Field Herp Forum

lateralis, it was strange that they didn't ask, or care when I offered to produce, the licenses/permits. It would have been about 15-20 minutes, but we got chatty, and then found the atrox next to the car. It was disappointing to see a freshly hit painted glossy right as we pulled away, a couple of ...

Regarding the spotted skunk, I agree, it was one of the coolest things I've seen when I had a camera in my hand. I was walking the ridge looking in the rock piles under the trees and around the yucca and agave. I heard the sound of rustling dried yucca and thought it might be a snake so I started ap...

Thanks for all the compliments guys! Hey Ryan, it was funny running into you guys a few times in places pretty far apart and unplanned. Hope your success continued after we last saw you.

Any closed season, or endangered animals photographed were either not handled, or minimally so to avoid harm (moving them out of peril on a road, or off a busy trail with lots of foot traffic or loose rocks), and we complied with all rules and laws and permit guidelines. We also had valid hunting li...

SO I've heard. It's just one of those little wishlists while we are in the desert. I've seen spotted leafnose in Nevada. I won't be heart broken. The idea for our first trip to that wonderful area is see as many species as possible, and then plan a targeted more specific trip for whatever we miss.

Oh man! I cannot wait for next week! We've got 12 days down there including the meeting. I really hope to see a saddled leaf, not to mention everything else in your post. Great shot of the rock rattler

And to try to be helpful, On first glance, I'd guess it were a Mexican pygmy rattlesnake, Crotalus ravus but I've never seen them in person.

Because some future inspired herper might be discouraged if there isn't a forum for his area... (sorry, I had to... no harm no foul Jim)

Awesome finds! Thanks for taking the time to write it up the way you did.

Definitely looks like good habitat for them, keep trying!

I'd agree with mostly San Diego, maybe some pacific indluence and you wouldn't have to twist my arm to make me believe maybe some Sonoran. I don't see anything GB about it, but at the end of the day, the comments about all bets being off if it's captive bred are spot on.

Just so you know, that's a female from what I can see, they get enlarged powerful heads, and I'm guessing it didn't have a very long tail. Excellent find, my favorite turtle species in the U.S.!

Yes Fil, I can do that for you. Let me know. I've got a Canon 7D and a 100mm L and a flash, so I should be able to get close and a lot of detail, or back up a bit with a ruler for scale. The coach and z shed in full just about every time, the ground snakes might be tough as they're small, but I do h...

I have western coachwhip, great basin gopher, cali mountain king, desert king, northwestern garter snake, and ground snake sheds at home.

I've seen a couple similar to that up here in Washington, one that could be considered a twin of that snake, and one with a similar pattern fade, but instead of the dark blueish/greenish tint, it was lemon yellow. I can't find the pics of the twin, but here's the lemondrop although with the lighting...

Is that an American eel? If so, you'd get excited because their presence could be an indication of a certain snake that hasn't been seen in a very long time...

Dang, excellent job! I've tried to find a Nevada gila on 3 separate trips now without success, although I did finally find a good canyon with tracks one morning. thanks for sharing, and excellent photography.

Any ID help on these couple of animals would be appreciated. Near Decatur, TX. The big turtle? I know the smaller one is a red-ear. http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l304/andyoconnor83/2014/Dallas/IMG_0776_zpsae37329b.jpg This little guy http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l304/andyoconnor83/2014/Dall...

Any ID help on these couple of animals would be appreciated. The big turtle? I know the smaller one is a red-ear. http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l304/andyoconnor83/2014/Dallas/IMG_0776_zpsae37329b.jpg This little guy http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l304/andyoconnor83/2014/Dallas/IMG_0686_zps98d...

1 diamondback water snake 1 blotched water snake 5 ribbon snakes 1 broadband/southern copperhead tmtc leopard and cricket frogs some racerunners, unknown sceloperus, and a few turtles I need help with. I'll post pictures later. Thanks to everyone for the tips! I went out at the worst possible time o...

OK, I officially will be available Wednesday night the 21st and all day Thursday the 22nd. We are leaving at noon on that Friday. I've gotten a few helpful PMs and thank you to those people. If anyone else sees this and has any tips or wants to meet up, please let me know.

Sounds good. I will post here once I know the exact time I'm going to be free. I am planning on staying after Wednesday (work will have me tied up M-W for sure) so it's just a matter of how long I can afford to stay.

I may have the option of extending my trip with vacation on my own dime and paying the difference (if any) on a flight back Friday or Saturday. If I do this, I will post it here, but that would make me free all day Thursday and Friday May 22nd-23rd? I'd probably get a rental car too. If anyone withi...

I'm being flown to Dallas for a work thing that Monday-Wednesday. I don't think I will be able to add vacation time to it since they are choosing my flights. I've never been to that part of the world, not sure if there is any evening herping possible, or if anyone would be willing to meet me or even...

I believe the dark coloration around the head and neck may help with warming up early and fast to catch lizards, and also makes them more difficult to target by predators in shade. I'm not sure though because there is so much variation, even within certain localities. It also seems to change with te...

Holy cow, it's not too often someone posts a snake species I'd never heard of, and much less often one that's large and so dang colorful! that is amazing. I have a new addition to my bucket/life list

I ended up getting an ASUS MeMO tab. It was free with a contract and only $5 a month on my employee discounted line with my cell phones. It only has a 16GB hard drive but a SD card could fix that. Anyways, I found a RAW file handling app, and I am going to get a USB cord with the appropriate male/fe...

I've done it a few times with various lizards and have videoed it a couple times including the first time when I accidentally discovered it by spitting in the dirt and a zebratail ran over for a show. Enjoy.
http://youtu.be/s1WMPLbvGjg

A very cool guy I once met said "Snakes are where you find 'em, they're like gold." ~Bill Also, if you are having a slow night road cruising, or a slow day hiking the trail, someone saying "Let's head back, we are just wasting gas/time" will sometimes yeild a find. The repeated idea of not finding s...

they can be found in that area for sure. Just as a reminder though, try not to mention specific locales in open forum. While giant salamanders are not high up on most poacher's lists, it's a general forum rule.

Thanks guys!

Is there anyone that shoots in RAW that uses a tablet like an iPad, Windows Surface, or Android, and transfers images from their card via a card reader? I am thinking about the advantages of being able to empty a card and review images on a larger screen, and wondering if anyone does this as opposed...

His review linked to a similar review by another photographer who directly compared it to the canon 600 f/4L, and there were pros and cons to both. He didn't say it was as good in IQ, but basically said for 1/10th the price, the IQ difference wasn't big enough to the naked eye on uncropped images.

There's another guy from Forest Grove here, though he rarely posts any more. Sean Lundy, you could PM him, although he is going to school in Arcata as far as I know. Anyways, there are a few people in the Rocky Mountain chapter that live in or near Reno (less than an hour from Pyramid lake).

Well, daytime temps in the 80s to low 90s and you can see plenty out on the crawl on some days, nothing on others. Anything mid 90s and up, stick to shade and water and you still have a shot at some reptiles. Things like fence lizards and racers are possible in the hot sun. For salamanders, in Augus...

That Pyramid Lake is a herp paradise though, and is mentioned numerous times in Alan St. John's guide of reptiles of the "northwest" which also includes the northern half of California as well as Nevada, so being a new member, he might associate that as the northwest more than just what our chapter ...

A few of us have been there on numerous occasions and have had great luck with nearly every species to be found. Josh, Mack, and I have made at least 2 separate trips dedicated to that area, and I know some others have as well. If you search the forums for either "pyramid lake" or "northern nevada" ...

There's no such thing as too warm for reptiles in the northwest, unless it's hitting 100+ and even then, you just need to take a lunch break from like 1-3, and then road cruise. I've had some of my best weekends in Augusts over the years in the Gorge.

I agree with the others, looks like a non-receptive female response. I've seen similar in garter snakes and gopher snakes.

Always cool to see a trip from an amigo's viewfinder!

Looks like a hypochondriaca to me. My reasons are; I've seen bumpy regilla and sierra so doesn't seem unlikely that bumpy individuals (usually when they are dry) would be any less infrequent down there. I saw several bajas IN Baja Sur that had similar blotching where the pattern was this busy, and h...

I haven't really although I did find sheds under rocks on a talus slope just above a wash and there was not much vegetation on the actual hillside, it was very nearby. Here are some pictures of habitat that I usually find them common in Nevada, similar to Utah. Not exactly where Mack is standing, bu...

If it hasn't rained recently, or there isn't some noticeable moisture under the rocks you are flipping, you will likely not see any Sonora, especially in March when it's cooler at night. When the conditions are right, Sonora are much more surface active than people think, I've seen several roadcruis...

They had been threatened for a long time. Anton, the problem is that they aren't bred as wild phenotype or locality specific individuals, they are popular for morphs, so I'm not sure if reintroduction from the captive bred world is viable. Maybe there are zoos or other organizations that could do it.

Yes, I've already purchased a plane ticket for the end of February to March dates, are there ANY chances it could be cancelled as well? I sure hope not, I am really looking forward to meeting more new faces.

Well Chris, to be fair, there was a scientific collection permit issued in NC, there was just some mix up with who it covered, and for what it covered. I agree though, if we could all get one, it helps legitimize us. If we don't get one, and someone in the group gets busted for something and drops t...

I've heard you must have a reflective vest if you are near a road out of your car, and your biggest chances of being talked to about it are if you are cruising back in forth in front of someone's property and they complain, or if you are not pulled off the road and LE rolls by.

I don't think that's going to be necessary Chris. If out of state herpers stick with license holding residents there shouldn't be a problem. That may or may not be possible for everyone. Mack, Josh, and I are going to be down there the whole week before the trip and although we'd love to meet up wi...

Yes Travis, the app will save your entries, until you are in range of a wifi (at least I am pretty sure it works over WIFI, some apps need cellular data) or good cellular data connection then hit the sync button to actually upload the records. I have a windows phone and the app has not yet been made...

Troy hit on what I was going to say. The lesson learned from the photo should really be "Don't leave live rodents in with your snakes unattended, especially overnight". There are always some exceptions to feeding live vs. pre-killed. My coachwhip for example, will not touch pre-killed rodents, and w...