Northern NV (Summer, Fall update)

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Jason Hull
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Northern NV (Summer, Fall update)

Post by Jason Hull »

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Hello everyone. I am not a member of the RMC but I have a few pictures taken in N. Nevada over the past couple months and I thought they might be best received over here. Hope no one minds.


Most of the desert areas that I search look like this.
Quite a few different animals seem to benefit from rock structures like the ones below.

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These little Ground snakes are one of the more colorful critters I find in the habitat above.

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A pile of lutosus is a welcome sight after a long winter.

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This girl in the front earned herself a nice four letter name due to her extremely bad attitude.

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One of the other desert snakes in the area is the Patch Nosed Snake.

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I took a minute to check out this alkali spring. It was home to a bunch of guppy like fish and one frog that bailed before I could check it out.

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Late last year my father told me about some friends of his that had seen a large group of Rattlesnakes while hunting for Chukar. He also told me that his friends had unloaded their guns on the animals because they were concerned for their dogs safety.
Long story short I ran into this fella at Christmas dinner. After talking with him over some drinks and food it was apparent that he knew his previous actions sucked and I got the impression that he would show these snakes a bit more respect next time.

I only got to check out the place once early in the year so most of the animals had not emerged yet. I could see where the dude had put his shotgun within inches of a crack and pulled the trigger hitting mostly solid rock at the entrance.

These are some of the snakes left over from his shooting spree.

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Older and younger generation.

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Some of the lizards in the area.

Barred Spiny taking advantage of a ranchers handy work.

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Female Collared in her sexy time colors.

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A couple of Desert Horned Lizards

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Not sure what this one was trying to accomplish at the top of this bush.

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A young Leopard Lizard.

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I got a chance to head out east for a couple of days. Didn't see as much as I would have hoped but it was fun and relaxing as always.

Some of the habitat I searched looked like this.

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Plenty of lutosus on this side of the state as well.

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These Whipsnakes are also common in the area.

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An ornately patterned lutosus enjoying the broken sun light near the entrance of it's safe house.

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This snake was found about 100' from the previous one. Very light.

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Wandering Garters are a snake I don't get to see unless I travel East.

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About a month back I started thinking about how I don't spend any time searching for animals here in town. There is plenty of habitat in the valley and foot hills worthy of checking out .

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A few things found near water.

Toad.

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Bull Frog

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Tree Frog

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The Mountain Garter Snake is one of three Garter species I see out in north western NV.

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The getula seem to be a bit pickier about conditions when it comes to surface activity.

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This little female is one of the nicer looking kings I've seen in the area. All however have had thin white banding.

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I spotted this lutosus on one of the few night drives i've taken this year.

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Rubber Boas turn up quite a bit here in the Sierra foot hills.

This juvi was found closer to the valley floor than most.

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A couple of adults.

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Back to the desert.

The Coachwhips are an impressive snake to come across. The ones around here seem to share this same color pattern.

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This lutosus had it's picture taken more than once this year. I think it even ended up in an educational clip for kids.

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Once again, it is tough to beat a pile of Rattlesnakes.

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Hope everyone is having a fun year.

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Thought I'd go ahead and update this post with a few pics taken this Summer and Fall. Hope you don't mind the bump.

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The Mantis is one insect that doesn't give me the willy's. I actually feel lucky when I find one.

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I didn't see many snakes during the last couple of months. Below are a few of the ones that I did.

I usually come across many Gopher snakes during the season. This is one of only two that I encountered this year.

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Valley Garters are my favorite of the four Garter snakes here in NV. I like the red markings on them.

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The Sierra Garter is one that I don't see all that often in NV. I have only encountered them in one main river system in the area.

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Just in case you didn't get enough of these the first go around. Here ya go.

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The only native turtle from this area is the Western Pond turtle. This one had something funky going on with it's coloring.

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There was no shortage of lizard activity here during the second half of the season.

The Fence Lizards seem to be everywhere you look.

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The Side Blothched Lizard is also very common in some areas. This one blends in pretty well with the rock.

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This is a bad pic of a cool animal. The Zebra Tailed Lizard is a tough one for me to photo.

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These next two photos were taken by a friend with a real camera. I would normally not put up a pic taken by someone else but I think his pictures really show what the Great Basin Whiptail Lizard is all about. Plus I can't get a good picture of one to save my soul.

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I got a chance to check out a spot in the N/E part of the state.

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Turned up this Great Basin Skink under one of the larger pieces of debris. I was surprised to see moisture under some of the cover.

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I was excited to find this juvi Short Horned Lizard. I was a freshman in high school (20 yrs. ago) the last time I came across one of these in NV.

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About a week later and 80 to 100 miles West, I found myself here, searching for a lizard I had never seen in NV or anywhere else for that matter.

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Came across a few hatchling Sagebrush Lizards.

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Then I saw these Two Pygmy Short Horned Lizards running around in a dusty clearing. A first for me and the last lizard I had yet to find in N. Nevada. This was a cool find for me.

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However this adult made my day. It was also a good way to close out a fun year in N. Nevada.

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Take it easy, Jason
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Attila
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Re: Northern NV

Post by Attila »

Outstanding finds & excellent job with the photography.
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t3ch
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Re: Northern NV

Post by t3ch »

wow what a post i love those groundsnakes and boas
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Bryan Hamilton
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Re: Northern NV

Post by Bryan Hamilton »

Wicked nice post!

I feel like you really captured the essence of the northern Nevada. The lutosus, Sonora, and lizards are awesome. Is the toad Bufo (Anaxyrus) boreas? That’s cool you were able to talk to the lutosus murderer. How many snakes do you think he killed?

Not to be to nosey but how far do you have to travel to see lutosus?
TimCO
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Re: Northern NV

Post by TimCO »

This is one of the best posts I've seen in a while. Great report from a little posted area. Keep em coming.
Brian Eagar
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Re: Northern NV

Post by Brian Eagar »

Very nice tour of the herps of Northern Nevada. You're just missing that NV milksnake and a longnose.
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Jason Hull
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Re: Northern NV

Post by Jason Hull »

Thanks for the kind words all.

Attlla - Thanks. I dig this little point and shoot that I have.

t3ch - The groundsnakes are a fun find. Some of them can be very pretty.

Bryan - Thanks a lot man. I do believe it is a Boreal toad. The snake killer is actually not a bad guy. I think he like many others just over reacted when he saw all of the snakes. It's to bad most peoples respond by destroying something they don't understand. He said there were about twelve to fourteen snakes out and he thinks he shot about three. I found all six of he and his buddies shell casings in front of the structure. I could also see the skeleton of an adult that he hit inside the main crevice.
Lutosus and the rest of that stuff that I mentioned was found in town, can be seen about ten minutes out my front door. I live just outside of the downtown area in the center of town.

TimCo - Thanks. This area has quite a bit to offer. I love it here.

Brian Eager - Thank you. There are a few thing that didn't end up in that post that I would have liked. I will probably add to it a little later.
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jdustin
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Re: Northern NV

Post by jdustin »

Wow man, you're a really good photographer. Great shots. Must have been a blast.
AlwaysInTheWoods
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Re: Northern NV

Post by AlwaysInTheWoods »

Very nice photos and finds!
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Jason Hull
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Re: Northern NV

Post by Jason Hull »

jdustin - Thanks a lot man. We always try to have a good time around here.

AITW - Thank you.
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Schell
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Re: Northern NV

Post by Schell »

That is a solid post. Seems like I need to get out to Northern Nevada more often. It's considerably closer than So Cal for me too....hrmmm..... Oh and great photos!
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Casey Lazik
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Re: Northern NV

Post by Casey Lazik »

Incredible contribution! Thank you for sharing.

Casey
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Brendan
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Re: Northern NV

Post by Brendan »

Man I guess I need to pay closer attention to the other boards on here. I miss way too much cool stuff that is not posted in the main forum.

Awesome job on those photos Jason! Love all the lutosus variety and the fact that the snakes are all relaxed and undisturbed. Nice to know that your dens are well respected. Keep up the great work.
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DesertZone
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Re: Northern NV

Post by DesertZone »

Amazing. What a good post. I have always wanted to go back to Northern NV. 8-)
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Jason Hull
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Re: Northern NV

Post by Jason Hull »

Schell, Casey, and DesertZone - Thank you very much for your comments.

Brendan - Thanks dude. I am glad you mentioned about the lutosus being undisturbed and peaceful. I roll with a hands off policy at den sites. All posed shots were snakes that were found on the crawl away from their safety zone. It would really bother me if I felt I was having a negative effect on them with my presence.
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AndyO'Connor
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Re: Northern NV

Post by AndyO'Connor »

Very nice finds! Next time our little NW group heads through the Alvord and Pyramid lake areas, maybe we should detour toward you and meet up? How far north have your found getula? (obviously I don't expect a specific answer, unless you want to PM me)
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Brendan
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Re: Northern NV

Post by Brendan »

Jason Hull wrote:Schell, Casey, and DesertZone - Thank you very much for your comments.

Brendan - Thanks dude. I am glad you mentioned about the lutosis being undisturbed and peaceful. I roll with a hands off policy at den sites. All posed shots were snakes that were found on the crawl away from their safety zone. It would really bother me if I felt I was having a negative effect on them with my presence.
Jay I always notice that stuff and you know how I feel about pulling snakes out of dens for photos. I understand that to some degree it is necessary for biologists collecting data to do it but hopefully it's as minimal as possible. Nothing better than to see a nice big pile of sleeping snakes that don't even know they are being watched. Keep up the great work bro!
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Fundad
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Re: Northern NV

Post by Fundad »

Nice, Love those Kings from up there....

Congrats and great photos..

:beer: :thumb:

Fundad
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Jason Hull
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Re: Northern NV

Post by Jason Hull »

B - Getting out and speaking with yourself, Rich, and Riley earlier this year helped me understand the dynamics of Rattelsnake hibernacula and I am very grateful for it.
Hope to see you guys soon.

Fundad - Thank you. I love kings and crots. It's a treat for me to see getula up here when I do. It doesn't happen all that often.
Jeff Teel
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Re: Northern NV

Post by Jeff Teel »

Wow, this was an amazing post. Love all the "as seen" crote shots, very nice!
Jeff
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Jason Hull
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Re: Northern NV (Summer, Fall update)

Post by Jason Hull »

Updated above.
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Bryan Hamilton
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Re: Northern NV (Summer, Fall update)

Post by Bryan Hamilton »

Good work on the Phrynosoma douglassii. I still need to to find those myself.

The Aspidoscelis tigris scorpian predation is very cool too. I know what you mean about getting good photos of them.
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Jason Hull
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Re: Northern NV (Summer, Fall update)

Post by Jason Hull »

Thanks Bryan, P. douglassi is a cool lizard. If you get up this way let me know and we'll go check them out.
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Calfirecap
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Re: Northern NV (Summer, Fall update)

Post by Calfirecap »

Great post Jason,
Northern Nevada seems to be greatly under rated. Looks like it's time to spend some time out there. What time of the year would you consider the best for herping? Thanks for the post.
Lawrence
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Correcamino
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Re: Northern NV (Summer, Fall update)

Post by Correcamino »

Nice series Jason!
Best,

Rich
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Jason Hull
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Re: Northern NV (Summer, Fall update)

Post by Jason Hull »

Lawrence and Rich,

Thanks for the good words. I hope to see you both in the near future.

Jason
will lattea
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Re: Northern NV (Summer, Fall update)

Post by will lattea »

awesome!!!! there's a good chance I'll be in NV this coming march and I've had lutosus on my mind... this is going to make the winter seem waaaay slower now. thanks for posting!

-Will
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AReaHerps
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Re: Northern NV (Summer, Fall update)

Post by AReaHerps »

That juvenile rubber boa was spectacular! I am getting more and more excited for Spring to come so I can finally feast my eyes on these awesome snakes! Where would you guys recommend I plan on visiting to find some rubber boas? My biggest obstacle is I have never found one and I have no clue when or where! Big time novice here folks so take it easy on me. It has ben a long time since I was out herping. I remember herping the Carson Valley every spring and summer when I was younger. I have there and would visit all the time. All my spare time was spent walking in the desert and finding critters! Brought back so many memories looking at these images. Thanks for posting!
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ama
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Re: Northern NV (Summer, Fall update)

Post by ama »

Hey Jason,

I just happened to see this older post. What mountain range did you find those short-horns in? I still need to make it up there to see some boas with you.

Cheers,
Aaron
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Brandon La Forest
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Re: Northern NV (Summer, Fall update)

Post by Brandon La Forest »

WOW awesome stuff man, I second what Brendan said it's always nice to see a pile of undisturbed snakes. Learn so much more that way. Keep up the excellent work, Im sure you have learned far more about these snakes by just watching then your probably ever thought was possible! I think this POST should be a standard for everyone in the field!

Cheers

Brandon
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Jason Hull
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Re: Northern NV (Summer, Fall update)

Post by Jason Hull »

Sorry to bump this post again but Aaron (ama) has pointed out that I don't actually have P. douglasi there at the end. They are hernandesi as well.
Thanks Aaron. It's good to see you here.
WOW awesome stuff man, I second what Brendan said it's always nice to see a pile of undisturbed snakes. Learn so much more that way. Keep up the excellent work, Im sure you have learned far more about these snakes by just watching then your probably ever thought was possible! I think this POST should be a standard for everyone in the field!
With those thoughts in mind here are a couple from this spring.


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Most of these were taken from a distance with a dump truck point and shoot.

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Variety ball.

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Some spring time lutosus lovin.

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A lively crack in the rocks.

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Take it easy.
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Brendan
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Re: Northern NV (Summer, Fall update)

Post by Brendan »

Awesome Jason!! Nice to see some familiar faces. Way to go with documenting spring breeding.
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monklet
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Re: Northern NV (Summer, Fall update)

Post by monklet »

Don't see a lot from the part of the world. Sterling presentation!!! :shock: :thumb: :D 8-) ...never saw it before. Glad it got bumped!
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