Another great night! I’m so glad I bought the chest waders because I’ve been able to see so much diversity in this pond then if I was just walking around the perimeter. Temps were in the upper 60s during the day and went into the 50s at night. It was nice to get there before sundown for a change, but I found that it is much easier moving about when it is dark. When it is dark, I follow the deer trails which really stick out. For the most part they don’t go through pricker bushes. Frogs don’t seem to mind a flashlight at night but a whole pond will go silent if they see you walking close by. I cannot wait until the Green frogs start calling. I have recorded a pond full of them doing their aggressive or warning call when a raccoon was scrounging around, but shining a flash light on them just quiets them down until they get used to it. I finally saw some fish in the pond, looked like some small Crappies, maybe 4″ tops. The highlight of the night was the Spiny Softshell turtle that I almost stepped on! It was an adult with an 18″ or so shell. A little bigger then the 6 snapping turtles I saw sharing the pond. I immediately knew what it was because of the longer snout, smooth shell and color pattern. It was among the vegetation mat so the only good shot was of it’s head through a clearing. The Pickerels are still calling strong, though one Leopard frog missed the party and called sporadically. Peepers all over, a few Grey Tree frogs and a Green frog occasionally. Buy the vernal pool, I only heard one Midland Chorus frog. The American toads were calling stronger from the vernal pool in the old canal bed and from a vernal pool a little deeper in the woods. The were calling so strong from the pond when the weather broke 2 weeks ago, and I had to wonder if all of the snappers and softshell turtles picked them off. Unlike the Pickerels and Leopards, the toads would call from more open areas. With songs that can last 10 second or longer, I’m positive the snappers would be able to easily locate them. Toads also create a visible sound pressure wave on the surface of the water when they call. It has to be like a bright blinky advertising light to anything in the vicinity!

Male Spring Peeper. This one stopped calling before I took the picture. You can tell because his air sac under his jaw is deflated.

One of 6 Snapping turtles hanging out in the pond. They were all found where the frogs were calling from. LIVE ACTION!

Here’s a Pickerel frog calling from inside a canopy of cat tail leaves.

This one is a Soft shell Turtle. It can be differentiated from the snapping pictures by the elongated head, yellow stripes and longer snout. It was a real good size and a complete surprise, as they are uncommon in this area. I have only seen them in the Hocking Hills area.

Nose to nose with a Pickerel frog.

This one is a female Bull frog. The female’s ears are about the same size as their eyes. Good luck getting this close during the day!

I saw several Red Spotted Newts in the pond.

The Pickerel frogs air sacs are by the cheeks, unlike a Spring Peeper or American Toad whose are under their jaw.

A leopard frog with some bright green coloring. They are finished calling and the Pickerels are now going strong. Leopards have rounded random spots and Pickerel frogs have more squarish spots in rows down their backs.

This snapping turtle came by to check me out. It would move closer when I would move. When it was about a foot away, it got spooked and went nose first into the vegetation and mud. I think this is why Turtle Man can catch them bare handed in the swamps, because he reaches under the tail where they can’t swing around and get him. I wasn’t about to try, I have enough problems with my feet working anymore, I don’t need to go loosing fingers!