Northern Watersnakes

Last week I went to Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge in hopes of getting some frog and turtle pictures, but neither was around that day in any numbers. A couple people told me about "snakes" along a part of the boardwalk, so I went along the boardwalk fairly slowly to see if I could spot them.

The snakes made the trip worthwhile. Ultimately I would see approximately 20 Northern Watersnakes out attempting to sun themselves (and maybe do some fraternizing). (It was overcast, and even rained lightly this day.) One thing that a clumsy photographer like me can appreciate is that the snakes were fairly willing to let me take pictures; I think only one snake dived into the water to avoid me.

Here are pictures of the first 2 snakes I saw.

April 14, 2021 at Great Swamp
Photo 121032491, (c) jpviolette, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)

April 14, 2021 at Great Swamp
Photo 121032520, (c) jpviolette, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)

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