Dates Of Visits: May 20 & June 19, 2017
Location: 1417 Park Street, Attleboro, MA
Hours: Trails are open daily dawn to dusk. Office hours are:
Summer:
Mon-Fri, 9:30 am-4:30 pm
Closed Sat & Sun
Spring, Fall, Winter:
Tues-Sat, 9:30 am-4:30 pm
Sun, 10 am-4 pm
Closed Mon
Cost: Free but a $2 donation is suggested for visitors who aren’t members of the Mass. Audubon Society
Parking: There is ample parking inthe main parking lot for about 40 to 50 vehicles.
Trail Size/Difficulty: 1.5 miles, easy
Handicapped Accessible: The nature center and rest rooms are handicapped accessible. The trails at Oak Knoll are not.
Dog friendly: No, most Audubon trails are not pet friendly
Highlights: wildlife, pond, easy trails, geo-caching, summer camp for children, nature center
Website: Oak Knoll Wildlife Sanctuary
Trail Map: Oak Knoll Wildlife Sanctuary Trail Map
Located about a mile and a half from Attleboro Springs Wildlife Sanctuary, Oak Knoll is a fun trail with with scenic views, abundant wildlife and a few other surprises along he way.
Spring was in the air and a rebirth of sorts was happening on the trails. During my first visit, I found these two Northern Water Snakes getting friendly. To be honest, I wasn’t really sure what I was looking at. But, I did think at the time I did hear the faint sounds of Al Green in the air. The naturalist at the nature center told me you could tell they were mating by their interlocked tails.
The Northern Water Snake can be dangerous. Although they usually tend to avoid confrontations, if they feel threatened the snake can bite their predator or perceived predator and their bites can require medical attention. This is why I always tend to keep my distance (these photos were taken with my telephoto lens) and from behind in most of the shots I took except for the one front facing photo.
During my second visit in June, I noticed this turtle on the trail. Since it is unusual for a turtle to be in the trail and its even more unusual for a turtle to not flee when they see a human (I could have pet the turtle I was so close although of course I never would at least not int he wild), I notified the naturalist since I thought maybe the turtle might be injured. The naturalist told me the turtle was most likely laying her eggs as they often do this away away from the water and it was that time of the year when turtles will lay their eggs.
The naturalist also informed me that turtles also tend to lay their eggs on warm areas, such as the side of paved roads. This is one of the reasons why turtles often get hit by cars on the side of the road. So, be careful while your driving this time of the year!
The trails at Oak Knoll are easy with some boardwalks that pass over red maple swamps and freshwater marshes. There are a few very slight inclines. But the trails are primarily very easy.
The main trail at Oak Knoll is a loop that leads to and circles around Lake Talaquega (say that 5 times fast). There are some pretty views of the lake along the way.
I also spotted this geocache off the trail. Apparently, a regular visitor at the sanctuary installs these geocaches from time to time.
There are a wide variety of birds and other critters at the sanctuary. This colorful insect is a six pointed tiger beetle. I think they call him Ringo.
There was also butterflies, garter snakes and a variety of birds.
The nature center at the entrance to the trails has amphibians in tanks that are being taken care of while they are rehabbed or are there for educational purposes, particularly for the children who are attending the summer camp they host. They also have some pretty flowers and trees on their grounds.
Today’s Nomad link of the day is the North Attleboro Fish Hatchery by Trails And Walks In Rhode Island. Trails And Walks offers informative and detailed summaries of different trails in and around the Rhode Island area. I appreciate the short but sweet synopsis of each trail and the posts always include one pretty photograph of the area. I may have also used the website to find some places to visit!
New England Nomad 