Estivation

That's my excuse for not posting in over a month. It's been too hot and humid for my liking. I've been plagued by bug bites. Mind you I still see the visual remains of a deer fly bite over a month old. It seems we've hit by heat wave after heat wave, which caused me to officially say that summer is my least favorite season. It's not a popular stance, but I'll take ole man winter any day.

After the busy and crazy spring, I did manage a mini vacation up to Vermont. That's most of my pics on this post. Our drive up was in a 48 degree night and our day drive back to NJ topped 100 degrees. It was even getting hot for VT. I had to pack for every weather condition. I always enjoy the summer VT trips were we have campfires and the weather is pleasant. This year the bugs seemed to be on full attack but I came prepared with my spray. Last summer I found the neighbors' dog on our driveway and this year was no different. Kayla showed up at our door one evening and I'm beginning to think her owners somewhat neglect her. Apparently they sent her on the porch because she was shedding too much. Next year I'll try to have hang out a little longer and get some attention that she deserves.

In the beginning of June, I received my fifth painted turtle hatchling. Hazelnut 2 is its name. I've even got some members of my office using my names. Hazelnut 1 was caught and immediately released...hence Hazelnut 2. Hazelnut 2 was immediately different. It ate a worm...when my other turtlets were afraid. When I pulled Hazelnut 2 out of it's travel container (where it ate the worm), there was some debris on the side of its head. I tried to remove it and Hazelnut 2 repeatedly tried to bite me. I've never had that happen before. Hazelnut 2 is a pig of an eater and eats like 20 pellets as compared to like 5 pellets of the previous turtlets. Surprise surprise Hazelnut 2 tried to bite me again when I measured it, but has since calmed down. Yesterday morning it even swam to the center of the tank with its head out of the water when I getting ready to feed it. That's a first. I think of all the turtlets I've raised, Hazelnut 2 has the best chance of survial to adulthood. In the meantime, I'll keep fattening it up until fall when it'll get its freedom.

A sweet surprise

I came home from work today and was checking on my plants on the deck when I spotted this silent lurker. I had seen a doe and a fawn a couple nights before so I can only assume it's the same fawn. I gave the fawn some perils of wisdom like look both ways before crossing any street. But I guess it was too much for it and when I turned my back it scampered deeper into the bushes. I resisted the temptation to get a closer look on the ground and left the little one to relax in this hot and steamy afternoon.

Dumpster diving

It was not the typical monday morning. We had a visitor to my office dumpster who helped themselves to our trash. The plastic flaps on the dumpster (now destroyed) and open gate made it an easy target. A bunch of us gathered around and gawked at it until the landscapers' truck drove up to it and scared it off. Everyone except me went back in the office. I just had to get a closer look with my camera. Sure enough the culprit was relaxing along the treeline waiting for another opening so that it could continue its breakfast. The landscapers felt the need to try to warn me. Surely I wasn't around to take out some trash considering I was holding my camera in fully ready mode. Then the garbageman showed up so the landscapers had to back out and I alerted the garbageman of the bear. Of course, neither the landscapers nor the garbageman picked up the trash and so the bear, I'm told, came back. As I left for the field, there was a trail of trash leading to the woods. And we wonder why bears are a problem. It's like leaving a pile of cookies and candy on the counter at work. People will swarm in and help themselves without abandon. But I think I'll be taking the scenic route to my parking spot each day to cruise by the dumpster. Side note - The copy repairman was so scared of the bear he spent 45 minutes in his car. Apparently he couldn't just drive to a different part of the parking lot to avoid the bear.



But my bear stories don't end there. I ventured to bear country and had to do a turtle survey. There was a couple of recent bear dumps as we walked in. Add to that chomped skunk cabbage and cattail. Both usual sights. But today, throw in some nice and very clear bear prints. We all separated as we searched. I was in a tucked in spot along the woods. I then spotted an unusual tree sapling and was yelling out to the others about it. Then I heard a large crash and a huff very close in the woods. I couldn't see anything and I didn't hear any running. So my gut said "Bear, not deer!" I quickly rejoined the group and told of my observation. Needless to say none of the guys ventured over to that part for the rest of the afternoon. Their excuses were "You covered that area so well" or "There was just not enough time." I think we know the real reason.

More visitors

The camera has been put back up, but I'm not the one who's been checking it. Work has been way to busy and it's really a one person job since you swap out the spent battery with a freshly charged battery. It had been put up in late fall when my coworker discovered it on the ground and all the metal hook of the bungee cords all stretched out. Unfortunately no pictures or videos had been taken of this attack, but it clearly was the work of a bear. Maybe it was this bear in the top photo. I'm told that after this bear photo, a blurry bear snuffle pic was taken.

In the meantime, turtle season is in full swing. So far I've had a banner year of catching spotted turtles. I think I have like 13 spotted turtles. I'll be back out this weekend if the weather holds.

Babe central

I unearthed these youngsters underneath a rotten log. You got two red efts and one leadback salamander (which is just a color variant of the usual redback salamander). The red efts are the pre-teen stage of the red-spotted newts. These youngsters roam around in search of new ponds and you often see them after a rain. This week we found a couple on the surface of a pond just floating by, which was quite strange. Often these reach adult, they become olive in color and totally aquatic. I wonder if the remember the good ole days of roaming around on land.

Seeing spots

The turtle preseason is fully on its way. I hit the jackpot in my secret land that currently resembles glacial lake passaic. See photo at the very bottom. But once you get past the first ocean, it's an oasis of nature that's rarely sees people. I've had a rare owl there on my last brief outing there. I even heard the owl briefly call in the middle of the day, which is unusual but not unheard of. Today I found 5 spotted turtles. The last turtle I even sprinted across part of the lake. Of course it plopped into the water and I thought it was long gone. But a few seconds later a turtle head came to the surface and I grabbed it. One turtle that I did miss (but see it's butt) caused me to plant my butt and sleeved arm up to my elbow in cold water. Nevermind the clipboard that came undone with piles of semi wet paper strewn about. I taught myself a new turtle finding technique. Since I was in crunchy dry vegetation, I could see and hear when a turtle was moving and would sprinto to that location and find the turtle. So it was a great but tiring day and my hand tan is full swing.

Prepare the ark

From this past Friday to late Monday it rained. The next town over got 7 inches. Mind you before the rain, all the snowpack had melted and the rivers and streams were full or were already flooding. I ventured out on Saturday afternoon and it was not nice. Wind gusts up to 50 mph, nonstop horizontal rain, and umbrellas were mostly inverted. Branches had fallen on powerlines and lake sized puddles were already invading the road I hunkered down at home and relaxed. Then a knock comes at my door at 10:30 pm. I'm in my pjs and see that there's some sort of commotion going on in the basement. I then see that there's an inactive pump and the basement is flooded. It's never happened while I lived here, but I had seen evidence that the basement had been flooded before. I slap on one of my 4 pairs of rubber knee boots with pjs and scope out the situation in my individual basement. Thankfully it wasn't completely flooded and I rolled up the carpet and lifted anything that could be damaged off the ground. But the trough around the perimeter of the basement was full of water and overflowing onto the floor. I had an inch or so in spots. My neighbors were less fortunate since their basements were jammed full of junk that doesn't do well in water.

The maintenence guys then make an appearance and I still don't fully understand the situation. I really can't blame then since they were soaking wet even with rain gear. I also don't recommend using a towel as a rain hat. Point being was that they thought it was pointless to pump the basement since water just keeps coming in. But that they would come around and pump if the water got too high. Thankfully by morning the water had mostly drained or had been pumped and only a puddle was left in my basement. It's still very damp down there and my dehumidifier is making a rare spring appearance. It's all so strange since I've never even had a drop of water down there during large rain events. Not sure why it was an all or nothing situation.


On sunday afternoon, I just had to get out of the house and run some errands. Very quickly I realize that most of the next town over is under water. Here's some shots I took today (Tuesday) and water has dropped enough that they are allowing cars on the main road.

The below road is still undriveable, but it makes a good rafting spot. That's a raft in the middle of the road there.

Here's another road closed. It sure makes you figure out new ways to get around.
Of course I have a ton of field work to do in this town, but it just going to have to wait under the water goes down.