Last couple weeks in New Mexico

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bgorum
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Last couple weeks in New Mexico

Post by bgorum »

I was going to hold off until I had a few more finds to do a post, but we are trying to get the site going again I'll go ahead and post what I've got now.

First up is a gopher snake found crossing a dirt road in Valencia county,
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A claret cup cactus at the end of the hawkwatch trail in the Sandias
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Granite boulders also at the end of Hawkwatch trail
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This blacktailed rattlesnake in the Sandias is a snake I know well now. I found it on June 3rd under the exact same boulder where I found it last year on June 1st. Both times the snake was opaque. It appears this snake may use this same boulder every year for it's post hibernation shed. Josh and Nikki Emms and I went to check on it last night and found the snake gone, but its shed skin sticking out from under the boulder.
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Last weekend I met up with some of the Colorado guys as well as Josh and ErikNM for some herping near Carlsbad. I think the lack of rain did us in and we did not see the numbers or variety we would have liked. I found this texas horned lizard on the road in Lincoln county on the way down.
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A tree lizard in the Guadalupes
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A short hike up the canyon where I was camped led to a riparian area with lots of Rio Grande leopard frogs
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Upon returning to my car after an evening hike high in the Guadalupes I could see a rattlesnake stretched out in the road ahead. Based on the habitat I immediately thought blacktail. As I got closer however I could make out the black and white tail bands and realized it was a diamondback. Little did I know diamondbacks would become my curse on this trip. I cruised a total of 6 snakes while I was there, every single one of them a diamondback!
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I did manage to flip a ground snake near my camp though
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A texas horned lizard
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Erik managed to cruise a transpecos ratsnake
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As well as a gopher snake
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Breakfast on Dark Canyon road
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Another diamondbacl :?
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One afternoon when the temperature was hovering around 110 I decided to go flipping for banded geckos. To my surprise I actually got one!
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just for good measure, how about another diamondback :cry:
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Thanks for looking and long live FHF!
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Josh Holbrook
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Re: Last couple weeks in New Mexico

Post by Josh Holbrook »

That ground snake and the first Pituophis were phenomenal shots!
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Saunders
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Re: Last couple weeks in New Mexico

Post by Saunders »

That's really cool about the black tail rattler. You should find some defining feature about it and record it and see if it is actually the same snake coming back to the same spot annually.
Paul White
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Re: Last couple weeks in New Mexico

Post by Paul White »

You just found 3 herps on my life list! Nice man. That's a heck of a neat trip :)
That blacktail, the gecko and the transpecos are the lifers I ain't found yet.
bgorum
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Re: Last couple weeks in New Mexico

Post by bgorum »

Saunders wrote:That's really cool about the black tail rattler. You should find some defining feature about it and record it and see if it is actually the same snake coming back to the same spot annually.
Actually the snake has an old injury to the right supraocular scale that allows me yo know it is the same individual. Its unfortunate the site went down because I posted this snake last year and I mentioned in that post that I had originally found this snake in the same side canyon, but a bit lower in elevation during May of 2007.
kevinb
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Re: Last couple weeks in New Mexico

Post by kevinb »

Wow awesome shots, that last rattler looks like it could jump off the screen and bite me.
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soulsurvivor
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Re: Last couple weeks in New Mexico

Post by soulsurvivor »

Again, that's awesome about the blacktail. I love finding the same animals year after year. It's great to know they're still hanging in there. Good job!
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Saunders
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Re: Last couple weeks in New Mexico

Post by Saunders »

bgorum wrote: Actually the snake has an old injury to the right supraocular scale that allows me yo know it is the same individual. Its unfortunate the site went down because I posted this snake last year and I mentioned in that post that I had originally found this snake in the same side canyon, but a bit lower in elevation during May of 2007.
Yea it is bad that the site went down, but that is cool that you do know that it is the same snake.
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Don
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Re: Last couple weeks in New Mexico

Post by Don »

I need to get back to NM! That made my memory water! Thanks for sharing.

Ain't nothing wrong with a bunch of atrox when most of what one finds are copperheads!
RobK

Re: Last couple weeks in New Mexico

Post by RobK »

That was a good trip in spite of the hot temps, thanks for digging up all those atrox. Ranger up the road from our campsite actually fried two eggs in a frying pan on one of the days. Took 15 min. :shock:

Killed it coming back into CO that last night, storms brewing all over, so we all decided to stop at one of our favorite local places. Saw more snakes in the first 15 min than our entire NM trip, go figure.

-rob aka smetlogik aka pfunkherpdaddy
bgorum
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Re: Last couple weeks in New Mexico

Post by bgorum »

Rob,

It was great meeting you. Glad to here you guys did well on the way home!
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Schell
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Re: Last couple weeks in New Mexico

Post by Schell »

I, too was just in SW NM. Just for one night/morning of road cruising. I'm still going through pictures.
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rosy-man
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Re: Last couple weeks in New Mexico

Post by rosy-man »

great post love the atrox
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Ross Padilla
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Re: Last couple weeks in New Mexico

Post by Ross Padilla »

Great shots. Really liked the suboc and the Gopher. :thumb:
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Ryan Thies
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Re: Last couple weeks in New Mexico

Post by Ryan Thies »

You guys did great! I love all the rattlesnake shots. I need to find a live diamond-backed rattlesnake myself. The DORs are getting old.

Ryan
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