Manliness and Wildlife

Well, it was a great weekend for sure - lots of manly bonding in a house on a lake. It was a bachelor weekend lived hard by nine guys. It was also an opportunity for me to photograph nature. While I didn't take the same type of advantage I might have in other circumstances, I did manage to photograph some interesting things. I don't really have an overall message to get out with these, and so I may as well go ahead and share the pictures.

This is the house we stayed in, as photographed from the small dock.

A combination of evergreens and hardwoods lined the lake shore.

I hadn't been fishing in fresh water in a long time. This perch was caught by Matt, who had a heck of a day.

This smallmouth bass (Micropterus  dolomieu) was the highlight of my own catch. Between the two of us, we caught about a half-dozen species of fish.

The amphibians were out in force, including this Plethodon cinereus (red-backed salamander) which was hiding out under a board. We startled up a couple of species of frog as well.

I took a hike with Jamie, and these guys were all over the place. They are the juvenile stage of the Eastern newt (Notophthalmus viridescens); I have often heard them referred to as "red efts." This is the terrestrial stage of their development.

This baby raccoon was freaking out in front of the neighbors' porch Monday morning. We discovered him during a quick round of bocce. It made a sound unlike anything I've ever heard from a mammal - something of a raptor's screech tinged with complete terror. It's a shame that I had no idea how to safely help the little guy.

Experiencing nature wasn't really the fullest intent of the weekend. It was more of a male-bonding experience. Still, there's nothing like being outside in a rustic atmosphere to really heighten the testosterone. I think I freaked a couple of the dudes out by killing and eating my own meal (the bass shown above) but that itself was a pretty satisfying feat for a naturalist. Sustainable dining is always a plus.