Weekend Preparation

In preparation for this weekend's hike to Old Rag Mountain, I wanted to get a few miles in, just to make sure my legs didn't rest all week. Going to my usual spot, this time after my summer classes finished for the day, I got to the Northwest River Park around 4 o'clock. I figured I'd just do a simple 4 mile hike as to not really push it before the upcoming 10 mile excursion. As usual, I didn't see much for the first portion of the trail, either because this area just lacks wildlife, or because my eyes had not fully adjusted to the differing light than my computer screen &/or books provide to me during the rest of the day. Once I got to the picnic area along the river, as usual, this changed. First there was a beautiful immature Five-lined Skink running across the boardwalk, then it was a Green Snake that ran off before I could even get my camera out. But, the one I never thought I'd see around the park showed itself, very unexpectedly (enlarge the image & see if you can spot it, or just look farther down this page):


This was the first time I'd ever seen one of these deadly animals in the park, and only the 3rd time in my life I've come across one in the wild. I leaned in about as close as I'd ever want to get the shots, probably less then three or four feet, out of striking distance, seeing as how I don't have my own tv show with an off camera medical team waiting at my convenience. Even up close it's hard to spot the Copperhead, it was amazing to see just how well it blended into the leaf litter on the forest floor.


And, just one more photo to give a close-up of the viper-styled head:


After this, I assumed my good luck for the day had shown itself, and it'd be the usual from here on out as I walked down the shuttle trail toward Deer Island & the power bridge. Seeing Titmice, warblers, thrushes, and other small songbirds, as well as the ever-present Pileated Woodpecker & smaller woodpeckers that inhabit the park, it seemed that my assumption was correct. But, again, I was surprised by a rush of feather & wing while crossing the power bridge as a Green Heron erupted from the brushline & landed in a nearby tree. For about 10 minutes I tried to get into a position where I could get a photo, but was unable to get a shot where he was visible. I decided to pack it in, head back to the car, and rest up for Saturday's early morning exodus from the Tidewater Area. Next stop, Shenandoah!

3 Days, 3 Parks

For the first time in a while, the tidewater area saw beautiful weather for the entirety of the weekend. This rarity allowed me to travel to a different park to hike on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. I kicked off the weekend immediately after work with a trip down to the Northwest River Park in Chesapeake. On average, I visit this park roughly 2-3 times during the workweek due to it's convenient location away from the major rush hour traffic areas. Like usual, the Ground Skinks were all over the place, darting from one leaf to the next, and making quite a raucous in the process. The turtles were back out, basking in the bright sunshine on the pond, and the masses of frog & toad eggs that I've seen in the shallows had now disappeared, and left thousands of small tadpoles in their wake. Walking the normal loop around the park, I continued along the Indian Creek Trail, where I'd seen several deer earlier in the week. No deer were to be found this time around, but I was able to find a Red-bellied Watersnake coiled up next to the trail to snap this photo of:


After this encounter, I finished up the day's hike, and headed home for some sleep to rest up for the next one. Fortunately for me, the next one came right as I woke up on Saturday when I headed up to First Landing State Park in Virginia Beach. Arriving fairly early in the morning, and parking down near the 64th Street entrance I walked into the park and down the Long Creek Trail towards White Hill Lake. The first thing I noticed along the trail was the abundance of baby toads hopping all over the place. Trying my best not to step on the little guys I moved onward. When I reached the junction with the Osprey Trail, I took it so I could walk along the tidal marshes & potentially see some turtles and snakes. No sooner had I taken the trail then I found a Spotted Turtle crossing the middle of the sandy passage.


To illustrate how small these turtles really are, I provided the above photograph with my hand being the reference. Please note that this is a full grown adult, not an immature as it would appear. I set the turtle back down on the other side of the trail, and it continued off into the woods. The remainder of the Osprey Trail held true to it's name, as several Osprey nests were clearly visible, as were a half dozen of the birds soaring high above scouting for fish. The trails passes over two small bridges over tidal creeks. In each of these creeks' drainage area, a large Osprey nest sits supreme to allow visibility over the surrounding terrain:


Also in the nearby area, several small sandpipers of uncertain species were hunting along the water's edge. Also, several species of woodpeckers could be heard or seen, including Pileated, and Red-bellied. From here, the trail rejoins with the Long Creek Trail in the area known mostly as White Hill. The hill is the highest spot within the park, and provides some nice views of both Broad Bay to the south, and White Hill Lake to the north (see photo below).


I decided to turn back towards where I'd started from with the hope of finding the nesting Great Blue Herons I'd seen nearby last spring, but unfortunately they had either not arrived yet, or I'd missed them. Not long after passing their spot, a passerby explained how they'd seen a Gray Fox cross the path nearby, however it never did show itself to me. I've yet to see them in the park, but they are definitely populous in the region. The remainder of the trail yielded some Five-lined Skinks, as well as many songbirds, but before long, I was back, and would have to wait till the following day before heading out somewhere else to hike.

The final day of the weekend provided yet another beautiful day to spend outdoors. This time, remembering how much fun I had the past weekend, I headed back to North Carolina's Merchants Millpond State Park in the hopes of seeing some wildlife. Though I didn't realize it at the time, I would go home even more excited than the previous time. Starting again from the Canoe Launch & Rental area, I worked my way to the spillway bridge, and the first animal I came across was something I didn't expect to see. A Blue Crab was swimming under the spillway; I hadn't yet realized that the water here was so near sea level that the crabs could navigate all the way from the Albemarle Sound to reach it. Passing the spillway and starting on the Lassiter Trail, I again encountered several Yellow-bellied Sliders that were digging trenches to lay their eggs in. Along with the sliders, an abundance of Five-lined Skinks & Ground Skinks kept my ears occupied at almost every step till I could reach the dock jutting out into the millpond:


Moving on, I decided to take the Lassiter Trail in the clockwise direction this time, which would lead up over the high ground of the park before joining back with the shore of the millpond. As it were, I didn't see very much of anything while on the high ground, except a few Summer Tanagers, and several woodpeckers, one that I believe to have been a Red-cockaded Woodpecker, and another that was most likely a Hairy woodpecker. One day I'll get a camera that can handle bird photography, but until then all I can is save up. As I rounded the far eastern sweep of the trail, the wildlife started popping out. First was this Yellow-bellied Slider:


Several other sliders were seen over the course of the next mile or so, as the trail passes through an old fire-burned area featuring a large amount of sandy ground. I noticed probably a dozen or so places where holes had been dug and broken turtle eggs were laying nearby. I'd guess a fox was responsible, since they were the usual suspect in Minnesota, I don't see why it'd be any different down here. Next up on the wildlife platter was a couple of Eastern Box Turtles that were foraging in the underbrush, one eating a slug, the other keeping watch:


Although not as vibrant in color as some Box Turtles, these ones were just as friendly, sitting unafraid and continuing on their merry way as if I'd never even been there. The abundance of active reptiles didn't stop here however. As I was nearing a point on the north end of the millpond I decided to step off the trail to get closer to the water for a photo. Just as I stepped off the trail, a Rat Snake shot out from underneath where my next footstep would have fallen. After I jumped out of my skin, I tried to get close enough to him to take a photo. At about 5 feet or so away, I was taking the shot, just as I heard something I'd never heard before. The snake was shaking the last 8 or so inches of his tail through the air, causing a loud humming sound, it was almost like watching a hummingbird's wings. I'd never heard of a snake other then a rattlesnake doing this, so I decided not to get any closer as the snake was obviously not happy with my presence. I took a photo, and just as I did the snake thrashed backward, and was out of sight within seconds.


Feeling slightly unnerved by the speed with which the snake disappeared, and knowing how angry it must have been, I think my next encounter's photograph might be taken from a farther distance. Continuing on the reptile rampage, I was able to capture a photograph of a small Five-lined Skink that was sunning on the end of a sawcut log:


At this point, I couldn't believe all the animals that were literally popping out of the woodwork today. Arriving back at the spillway, yet again, I looked down on the riprap at the base, and noticed a 3-4 foot Water Mocassin sunning itself on the rocks. As I took my camera out of my pocket and waited for it to turn on, the snake became aware of me, and literally rolled off the rocks into the water, to never be seen again. Although I wasn't able to photograph this one, I had snapped this shot of one last year at First Landing State Park, just to illustrate the look of the most poisonous snake in the area:


With the disappearance of the snake, I decided to head back to the car, and quite frankly, after the 7-8 mile hike, I was exhausted, and out of the 2L water bottle I'd brought with. Now I can only look forward to next weekend, where if all goes according to plan, I'll be in the Blue Ridge Mountains making my first ascent of Old Rag Mountain, supposedly one of the most scenic hikes in the Mid-Atlantic region.

Northwest River Park, VA

I'm starting to realize that there's no better way to spend a spring weeknight than speeding away from work at 4, throwing on some already dirty hiking clothes, and heading out the door en route to a nearby park. With today's sunny weather, and the temperature hovering in the mid 60's, it was impossible to not do just that. With the weather staying cool the past few days, I figured my chances of seeing any reptiles or amphibians wouldn't be great (at least, not like Saturday), and for the first couple miles this thought process proved unfortunately correct.

(Five-lined Skink at the park, taken 4/26/08)

Following through with my normal circuit of the Northwest River Park in Chesapeake, VA, I started with the Molly Mitchell trail. The trail was littered with debris brought down in the extreme wind Hampton Roads has gotten in the past several days, and in several places the trails were still completely blocked by fell trees. Seeing almost nothing in the way of wildlife along the trail, I started to think that at least I was getting some exercise and breathing some cleaner air than Virginia Beach can provide me. After hitting the gravel shuttle road and ducking into the Otter Point Trail, I finally started seeing some things. First off was an everyday American Toad, (photo below taken 4/24/08), but it caught me by surprise so I was pretty happy to see anything.

Not long after I saw the only Ground Skink of the day, and as always, caught it & tried taking photos, which unfortunately couldn't focus on the 2" lizard with any success. I'm not used to seeing only one of the little guys since usually I probably see, or hear, a hundred or more in a day's walk through the bottomland forests of the park. Just before the Otter Point Trail hits the picnic area along the Northwest River itself I spotted a couple White-tailed Deer about fifty yards off the trail standing with the ears up, staring my direction. Just another of those moments where even I'm wondering how I managed to stop at that instant, look in that direction, and pick them out against the background. Like I always think, it's just caveman's instinct... When I reached the shuttle trail & picnic area, I noticed the usual Crayfish burrows in the ditches along the gravel road. If it hadn't have been for digging one up & actually finding a Crayfish at the bottom 2 years ago, I'd still not believe it. These delicious crustaceans construct these mounds out of clay before the ditch they inhabit dries up completely. By trapping a column of water 2 or 3 feet deep, the crayfish ensures its own survival during dry spells. Up north, the crayfish just lived in lakes, who knew.

Next up on the walk was the Marjorie Rein Walkway which passes over the top of a cypress swamp & floodplain. Here I saw a Common Yellowthroat cruise over the boardwalk and disappear into the underbrush. Saturday was the first time I'd ever seen one of these birds, and now, 50 miles away, I saw another one. They must be making their spring migration through the area right about now, so hopefully I'll continue to see them. This area is where the park offers its best view of the Northwest River so I took a few minutes to get some water, and take a few photos. Afterwards, I kept heading clockwise along the Indian Creek Trail, and spooked another deer. This one didn't stick around long, and instead bound away, huffing & puffing along the way (really was huffing). Aside from that deer, the remainder of the ~5 mile circuit brought a few Pileated Woodpeckers, a Great Blue Heron, and multiple Thrushes & assorted songbirds. For just a couple hours out, I showed myself yet again that you don't have to venture far from home to see some interesting things, and that yet again my initial statement is holding truthful.

Merchants Millpond State Park, NC

Due to the poor weather in the tidewater area this morning, I decided to head southward to Merchants Millpond State Park in Gates County, NC to do some sunny weather hiking to kick off my weekend. I opted to take the "Lassiter Trail" (~7 miles) as I'd done this past October, so I parked at the canoe headquarters and began my hike. After just the first few minutes of walking, the 65 mile drive had already become well worth it. While crossing the spillway, a small mink ran across the road directly in front of me and disappeared into the brush on the west side of the street. Already excited by just having seen that, I kept going and just moments later ran into a Yellow-bellied Slider on the roadside. I hadn't thought about it prior, but it was obvious now that the sliders were laying their eggs in soft sand wherever they could find it. As it would turn out, I saw about five such turtles in places I'm not accustomed to seeing them, all digging out for egglaying.

Continuing on the trail after taking a few photographs of the turtles, I caught a glimpse of black snake just before it sped away with all its might. I wasn't sure at the time whether it was some sort of racer or something else, but as I'd soon discover, it was more likely a Rat Snake, as I ran into three more in the next 2 miles of walking, one of which was calm enough to let me within about two feet to take a few photos.

Not only were the turtles, and snakes out in mass, but also another group of reptiles: the lizards. I've gotten fairly used to hearing the scurrying Ground Skinks everywhere I hike, and am now almost immune to their sound. However, today I got to see some lizards I don't see everyday, and, since I still act like a little kid when I'm out in the woods, I had to catch at least one for the day to be a good one:

Although the photo does no justice to this little guy, due in part to the fact that it's pretty difficult to hold something in one hand while taking photos from the other, he was definitely a colorful lizard. This is a Northern Fence Lizard, with beautiful blue throat patches, and a camouflage back pattern. I've yet to see any in the tidewater area, but it seems they were fairly common to this millpond region as I'd seen quite a few just today. I also was fortunate enough to see another type of lizard, which appeared from what I can figure, to be Common Tree Lizards:

I may be incorrect with my species assumption. Not many Minnesotans know their lizard types since, well, there's none up there, although I'm trying to learn. The only group of reptiles I didn't see today was the Alligator, which is said to inhabit the millpond, although I've not yet seen any. Aside from reptiles, bird life was abundant, and although my current camera, and my lack of speed with it, are inadequate for bird photography, I at least got to see several very beautiful species including: Summer Tanager, Common Yellowthroat, Eastern Towhee, Pileated Woodpecker, Brown Trasher, Eastern Kingbird, and various other warblers whose identity will have driven me mad if I'd tried to figure it out much longer. All in all, it was an extremely successful & beautiful day of hiking, and I hope to get back down Carolina way in the near future.