Ophidian Oddity, Chapter 2

The mystery continues...
The limp form hanging from the tree is the snake featured in my post of January 3rd.  Something had brought it ashore but apparently wasn't interested in consuming it.  It was put up high to keep out of reach of inquisitive dogs.  Those same inquisitive dogs came across yet another snake yesterday morning.  The temperature was 28 degrees.  The snake was alive and wriggling across the newly-fallen snow on the pond's surface.

Otter Slide at Quabbin

On a recent snowshoe hike near Quabbin's Gate 30, I found this 30 foot
long otter slide. The otter had taken a shortcut up and over a spit of
land, and then slid all the way back down to the waterline.

Due to the recent high winds, most tracks were blown out and hard to
read, but we found lots of otter sign along the shore, and a huge number
of turkey tracks along the power line swath.

- Dan

Quabbin Bobcat

Here's another bobcat photo from Quabbin. This was taken in late
December, at the base of a rocky slope. The camera had been out for
about a month, and this was only the second time the bobcat passed
through the area. Three hours later, we arrived to collect the camera,
and found fresh bobcat tracks on the access road, on the rocks, and
along the shoreline.

- Dan

Red Shouldered Hawk

I captured a few pictures of a red shouldered hawk that was being harassed by
a family of crows outside my kitchen window. The picture of the spread opened
wings was a bit lucky. It might have been resting or hunting at the birdfeeder.

I really enjoy this blog and I am happy to contribute.

A.B. Testa

Porky Sign

Porcupine scat can be seen in the upper left of these shots taken at one of their denning sites.



Here's an additional photo snapped during that same time period of a bobcat that occasionally visited the area.

Ophidian Oddity

While on a walk alongside a frozen pond this morning, I came across this northern water snake.  I didn't go onto the ice to look, but from where I stood, it appeared intact and without injury.  Not sure what would cause a snake to come out of hibernation with temperatures as low as they've been.  This is the second unusual happening at this pond lately.  A few weeks ago, I noticed that dozens of bullfrog tadpoles were floating tail-less in the water.  Did a predator go into a feeding frenzy and dine on tender tails, or did a sickness cause them to die off?

Porcupine photo from remote camera

This is the best photo of a porcupine I got when I left the camera for
several weeks in a rocky/cliffy area in central MA last fall, when I got
the bobcat photo I posted on 12/1/2012. There was abundant porcupine
sign in the immediate area, including some dens with scat spilling out.