMb-zxWnpLRAFoa0lzA74098mVhITetYMHoFIZTsSSoZ8uk_Zxl_FYmrED_AsIQQHBWDNWhiVpTfjmCxg/s1600/Pocono+herping+(6).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoxrbD4QVZgEciRp8JPfDh6I_hsf7N4hINYIWbGTV70G4EWufNzHI_uGznvIjMb-zxWnpLRAFoa0lzA74098mVhITetYMHoFIZTsSSoZ8uk_Zxl_FYmrED_AsIQQHBWDNWhiVpTfjmCxg/s320/Pocono+herping+(6).jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>The flash on my phone camera apparently makes it look like midnight at 7PM.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So this little guy was my first slimy. It was good to see some diversity up there, and it was promising that I saw not one, but two of these guys huddled together. I always see red-backs, and as fun as it is to find them, I like having a smorgasbord of salamander species. How's THAT for alliteration? </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGOP3tb-2I9_8-YpZxsaVLtIQRkEI2ytG_jizu9-1q5uowh52npTwKcSDPsXAkqV85FydwLoZmPl_lmgdWNmt6igvUKyNXIXUwDnDO_UDkYBwTKTJwK5rMqBtr75XxhpyzlHCllf1rnO4/s1600/Pocono+herping+(5).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGOP3tb-2I9_8-YpZxsaVLtIQRkEI2ytG_jizu9-1q5uowh52npTwKcSDPsXAkqV85FydwLoZmPl_lmgdWNmt6igvUKyNXIXUwDnDO_UDkYBwTKTJwK5rMqBtr75XxhpyzlHCllf1rnO4/s320/Pocono+herping+(5).jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">He's super photogenic. I named him Sméagol.</span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After I did my best to put all the rocks back in place and release him, I started finding MORE efts. These guys were all bunched up.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>This is Hawk & Animal, the Legion of Doom.</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Then I found this picturesque scene at the base of a tree:</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKLxY1HuWmyNwes9kz_cQ2OwZPiGSMykFv6P2WE5aTf_BwlJdsaMBDYSsO9kQXGA7fvoCopOf_3DvOSXgHHD21PQM6SwJe-5AazI5N2ZIBCNW1mUP7DBOz6p9Ny0weBOT7j8Jnu07c014/s1600/Pocono+herping+(10).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKLxY1HuWmyNwes9kz_cQ2OwZPiGSMykFv6P2WE5aTf_BwlJdsaMBDYSsO9kQXGA7fvoCopOf_3DvOSXgHHD21PQM6SwJe-5AazI5N2ZIBCNW1mUP7DBOz6p9Ny0weBOT7j8Jnu07c014/s320/Pocono+herping+(10).jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The Dude, Walter, and Donny</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The funny thing was: I was barely paying attention at all anymore and only calling every few minutes, and boom, a gobbler responded out of nowhere (the <b>same</b> gobbler from the day before). I couldn't believe the overall luck I was having. I found a new species (to me) and re-roosted a turkey. It turned out to be a successful day overall. The next morning, we had the same luck as before: a jerkoff turkey just out of reach. I also found like a ton more efts walking through the damp woods, too many to count or document. They were even on the road pictured above. So spring gobbler hunting 2013 = awesome. Even though we didn't shoot a turkey in the face, I had a great time with my father and grandfather, found a bunch of amphibians, and got to relax up the mountains.</span><br />
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<i><b><u><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Monday 4/29 & Tuesday 4/30 count:</span></u></b></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">slimy salamander: 2</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">red eft: 10+</span></i></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02751672069847283932noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-537558321635164562.post-64353673756465703772013-10-25T13:32:00.003-04:002015-03-04T14:40:51.121-05:00My First Herping Entry<div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Greetings and salutations readers! This is my herping blog. For those unaware, "herping" is looking for/photographing/catching/observing reptiles and amphibians. For those who are still clueless as to what any of the words mean: <a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=herping&oq=herping&aqs=chrome.0.69i59j0l5.1071j0j7&sourceid=chrome&espv=210&es_sm=93&ie=UTF-8#es_sm=93&espv=210&q=herping">Google</a>. I've been wanting to start this blog for a while now. I was inspired to do so by a fellow <a href="http://phillyherping.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Philadelphia herper</a> whose blog I happened across earlier this year. Since then, I've been out a number of times in various locations throughout the area, and have been consciously attempting to</span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> document my finds. The key word is "attempting". I've also compiled a few pictures and stories for "throwback" posts from past finds, especially since the winter is coming up. All pictures are taken with my crappy Samsung Conquer's 5 megapixel camera (since it's always readily available) unless stated otherwise, so I apologize for the quality of some of the shots in advance. I think that it adds to the authenticity of my findings, since I'm not setting up a camera or trying to get the perfect shot. It's mainly me trying to hold on to the critter long enough to get the least blurry photo possible. I also may curse/use inappropriate language. If you find this offensive, fuck you. Just kidding. But seriously, don't read anything else then.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqwJKqxqtZn1lAJQ5hisKexwrGcu3gARVv7B2LmATIITbg2egPN9dQ8vZD6TKYATzSDrVAox1HoWpcmxP1XltTSgioAUagXaNJ1gO9T2lKTbWUBRvOrMcX-H8bugUrnGgfXeaSqNYmBkE/s1600/crabbing2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqwJKqxqtZn1lAJQ5hisKexwrGcu3gARVv7B2LmATIITbg2egPN9dQ8vZD6TKYATzSDrVAox1HoWpcmxP1XltTSgioAUagXaNJ1gO9T2lKTbWUBRvOrMcX-H8bugUrnGgfXeaSqNYmBkE/s320/crabbing2.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">me herping in Ocean City, Maryland</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">That was the introduction to the blog. Now for me: I've always loved animals. I've been "herping" as long as I could walk and pick up stuff. It started with bugs, but as I got a little older, my interest "evolved" from insects to amphibians, and I've been overly fascinated ever since. I was that kid who repeatedly checked out the same "Field Guide to Reptiles & Amphibians" books from the school library every time I went in there. I was in the bushes or lifting up rocks while my family was walking from Splash Mountain to the Haunted Mansion in Disney World. Standing around outside at house parties, I was the one to pick up the creature who wandered into the driveway lights sending people running, then started to explain science stuff to them about said creature. So basically, I'm a weirdo. I've had countless pets over the years, from exotic to conventional (a.k.a. normal). I'm also a hunter, which believe it or not, allows me to "kill" two birds with one stone (get it!? A hunting pun!) even while on a hunt. I basically love nature, and the woods, and peace and quiet. Flipping rocks near a creek on a mountain in the spring looking for salamanders just puts me in a good place. So this blog is a place for me to share (for those other weirdos or adoring fans whom are actually interested in this shit, too) some of those experiences that have made me smile, even just a little.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'll do my best with identifications and scientific names. Feel free to correct me if you see an actual error. I have no ego. At all. Ever....but if you correct me and I'm right, I'll find you and punch you in the throat.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This blog will also showcase my poor attempts at comedy. So, laugh. LAUGH.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I figured I'd start my first blog entry with some credentials other than me saying "I herp a lot." I've also never called it "herping" until very recently. It was always just "catching frogs" or "looking for newts" or "Hey! I caught this water snake! I wonder if it's poisonous. Stick out your hand..." After reading the aforementioned blog from the first paragraph, I figured it was how big boys referred to catching small animals with a butterfly net and rain boots. I've found some pretty cool species, and seem to have decent luck with it (especially recently). I don't really have a "life/bucket list" or whatever for species I'd like to find, but any time I come across something I've never encountered before, it's special and exciting to me. I also have a tendency to look for stuff no matter where I am. If I was pulled over on the side of the road waiting for AAA to tow my car, I'd be lifting old tires or wooden boards until they got there. Then I'd ask them to wait one more minute while I check this last log.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIXgrkFii-2LzHMjQ_toRh_SBBbUFH9-OBgDK5KK_at9vW4BeKlLWyZVFPgAqssLvYWXsAqdom7ctv_cMueMOWlnSx-bSp-vr0_W5virAosn0R0XW8mnsdTVpkK0pLNMOiDKhu5Blu3ck/s1600/herping+(4).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIXgrkFii-2LzHMjQ_toRh_SBBbUFH9-OBgDK5KK_at9vW4BeKlLWyZVFPgAqssLvYWXsAqdom7ctv_cMueMOWlnSx-bSp-vr0_W5virAosn0R0XW8mnsdTVpkK0pLNMOiDKhu5Blu3ck/s320/herping+(4).jpg" height="320" width="214" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Eastern Musk Turtle while fishing outside Philadelphia. He was very happy to be tricked into biting a worm on the line, then handled for photography</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Attached below are some random pictures taken of random critters throughout the years...randomly. They basically don't have a cool enough story to go along with them (or that I just found them whilst doing something else and not technically "herping"). </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZyc3_4S1qX5qDroJAy5kkz4vwBsIN8CxO5p7QZxvFZOJPsY_FzKxifYXqRS-Gv-V_DO1JJA1VtyGw4uYyg750WIgBoYcHx7_9zDzxfQHfP2ruGItkW1s9BS5uLPqaFazZeVjgfTl98co/s1600/herping+(7).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZyc3_4S1qX5qDroJAy5kkz4vwBsIN8CxO5p7QZxvFZOJPsY_FzKxifYXqRS-Gv-V_DO1JJA1VtyGw4uYyg750WIgBoYcHx7_9zDzxfQHfP2ruGItkW1s9BS5uLPqaFazZeVjgfTl98co/s320/herping+(7).JPG" height="320" width="213" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">a juvenile Garter snake from a flipped board in the Poconos. This was on a path near my grandfather's cabin while on a whitewater rafting trip</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_sWLhIio3jzuEHtQR1_v4ojIek49dFDa3s2igQyQIhsF1kKQCK8tF6S39wvnMJl08MKltM4nXvhg1sImFuBZt1pPcvUjRe-vlT09X6Id7UlHBHyPzmi4ZPJOgrVWWHsLVQUsumAN_d1k/s1600/toading.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_sWLhIio3jzuEHtQR1_v4ojIek49dFDa3s2igQyQIhsF1kKQCK8tF6S39wvnMJl08MKltM4nXvhg1sImFuBZt1pPcvUjRe-vlT09X6Id7UlHBHyPzmi4ZPJOgrVWWHsLVQUsumAN_d1k/s320/toading.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Fowler's Toad on a mini-golf course in Ocean City, Maryland, seconds before she pee'd in my hand.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So, that's all for now. Thanks for reading my first entry. I have plenty more where this came from! Until then, um...yup...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I need a catchphrase.</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02751672069847283932noreply@blogger.com0