During a couple of visits to Bosque del Apache National Wildlife refuge in mid November I encountered many painted turtles that were apparently trying to leave one of the marshes that was being drained.
Gorum_111111_0339 by bgorum, on Flickr
Gorum_111120_0361 by bgorum, on Flickr
Gorum_111120_0456 by bgorum, on Flickr
Gorum_111120_0492 by bgorum, on Flickr
Of course what most people go to Bosque del Apache for is birds and during the cold winter months my attention turns to feathered reptiles as well.
Gorum_111204_0589 by bgorum, on Flickr
Snow geese
Gorum_111219_0697_698_699_700_701_tonemapped by bgorum, on Flickr
Great Blue herons
Gorum_111219_0715 by bgorum, on Flickr
Redtailed Hawk
Gorum_111219_0741_2_3_4_5_tonemapped by bgorum, on Flickr
Winters a great time for landscapes too.
I always feel a little inadequate at Bosque. Everyone there seems to have a bigger lens than I do! I try to compensate by doing things the other photographers aren’t willing to do.
Gorum_111228_0861 by bgorum, on Flickr
Out of the dozen or so photographers shooting around me at this spot I was the only one willing to get off of the road and sit in the mud to shoot these snow geese at their eye level.
Gorum_111228_0885 by bgorum, on Flickr
Gorum_111228_0921 by bgorum, on Flickr
Sandhill Crane
Gorum_111228_0826 by bgorum, on Flickr
White Crowned Sparrow
Gorum_111228_0950_1_2_3_4_tonemapped by bgorum, on Flickr
And some Bosque landscapes
Gorum_111228_0790_1_2_3_4_tonemapped by bgorum, on Flickr
Ok, enough of that silliness, its time for some herps.
Untitled_Panorama1 by bgorum, on Flickr
Assuming that I counted correctly this should be 47 Painted Turtles and one Big Bend Slider basking on the bank of a canal at Bosque del Apache on February 26th.
Gorum_120311_1089 by bgorum, on Flickr
A fence lizard hunkered down close to the basalt at El Malpias National Monument on an overcast and windy March 11th.
Gorum_120312_1132 by bgorum, on Flickr
The next day at the volcanoes a female side-blotched Lizard doing the same, but this time to hide from me, not to warm up.
March 13th, back at BDA. What did Bill do when he saw the skunk cross the road? Why follow it into the bushes and take pictures while it stomped and bluff charged at me of course?
Gorum_120313_1101 by bgorum, on Flickr
The dens I normally check on lost a lot of their luster for me this year. It seems like every time I tried to visit them there were crowds of tourist close by. I failed to see most of the snakes we’ve named and recognize at those dens this spring.
On one of the better days I saw this Prairie Rattlesnake out sunning.
Gorum_120317_1170 by bgorum, on Flickr
Now anytime you find one of these guys it’s always a good idea to take a careful look around before you sit or lay on the ground to take pictures. Sure enough when I peaked around this rock there was number two only a couple meters away.
Gorum_120317_1173 by bgorum, on Flickr
With my interest in my old dens being kind of dashed it was fortunate that a friend shared with me the location of one of his dens. On March 24th, he, I and another friend went to visit the den, seeing a total of eight diamondbacks.
Gorum_120324_1185 by bgorum, on Flickr
Gorum_120324_1187 by bgorum, on Flickr
Gorum_120324_1190 by bgorum, on Flickr
Gorum_120324_1191 by bgorum, on Flickr
The next day I went back out to the volcanoes, seeing only this Prairie Rattlesnake
Gorum_120325_1198 by bgorum, on Flickr
A small diamondback
Gorum_120325_1201 by bgorum, on Flickr
and an adult diamondback named Cinnamon, which is the only one of our named snakes I’ve seen this year. For the last couple of years I’ve always seen Cinnamon lying out with another large male named Rusty- (see here viewtopic.php?f=2&t=5770 and here viewtopic.php?f=2&t=7102). Not seeing Rusty at all this year has me a little worried.
On March 31st I went back out to the new den. Unfortunately my friends were not able to go, (though they had some success that day somewhere else). This time I found 14 diamondbacks and one blacktail at the den.
Gorum_120331_0034 by bgorum, on Flickr
Gorum_120331_0045 by bgorum, on Flickr
Gorum_120331_0030 by bgorum, on Flickr
Gorum_120331_0051 by bgorum, on Flickr
On April 1st I went out to the volcanoes and was very happy to find this pair of diamondbacks mating near one of the dens.
Gorum_120401_0072 by bgorum, on Flickr
I don’t recognize either of these individuals
On Good Friday I had the day off of work and made a last minute decision to go out to the new den. I’m glad I did because I ended up finding five diamondbacks and eight blacktails that day.
Gorum_120406_0082 by bgorum, on Flickr
First up was this blacktail and diamondback lying out together. I’m pretty sure I saw both these snakes on March 31st. The diamondback in exactly the same spot and the black tail only a meter or so away.
Gorum_120406_0092 by bgorum, on Flickr
A blacktail in the beargrass.
Gorum_120406_0105 by bgorum, on Flickr
Same scene without any flash.
Gorum_120406_0121 by bgorum, on Flickr
One of the five diamondbacks, (and the only big one), seen that day. I also saw this bad boy the previous week.
Gorum_120406_0115 by bgorum, on Flickr
Gorum_120406_0118 by bgorum, on Flickr
Gorum_120406_0110 by bgorum, on Flickr
Two blacktails hanging out together under a rock. Of the eight molossus I saw that day 6 of them appeared to be hanging out in pairs. Unfortunately I could not determine the sex of any of them so I don’t know whether they might have been sexual pairs, or just two random individuals in close proximity to one another.
On April 20th I headed out to a nature trail that goes through a riparian habitat in hopes of finding calling Woodhouse Toads. I was not successful with the Woodhouse Toads, but in a nearby flooded field I found some calling Great Plains Toads instead.
Gorum_120420_0233 by bgorum, on Flickr
On the 22nd of April, Travis Dockter and I went out to an area in the Magdalena Mountains I’ve wanted to check out. We found a really beautiful male rock rattlesnake that escaped into the talus and Travis found this nice looking blacktail.
Gorum_120422_0215 by bgorum, on Flickr
After spending the morning in the Magdalenas we headed for Bosque del Apache in the afternoon were we found:
Gorum_120422_0212 by bgorum, on Flickr
A male side-blotched lizard
Gorum_120422_0204 by bgorum, on Flickr
The most cooperative marbled whiptail I’ve ever seen in my life. The weather was cool and windy, which I think helped.
Gorum_120422_0202 by bgorum, on Flickr
A couple painted turtles
Gorum_120422_0194 by bgorum, on Flickr
and a New Mexico Garter Snake, which bit us, stunk all over us, and barfed earthworms on us!
On the 29th of April I apparently woke up with an incredible case of the stupids. I decided to head back down to the Magdalenas because I was bummed about not getting any pictures of the rock rattlesnake from the week before. I searched the same talus where Travis and I had found the two snakes the previous weekend, but found nothing. I continued hiking up the canyon and found an even larger talus. About half way up I found this really gnarly old Alligator Bark Juniper.
Gorum_120429_0234_5_6_tonemapped by bgorum, on Flickr
I finished photographing it, packed up my cameras, and started to continue up the talus, when I heard a buzz. Now I don’t ever carry a hook, or tongs, or anything like that because I prefer shooting in situ and that stuff would just be extra weight. But I was still bummed about not getting photos of the male lepidus from the previous weekend, so I was determined to get this one. I started moving rocks to reveal a very nice looking female. However, every time I would move a rock and uncover her she would quickly retreat under another rock. Finally I got frustrated and grabbed a nearby stick. I moved the rock I could hear her under and before he could retreat I pinned her with the stick. I reached down to pick her up with my thumb and index finger behind her head and to my surprise she was able to swing the right side of her upper jaw to the side and get one fang into my index finger.
I felt the fang puncture the skin, but fortunately for me she seemed to hit a knuckle and must not have got the fang in very deep. I had a small stream of yellowish venom on the outside of my finger, but I don’t think she injected hardly any at all. I was about a mile from my car at this time, alone up a talus slide, and I wasn’t sure whether I had been envenomated or not. I called Josh (way to go Verizon, I had service up there!) and told him where I was and what had happened just in case I couldn’t get out on my own. I then transported the snake to a spot where I could photograph her. As it turns out the pictures suck because her mouth is all out of whack from the whole pinning incident, and I wasn’t about to try to straighten it back out again.
Gorum_120429_0495 by bgorum, on Flickr
What the hell was I thinking! It would have been better to let her slip away into the talus. It took me an hour and a half to get down off the rockslide and hike back to my car. During that time my finger went from having a sharp pain at the site of the bite, to throbbing, and then finally to being numb and stiff. However, outside of my finger I felt fine, so I drove back to Albuquerque and rested the rest of the afternoon. Stupid, stupid, stupid!
On the 5th of may I headed out to Quebradas in hopes of taking landscape pictures with the super moon in them.
Gorum_120505_0242_337_431_tonemapped by bgorum, on Flickr
The Ocotillo were blooming
Gorum_120505_0260 by bgorum, on Flickr
I arrived a couple hours before the moonrise, so I took a short hike. I found a nice little blacktail.
Gorum_120505_0267 by bgorum, on Flickr
Gorum_120505_0271 by bgorum, on Flickr
and some red-spotted toad tadpoles
Gorum_120505_0279 by bgorum, on Flickr
As it turns out the super moon was obscured by clouds when it came up, but it was a fun evening anyway.
Gorum_120505_0282_283_457_fused by bgorum, on Flickr
The next day I went back to the Magdalenas, but with a friend along this time and a determination not to touch any rattlesnakes. We didn’t find any rock rattlesnakes, but I did find this blacktail sunning in the morning.
Gorum_120506_0223 by bgorum, on Flickr
On the evening of the 10th of May I headed out to the volcanoes. I found two Prairie Rattlesnakes, but was not able to photograph either. I had to settle for the magenta flowered prickly pears.
Gorum_120510_0662_3_4_fused by bgorum, on Flickr
So I still needed photos of rock rattlesnakes from the Magdalenas. So on the 13th of May I headed back down there, alone again, but determined to act smarter. On the way in I photographed this pronghorn.
Gorum_120513_0601 by bgorum, on Flickr
along with these assorted wildflowers.
Gorum_120513_0612_3_4_tonemapped by bgorum, on Flickr
Hedgehog cactus, (or claret cup, or strawberry cactus, whatever name you prefer) were blooming in the canyon.
Gorum_120513_0616_7_8_fused by bgorum, on Flickr
View down the canyon from the first big talus, (which produced no snakes this day).
Gorum_120513_0622_3_4_fused by bgorum, on Flickr
I made my way to the second, larger talus, and no sooner had I stepped onto the edge of it than I herd a buzz and looked down to see this little lepidus.
Gorum_120513_0625_6_fused by bgorum, on Flickr
Gorum_120513_0634_5_6_tonemapped by bgorum, on Flickr
I’m not sure if this is a male of a female. My thought at the time was female, but it also looked like it was soon to shed so the color was hard to determine, and there is a very slight greenish cast to it. Anyone out there with more experience with lepidus than I want to hazard a guess?
I left the Magdalenas and headed for Bosque del Apache
Gorum_120513_0009_10_11_tonemapped by bgorum, on Flickr
I found this painted turtle crossing the levee road.
Gorum_120513_0642_3_4_tonemapped by bgorum, on Flickr
and then I got rained and hailed on!
Gorum_120513_0012_3_4_fused by bgorum, on Flickr
On the 19th of May I headed down to the Rio Salado sand dunes at the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge. I didn’t see many herps that evening, but I did take some time to photograph this plant, which is one of the banes to my existence.
Gorum_120519_0019 by bgorum, on Flickr
Scorpion Weed, (Phacelia sp.). This plant causes the same reaction as poison ivy does for me.
I also photographed this kingbird. I like kingbirds a whole lot more than I do Scorpion Weed.
Gorum_120519_0023 by bgorum, on Flickr
On the 20th I went out to the Ojito Wilderness to photograph the annular eclipse.
Gorum_120520_0078And8more_tonemapped by bgorum, on Flickr
I learned some things, like even using HDR, you need to take some really, really, underexposed picks to get the eclipse. The above shot was actually right at the middle of the eclipse, but you can’t tell.
A later shot after I had figured out how to do it, but too late for the ring of fire.
Gorum_120520_0087And9more_tonemapped by bgorum, on Flickr
I’ll try again in eleven years!
Some four-o’clocks found on the hike out.
Gorum_120520_0121_2_3_tonemapped by bgorum, on Flickr
No herps this evening.
On the 22nd I was hiking at the volcanoes and found a male and female collared lizards sitting together on a rock. I decided it might be worthwhile to sit down and watch them for a while. Sure enough it didn’t take long for the male to make his move.
Gorum_120522_0128 by bgorum, on Flickr
I think that was a no!
On the 26th, Josh, his wife Nikki, their new baby girl Cloe, and I went to look for lepidus. On the hike up the canyon Josh spotted this short horned lizard.
Gorum_120528_1012 by bgorum, on Flickr
Shortly after arriving at the first big talus I got buzzed by this little lepidus that like the one a couple weeks earlier appeared to be nearing a shed.
Gorum_120528_1020 by bgorum, on Flickr
On the hike out Josh spotted another short horned lizard
Gorum_120528_1026 by bgorum, on Flickr
On the 28th I went down to Bosque del Apache in the morning. In one of the drying marshes were a ton of bullfrogs.
Gorum_120528_1070 by bgorum, on Flickr
A person could have a lot of fun here with a blowgun, a wrist rocket, a .22, you name it. (My apologies to anyone from back east where bullfrogs are native and who likes them, if you’re not from the west you might not understand).
Gorum_120528_1043 by bgorum, on Flickr
Off in the distance this poor Tom was doing his level best to impress some rather disinterested looking females.
Gorum_120528_1046 by bgorum, on Flickr
Phainopepla eating wolfberries.
Gorum_120528_1067 by bgorum, on Flickr
Gambel’s Quail calling.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GiJrCuVc ... ture=g-upl[/youtube]
My first atttempt at video with the D7000. This was pretty jittery so I tried smoothing it in imovie, but that introduced some weird effects in the branches.
Gorum_120528_1106 by bgorum, on Flickr
I came across this roundtailed horned lizard that was shedding its skin. It kept stretching its body out in all these weird contortions.
It would rub against rocks
Gorum_120528_1118 by bgorum, on Flickr
Gorum_120528_1129 by bgorum, on Flickr
Kinda scooch its body between rocks.
Gorum_120528_1149 by bgorum, on Flickr
and occasionally just rest from all its hard work.
It was starting to get pretty warm out and at one point the lizard began to pant.
Gorum_120528_1176 by bgorum, on Flickr
Gorum_120528_1177 by bgorum, on Flickr
It then started digging, apparently in an attempt to reach the cooler soil just beneath the surface.
It then kind of laid in its cool little hollowed out spot and continued working on getting the old skin off.
Gorum_120528_1190 by bgorum, on Flickr
At one point it dug into the soil and completely covered its body, then came erupting back out.
Gorum_120528_1211 by bgorum, on Flickr
It seemed as though it was doing this digging, both to reach a cooler microhabitat and to aid in removing the old skin.
Of course the lizard was easily distracted during all of this as well.
Gorum_120528_1221 by bgorum, on Flickr
A little video of the horned lizard. Video definitely looks a lot better when shot from a tripod. I especially like how the lizard eats the hapless ant that comes in to snatch a little piece of shed skin!
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t_0ZraKq ... ture=g-upl[/youtube]
After this the horned lizard left the area and I continued on my hike. I soon found this small adult Leopard Lizard.
Gorum_120528_1223 by bgorum, on Flickr
Hummmm……….. I wonder whose been by here?
Gorum_120528_1233 by bgorum, on Flickr
I also saw several Greater Earless Lizards.
Gorum_120528_1236 by bgorum, on Flickr
Gorum_120528_1238 by bgorum, on Flickr
See ya’!
Towards the end of my hike I found this baby Desert Cottontail.
Gorum_120528_1246 by bgorum, on Flickr
It was so cute! I was tempted to pick it up and carry it home, or at least carry it around until I found a hungry diamondback or something, but since it is a wildlife refuge I left it there. I didn’t find any hungry snakes that day anyhow, so it’s just as well.
Gorum_120528_1247 by bgorum, on Flickr
A nice looking Big Bend Slider.
Hey you made it all the way to the end! Thanks for your patience.
Gorum_120528_1257_8_9_tonemapped by bgorum, on Flickr
How about a nice sunset over the Chupadera mountains with a little extra atmosphere courtesy of the Whitewater-Baldy fire?
great photography to, what's up with the skunk? Thst was a cool photo! Funny story when I was 14 I brought a baby skunk home I found it's mother and siblings hit on the highway!! It never tryed to spray!! So I took it home, I went to show my mother the next morning and as soon as I opened the container it sprayed luckily missing us both 
stinking up the guest room to high heaven 
