Some red milks and update on our 8 year red milk

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Gary2sons
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Some red milks and update on our 8 year red milk

Post by Gary2sons »

The streak is over on finding this one another year! :( Maybe he will show up next year! :)

I really shouldn't be disappointed because it was a thrill to find the same snake 8 years straight!

My last post a year ago about this snake.

viewtopic.php?f=2&t=4727

These next red milks were all found on our property which consists of about 8 acres with AC.

Couple habitat pics. Grass field with semi open woods

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Had an average year with about 6 different snakes found. Some found over a dozen times.
This first one was found many times but never after a fresh shed! This pic shows about the closest we got!
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Strange how we could never find this one freshly shed, here is a belly pic

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We sometimes find more than one under tin

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The one on the right was our most found snake of the year!

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Only found two different juveniles

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Always like the ones that have a pattern easy to identify

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A lot of them are seen like this

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This had some nice color

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Recent pic of our best producing tin for red milks

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One of my sons with my grandchildren, my grandson was disappointed he couldn't hold the red milk first!

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He was fine when it was his turn!

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Thanks for looking!

Gary
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DracoRJC
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Re: Some red milks and update on our 8 year red milk

Post by DracoRJC »

Cool post - I think it's fantastic to personally know a wild herp and visit them in their habitat and see how they're doing. I can only do that with one animal - a common snapper nicknamed Jaws that lives in a pond near my house. He comes to the sound of splashing fingers in the water, and has been handled by people enough to permit a pat on the head (on a good day anyway :lol:). He has a very distinctive shell shape compared to the other 3 or 4 snappers in the pond, and he's always been the least shy of people.
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brick911
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Re: Some red milks and update on our 8 year red milk

Post by brick911 »

I love these type of posts. Thanks for putting this up. I can relate to revisiting the same animals. Mine aren't as cool as red milks though!
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Don Becker
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Re: Some red milks and update on our 8 year red milk

Post by Don Becker »

What the hell did that ribbon snake eat?
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cachoron
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Re: Some red milks and update on our 8 year red milk

Post by cachoron »

Great post!!!
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jayder85
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Re: Some red milks and update on our 8 year red milk

Post by jayder85 »

Great photos and story! I love Red Milks. They are there along side Scarlet Kings in my book. They are definately a lifer for me if i can get somewhere that they are native!
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Dell Despain
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Re: Some red milks and update on our 8 year red milk

Post by Dell Despain »

Sweet post Gary. I remember seeing that old post too.
You've got some great looking syspila on your property. Love the thick black bands on the first milk. I'd like to see him post shed, because it's a great looking animal.
Gary2sons wrote:Always like the ones that have a pattern easy to identify
Do you organize photos of identifying marks to help remember found animals, or keep it all in the "old steel trap" on your shoulders.

-Dell
chad ks
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Re: Some red milks and update on our 8 year red milk

Post by chad ks »

Great stuff Gary. I have a particularly soft spot for syspila…some lookers in that bunch!
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Gary2sons
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Re: Some red milks and update on our 8 year red milk

Post by Gary2sons »

DracoRJC...thanks cool story on the snapper!

brick911...thanks and your last post was awesome!

jayder85...thanks and yes scarlet snakes are some of my favorites too. Just a little hard to find here in Missouri!

cachoron...thanks!
psyon wrote:What the hell did that ribbon snake eat?
Not sure Don but there is a fishless pond very close so it must have been a good sized frog. Pretty long lump though!
Dell Despain wrote:Sweet post Gary. I remember seeing that old post too.
You've got some great looking syspila on your property. Love the thick black bands on the first milk. I'd like to see him post shed, because it's a great looking animal.
Gary2sons wrote:Always like the ones that have a pattern easy to identify
Do you organize photos of identifying marks to help remember found animals, or keep it all in the "old steel trap" on your shoulders.

-Dell
Thanks Dell, I really liked the black bands too. Hope to see that one again this year!

Sometimes I think the "memory card" in the old steel trap on my shoulders is about full but I have two younger versions that do great! I usually just write down the identifying band which most snakes have and sometimes will have to go back over the pics to make sure. We have only found a couple red milks over the years that have been almost perfectly marked. In that case counting the bands and comparing pics usually works.
chad ks wrote:Great stuff Gary. I have a particularly soft spot for syspila…some lookers in that bunch!
Thanks Chad! Syspila are awesome! Always a thrill to find one!

Thanks again for the comments! Spring is just around the corner!

Gary
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Ross Padilla
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Re: Some red milks and update on our 8 year red milk

Post by Ross Padilla »

Too bad about the streak ending. You're lucky to have seen one that many years in a row. That's probably next to impossible in my area. Hopefully you will find him next year. Great post. :thumb:
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Tim Borski
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Re: Some red milks and update on our 8 year red milk

Post by Tim Borski »

It's good to see some Milks posted...seems like it's been awhile. :thumb:

I remember the other post too.

A few years ago I began taking photos of the "spear point" on the heads of my local Corn snakes to see if they turned up again down the road. They did on occasion and it was always like seeing an old friend again. Good stuff.

Thanks for the update and sorry to hear the streak ended. (You'll have to begin another in a couple months.) :thumb:

Tim
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Brandon D
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Re: Some red milks and update on our 8 year red milk

Post by Brandon D »

Awesome stuff Gary, I hope I can have a place with milk snakes on it someday. I have only found the same syspila a couple of diferent times, I always enjoy it though especially if its a really spectacular individual Like the one I found last fall. Awesome posts! Love syspila truly my favorite snake on the planet.
:beer:
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Gary2sons
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Re: Some red milks and update on our 8 year red milk

Post by Gary2sons »

Ross...thanks and I think there is a good chance this snake will show up again. Twice in the 8 year span he was only found once each year.

Tim...thanks and glad you liked the milks. Interesting on you taking head pics of the corns. We also take head pics on some snakes. It works really well on speckled kings. Amazing how different they really are!

Brandon...thanks and yes I like having property with milks. We bought this place 11 years ago and I remember thinking that there should be a few herps here. Very surprised when we put out some AC and started finding red milks! Just proves again red milks are very wide spread and not just on glades.

Can't wait for the snakes to start showing up this Spring!

Gary
condyle
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Re: Some red milks and update on our 8 year red milk

Post by condyle »

Syspila rule! Great post!
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razrbak
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Re: Some red milks and update on our 8 year red milk

Post by razrbak »

Thanks for all the great pics... awesome milks!
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walk-about
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Re: Some red milks and update on our 8 year red milk

Post by walk-about »

Gary - WoW! Eight acres of what looks like primo red milk habitat. Any timbers on that prop??? I have always thought that Missouri had the prettiest red milks found anywhere. This post proves that yet again. And to what Pyson said, I was curious about what it had consumed as well. Great post.

Rock ON!

Dave
Zach_Lim
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Re: Some red milks and update on our 8 year red milk

Post by Zach_Lim »

So...when can I visit your property? Haha

Very nice post. Aside from the shown snakes (Thamnophis and Lampro.), what other species visit your property?
The juvi milks are gorgeous.
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ahockenberry
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Re: Some red milks and update on our 8 year red milk

Post by ahockenberry »

Beautiful snakes - thanks for sharing - what a great experience !
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Gary2sons
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Re: Some red milks and update on our 8 year red milk

Post by Gary2sons »

condyle wrote:Syspila rule! Great post!
I totally agree!
razrbak wrote:Thanks for all the great pics... awesome milks!
Thanks, great pics I'm not so sure :lol: but will agree great looking milks!
walk-about wrote:Gary - WoW! Eight acres of what looks like primo red milk habitat. Any timbers on that prop??? I have always thought that Missouri had the prettiest red milks found anywhere. This post proves that yet again. And to what Pyson said, I was curious about what it had consumed as well. Great post.

Rock ON!

Dave
Thanks Dave...we have never found a timber here but have heard of them 30 or so miles from us. They are a pretty tough find in this part of the state!

Not the best pic but here is the ribbon again.

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The lump is either a frog or tadpoles from our fishless pond would be my guess. Maybe several tadpoles! :lol:
Zach_Lim wrote:So...when can I visit your property? Haha

Very nice post. Aside from the shown snakes (Thamnophis and Lampro.), what other species visit your property?
The juvi milks are gorgeous.
Thanks Zach! We have the usual for this part of the state. Racers, black rats, earth, ring-necks, green, brown, water, ribbon, garter, etc. We also have copperheads which usually about match in numbers our milks each year. Almost forgot speckled kings and prairie kings. And 4 hog-nose over the past 11 years.
ahockenberry wrote:Beautiful snakes - thanks for sharing - what a great experience !
Thanks and looking back it was a great experience! So many herpers like milks!

Thanks again for all the comments! I usually don't respond more than once and just glad everyone liked the snakes!

Gary
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DaveR
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Re: Some red milks and update on our 8 year red milk

Post by DaveR »

Nice post Gary. Gotta love milksnakes. Very nice land as well.
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Fundad
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Re: Some red milks and update on our 8 year red milk

Post by Fundad »

Backyard posts are my favorite... :beer: :thumb:

It's really cool you are keeping track of what your seeing... I am seriously green with envy... :mrgreen:

Thanks for sharing this with us..
:beer:

Fundad
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James K.
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Re: Some red milks and update on our 8 year red milk

Post by James K. »

very nice milksnakes.
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Phil Peak
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Re: Some red milks and update on our 8 year red milk

Post by Phil Peak »

Enjoyed the milk snakes Gary. Beautiful selection and some great photo's!

Phil
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Mike Pingleton
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Re: Some red milks and update on our 8 year red milk

Post by Mike Pingleton »

good to see another syspila update Gary.

Like Cub fans say - maybe next year?

-Mike
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Gary2sons
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Re: Some red milks and update on our 8 year red milk

Post by Gary2sons »

Thanks DaveR and James K for the comments!

Fundad...thanks and glad you liked the post. It NEVER gets old seeing the same snakes over and over again!
Phil Peak wrote:Enjoyed the milk snakes Gary. Beautiful selection and some great photo's!

Phil
Thanks Phil, glad you enjoyed the post! You have some lookers down your way too!
Mike Pingleton wrote:good to see another syspila update Gary.

Like Cub fans say - maybe next year?

-Mike
Thanks Mike!...liked your analogy about the Cubs!

Next year the Cubs win the Series AND I find my 8 year milk again! Probably not! :lol:

Thanks again for all the comments!

Gary
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MichaelCravens
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Re: Some red milks and update on our 8 year red milk

Post by MichaelCravens »

Nicely done Gary. Makes me a little home sick.

Michael Cravens
Verhoodled
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Re: Some red milks and update on our 8 year red milk

Post by Verhoodled »

Beautiful post! It's gotta be bliss to see those gems in their habitat. I hope we can look forward to more annual updates on your neighbors! :)
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Eric East
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Re: Some red milks and update on our 8 year red milk

Post by Eric East »

I love the pic of the one acting like it wants to eat you! :D
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