Search found 161 matches

by Steve Barten
December 17th, 2017, 6:03 pm
Forum: Bird Forum
Topic: Basically I was called full of mierda...
Replies: 11
Views: 26206

Re: Basically I was called full of mierda...

Late to the party, but I offer another perspective. I was in Ramsey Canyon in the Huachuca Mountains with my family a number of years ago. I happened to be in the office when a tourist ran is exclaiming, "I saw the trogon! I saw the trogon!" (The iconic bird of the Huachucas that everyone ...
by Steve Barten
October 2nd, 2017, 3:48 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Michigan: 2018 Recap
Replies: 5
Views: 5134

Re: Michigan: 2018 Recap

Outstanding photography, thanks for sharing this. Looks like you had a great year with lots of field time.
by Steve Barten
March 11th, 2017, 6:47 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: 2016 Wisconsin, Texas, MO, IL
Replies: 11
Views: 8736

Re: 2016 Wisconsin, Texas, MO, IL

Excellent post, you sure had an epic year. I really enjoyed that so many of your great photos were in situ shots.
by Steve Barten
December 28th, 2016, 6:51 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: EOY 2016 (Grand Cayman, NC, Snake Road)
Replies: 4
Views: 3563

EOY 2016 (Grand Cayman, NC, Snake Road)

EOY 2016 (Grand Cayman, NC, Snake Road) In February I visited Grand Cayman and posted a full FHF report here: http://www.fieldherpforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=23204 I saw a ton of Blue Iguanas, Cyclura lewisi , and participated in health screens and release of captive-bred, head-started j...
by Steve Barten
December 19th, 2016, 1:53 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: 2016 Year in Review
Replies: 10
Views: 8755

Re: 2016 Year in Review

Should have ended the post with *mike drop* One of the best posts ever seen on FHF. You are an artist and master photographer, and your subjects are species that top the bucket lists of virtually every viewer of this forum. But to see all that in one year? Incredible! I know several of those are sti...
by Steve Barten
September 4th, 2016, 7:47 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Peruvian Amazon, July-August 2016
Replies: 6
Views: 4666

Re: Peruvian Amazon, July-August 2016

Outstanding photography. The macaw photo is really special.
by Steve Barten
June 12th, 2016, 8:55 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Post photos of wild herps feeding
Replies: 56
Views: 49648

Re: Post photos of wild herps feeding

To keep this thread going, here are a few more. An oldie but a goodie, first posted a while ago: Red Milksnake and a woodland vole, Southern IL, Sept 2007. I heard squeaking in the leaf litter, saw a leaf move, and lifted it to find this: https://photos.smugmug.com/Herping/i-x2XKcV7/0/L/RedMilk%201%...
by Steve Barten
April 5th, 2016, 4:06 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Peruvian Amazonia 2016, part 2 of 3: Madre Selva
Replies: 7
Views: 8983

Re: Peruvian Amazonia 2016, part 2 of 3: Madre Selva

Looks like a great trip. You certainly saw a variety of critters and your photography is excellent. I really enjoyed your narrative as well, explaining how to ID various species and also some natural history. I'm looking forward to the next installment.
by Steve Barten
March 13th, 2016, 8:24 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: So Many Blue Iguanas
Replies: 4
Views: 4114

Re: So Many Blue Iguanas

Thanks John and mrhoyo. The blue iguanas are limited to the botanic park and the inaccessible, remote and rugged east end. Invasive green iguanas, on the other hand, are throughout the most populous parts of the island, including all of George Town. You see them crossing roads, DOR, and perched on t...
by Steve Barten
March 10th, 2016, 3:21 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: So Many Blue Iguanas
Replies: 4
Views: 4114

So Many Blue Iguanas

So Many Blue Iguanas In February I taught a week-long class at St. Matthews University on Grand Cayman Island. One of the highlights of any trip to Grand Cayman is to see the endemic Blue Iguanas, Cyclura lewisi , at the Queen Elizabeth Botanic Park. https://stevebarten.smugmug.com/Grand-Cayman/i-2d...
by Steve Barten
February 1st, 2016, 4:58 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Field Herping Arizona 2015
Replies: 4
Views: 3273

Re: Field Herping Arizona 2015

Epic post, great photography. What a year you had!
by Steve Barten
January 13th, 2016, 2:47 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Summer 2015 (GA, AL, TN, SC, NM, TX)
Replies: 8
Views: 6713

Re: Summer 2015 (GA, AL, TN, SC, NM, TX)

Another epic post. What a year you had! Really nice photography too.
I bet there aren't many people who have scored both rainbow snakes and alternas in the same year.
by Steve Barten
January 13th, 2016, 2:39 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: 2015 - EOY (CA, NV, UT, AZ, Costa Rica, Mexico)
Replies: 18
Views: 8782

Re: 2015 - EOY (CA, NV, UT, AZ, Costa Rica, Mexico)

Epic, post, what a year you had. Outstanding photography too, really enjoyed it.
One photo was better than the next, it's hard to pick favorites.
Loved the Mexican indigo and all the Lampropeltis.
Congrats on the puma sighting, what a thrill that must have been.
by Steve Barten
January 12th, 2016, 3:47 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: A Sweet Little Fall AZ Trip
Replies: 13
Views: 7562

Re: A Sweet Little Fall AZ Trip

Thanks, everyone. I've been to southern AZ a number of times but had never seen a ringneck there before. This one was in the driveway of the place where we were staying and it couldn't have been easier to find. Thanks, TravisK for fixing my wording - that horned lizard was the size of a quarter and ...
by Steve Barten
January 10th, 2016, 7:22 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: A Sweet Little Fall AZ Trip
Replies: 13
Views: 7562

A Sweet Little Fall AZ Trip

In September a small group visited southern AZ for a few days of herping. We rented a picturesque cabin in the mountains and enjoyed good food, good weather, beautiful scenery, and good friends. We didn’t kill ourselves herping 24/7, but enjoyed the moment. We didn’t see huge numbers of our targets ...
by Steve Barten
January 10th, 2016, 12:37 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: 2015 EOY: Massive post from Baja, Az and Cambodia
Replies: 6
Views: 6085

Re: 2015 EOY: Massive post from Baja, Az and Cambodia

Thanks for the Cocos update. I'm sorry your trip was a bust - but you sure had some epic travel this year. I've been to Cocos in 1995 and 2006 and both trips were amazing. We also visited Malpelo on the latter trip. The only thing we didn't see was whale sharks. We saw tons of hammerheads in big sch...
by Steve Barten
January 10th, 2016, 9:56 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Okefenokee Trip 2015
Replies: 16
Views: 10927

Re: Okefenokee Trip 2015

Wow, fantastic post! The canebrake is obviously stunning, but the other herps are beautiful too. Love the ratsnake climbing the tree, the carnivorous plants, and the habitat shots.
Thanks for sharing, makes a cold winter day more tolerable.
by Steve Barten
January 6th, 2016, 11:07 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: 2015 EOY: Massive post from Baja, Az and Cambodia
Replies: 6
Views: 6085

Re: 2015 EOY: Massive post from Baja, Az and Cambodia

Nice, but I want to see the diving photos from Cocos: hammerheads, silvertips, whale sharks? What did you see?
by Steve Barten
December 16th, 2015, 12:27 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Another Peninsula Malaysia post
Replies: 13
Views: 12152

Re: Another Peninsula Malaysia post

Really nice post and outstanding photography, thanks for sharing. I especially liked the tarantula coming out of the hole and the shoftshell. And the retic. And...all of them. Great stuff.
by Steve Barten
July 28th, 2015, 4:21 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Caymans and Everglades, Spring 2015
Replies: 14
Views: 11036

Re: Caymans and Everglades, Spring 2015

Thanks for the compliments, John, Justin and Bill. Bill Love is one of the best photographers out there and his praise means the world to me. If you follow the C. lewisi on Grand Cayman, my contact there tells me that two of them were found dead recently and large numbers of spirochete bacteria were...
by Steve Barten
July 26th, 2015, 2:21 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: A week in the United Arab Emirates
Replies: 26
Views: 17527

Re: A week in the United Arab Emirates

STUNNING photography. Any one of those images would look terrific framed on a wall.
by Steve Barten
June 24th, 2015, 2:18 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Caymans and Everglades, Spring 2015
Replies: 14
Views: 11036

Re: Caymans and Everglades, Spring 2015

Thanks! Some of the Cyclura lewisi were in the breeding facility. They have a number of large, open, cement-walled enclosures planted with native vegetation and with suitable retreats (rock piles and drainage pipes, for instance) to house breeding adults. But there are a lot of wild individuals wand...
by Steve Barten
June 22nd, 2015, 4:55 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Caymans and Everglades, Spring 2015
Replies: 14
Views: 11036

Re: Caymans and Everglades, Spring 2015

Thanks, VICtort. The peregrine and red shouldered were shot with a zoom at the max 400 mm, hand held (too fast to track w/ a tripod, and for the peregrine I was on a boat!). ISO bumped up enough to allow a fast shutter speed (1/1600 sec, f 8, ISO 400 and 1/2500 sec, f 8 , ISO 1000 respectively), man...
by Steve Barten
June 22nd, 2015, 2:52 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Caymans and Everglades, Spring 2015
Replies: 14
Views: 11036

Re: Caymans and Everglades, Spring 2015

Thanks to you both. Yes, both Green Anoles were from different areas within ENP.
by Steve Barten
June 21st, 2015, 10:43 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Caymans and Everglades, Spring 2015
Replies: 14
Views: 11036

Caymans and Everglades, Spring 2015

Caymans and Everglades, Spring 2015 I’ve been lucky to be invited to teach a course on Grand Cayman each of the last several years. It allows me the opportunity to enjoy the wildlife of the Cayman Islands. Of course the main draw is the Cayman Blue Iguana, Cyclura lewisi . This year I finally captur...
by Steve Barten
March 12th, 2015, 4:21 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: January in Peru (lots of pics)
Replies: 17
Views: 10334

Re: January in Peru (lots of pics)

You certainly are one of the top photographers on this site, and that's saying a lot. Any one of these images would look great enlarged and hanging on a wall. This is an outstanding report.
Your posts are treat and I look forward to them; hope you get out in the field a lot this year.
by Steve Barten
February 24th, 2015, 4:13 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: EOY Blue Iguanas, Pyros, and What a 6-ft Caiman is Afraid Of
Replies: 21
Views: 17532

Re: EOY Blue Iguanas, Pyros, and What a 6-ft Caiman is Afrai

Thanks for the compliments. As I’m sure you know, you can get good images, great images, with older or cheaper cameras and shorter lenses. I’ve been very impressed with some of the wide angle work shown on FHF, something I haven’t done much of. The key is to know your camera inside and out and to sh...
by Steve Barten
February 20th, 2015, 4:43 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: 2014 Pennsylvania, mostly rattlesnakes
Replies: 12
Views: 7788

Re: 2014 Pennsylvania, mostly rattlesnakes

Fantastic post. The variability in the timbers is stunning, and your photography captures it nicely. Loved the dark timber in the tree, and the pile of basking gravid females was amazing. Thanks for sharing.
by Steve Barten
February 10th, 2015, 4:12 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: EOY Blue Iguanas, Pyros, and What a 6-ft Caiman is Afraid Of
Replies: 21
Views: 17532

Re: EOY Blue Iguanas, Pyros, and What a 6-ft Caiman is Afrai

I was with a group. A friend and I did some night hikes at one place and saw a bunch of frogs and caimans. At Porto Jofre where the jaguars are, jaguar tracks are routinely seen right outside the compound and night hikes aren't recommended, but there is a small lake with a boardwalk and lots of frog...
by Steve Barten
February 6th, 2015, 8:02 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: EOY Blue Iguanas, Pyros, and What a 6-ft Caiman is Afraid Of
Replies: 21
Views: 17532

Re: EOY Blue Iguanas, Pyros, and What a 6-ft Caiman is Afrai

Everyone saw the tick but nobody noticed what the female Blue Iguana was up to. Too subtle, I guess.
by Steve Barten
February 5th, 2015, 7:52 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: EOY Blue Iguanas, Pyros, and What a 6-ft Caiman is Afraid Of
Replies: 21
Views: 17532

Re: EOY Blue Iguanas, Pyros, and What a 6-ft Caiman is Afrai

Thanks for all the compliments, I do appreciate them. Chrish: We called the big toads R. marina in the field. It wasn't until I got home and researched them that I discovered only R. schneideri is found in the Pantanal. I did note that the biggest ones were only 5.5 to 6 inches snout-vent length, an...
by Steve Barten
February 4th, 2015, 5:04 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: EOY Blue Iguanas, Pyros, and What a 6-ft Caiman is Afraid Of
Replies: 21
Views: 17532

EOY Blue Iguanas, Pyros, and What a 6-ft Caiman is Afraid Of

Ther have been a number of amazing EOY reports on this forum that really raise the bar, both in rare sightings, quantity of species seen, and quality of photography. Congrats to all of you. I only took a few herping trips this year, but the ones I took were epic. The year started out with a trip to ...
by Steve Barten
February 3rd, 2015, 3:43 pm
Forum: Mammal Forum
Topic: Mammals of the Pantanal, Brazil: Jaguars and more
Replies: 6
Views: 17015

Mammals of the Pantanal, Brazil: Jaguars and more

We visited the Pantanal of west central Brazil during the dry season in September. This is the world’s largest wetlands ecosystem. It covers some 75,000 square miles which is roughly the size of the state of Georgia. Unlike the Amazon rainforest, the Pantanal is largely open, which makes the amazing...
by Steve Barten
February 1st, 2015, 2:56 pm
Forum: Bird Forum
Topic: Birds of the Cayman Islands and Pantanal, Brazil
Replies: 6
Views: 19252

Birds of the Cayman Islands and Pantanal, Brazil

In February I went to Georgetown, Grand Cayman, to teach a week-long course at St. Matthews University. Every night we ate dinner at a different restaurant on the water watching the sunset over the ocean. http://stevebarten.smugmug.com/Grand-Cayman/i-kgdvgrk/0/L/20140217_0462%20T-L.jpg Here are some...
by Steve Barten
December 15th, 2014, 2:56 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Exploring Texas 2014: An East Texan forges new Trails (EOY)
Replies: 27
Views: 13501

Re: Exploring Texas 2014: An East Texan forges new Trails (E

Epic post, Kyle, not only in quantity but in quality. Great finds and better photography. Your composition and exposure are captivating, and the lack of shadows and glare on shiny king and milkshakes is outstanding. You must have used a soft box for your flash? You had great attention to detail in t...
by Steve Barten
June 24th, 2014, 6:57 pm
Forum: Image Lab
Topic: It's been too long since we've had an in situ theme thread..
Replies: 212
Views: 868603

Re: It's been too long since we've had an in situ theme thre

From this May: Lampropeltis pyromelana . http://stevebarten.smugmug.com/Arizona-2014/i-pk9r7L5/0/L/140503_PyroCrackRalph%20T-L.jpg A pyro double: http://stevebarten.smugmug.com/Arizona-2014/i-42cwgJs/0/L/140503_PyroCrackGery%20T-L.jpg A small Crotalus cerberus emerges from its crack. http://stevebar...
by Steve Barten
March 18th, 2014, 1:43 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Hoping to go to the galopagos
Replies: 9
Views: 2648

Re: Hoping to go to the galopagos

If there is a chance to go, take it. What a spectacular place. Don't forget to enjoy and appreciate the other wildlife in addition to the herps.
Maybe this old post will whet your appetite for the place: http://www.fieldherpforum.com/forum/vie ... =Galapagos.
by Steve Barten
November 5th, 2013, 9:10 pm
Forum: Bird Forum
Topic: Birds Seen on Cruise of SE Alaska
Replies: 16
Views: 8200

Re: Birds Seen on Cruise of SE Alaska

How about these? I’m guessing Mew Gull for the first. Not sure of the second – the same?
Image

Image
by Steve Barten
November 5th, 2013, 9:00 pm
Forum: Bird Forum
Topic: Birds Seen on Cruise of SE Alaska
Replies: 16
Views: 8200

Re: Birds Seen on Cruise of SE Alaska

Thanks for the gull ID lesson. This trip occurred in May. Here’s the same bird as the one in the previous image. I’m thinking Thayer’s. http://stevebarten.smugmug.com/Alaska-Inside-Passage-2012/i-S89CJMT/0/L/120522_1219-w-L.jpg http://stevebarten.smugmug.com/Alaska-Inside-Passage-2012/i-kNvFDHn/0/L/...
by Steve Barten
November 5th, 2013, 10:55 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Southern IL: Copperhead Heavy
Replies: 14
Views: 5170

Re: Southern IL: Copperhead Heavy

Thanks, everyone. Anton and Justin: It has been my experience that in North and South Carolina copperheads are one of the most commonly encountered snakes. However, in southern IL they seem to be in pockets rather than widely distributed. Like Justin, I had never found more than 2 or 3 on a trip the...
by Steve Barten
November 5th, 2013, 8:32 am
Forum: Mammal Forum
Topic: Alaska Inside Passage Mammals
Replies: 8
Views: 17343

Re: Alaska Inside Passage Mammals

Thanks, everyone. Antonsrkn: I had a very sharp 70-200 f2.8, a 300 f4, and a 1.4 TC (but next time I do this I would rent a 200-400 f4 or a 500 f4). The cool thing about the small ship was that we could get closer to wildlife than one could on one of those 4,000-passenger cruise ships. Cost – I don’...
by Steve Barten
November 5th, 2013, 8:21 am
Forum: Bird Forum
Topic: Birds Seen on Cruise of SE Alaska
Replies: 16
Views: 8200

Re: Birds Seen on Cruise of SE Alaska

Thanks, Monklet. What are the determining features?
by Steve Barten
November 4th, 2013, 7:58 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Southern IL: Copperhead Heavy
Replies: 14
Views: 5170

Southern IL: Copperhead Heavy

We visited southern Illinois this fall a few weeks prior to peak snake activity. Snake Road is the iconic location to visit, but we only hiked it one Friday afternoon to avoid weekend crowds. There are a lot of other good sites in the general area and we spent more time at these. http://stevebarten....
by Steve Barten
October 24th, 2013, 3:41 pm
Forum: Bird Forum
Topic: Birds Seen on Cruise of SE Alaska
Replies: 16
Views: 8200

Re: Birds Seen on Cruise of SE Alaska

Thanks, all. Yeah, I was in a kayak for the water level shots. And yes, the swells around St. Lazaria Island were 4 to 6 feet. The captain called it a "washing machine" and it made for challenging photography as everything was moving. Luckily I'm not prone to sea sickness. But the cool thi...
by Steve Barten
October 22nd, 2013, 3:08 pm
Forum: Bird Forum
Topic: Birds Seen on Cruise of SE Alaska
Replies: 16
Views: 8200

Birds Seen on Cruise of SE Alaska

Most people cruise southeast Alaska on ships like this: http://stevebarten.smugmug.com/Alaska-Inside-Passage-2012/i-gKzpQdm/0/L/120522_1284%20e-L.jpg We cruised on a small ship holding only 32 passengers. The advantage of a small ship is that it can stop and even turn around when wildlife is spotted...
by Steve Barten
September 20th, 2013, 3:33 pm
Forum: Mammal Forum
Topic: Alaska Inside Passage Mammals
Replies: 8
Views: 17343

Alaska Inside Passage Mammals

We cruised the Inside Passage of Alaska in a small ship, only 32 passengers, with the advantage that the captain could stop or even turn around when wildlife was spotted. We were there for a week in May of 2012. We saw a ton of wildlife, and I’ll post the mammals here and the birds from this trip in...
by Steve Barten
September 20th, 2013, 3:27 pm
Forum: Invertebrate Forum
Topic: 3-foot-long Polychaete Worms in Alaska
Replies: 5
Views: 5887

3-foot-long Polychaete Worms in Alaska

We cruised the inside passage of Alaska in a small, 32-passenger ship in May, 2012. One night we docked in the tiny town of Hoonah and visited a local watering hole after dinner on the ship. On the way back to the ship we saw dozens of 3-foot-long watersnakes swimming on the surface of the harbor. O...
by Steve Barten
September 2nd, 2013, 11:50 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Skull ID....
Replies: 16
Views: 5938

Re: Skull ID....

Google image search:
"Deer pelvis": not even close.
Dog pelvis": not even close.
"Armadillo pelvis": looks like we have a winner.
by Steve Barten
September 1st, 2013, 4:44 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Skull ID....
Replies: 16
Views: 5938

Re: Skull ID....

Pelvis, but not mammal, the way the sacrum is fused to the rest of the pelvis. I'm thinking some sort of bird.
by Steve Barten
August 14th, 2013, 1:32 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: 2013 in Georgia and North Carolina
Replies: 21
Views: 6681

Re: 2013 in Georgia and North Carolina

There is a lot of really nice photography on this forum but yours is just outstanding. Your composition, exposure, depth of field, and focus really raise the bar for the rest of us. I particularly liked the salamander eggs photos and Heterodon comparison ones. The juvenile Mudsnake also was beautifu...