Search found 3165 matches

by jonathan
September 28th, 2016, 6:38 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Where to herp in India?
Replies: 9
Views: 5377

Re: Where to herp in India?

I have yet to reach India, but I imagine the street markets have some interesting creatures for sale. Street herp'n, in addition to the above suggested wild locations. Not in any place I've ever been. That's SE Asia and China where you'll find that stuff. In India the predominantly Hindu/Muslim pop...
by jonathan
September 28th, 2016, 12:18 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: About as exhilarating/terrifying as a herping story gets
Replies: 22
Views: 12876

Re: About as exhilarating/terrifying as a herping story gets

Great story, glad you are OK. Sounds like weird mix of mega fauna and dense human habitation. I have heard many old school stories of sloth bears as dangerous, looks like they are pretty common in that area. How do you find their temperament compared to North American black bears or grizzlies (if y...
by jonathan
September 28th, 2016, 12:01 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Where to herp in India?
Replies: 9
Views: 5377

Re: Where to herp in India?

I can tell you where not to go. :lol: As you've already figured out, somewhere in that Western Ghats stretch between Mumbai and Tamil Nadu is by far your best bet. There are great things I've heard about certain spots in the Northeast too, but I think you'd almost certainly have to go on an organize...
by jonathan
September 28th, 2016, 9:08 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: An interesting article on the place of science in society
Replies: 68
Views: 42151

Re: An interesting article on the place of science in societ

At the same time, protected from both the logic of the marketplace and the capriciousness of politics by the imperative of national defense This is a good point from the article. A problem is that in order to really "solve problems", science needs to be protected from the marketplace AND ...
by jonathan
September 28th, 2016, 5:35 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: About as exhilarating/terrifying as a herping story gets
Replies: 22
Views: 12876

Re: About as exhilarating/terrifying as a herping story gets

note – I omitted a detail because I wanted the appearance of the leopard to be as sudden and surprising as it had been to me. But the night before, on a night-hike on a different trail about 4km from this spot, I had heard what sounded like a leopard roar from over 100m away. I stopped for a bit to ...
by jonathan
September 28th, 2016, 5:33 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: About as exhilarating/terrifying as a herping story gets
Replies: 22
Views: 12876

About as exhilarating/terrifying as a herping story gets

I head out at 8:15pm to herp a trail which I’d already scouted/herped from 4-7:30pm earlier in the day. Though the trailhead starts right on the edge of the mountain town I’d been exploring for two days, it gives a feeling of remoteness almost immediately. The next day I will hear that a foreign tou...
by jonathan
September 12th, 2016, 1:00 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Highest elevation herp in Oregon?
Replies: 5
Views: 3472

Re: Highest elevation herp in Oregon?

Fieldnotes wrote:Pretty neat observation—habitat shot looks cool too. Great place to explore during the summer. Herps include amphibians and they reach much higher than reptiles.

Yeah, I thought of that, but that habitat doesn't exactly look amphibian-friendly.
by jonathan
September 12th, 2016, 12:59 am
Forum: Fish Forum
Topic: Aquatic animal ID
Replies: 20
Views: 58879

Re: Aquatic animal ID

Fieldnotes wrote:hmmm, Mola mola comes to mind.


Yes, that immediately came to mind for me too, simply because I know they're in Monterey Bay and I know they're funny-looking. I don't actually know what their profile above the water looks like though.
by jonathan
September 11th, 2016, 11:00 pm
Forum: Fish Forum
Topic: Aquatic animal ID
Replies: 20
Views: 58879

Aquatic animal ID

Monterey Bay http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff45/Jonathan_Daehnke/IMG_2407-001_zpsjdmpywo8.jpg In black-and-white to creepify: http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff45/Jonathan_Daehnke/IMG_2407_zpslp2h9q23.jpg That's my aunt and uncle in the kayak. Mom took the picture. She claims she didn't even...
by jonathan
September 11th, 2016, 10:55 pm
Forum: Mammal Forum
Topic: The 10 pictures you most regret not getting
Replies: 2
Views: 12217

The 10 pictures you most regret not getting

I could include stuff from my childhood before I got a camera (moose/bison/mink/red fox/black bear/grey whale/rocky mountain elk/beaver/grey fox), but decided to leave that out. Here's my list of the 10 mammal pictures I didn't get and most wish I had, from my adulthood: 10. Giant Flying Squirrel in...
by jonathan
September 11th, 2016, 10:37 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Highest elevation herp in Oregon?
Replies: 5
Views: 3472

Re: Highest elevation herp in Oregon?

I had no idea that SE Oregon had elevation like that! Yeah, it's obvious that there'd be some herps well above 6000 feet there.

That's probably going to be as high as anyone gets....but has anyone else seen equivalently high elevation herps in northern Oregon?
by jonathan
September 11th, 2016, 9:51 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Portland, Oregon salamander ID's
Replies: 1
Views: 1904

Re: Portland, Oregon salamander ID's

Yup, I'm pretty sure those are all Dunn's.


Your other picture in the album of the one on the mossy log is actually tougher for me...but that might just be the lighting.
by jonathan
September 11th, 2016, 9:48 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Highest elevation herp in Oregon?
Replies: 5
Views: 3472

Highest elevation herp in Oregon?

I'm wondering what the highest elevation herp anyone has found or heard of in Oregon is? I don't know if this is a candidate or not, but my dad found an alligator lizard about 700 feet above timberline on Mt. Hood last week. 6300 ft: http://www.naherp.com/vouchers/264980-345524.jpg http://www.naherp...
by jonathan
August 23rd, 2016, 12:07 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Herping Yosemite
Replies: 12
Views: 6914

Re: Herping Yosemite

I've seen at least 7 bears in the wild now (10 sightings but I think some of them were the same bear), but still have only gotten the pure black ones. Are the brown-colored Black Bears limited to certain regions? Other than a brief trip to Yellowstone with I was 10, I've yet to be in Grizzly territo...
by jonathan
August 14th, 2016, 4:28 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Craziest Border Patrol Story
Replies: 41
Views: 23367

Re: Craziest Border Patrol Story

Haha - the one time I heard a helicopter coming from a distance, I was on foot, so I just ducked out of sight so that they'd pass over without loitering around my herping area. Now I know I made a good call. My guess is that they originally stopped because you looked suspicious with your vehicle sto...
by jonathan
August 14th, 2016, 4:09 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Doi Suthep from top to bottom
Replies: 2
Views: 3855

Doi Suthep from top to bottom

This was something I wrote for my Thai herping blog/field guide , so it's targeted towards a non-herper-but-herp-interested audience. (Also, I think it's formatted slightly better on my own blog) However, I thought I'd go ahead and share it here too. If anyone catches any errors in what I say about ...
by jonathan
August 12th, 2016, 12:05 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Snake conservation in South Africa!
Replies: 4
Views: 2550

Re: Snake conservation in South Africa!

Great post!


I've always wondered - are snake rescues involving spitting cobras significantly more difficult than other rescues?
by jonathan
August 9th, 2016, 8:49 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: When is habitat restoration for herps a good thing?
Replies: 42
Views: 28339

Re: When is habitat restoration for herps a good thing?

Accepting the facts that 1) to do something - anything - creates winners and losers, and (this is more subtle but just as - maybe MORE - important) that 2) doing nothing accepts the status quo winners and losers , is an important step in maturity and honesty, I believe. For both practitioners and o...
by jonathan
August 8th, 2016, 7:55 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: When is habitat restoration for herps a good thing?
Replies: 42
Views: 28339

Re: When is habitat restoration for herps a good thing?

Here are some of the examples that have been given: * Burning woody plant cover in wetlands to help eastern massassaugas also helped other herps * Ending grazing and doing some restoration at isolated springs helped Columbia Spotted Frogs and Relict Leopard Frogs * Removing non-native vegetation fro...
by jonathan
August 8th, 2016, 7:54 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: When is habitat restoration for herps a good thing?
Replies: 42
Views: 28339

Re: When is habitat restoration for herps a good thing?

Thanks for the responses! I stayed quiet for a little bit just to take in the discussion. I want to say that a couple decades back when I was just a little 16-year-old, my Eagle Scout project plan was a "habitat restoration" project. I was going to go to a small local lake, clean up all th...
by jonathan
August 4th, 2016, 11:54 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Collared Lizards in Mojave Desert National Preserve
Replies: 2
Views: 2526

Collared Lizards in Mojave Desert National Preserve

More than a decade ago when I was just a wee lad, I traveled through Mojave Desert National Preserve by myself in April. I remember exactly where I saw my lifer Desert Horned Lizard and my lifer Desert Tortoise. However, one memory messes with me. I remember stopping for some reason on the side of t...
by jonathan
August 4th, 2016, 11:49 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Herping Yosemite
Replies: 12
Views: 6914

Re: Herping Yosemite

Can anyone with experience in herping Yosemite PM me? That's something that's been on my bucket list for a long time, and I'm looking to finally plan it. I would love to see Mount Lleyl Salamanders, Yosemite Toads, Sierra Mountain Yellow-legged Frogs if possible, and any snakes or other interesting ...
by jonathan
August 4th, 2016, 11:43 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: When is habitat restoration for herps a good thing?
Replies: 42
Views: 28339

When is habitat restoration for herps a good thing?

I'm wondering what people's views on the idea of "habitat restoration" are. I'm not so concerned with negative examples as I'm hoping for any positive examples. (Or the simple and legitimate opinion that there are very few positive examples) The reason I ask is because I've seen habitat re...
by jonathan
July 29th, 2016, 9:51 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Gila Monsters threatened by climate change?
Replies: 32
Views: 15606

Re: Gila Monsters threatened by climate change?

Please read up on Prof Denardo's (and others) work on Gila water physiology and see if you still hold the opinion that they are well adapted to deserts. They are actually supremely well-adapted (in terms of their sensitivity to water loss only) to seasonally monsoonal climates, preferably those wit...
by jonathan
July 29th, 2016, 12:27 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Gila Monsters threatened by climate change?
Replies: 32
Views: 15606

Re: Gila Monsters threatened by climate change?

3) If the evidence indicates the Gila Monster has been in existence for 100,000 years or perhaps into the millions of years, then the argument about the dire affects of climate change would seem to be tenuous It is my understanding that historically, the North Am. continent has undergone a series o...
by jonathan
July 29th, 2016, 12:08 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Why You Dont Collect
Replies: 279
Views: 1425251

Re: Why You Dont Collect

I don't collect because I'm away from home too much to have that responsibility, and legal issues where I live. I also realized that the enjoyment I got over any one animal would wane over time, so it seemed pointless to have it just sitting in a cage in my place all the time - the best moment was t...
by jonathan
July 29th, 2016, 12:05 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Why You Dont Collect
Replies: 279
Views: 1425251

Re: Why You Dont Collect

" to bring up the elephant in the room that NO ONE EVER wants to discuss with any seriousness, and that is the simple fact that there are too many human beings currently in existence on this planet and that this is the root cause of ALL of our problems today. We as a species operate in direct ...
by jonathan
July 27th, 2016, 10:39 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Dishonesty in government
Replies: 121
Views: 40756

Re: Dishonesty in government

Government bureaucracies seem to exist in an entirely different social world that can sometimes be characterize as lacking common sense and rational thinking. See, that's the unnecessary and unproven ideological add-on that only does harm to all the good stuff you say. Where's the social world that...
by jonathan
July 22nd, 2016, 9:53 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Dishonesty in government
Replies: 121
Views: 40756

Re: Dishonesty in government

And here we are, rolling the same egg across the table...back and forth, back and forth, with the same results...everyone keeps their own opinions. Is it any wonder i never have anything of substance to say anymore...it's a waste of time. 8-) Brian, I don't believe everyone does keep the same opini...
by jonathan
July 19th, 2016, 10:19 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Oregon 2015 in review: Herping the I-5 corridor
Replies: 1
Views: 2264

Oregon 2015 in review: Herping the I-5 corridor

My time in Oregon this year was limited to a month in May, and it was an unusual month for me. I stayed almost entirely at low elevations and ran straight up the I-5 corridor from bottom to top, never once hitting the Coast Range and never once hitting the Gorge (though with some good time in NorCal...
by jonathan
July 19th, 2016, 9:15 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Field Meeting 5/27 - 5/30 Save The Date!
Replies: 34
Views: 17057

Re: Field Meeting 5/27 - 5/30 Save The Date!

Congrats on a well-done trip!

I noticed a conspicuous lack of lizard shots. Did you guys not see much besides whiptails and fencies?
by jonathan
July 19th, 2016, 8:51 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Dishonesty in government
Replies: 121
Views: 40756

Re: Dishonesty in government

I posted a list of thoughts composed by biologist Dean Ripa about his experience involving a new protection policy to be implemented. Below are his recommendation's to address the issues found in that policy. Nearly all of those suggestions sound quite good in a vacuum (a couple are a little whiny/...
by jonathan
July 18th, 2016, 12:14 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Dishonesty in government
Replies: 121
Views: 40756

Re: Dishonesty in government

In my previous post I included a statement from researcher and biologist Dean Ripa about his experience involving a new protection policy to be implemented. What happened when he asked to see the data surrounding that issue. The dishonesty he encountered on both the part of wildlife biologist and w...
by jonathan
July 17th, 2016, 5:07 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Dishonesty in government
Replies: 121
Views: 40756

Re: Dishonesty in government

It is unlikely that agency biologists possess much, if any knowledge about the species of herps they propose for listing a protected status. So they are not using their own opinions. Instead, agency biologists have made listing decisions based on the opinions of other individuals and without any su...
by jonathan
July 15th, 2016, 1:13 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Dishonesty in government
Replies: 121
Views: 40756

Re: Dishonesty in government

Jonathon, You are correct in that I likely made a poor choice with respect to the example of owl caper. Sorry for that. I understood the basic reasoning behind the killing of Barred Owl and I am well aware that such killing of the Barred Owls will have no overall negative affect on that species. My...
by jonathan
July 14th, 2016, 9:27 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Dishonesty in government
Replies: 121
Views: 40756

Re: Dishonesty in government

It is my view that the field of conservation has now been hijacked by individuals that I would term as ‘alarmists’. There has been a ‘jump on the bandwagon’ type situations in the conservation movement that I do not believe was present until after the ESA had really taken hold in this country. As w...
by jonathan
July 14th, 2016, 11:00 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Dishonesty in government
Replies: 121
Views: 40756

Re: Dishonesty in government

Jonathon, From your first paragraph, I get the impression you consider it to be unrealistic for myself and the public to expect state wildlife agencies to assess and manage all non-game species in a professional manner. That is, the public should expect and accept that such wildlife agencies will u...
by jonathan
July 12th, 2016, 10:59 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Dishonesty in government
Replies: 121
Views: 40756

Re: Dishonesty in government

Jimi, I understand and agree with many points you have made, such as it is far better to try and ‘work with’ rather than to ‘antagonize’. As sound as your advice may be, and despite I believe you understand the problem I have identified, your advice sort of sidesteps the real problem. That is, afte...
by jonathan
July 12th, 2016, 10:26 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Dishonesty in government
Replies: 121
Views: 40756

Re: Dishonesty in government

For myself, I think the primary issues are group-think and people’s unwillingness to think critically about things they take for granted. Just look at this discussion. There are intelligent, educated people who have fallen on both sides of the debate, with others somewhere in the middle. I do think ...
by jonathan
July 11th, 2016, 2:30 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Dishonesty in government
Replies: 121
Views: 40756

Re: Dishonesty in government

Some of these govt people were indeed born clowns and others are "born" activists who have an agenda. Govt isn't like the private sector where if you don't produce something that people actually want to buy, you go out of business. These clowns and activists create nothing and continue to...
by jonathan
July 11th, 2016, 12:58 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: snake river/hells canyon zonata sightings
Replies: 8
Views: 5324

Re: snake river/hells canyon zonata sightings

the below is also an explanation for the snake river and blue mtn sightings. http://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/pdfplus/10.1086/670988 I actually brought that up with my dad when this thread first started. He spent a lot of time catching ground snakes in their habitat in the Snake River Bird of P...
by jonathan
April 19th, 2016, 7:52 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: A few Southern OR/Northern CA herps
Replies: 7
Views: 4416

Re: A few Southern OR/Northern CA herps

Fantastic finds. Get that stuff into naherp.com - some of them, like the Oregon blacks and calkings, aren't recorded too often.
by jonathan
March 6th, 2016, 8:14 am
Forum: News
Topic: Massachusetts plans rattlesnake colony on uninhabited island
Replies: 2
Views: 3098

Re: Massachusetts plans rattlesnake colony on uninhabited is

Awesome story, but to my mind it gave the idea of the poor rattlesnakes getting ghettoized into some offshore prison colony.
by jonathan
February 24th, 2016, 10:24 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Reactionary regulations in Oregon
Replies: 12
Views: 4789

Re: Reactionary regulations in Oregon

I am sorry to report that Oregon's wildlife agency is going down the same path as CDFW. ODFW is proposing the adoption of reactionary, mean spirited, repressive, and punitive draft revising existing regulations on herps in Oregon. The new laws are on ODFW’s website at: http://www.dfw.state.or.us/wi...
by jonathan
February 24th, 2016, 10:13 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: 2015 California Member of the Year=Jeff Nordland
Replies: 12
Views: 5276

Re: 2015 California Member of the Year=Jeff Nordland

Jeff was awesome at the national event.
by jonathan
February 16th, 2016, 11:25 am
Forum: News
Topic: Turtle vs. Porcupine
Replies: 3
Views: 3732

Turtle vs. Porcupine

Common Snapper takes out porcupine...poor guy didn't have a chance.

by jonathan
February 16th, 2016, 8:20 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: The Great Northwest Herp ID Contest: Week 3
Replies: 4
Views: 2794

Re: The Great Northwest Herp ID Contest: Week 3

Nice hits Fieldnotes, especially on the stormi! As you can see, I disagree on H and Q, partly because I have locality/habitat information that I didn't give you. If you want more photos and habitat angles Here's the Curry County red-striped "elongatus" And here's the Columbia County all-bl...
by jonathan
February 16th, 2016, 8:16 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Portland Oregon in February
Replies: 4
Views: 2520

Re: Portland Oregon in February

Portland's habitats are amazing. Nice additions! For the Rubber Boas, I think you have to get on Google Earth and look for the clearings. I have one spot that I think has a decent chance of having them, but it'll be hard to find because there's no ideal cover. (I've only seen two rubber boas on the ...
by jonathan
February 16th, 2016, 8:09 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: The Great Northwest Herp ID Contest: Week 3
Replies: 4
Views: 2794

Re: The Great Northwest Herp ID Contest: Week 3

Here's what I have for them: A. vehiculum From Wahkiakum County in the Willapa Hills, my identification on the thing has remained “Western Redback”, but with jowls like that there’s certainly something a bit Van Dyke-y looking about it. I gave the trickiest angle though - the other angles look redba...
by jonathan
February 14th, 2016, 8:40 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Obama To Sign Bill Today To Protect More Areas Of Mojave
Replies: 15
Views: 7224

Re: Obama To Sign Bill Today To Protect More Areas Of Mojav

I am not an expert on these things and hopefully someone more knowledgeable (Jimi?) will give their input. From what I gather though, activities such as mining, grazing, OHV use, and various development, which can potentially occur on public lands, will now be prohibited under the new national monu...