Beejay
05-21-03, 10:25 AM
<b>Our <a href="http://www.wildsofpelee.ca/">WILDS OF PELEE ISLAND</a> field herping trip.</b>
<i>Beejay's personal journal</i>
May 17, 2003 @ 10:38am
Dale and I slept on the livingroom floor and Jeff used the sofabed in the basement. At 3:45am Dale turned off my alarm clock and we all took off at 4:15am, excited about our trip to Pelee Island.
Jeff and Dale navigated while I amused myself in the back seat and soon we were on our way down the QEW towards Niagara Falls. Between chatting and being more concerned about making good time than being in the right place, we were all distracted from the fact that we were way off course.
It became pretty obvious, however, when we reached the duty-free shop at the Peace Bridge.
Dale went in to ask how to return to the highway and was told we had to go through customs, although we hadn't actually left Canada. The passenger side doorhandle was already busted, and when Dale returned he grabbed the driver side doorhandle and it also broke. So we had to remember to leave a window open at all times from then on, when we left the car.
Welcome to Canada. The woman asked us where we were going and Dale said we were doing a U-turn, since we got lost and were not prepared to enter New York. She asked the usual barrage of questions and since we had alcohol, and had the unusual excuse of thinking we were about to board a ferry to Pelee Island, we were asked to pull over for a search.
We stood for what must have been half an hour, pouring over a road atlas and checking our watches while the cops emptied our car, finding things that not even Dale was aware of under the seats. They finished digging through our stuff and had a bit of a chuckle over the fact that we were expecting to be in Leamington, not Buffalo.
we got on the road again and Jeff carefully navigated while Dale drove mock-10 to the ferry dock. When we reached the Welland canal the bridge was raised so we detoured there, and managed to make it to the 403 again in good time. We stopped for gas and to get coffee and only needed to foolow one more detour before making the ferry. We showed up, miraculously, exactly on time.
Jeff was in good spirits earlier when he announced, "Why waste your whole weekend touring Southern Ontario when you can do it all before 8-oclock!" Of course, that's when I lost it and was laughing so hard I was crying for about fifteen minutes. :D Dale added, "I'm so glad I got up super early just to drive mock-10 for six hours and still show up late." I had nothing more to add, as I was busy wiping tears from laughing at ourselves.
So here I sit now on the upper deck of the ferry, tired, hungry and jittery from too much coffee, listening to music.
@ 2:45pm - We spent some time unpacking the van while others went to the museum and herping along the shore near the ferry. They found several water snakes. When everyone returned or got to Ben's place, we setup tents, completed a hibernaculum that was started last year and pulled garlic mustards. Then we cut down trees for a fire break, planted some bushes and a few lucky herpers caught garters.
4:37pm. - Jeff H. is flaring up the barbecue for hotdogs and hamburgers. I'm grabbing a snack from the snack bag and will finish cleaning up along the firebreak now.
5:00pm. - Jordan started estimating how many Lake Erie water snakes were caught this morning and the consensus routs at about 20 caught, 50 spotted. We are about to eat and then go to the X. Dave S caught the first snakes of the day, 2 Lake Erie water snakes.
8:30pm. - We visited the X and looked at the protected area, then flipped tins and rocks. The protected area had lots of work done to it, the gravel path was worked on by the Federation of Ontario Naturalists group that is also at the Wilds of Pelee with us this weekend. Dave S found an Eastern Fox snake in the north hedgerow before we got in the van for X.
There were three more at the X, along with several garter snakes and four dekays. Jordan found a hatchling melanistic garter snake. I saw herons in a field, a scarlet tanager and a Yellow finch. Dan stayed behind to nap and even declined dessert! Jordan went to sleep early after offering everyone some candy (THANKS!). Hmm...there was a sign in Leamington at a large building on the west side of the main road while entering town that read, "Custom Killing." Wonder what that was all about.
May 18, 2003 @ 7:25am. - Last night a handful of us rebels stayed up late around the FON campfire. Dan, Stewart, Dave S, Dave L, Dale and I were happy to find that the FON guys were a young bunch. Last year there were a few generation gaps and we weren't as sociable. This morning we plan to go to X and shall attempt to find turtles, water snakes and garters, dekays, salamanders, etc.
12:30pm. Sean was sure to bring along his garlic and bay leaves (lol) and at X we caught:
Dan, Jamie, Crystal, Sean: 8 watersnakes, 9 garters
Stewart: painted turtle
Jordan (first herp found there): three hybrid blue spotted/smallmouth salamanders
Dave S. (second herp found there): Snapping turtle, 2 painteds
Dave L. painted turtle
Jef R.: Fox Snake
Crystal: red spotted newt
Dan: snapping turtle
I don't remember what I was doing, but I did bask a bit on the lookout deck while people brought me herps. lol I spent much time running between people calling in their finds on the radio so people could congregate to gawk.
The wet people changed in their tents (except for Jordan, I didn't really need to see that) and then we had sandwiches and soup, and cookies for lunch. I think we're going to the X. I gave Tony at FON some money for some wine since they're touring the winery.
3:07pm - I just had a nap and woke to find Dave S. napping and Dan as well. Jordan made me wake up laughing by exclaiming, "Who took all the pegs out of my tent??!! Beejay was that you? Did you see who did it?" No, I was asleep...but I could have easily seen it since he basically set up the tent overlapping mine ;)
7:35pm - At X we caught:
Jeff R. FIRST Blue Racer (although Jeff H. saw one just before at another location)
Beejay: Blue Racer
Jeff H.: Eastern Fox snake
Stewart: 2 garters
Some spotted salamanders by ?
And someone rustled up a wild turkey that flew at me :(
At X we caught:
Dave S., Dave L.: Blue Racer
Jordan, Sean, Derek: Blue Racer
Some spotted salamanders by ?
Catherine, Dan and I found a cottontail at the lighthouse and also walked halfway around Lake Henry to watch the carp, egrets and terns.
On the way back to the campsite, Dan entertained us with a story about how his mother had an unfortunate incindent in Costa Rica ;)
May 19, 2003 @ 6:24pm - This morning we had food and planted seeds. Well, everyone else did while I took down my tent. I was a little tired from being up late and having wine next door. Then we did a survey and found some garters and brown snakes, a fox snake and I'm not really sure what else. I stayed behind with Tony and Teddy as they packed their van for the noon ferry.
I napped in the Dan's tent, then in the van and we packed and headed to X for more herping. Dave, Stewart, Dan, and Derek got wet and caught two snappers and a tiny painted turtle. Jordan caught a seagull, Crystal held its legs and Jeff H. used Dale's Swiss army knife to work out a fishing lure and hook from its wing. It will probably die since it was already becoming infected.
We were dropped off at the ferry: Dale, Dave, Derek, Jason, Jeff R., Stewart and I. We hung out for awhile eating and enjoying the view and got on the road in Leamington without any problems. Our car window had been down all weekend long but with no rain, and no vandals, we were in luck.
The locals must have some pretty odd ideas about our activities....we disappear into the bush at undisclosed locations and create crop circles, deposit piles of rocks and leave odd formations of pruned twigs scattered about. hahahaha
** I had to leave a LOT out (ie. Jordan and Crystal were rumoured to have picked up ticks after we left)...including locations. But I'm sure somebody will have something to add to this thread!!!!!!!!
And I know lots of people have lots of photos!
My special heartfelt gratitude to Jeff Hathaway for organizing the trip, and to Betty for the AMAZING meals. It was a well organized trip and luck was with all weekend. I hope everyone enjoyed themselves as much as I did! My only regret was that more people couldn't come on the trip, but for those who are interested, there is an <a href="http://www.wildsofpelee.ca/esf.htm">Endangered Species Festival</a> coming up in September on Pelee Island.
<i>Beejay's personal journal</i>
May 17, 2003 @ 10:38am
Dale and I slept on the livingroom floor and Jeff used the sofabed in the basement. At 3:45am Dale turned off my alarm clock and we all took off at 4:15am, excited about our trip to Pelee Island.
Jeff and Dale navigated while I amused myself in the back seat and soon we were on our way down the QEW towards Niagara Falls. Between chatting and being more concerned about making good time than being in the right place, we were all distracted from the fact that we were way off course.
It became pretty obvious, however, when we reached the duty-free shop at the Peace Bridge.
Dale went in to ask how to return to the highway and was told we had to go through customs, although we hadn't actually left Canada. The passenger side doorhandle was already busted, and when Dale returned he grabbed the driver side doorhandle and it also broke. So we had to remember to leave a window open at all times from then on, when we left the car.
Welcome to Canada. The woman asked us where we were going and Dale said we were doing a U-turn, since we got lost and were not prepared to enter New York. She asked the usual barrage of questions and since we had alcohol, and had the unusual excuse of thinking we were about to board a ferry to Pelee Island, we were asked to pull over for a search.
We stood for what must have been half an hour, pouring over a road atlas and checking our watches while the cops emptied our car, finding things that not even Dale was aware of under the seats. They finished digging through our stuff and had a bit of a chuckle over the fact that we were expecting to be in Leamington, not Buffalo.
we got on the road again and Jeff carefully navigated while Dale drove mock-10 to the ferry dock. When we reached the Welland canal the bridge was raised so we detoured there, and managed to make it to the 403 again in good time. We stopped for gas and to get coffee and only needed to foolow one more detour before making the ferry. We showed up, miraculously, exactly on time.
Jeff was in good spirits earlier when he announced, "Why waste your whole weekend touring Southern Ontario when you can do it all before 8-oclock!" Of course, that's when I lost it and was laughing so hard I was crying for about fifteen minutes. :D Dale added, "I'm so glad I got up super early just to drive mock-10 for six hours and still show up late." I had nothing more to add, as I was busy wiping tears from laughing at ourselves.
So here I sit now on the upper deck of the ferry, tired, hungry and jittery from too much coffee, listening to music.
@ 2:45pm - We spent some time unpacking the van while others went to the museum and herping along the shore near the ferry. They found several water snakes. When everyone returned or got to Ben's place, we setup tents, completed a hibernaculum that was started last year and pulled garlic mustards. Then we cut down trees for a fire break, planted some bushes and a few lucky herpers caught garters.
4:37pm. - Jeff H. is flaring up the barbecue for hotdogs and hamburgers. I'm grabbing a snack from the snack bag and will finish cleaning up along the firebreak now.
5:00pm. - Jordan started estimating how many Lake Erie water snakes were caught this morning and the consensus routs at about 20 caught, 50 spotted. We are about to eat and then go to the X. Dave S caught the first snakes of the day, 2 Lake Erie water snakes.
8:30pm. - We visited the X and looked at the protected area, then flipped tins and rocks. The protected area had lots of work done to it, the gravel path was worked on by the Federation of Ontario Naturalists group that is also at the Wilds of Pelee with us this weekend. Dave S found an Eastern Fox snake in the north hedgerow before we got in the van for X.
There were three more at the X, along with several garter snakes and four dekays. Jordan found a hatchling melanistic garter snake. I saw herons in a field, a scarlet tanager and a Yellow finch. Dan stayed behind to nap and even declined dessert! Jordan went to sleep early after offering everyone some candy (THANKS!). Hmm...there was a sign in Leamington at a large building on the west side of the main road while entering town that read, "Custom Killing." Wonder what that was all about.
May 18, 2003 @ 7:25am. - Last night a handful of us rebels stayed up late around the FON campfire. Dan, Stewart, Dave S, Dave L, Dale and I were happy to find that the FON guys were a young bunch. Last year there were a few generation gaps and we weren't as sociable. This morning we plan to go to X and shall attempt to find turtles, water snakes and garters, dekays, salamanders, etc.
12:30pm. Sean was sure to bring along his garlic and bay leaves (lol) and at X we caught:
Dan, Jamie, Crystal, Sean: 8 watersnakes, 9 garters
Stewart: painted turtle
Jordan (first herp found there): three hybrid blue spotted/smallmouth salamanders
Dave S. (second herp found there): Snapping turtle, 2 painteds
Dave L. painted turtle
Jef R.: Fox Snake
Crystal: red spotted newt
Dan: snapping turtle
I don't remember what I was doing, but I did bask a bit on the lookout deck while people brought me herps. lol I spent much time running between people calling in their finds on the radio so people could congregate to gawk.
The wet people changed in their tents (except for Jordan, I didn't really need to see that) and then we had sandwiches and soup, and cookies for lunch. I think we're going to the X. I gave Tony at FON some money for some wine since they're touring the winery.
3:07pm - I just had a nap and woke to find Dave S. napping and Dan as well. Jordan made me wake up laughing by exclaiming, "Who took all the pegs out of my tent??!! Beejay was that you? Did you see who did it?" No, I was asleep...but I could have easily seen it since he basically set up the tent overlapping mine ;)
7:35pm - At X we caught:
Jeff R. FIRST Blue Racer (although Jeff H. saw one just before at another location)
Beejay: Blue Racer
Jeff H.: Eastern Fox snake
Stewart: 2 garters
Some spotted salamanders by ?
And someone rustled up a wild turkey that flew at me :(
At X we caught:
Dave S., Dave L.: Blue Racer
Jordan, Sean, Derek: Blue Racer
Some spotted salamanders by ?
Catherine, Dan and I found a cottontail at the lighthouse and also walked halfway around Lake Henry to watch the carp, egrets and terns.
On the way back to the campsite, Dan entertained us with a story about how his mother had an unfortunate incindent in Costa Rica ;)
May 19, 2003 @ 6:24pm - This morning we had food and planted seeds. Well, everyone else did while I took down my tent. I was a little tired from being up late and having wine next door. Then we did a survey and found some garters and brown snakes, a fox snake and I'm not really sure what else. I stayed behind with Tony and Teddy as they packed their van for the noon ferry.
I napped in the Dan's tent, then in the van and we packed and headed to X for more herping. Dave, Stewart, Dan, and Derek got wet and caught two snappers and a tiny painted turtle. Jordan caught a seagull, Crystal held its legs and Jeff H. used Dale's Swiss army knife to work out a fishing lure and hook from its wing. It will probably die since it was already becoming infected.
We were dropped off at the ferry: Dale, Dave, Derek, Jason, Jeff R., Stewart and I. We hung out for awhile eating and enjoying the view and got on the road in Leamington without any problems. Our car window had been down all weekend long but with no rain, and no vandals, we were in luck.
The locals must have some pretty odd ideas about our activities....we disappear into the bush at undisclosed locations and create crop circles, deposit piles of rocks and leave odd formations of pruned twigs scattered about. hahahaha
** I had to leave a LOT out (ie. Jordan and Crystal were rumoured to have picked up ticks after we left)...including locations. But I'm sure somebody will have something to add to this thread!!!!!!!!
And I know lots of people have lots of photos!
My special heartfelt gratitude to Jeff Hathaway for organizing the trip, and to Betty for the AMAZING meals. It was a well organized trip and luck was with all weekend. I hope everyone enjoyed themselves as much as I did! My only regret was that more people couldn't come on the trip, but for those who are interested, there is an <a href="http://www.wildsofpelee.ca/esf.htm">Endangered Species Festival</a> coming up in September on Pelee Island.