Search found 1744 matches

by Jimi
January 20th, 2020, 12:34 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Board Flipping Suggestions in SoCal
Replies: 8
Views: 4606

Re: Board Flipping Suggestions in SoCal

I suggest you consider physiology and security. Those are the main drivers that result in an animal electing to place itself right up under a surface object. Never forget that - the animal put itself there . Ask yourself why, or why not. My assumption is that it really depends on the weather and the...
by Jimi
January 20th, 2020, 12:17 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Any herp trips in March? Central America?
Replies: 4
Views: 2051

Re: Any herp trips in March? Central America?

There you go - pick the right activity for the season. Rainy-season snorkeling sucks - often, you just can't see. Dry season is where it's at, for snorkeling.

Have fun, good luck!
by Jimi
January 15th, 2020, 8:52 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Any herp trips in March? Central America?
Replies: 4
Views: 2051

Re: Any herp trips in March? Central America?

So, the way you pose this, a guy trying to respond helpfully could fixate on destination, timing, or activity. I'm gonna fixate on timing. I've never done any herping (just played normal tourist) in South America - it's probably different closer to the equator. But in Central America as I know it (h...
by Jimi
January 7th, 2020, 3:41 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Arizona herps & stuff
Replies: 6
Views: 2598

Re: Arizona herps & stuff

Yeah, wow, nice pics. I like the pinkish belly on that NM klaub (people get bit like that though. Don't push your luck.) And the little skunk was super-cute. Skunks are almost always charming little weirdos. We hiked upon this bear while birding and he was disconcertingly unafraid. They're such indi...
by Jimi
January 5th, 2020, 9:06 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: New to the Forum! Tips for getting started in herping
Replies: 11
Views: 4727

Re: New to the Forum! Tips for getting started in herping

100% of my connections came through this forum and NAFHA/NAHERP events. I participated in discussions here, talked to people, got invited to group trips, made friends, and then we scheduled private outings. Unfortunately NAFHA/NAHERP has deceased in activity but the model of meeting people online a...
by Jimi
January 3rd, 2020, 1:08 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: New to the Forum! Tips for getting started in herping
Replies: 11
Views: 4727

Re: New to the Forum! Tips for getting started in herping

Flip right, if you're gonna flip. Don't flip like a bear, don't flip like a hog, don't flip like a monkey. Flip like an ethical herper. Put the object - or the pile of objects - back so that you can't even tell it's been flipped or otherwise messed with. If it's a huge rock on a steep slope, and you...
by Jimi
January 2nd, 2020, 2:34 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: NW Oregon in November
Replies: 8
Views: 3666

Re: NW Oregon in November

Thanks Richard! Way more info than I had any right to hope for. I'm missing something on the boa stench thing. Probably just normal issues with communicating humor with writing. I know boas best from coastal NorCal, where they really don't stink much. Not compared to garters anyway...yuck. Ha ha. Sa...
by Jimi
December 30th, 2019, 1:27 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: NW Oregon in November
Replies: 8
Views: 3666

Re: NW Oregon in November

Hi Richard, There's a small crew of us that are headed that way in early April. General herping, not boa fixated, but we will be looking. Intend to be around Morro Bay around 4/8 or so. Re this: I would hope that someone will eventually collect a specimen from San Luis Obispo Co. and more specimens ...
by Jimi
December 19th, 2019, 4:40 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Northern Rubber Boa Elevations
Replies: 5
Views: 3148

Re: Northern Rubber Boa Elevations

Hi Bart, Sorry I can't help directly with your question - I've only found them near the coast and on the east side of the Sierra. I really didn't herp the west slope too much when I lived there - all those nasty trees! Ha ha ha. But the reason I write is to suggest cold air drainage might be a facto...
by Jimi
December 17th, 2019, 12:28 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: 2019 EOY Recap
Replies: 9
Views: 4230

Re: 2019 EOY Recap

I lost two dogs. My God. Sorry to hear that. I have a 16-year old GSD who's nearing his end. Hard times, very hard times. Life's a serial heartbreaker - get well soon. Regarding the fossorial taxa, they are reliably flipped under rocks during late March and early April, assuming moisture is decent....
by Jimi
December 16th, 2019, 1:27 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: 2019 EOY Recap
Replies: 9
Views: 4230

Re: 2019 EOY Recap

Likewise, Frank - I always enjoy your excellent pics and stories. Sorry about the hard parts - did you lose two dogs, or one? It was nice to meet you at the OB Oasis in late May this year. Great trip. Hope to see you again. Curious, if you've got a sec - on the small fossorial csquamates like ground...
by Jimi
December 12th, 2019, 1:50 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Tips to find sidewinders without cruising
Replies: 14
Views: 17270

Re: Tips to find sidewinders without cruising

I did manage to find 2 live ones at Anza Borrego in mid-November. The first one found at midnight, it was very cold. Second one in the morning. Also, I've seen tracks in other spots closer to the Arizona border, so there is definitely late-season activity of this species. Nice follow-up, thanks. An...
by Jimi
November 21st, 2019, 4:09 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: How cold/high can snakes go?
Replies: 7
Views: 2875

Re: How cold/high can snakes go?

There are couple of records of Gloydius Ah, yes I forgot the old-world pitvipers. There are a few of those that are either very high-elevation, or pretty high latitude, too. I'm not sure who winds the record for "excels in the most awful climate". Maybe the Gloydius in North Korea and Man...
by Jimi
November 20th, 2019, 9:16 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: How cold/high can snakes go?
Replies: 7
Views: 2875

Re: How cold/high can snakes go?

You've got a lot of questions. Too many to get into ATM. However - I think, if you don't already know it, that a good hard look at Geoff Hammerson's CO herps book would please you. You might wish to own it, if you don't yet. Stepping back a sec, living in a high cold state, and pushing the limits of...
by Jimi
November 19th, 2019, 3:45 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Trail Cameras?
Replies: 4
Views: 2331

Re: Trail Cameras?

I have not deployed any personally but at my work we have lots of them installed in various places. We've got still images of just about every basic kind of wildlife you can imagine, including several snake species. Evidently, even rubber boas crawl fast enough to trigger a trail cam! Ha ha. Really ...
by Jimi
November 19th, 2019, 11:41 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: 2019 10 - Australia trip report
Replies: 2
Views: 1803

Re: 2019 10 - Australia trip report

That was insane!
Indeed. Wow, well done and congrats, Jeroen. Amazing fortune and success.

cheers
by Jimi
November 7th, 2019, 3:38 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Lower Coastal Plain Pine Snakes Advice?
Replies: 17
Views: 15281

Re: Lower Coastal Plain Pine Snakes Advice?

I also wonder if pines would simply just create a burrow in the very sandy soil. I think so. They've got that skull and face for a reason. From what I've read, pine snake burrowing & hibernation behavior varies around their range. I would think SC animals would exhibit some aspect of "nort...
by Jimi
November 7th, 2019, 10:49 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: test
Replies: 0
Views: 4163

test

2012-09-xx Kennecott milk .jpg
by Jimi
November 5th, 2019, 3:42 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Lower Coastal Plain Pine Snakes Advice?
Replies: 17
Views: 15281

Re: Lower Coastal Plain Pine Snakes Advice?

I would also repeat what I said about my learnings in Florida - June was what I observed to be the peak month for surface activity. I'd put a lot of effort into June, if I was there trying to do what you are. The March-April stuff would really be more about chances at "fun bycatch" like ho...
by Jimi
November 5th, 2019, 3:38 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Lower Coastal Plain Pine Snakes Advice?
Replies: 17
Views: 15281

Re: Lower Coastal Plain Pine Snakes Advice?

I have some addition questions. My approach has been hiking around a spot walking moderately slowly looking around at the ground maybe 5-8ft infront of me, basically hoping that I walk up on a pine sunning itself or looking for food. I look inside any hibernaculum I find, and I frequently stop walk...
by Jimi
November 4th, 2019, 10:11 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Lower Coastal Plain Pine Snakes Advice?
Replies: 17
Views: 15281

Re: Lower Coastal Plain Pine Snakes Advice?

You had me at turkey oak. Ha ha. Really though. Nothing says high and dry in SC like turkey oak. I clicked your pix link. That's a super-exciting place you found, just from a generic field-herping perspective. I especially like the adjacency of the xeric uplands with the forested wetlands - I have s...
by Jimi
October 17th, 2019, 10:35 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Lower Coastal Plain Pine Snakes Advice?
Replies: 17
Views: 15281

Re: Lower Coastal Plain Pine Snakes Advice?

The only extant GT populations in SC, as I understand it, are right down by the GA border. A very narrow strip, with zealous private-property protections and not much in the way of public road access. Sure, you could definitely find a pine snake down there, but...you should also be able to find them...
by Jimi
October 10th, 2019, 5:10 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Lower Coastal Plain Pine Snakes Advice?
Replies: 17
Views: 15281

Re: Lower Coastal Plain Pine Snakes Advice?

I've never seen a pine in SC, but in peninsular North Florida I came to understand them as a June - mid mornings - dirt roads cruiser animal. (That's a pretty hot sunny time of year there.) Substrate was key, land cover less so. They're big and slow, so get hammered by traffic. You'll probably get s...
by Jimi
September 28th, 2019, 11:12 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Herping tips holiday Utah California in july
Replies: 23
Views: 21794

Re: Herping tips holiday Utah California in july

Thanks Bob. Yes, I'm eager to hear the results of your research. Particularly concerning MNP. This could possibly trip up some readers - I will try to clarify: regarding units of the National Park System (covers all parks, monuments, preserves, etc) Don't read this as "all monuments, preserves ...
by Jimi
September 26th, 2019, 4:48 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Finding Snakes in the City
Replies: 4
Views: 11782

Re: Finding Snakes in the City

His snake room was amazing!!! The collection was not bad, and pretty interesting. I've seen similar set-ups (nicely appointed sweater boxes - sounds oxymoronic but then you actually see it done and... huh, how bout that ) depicted from Taiwan I think it was. So - mostly we saw Asian stuff but I rec...
by Jimi
September 25th, 2019, 4:38 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Chinese Cobras Spit?
Replies: 6
Views: 12949

Re: Chinese Cobras Spit?

Yeah Lou I always enjoy your stuff. I thought just about any non-giant cobra you saw in Asia "might be a spitter". Like, just assume it is and don't dick around & get an eyeful. Just something I picked up osmotically I guess. Not the most reliable method, but certainly low-effort. Ha h...
by Jimi
September 25th, 2019, 10:42 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Herping tips holiday Utah California in july
Replies: 23
Views: 21794

Re: Herping tips holiday Utah California in july

Glad to help, Frank. One way to maybe understand better, and also suffer less heartburn over "all those dumb rules and contradictions and general messiness", is to think of the USA as somewhat akin to post-Schengen mainland western Europe. But you should also think of USA as more like, oh,...
by Jimi
September 23rd, 2019, 3:06 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Herping tips holiday Utah California in july
Replies: 23
Views: 21794

Re: Herping tips holiday Utah California in july

Thanks for your reply More than happy to try and provide help. Time will tell if I succeeded! Ha ha ha. Hopefully when you get here, there are not too many unpleasant surprises. It's a casino with a pool for the kids so when i try my luck (not in the casino but road cruising :D ) they can swim. It ...
by Jimi
September 18th, 2019, 5:54 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Herping tips holiday Utah California in july
Replies: 23
Views: 21794

Re: Herping tips holiday Utah California in july

I think Jonathan said and meant "the Mojave", as in "that desert". But if I understand that you misunderstood - it all worked out better in the end. Sweet Jesus, Yermo is an armpit . I would not take my family there. I do not know the other place, it's in Arizona right? When I tr...
by Jimi
September 17th, 2019, 12:22 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Herping tips holiday Utah California in july
Replies: 23
Views: 21794

Re: Herping tips holiday Utah California in july

Thanks Jimi for your extensive response. It helps a lot. Sure thing. Price is free - you determine the actual value. Ultimately, it's an effort & numbers & luck game. We all have a personal collection of anecdotes, a few have made serious studies of it, and if we all just pooled our anecdot...
by Jimi
September 16th, 2019, 1:28 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Herping tips holiday Utah California in july
Replies: 23
Views: 21794

Re: Herping tips holiday Utah California in july

Holy crap, Frank, your timing is awful. For snakes anyway - lizards will be easy. - is it worth to stay 2 nights near Mohave desert for night cruising and early morning walks near kelso or will there be no activity ? Morning walks are always a pleasure. So yes, just from that perspective alone, it i...
by Jimi
September 3rd, 2019, 2:02 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: A North Carolina Summer
Replies: 1
Views: 12395

Re: A North Carolina Summer

Sounds like a great newlyweds trip! Congrats on the luck you had in a rough time of year and under some not-helpful circumstances. North Carolina had been in drought, and due to that fact, when we tried to look for more traditional Plethodon in the woodlands, we had no luck. The leaf litter, even up...
by Jimi
August 28th, 2019, 3:41 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: SF Bay Area Rubber boa Herping Advice?
Replies: 5
Views: 18420

Re: SF Bay Area Rubber boa Herping Advice?

My guess would be, your timing is awful. But I don't know that area very well, for herps anyway.

Good hunting.
by Jimi
August 27th, 2019, 3:18 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Charina bottae distribution
Replies: 12
Views: 26887

Re: Charina bottae distribution

I don't know boas from the Sierra Nevada - have seen a half-dozen there & in the Southern Cascades at most - but I got to know them reasonably well along the CA North Coast, in commercial timberlands (a matrix of all age classes through uncut second growth of ~80-90 years old). Casual boa encoun...
by Jimi
July 13th, 2019, 8:32 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Recent Kansas Trip! (part 3)
Replies: 1
Views: 8937

Re: Recent Kansas Trip! (part 3)

I think "Man, his hands must have stunk SO BAD!!!!" Ha ha ha. Question - "what are Baby Wipes good for?" Ha ha ha.

Looks like a blast. I think your kids look like they're maybe not so sure about those turtles.

Crazy water, wow. Whole lotta water.

Thanks for sharing!
by Jimi
July 10th, 2019, 10:34 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Costa Rica - June 2019 Report
Replies: 6
Views: 16698

Re: Costa Rica - June 2019 Report

Looks like quite a satisfying trip.

Nice to see the Porthidium nasutum - they occupy a special place in my heart. Sweet little fatties.

cheers
by Jimi
July 3rd, 2019, 10:01 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Costa Rica 2019 trip report
Replies: 5
Views: 11248

Re: Costa Rica 2019 trip report

Congrats, and thanks. Looks like an exhausting but rewarding trip. The high country there is tough herping eh?

cheers!
by Jimi
July 1st, 2019, 11:16 am
Forum: Herpetoculture Forum
Topic: Switching an Eastern Coachwhip
Replies: 93
Views: 165241

Re: Switching an Eastern Coachwhip

That's great, thanks for sharing the continuing story! This is similar to when I've started neonate tropical snakes on live frogs or lizards - that being all they want. There usually comes a time when they will readily accept a small mouse, with no extra prep (scenting or whatever). I find this appr...
by Jimi
June 26th, 2019, 9:21 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Recent Kansas Trip! (part 1)
Replies: 5
Views: 10569

Re: Recent Kansas Trip! (part 1)

Agreed - the happy family is the best takeaway. Your kids are getting big!

Got any bootheel or Gila trips planned?

Hope all's very well, see you around.
by Jimi
June 12th, 2019, 11:00 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: The best 22 seconds of a C. mitchelli....
Replies: 10
Views: 26072

Re: The best 22 seconds of a C. mitchelli....

I didn't look very closely - do you think it's the same animal? Or are you just noting one of very similar appearance in the same general area? Within a 20-minute walk of a certain campground with a little pupfish pool by the toilets, over the years since about 1983 I've seen animals just like yours...
by Jimi
June 10th, 2019, 10:08 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: The best 22 seconds of a C. mitchelli....
Replies: 10
Views: 26072

Re: The best 22 seconds of a C. mitchelli....

That is a nice one. The phenotypic diversity of that taxon in that specific area is amazing - no "locality look" at all to them, unlike elsewhere. I love the salt & pepper, low-orange ones like yours.

cheers
by Jimi
June 6th, 2019, 2:05 pm
Forum: News
Topic: Western Pond Turtle survival study - drought-related
Replies: 1
Views: 9345

Western Pond Turtle survival study - drought-related

https://www.fwspubs.org/doi/abs/10.3996/012016-JFWM-005 Abstract (I broke it into "paragraphs" to improve readability, and added the bold+enlarged emphasis on something I found astonishing): Drought has the ability to affect the persistence of small animal populations, especially those ti...
by Jimi
June 4th, 2019, 9:14 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Madison, WI
Replies: 2
Views: 5296

Re: Madison, WI

Hi Martti! Glad to hear you've got a USA visit coming right up. I'm sorry I can't meet up with you or otherwise be very much help, but perhaps one point of clarification might help you get some help. When you write 2-15.6, are we in USA to understand you mean you are (already) here June 2 - June 15?...
by Jimi
May 21st, 2019, 12:35 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Herping the Island of St. Lucia
Replies: 6
Views: 8499

Re: Herping the Island of St. Lucia

Thank you for taking it as I meant it, Ackee - nothing twitchy or overheated, just a straightforward factual statement devoid of any hostility or anything.

I envy your time in the Caribbean.

cheers
by Jimi
May 20th, 2019, 9:40 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Herping the Island of St. Lucia
Replies: 6
Views: 8499

Re: Herping the Island of St. Lucia

These venomous snakes were imported and released in large numbers during the slavery period in order to deter African people from escaping into the interior. That is a falsehood. Often repeated, "sounds sort of plausible" (until you think about it for a second...), but never true. The St ...
by Jimi
May 8th, 2019, 1:42 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Milk Snakes and 'Manders-Virginia Springtime 2019
Replies: 1
Views: 4494

Re: Milk Snakes and 'Manders-Virginia Springtime 2019

Lovely account, I always enjoy herping vicariously with you two. One question, leading to a suggestion - Q: did you really just post on The Innerwebs, an account of your going into a National Park and flipping (hunting / taking) for an ESA-listed sally? And - to make it slightly worse - actually get...
by Jimi
May 3rd, 2019, 10:19 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: The year of exploration. 2018 review.
Replies: 15
Views: 14415

Re: The year of exploration. 2018 review.

Wow that represents a lot of work , several times over. Thanks for sharing. You're an artist, as well as an accomplished herper. Great depictions of the subjects. I like how much habitat you include in your portraits. I was glad to see (after a lot of scrolling) that you were able to get outside of ...
by Jimi
May 2nd, 2019, 4:07 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: 2019 04 - Eurotour III trip report
Replies: 4
Views: 6963

Re: 2019 04 - Eurotour III trip report

That was most enjoyable, Jeroen. Thanks very much. I wasn't aware there were quite so many salamanders in Europe.

Was that whole thing basically a big circular road trip?
by Jimi
April 16th, 2019, 1:59 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Herping Las Vegas area from June-December
Replies: 6
Views: 9330

Re: Herping Las Vegas area from June-December

Would that be a good place to check out different elevations? Either the mainstem Colorado or either of its nearby tributaries - the Virgin and the Muddy rivers- offer good opportunities, within 60 to 90 minutes of town, for low-elevation walking and cruising. They all also offer nearby mountain ra...
by Jimi
April 15th, 2019, 5:27 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Herping Las Vegas area from June-December
Replies: 6
Views: 9330

Re: Herping Las Vegas area from June-December

My answer would be a lot like Bryan's, "of your 4 options 2 are hopeless, 1 pretty much sucks unless you can stay up REAL late at night, and 1 isn't really that bad". Winter, August, and early June, respectively. August depends if there's clouds and humidity - if so, it isn't always awful....