My Non-Dilligent Summer in China 2012 Part II

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MaartenSFS
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My Non-Dilligent Summer in China 2012 Part II

Post by MaartenSFS »

See Part I here: http://www.fieldherpforum.com/forum/vie ... =2&t=12977

Firstly, I must confess that it has not been a great year for herping this year. Trying [and failing] to get an adventure tourism company up and running and having a newborn baby tends to do that.. But all was not in vain. I have travelled over 20.000km on my motorbike since returning to China last July and must have done over 10.000km of that this summer. I have found some of the most remote and pristine natural areas in this region of China and hope to mount some extended expeditions to them next year.

Here are some more places that I found in August and early September:
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These first several were taken at over 1600m elevation on a massive plateau where we found some amazing cloud forest. My legs still remember that trip well!
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The only shot I took during a 10.5 hour ride to a new area I'd never been to. Will have to explore the area more in future - a lot of pristine rainforest - but a bit remote for easy access.
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This batch here were taken in another rainforest area that is part of a network of canyons near the massive canyon in the previous post. There were a lot of places where one could jump into the river from low cliffs. VERY refreshing.. ;)
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And who doesn't love a bit of bamboo?

Sorry for the lack of herp shots. More of those next year. Hope you enjoyed these.
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Hans Breuer (twoton)
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Re: My Non-Dilligent Summer in China 2012 Part II

Post by Hans Breuer (twoton) »

Very. Very. Nice.
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Re: My Non-Dilligent Summer in China 2012 Part II

Post by MaartenSFS »

Hans Breuer (twoton) wrote:Very. Very. Nice.
Thanks, but I'm not expecting much response due to the lack of herps. =P
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Re: My Non-Dilligent Summer in China 2012 Part II

Post by Hans Breuer (twoton) »

Ach, screw the damn herpers. They don't know what's good if it bites them in the ass :-)
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Re: My Non-Dilligent Summer in China 2012 Part II

Post by MaartenSFS »

Hans Breuer (twoton) wrote:Ach, screw the damn herpers. They don't know what's good if it bites them in the ass :-)
Haha. I agree, though. I saw a lot of other cool animals and places this year that totally justified the amount of time and energy I spent on these quests. Happy hunting, Hans!
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Re: My Non-Dilligent Summer in China 2012 Part II

Post by Hans Breuer (twoton) »

Same to you! Why didn't you post them?
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Re: My Non-Dilligent Summer in China 2012 Part II

Post by reptilist »

Love the bamboo!
;)
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Kevin Messenger
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Re: My Non-Dilligent Summer in China 2012 Part II

Post by Kevin Messenger »

great scenery shots Maarten! just think, come Feb you can go out an find snakes, I'll still be freezing my ass off in the great white north that is northern Alabama....
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Re: My Non-Dilligent Summer in China 2012 Part II

Post by KEAC »

I like all the greenery and scenery! How is the herping for snakes in Chinese Cloud Forests as compared to Costa Rican cloud forests?
I would imagine it is similar with more variety and less numbers.
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Re: My Non-Dilligent Summer in China 2012 Part II

Post by MaartenSFS »

Hans Breuer (twoton) wrote:Same to you! Why didn't you post them?
Well, I didn't even take photos of a lot of it. Too much to see, too little time. Lighting wasn't always good, etc.
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Re: My Non-Dilligent Summer in China 2012 Part II

Post by MaartenSFS »

reptilist wrote:Love the bamboo!
;)
It tastes good too! ;)
And makes a good spear. AND can be used to light a fire. AND AND can be used to make a raft!
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Re: My Non-Dilligent Summer in China 2012 Part II

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Kevin Messenger wrote:great scenery shots Maarten! just think, come Feb you can go out an find snakes, I'll still be freezing my ass off in the great white north that is northern Alabama....
It will depend. We are seeing the absolutely worst autumn in Guilin right now. Rain rain rain. The spring was really nice, though. I generally expect the herping season to begin in late March/early April. February is usually the worst month of the year and cold enough to make you want to stay in bed all month. May still get some nice days this year, but no more time for herping.. :? Let's make next year count! (Not that yours didn't!!!)
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Re: My Non-Dilligent Summer in China 2012 Part II

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KEAC wrote:I like all the greenery and scenery! How is the herping for snakes in Chinese Cloud Forests as compared to Costa Rican cloud forests?
I would imagine it is similar with more variety and less numbers.
The more diversity, less individuals seems to apply for all of this region. There are over 100 species in Guangxi, but I have only found about 23 during my limited searching. Hope to change that next year, though! I found a lot of frogs in the cloud forest, but didn't stay out past nightfall. Still had a great trip!
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Re: My Non-Dilligent Summer in China 2012 Part II

Post by Hans Breuer (twoton) »

MaartenSFS wrote:Lighting wasn't always good, etc.
You no heb flash, lah? OK, OK, so what DID you see then?
The more diversity, less individuals seems to apply for all of this region.
True. Same down here. I think any given area can only support so much biomass.
There are over 100 species in Guangxi, but I have only found about 23 during my limited searching
Interesting! How long did that take you, and how often do you go herping?? In my 16 months here, I've found 41 of Sarawak's 166 (known-to-science) snake species, and I herp twice a week, sometimes thrice.
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Re: My Non-Dilligent Summer in China 2012 Part II

Post by MaartenSFS »

Hans Breuer (twoton) wrote:
MaartenSFS wrote:Lighting wasn't always good, etc.
You no heb flash, lah? OK, OK, so what DID you see then?
The more diversity, less individuals seems to apply for all of this region.
True. Same down here. I think any given area can only support so much biomass.
There are over 100 species in Guangxi, but I have only found about 23 during my limited searching
Interesting! How long did that take you, and how often do you go herping?? In my 16 months here, I've found 41 of Sarawak's 166 (known-to-science) snake species, and I herp twice a week, sometimes thrice.
I found 22 species last year between July and November, half of them DOR. Some of them were repeats from my previous four years in China. The other species I have found was Naja atra. May have seen another of those this year. This was herping for five days straight with Kevin in July and twice or thrice a week in August and once a week until November (except for two weeks of bad weather). This year I saw a lot less, despite being out A LOT in the spring and summer. I did not spend a lot of time night herping this year, though. I'd LOVE to go herping that often, but it just isn't in the cards for me. Also, it's too cold from December (this year November) until March. =S

The other species I found were beautiful insects, arachnids, and other arthropods, birds, fish, etc. Very few mammals, although there are monkeys and squirrels in the city parks (semi-wild). They've been eaten elsewhere. I have on two occassions seen maritime striped ground squirrels, though. O, and beautiful flora. Nothing that compares with what you are seeing down there!

I do have flash, but without a tripod during the day it just isn't worth the effort.
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Re: My Non-Dilligent Summer in China 2012 Part II

Post by Hans Breuer (twoton) »

Thanks, Maarten!
MaartenSFS wrote:I do have flash, but without a tripod during the day it just isn't worth the effort.
Huh?
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Re: My Non-Dilligent Summer in China 2012 Part II

Post by MHollanders »

Absolutely stunning scenery out there! I am completely ignorant on the geography and climates of China. Awesome to see these pics.
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Re: My Non-Dilligent Summer in China 2012 Part II

Post by MaartenSFS »

Hans Breuer (twoton) wrote:Thanks, Maarten!
MaartenSFS wrote:I do have flash, but without a tripod during the day it just isn't worth the effort.
Huh?
What I meant was that if the lighting wasn't good and I didn't have a tripod, flash wouldn't have been much help. I occasionally use fill flash during the day for portraits, but little else. If I end up finding more herps at night then I'll absolutely use flash.
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Re: My Non-Dilligent Summer in China 2012 Part II

Post by Hans Breuer (twoton) »

MaartenSFS wrote:
Hans Breuer (twoton) wrote:Thanks, Maarten!
MaartenSFS wrote:I do have flash, but without a tripod during the day it just isn't worth the effort.
Huh?
What I meant was that if the lighting wasn't good and I didn't have a tripod, flash wouldn't have been much help. I occasionally use fill flash during the day for portraits, but little else. If I end up finding more herps at night then I'll absolutely use flash.
You should trust your flash more. Down here in the everlasting murk of the tropical jungle (cue "Jaws" theme), which equals your bad lighting, I use flash for pretty much everything (albeit never without a softbox these days)
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Re: My Non-Dilligent Summer in China 2012 Part II

Post by MaartenSFS »

Hans Breuer (twoton) wrote: You should trust your flash more. Down here in the everlasting murk of the tropical jungle (cue "Jaws" theme), which equals your bad lighting, I use flash for pretty much everything (albeit never without a softbox these days)
I'll keep it in mind for when I finally find more herps. :)
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Re: My Non-Dilligent Summer in China 2012 Part II

Post by Hans Breuer (twoton) »

Works for inverts, too....especially for inverts, actually, because they're mostly small and need much light.
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Re: My Non-Dilligent Summer in China 2012 Part II

Post by MaartenSFS »

Hans Breuer (twoton) wrote:Works for inverts, too....especially for inverts, actually, because they're mostly small and need much light.
To me, though, nothing beats natural lighting. What I REALLY need for my macro shots is a macro converter lense. I plan to purchase one next year, if funds allow. THEN YOU WILL ALL SEE! Flash works quite well on my camera, as the 600mm zoom is far enough for the flash to have effect, but I have to remove the lense hood or it will leave a shadow.
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Re: My Non-Dilligent Summer in China 2012 Part II

Post by Hans Breuer (twoton) »

To me, though, nothing beats natural lighting.
Of course. But if it ain't there in the first place, you can't use it :-)
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Re: My Non-Dilligent Summer in China 2012 Part II

Post by MaartenSFS »

I hope someone visits me next year so that I have an excuse to drive for hours and camp somewhere at night and test this theory!
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