NM & AZ w/ some Chile (S.America) - too long, so scroll fast

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Y.Morgan
Posts: 131
Joined: January 28th, 2011, 10:51 pm
Location: SW New Mexico

NM & AZ w/ some Chile (S.America) - too long, so scroll fast

Post by Y.Morgan »

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I'm sorry there are too many photos here, please scroll quickly and forgive my poor paring!
The story of the year in SW NM in 2012 was fire and drought...again. After being downwind of the largest wildfire in AZ history in 2011, NM had its largest ever wildfire in 2012 and it was practically in my front yard. I've always been philosophical about wildfires and the resilience of life, but it will be a LONG time before critter populations recover from the devastating fires and drought we've seen over the past 3 years. Sure, many reptiles dive deep and survive the initial fire, but what in the hell are they gonna eat/drink when they eventually re-emerge?
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Yep
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It seemed unfair that the very same day the fires subsided enough to allow visitors back into the Gila NF, the worries turned to flood and mud:

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The ash and mud weren't a bummer for everyone at least:
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While most of AZ located west and north of the Chiricahuas enjoyed a good monsoon in 2012, a system parked over much of NM during the "monsoon" and kept away the rains, making it common to find desiccated critters:
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Enough bitching....things will get better:
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A tasty tradition in Old and New Mexico includes the "disco" (dee-sko), which is just a farmer's tilling disc that is welded into a wok of sorts. It works on campfires, grills, and turkey fryers. Here, we had elk with various veggies on a Friday lunchbreak:
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As always in NM, there was homemade green chile on the side. The guys found an old sign that they cleaned up for do-it-yourself tortilla toasting:
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From a re-introduced population of Chiricahuan leopard frogs :thumb:
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How is it that you can go through a whole weekend of roadcruising and find only 2 snakes and they're side-by-side? Molossus and gopher:
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Here, too - only 2 sightings in a whole night and they're practically on each other:
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One of the weekends when I found only 1 snake in 2 nights of roadcruising, I fulfilled a big goal by finding the Big 3 montane rattlers all in one hike (1 klaub, 1 willardi, and 2 pricei...plus 2 bears). I got a good look at the will will, but it dived before I could photo it. The klaub disappeared into a dry riverbed right after this shot:
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For some reason, it was a good year for lyre snakes, which are uncommon most years. In one stretch, I found 4 in 3 nights:
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One of my best finds of the year - a smokin' meanie greenie from a very remote range that I had been hiking/scouting for 2 years with no luck:
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For the license to say "anal horn" in polite company, I salute you:
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My buddy got nailed by a twinspot rattler and it was worse than I would've guessed. Fortunately he did not seek medical treatment, so we got some good photos of the mess. Squeezing out venom...Bite + 20 seconds:
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Squeezing mostly blood...Bite + 1 minute:
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Bite + 3 minutes:
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Bite + 6 minutes:
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Bite + 12 hours:
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Bite + 21 days:
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Bite + 28 days (we still cain't figger out how we keep gittin' bit):
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Bite + 29 days:
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Bite + 14 weeks (His mini-p):
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After losing my mom unexpectedly in 2011, it was too soon to say goodbye to her mom - my dear, sweet Grandmother - in 2012. But we don't get to choose these things do we? The most important week of my year (and probably my whole life) was when I rushed back to NC and spent those last few days beside her - the best person I've ever known. We had time for some fun and also to say all of those things to each other that we wished we'd said to my mom. I awoke from one of our naps and snapped a pic with my phone camera:
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From another population of Chiricahuan leopards (not in the Chiris):
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It may not look like much, but in eastern NM where the drought is especially bad, the spray from an always-running turbine pump can be life-giving:
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At the puddle's perimeter, the indentation from a cow's hoof can be the difference between life and death:
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And the toads? I was surprised to find 7 of them in one nearby poo pile:
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Lots of 2012 outings would've been a bust but for a lone molossus saving the day.
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I'm surprised by the number of herpers who dig rattlers out of talus and don't fill the holes back in. It probably doesn't hurt the habitat that much since it's impossible to replace the rocks like they were. And in reality, I kinda like knowing I'm on the right track. But isn't it rude and lazy...kinda like carving your name on a tree or throwing your trash on the ground? When all of your hard efforts finally pay off in these pristine places, wouldn't it be right to spend an extra 2 minutes making a modest effort to leave it semi-like you found it?
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Without really meaning to, I ended up spending a fair amount of time on the Mexico border this year:
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Many people - self included - are surprised to learn that there are still places along the border that are relatively unbuttressed. New Mexico (foreground) and Old Mexico (back):
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This Texas horned lizard scampered back and forth between New Mexico and Old Mexico without ruining either one:
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You used to be able to get into Old Mexico via this gate:
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Now, all you get is this:
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It's interesting to see F150s, cowboy hats, and modern irrigation technology on the Mexican side of the fence:
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While the U.S. side looks like....errrr.....Mexico:
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With all of the complicated border issues, this substantial fence seems like a good compromise between border security and border exclusionism. Maybe I'll see a jaguar yet.
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Mexican beer:
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"You can see and smell the Angry Whopper, but you can not have the Angry Whopper":
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I was grateful to the workcrew who ignored their instincts and saved this in a bottle for me to see. But try explaining to them why it's called a ring-necked snake:
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The only mellow NM viridis I've ever found:
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Do not trust this snake (below)! Overall, I'd say viridis are the most defensive species I encounter. Sometimes, they hide their heads as if they're timid but they will burst out of this pose and make repeated wild lunges:
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Since the rains here usually start in early July, the hottest, driest, smokiest month is June...a good time for a vacation to Chile. It was winter down there (so no herps) but what a beautiful country and an amazing experience! The juxtapositions of old and new, natural and industrial, gray with splashes of uniquely bold and colorful creations...these things still have me struggling to get my arms around Santiago. Most days I was there, the Andes weren't visible due to fog, clouds and smog, but they tower over this huge, vibrant city:
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The Pacific Ocean is only about an hour from Santiago, meaning one is never far from the awesome Andes as well as the sea. Algarrobo, Chile:
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San Antonio, Chile at a bustling fishing port:
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Pomaire, Chile:
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Asi de lindo como era Chile, la gente era aun mas linda. Se esmeraron para hacerme sentir bienvenido. Nunca olvidare la bondad y hospitalidad de todos, especialmente la de la señora Eliana y como ella explotaba con alegría y risas durante mi visita. (As beautiful as Chile was, the people were even more beautiful. They did everything in their power to make me feel welcome. I will never forget their kindness and hospitality - especially that of Senora Eliana and how she erupted with happiness and laughter frequently during my visit.):
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photo (above) by YANB

I'm probably the only guy in history to find his first-ever New Mexican suboc on the way home from Chile:
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Sometimes I get paid to work on jobsites where my photodocumentation looks like tourist photos:
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I have such good friends. One gives awesome tours of the zoo and aquarium in Albuquerque:
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At another friend's house, I said: "I've got the munchies, Dude. You got anything to eat?"
Friend/Genius: "Would a gallon of bacon be okay?"
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Me, after snarfing a full month's allowance of saturated fat in 5 minutes: "You got anything to put on this bacon?"
Friend/Mentor to MENSA: "How about this?"
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There are Persian ibex in the Florida Mountains of southern NM. These things are incredibly agile and curious, too:
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The biggest snake I've ever seen....near the Albuquerque airport:
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The seated positions of some petroglyph figures from the Mimbres Valley indicate natives were driving earlier than previously thought:
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Is that talus? STOP the tram!:
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Two buds and I found a huge male klaub in the range that I see out my living room window each morning:
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For scale:
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While cleaning my truck one day, I made the curious decision to ingest a handful of sunflower seeds I'd just raked from my console floor. After one of the seeds was oddly spongy, I spit it out to see what was up. (Roadkill rattles are good for educational presentations, but not so much for snacks):
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So, I pull over on the side of the road to relax and enjoy the view when I see this:
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Burned but still scenic:
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photo (above) by YANB

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This klaub from a coveted locality (below) never buzzed at all and I was lucky to see her dive into talus. It's tricky to locate a small, non-rattling rattlesnake in a rock slide:
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Normally, I find more male rock rattlers than females (bv maybe 2:1), so that when I find a female first at a new locality, I'm happy because it shouldn't be too difficult to find a male. But at one locality this year I found my 5th female compared with 0 males over a 4-year span with approx. 50 attempts. Of course, I'll never give up until I see what the males look like.
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To photograph these desert bighorn sheep, you'd need a full month of dedicated observation and effort....
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....or you could just hang your camera out the window of your truck like I did at a jobsite where I worked for a month:
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A friend tracked a molossus in the fall hoping to find a den, but it was already down for the season. Nice scenery though:
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Petrified Forest National Park:
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Imagine a prankster so blinded with self-congratulatory glory that he leaped laughingly down from his vandal's perch without seeiing the top edge of a shorter sign just below - where there awaited a sharp cocktail of irony and karma:
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In my front yard:
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Anybody know what's up with this?:
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I-10 and time have bypassed much of Lordsburg, NM:
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After more than 10 years without seeing a black rat snake, I was irrationally happy to find a 6-footer in my father's yard outside Nashville, TN:
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Near Davidson, NC:
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Besides the dry weather and wildfires cutting back on my herp finds, my job really kicked my butt in 2012 - requiring 7 days/week as often as not. One day I arrived at a jobsite and found the roads soaked from recent heavy rains. So, I stopped everything and went herping in a new locality (for me) nearby where I found 3 klaubs - a male followed by a locked up pair - in 20 minutes. One of the few wins of the year:
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The Gila Hot Springs are a quirky, fun place to soak during the cooler months:
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My friends roadcruising in the other truck didn't fall for my Sonoran peethon - but it was worth a try:
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This poor calf was looking for it's mom. Note how the ears move:
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While backing furiously on the road shoulder to get to a snake before it gets runover by the car behind you, consider the possibility there could be a sign or a tree along the road's edge:
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You're still here? Thanks! Again, I'm sorry for including so many photos.

See ya,
York

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John Martin
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Re: NM & AZ with some Chile (South America)-long so scroll f

Post by John Martin »

Wow, talk about an epic post! :shock: Thanks for taking the time to do this, and I'm glad that you didn't get timed out! I loved everything about this - excellent photos interspersed with the occasional narrative (ok, maybe more narrative would've been even better :D ), humor, and even a bit of sadness to round it out. LMFAO at the painted cow pie - talk about a lazy road crew :thumb: . In case you didn't see the post regarding envenomations, check out the link below - I feel quite fortunate now to have gotten off as lightly as I did...

http://www.fieldherpforum.com/forum/vie ... =2&t=15087

Thanks again for taking me on a wonderful journey - it makes me really miss the Sonoran Desert and adjoining southwest. I'll be back to read this a few more times!!
Jeff Teel
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Re: NM & AZ with some Chile (South America)-long so scroll f

Post by Jeff Teel »

Is the stuffed animal yours ?. I saw it in the chiris around 4am and almost sh!t a brick...it was gone the next day. Awesome shots all around.
Jeff
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Hans Breuer (twoton)
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Re: NM & AZ with some Chile (South America)-long so scroll f

Post by Hans Breuer (twoton) »

Damn. I gotta go through this at least six more times.
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Rags
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Re: NM & AZ w/ some Chile (S.America) - too long, so scroll

Post by Rags »

Great photos + interesting locations + humorous narrative = one of my favourite posts ever.

Thanks for taking the time to put this together, very much appreciated here.

Rags.
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Norman D
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Re: NM & AZ w/ some Chile (S.America) - too long, so scroll

Post by Norman D »

Well done York!

So many cool shots - I love the diversity! I am sorry to hear about the loss of your grandmother.
You do a great job of putting posts together. Lots of interesting subjects and events! Always can count on lots of cool molossus and klaub photos in your posts too! Nice job on the quad - seems like 2012 was a good year for them. Liked the willardi willardi shots - I haven't found a pair together yet. Chile looks like a wonderful country

No obscurus or edwardsii in 2012?

You also gave a great presentation at the AHA meeting

Thanks for sharing and looking forward to your 2013 adventures

Norman
Y.Morgan
Posts: 131
Joined: January 28th, 2011, 10:51 pm
Location: SW New Mexico

Re: NM & AZ w/ some Chile (S.America) - too long, so scroll

Post by Y.Morgan »

Norman D wrote:Always can count on lots of cool molossus and klaub photos in your posts too!
Thanks, Norman! How's it going? Unfortunately, it wasn't a good klaub year here in NM. I got blanked at least 5 times (even when conditions seemed pretty good) for every time I found one...really frustrating and tiring. But I can't wait to do it again :lol:
Norman D wrote:Liked the willardi willardi shots - I haven't found a pair together yet.
I don't know if it's just luck or what, but I find the will wills paired up nearly 1/2 the time I find them at all. No exaggeration...it happens a lot with them for some reason.
Norman D wrote:No obscurus or edwardsii in 2012?
Nope. How about you?
Norman D wrote:You also gave a great presentation at the AHA meeting
Thanks. You guys made it fun!

Thanks, Rags!
Hans Breuer (twoton) wrote:I gotta go through this at least six more times.
Damn. I gotta go through this at least six more times.
Thanks, Hans - you are a glutton for herps (and punishment)!
Jeff Teel wrote:Is the stuffed animal yours ?. I saw it in the chiris around 4am and almost sh!t a brick
Thanks, Jeff. Nope, that stuffed jag wasn't mine - but it sure did make us lock up the brakes! With less light and no sleep at 4am, it must've been even worse! My buds and I always say that a jag would be our Holy Grail of southwestern sightings - so the stuffed animal pissed us off but also made us laugh at the same time.
John Martin wrote:In case you didn't see the post regarding envenomations, check out the link below - I feel quite fortunate now to have gotten off as lightly as I did
Thanks, John. Yep, I'd say you were pretty lucky all in all. You're also lucky to be there in Oz. The southwestern US is awesome, but it's cold and windy here right now...I'd rather be in Oz for sure (until we get our monsoon at least).
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Jeff Lemm
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Re: NM & AZ w/ some Chile (S.America) - too long, so scroll

Post by Jeff Lemm »

Awesome post, thanks for putting it together!
Bullfrog
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Joined: January 31st, 2012, 4:19 am

Re: NM & AZ w/ some Chile (S.America) - too long, so scroll

Post by Bullfrog »

GOOD GOD what an amazing post! I need to look through this again....and again...and again.
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Brandon La Forest
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Re: NM & AZ w/ some Chile (S.America) - too long, so scroll

Post by Brandon La Forest »

Killer post! Love the NM atrox, and your yearly bite experiences that I am positive you get some sort of sick pleasure out of!

-Brandon-
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Kent VanSooy
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Re: NM & AZ w/ some Chile (S.America) - too long, so scroll

Post by Kent VanSooy »

This is the best post I've seen since.....your post last year, and I'm not even done looking at it yet! Was it your intention for me to leave drool on my keyboard by having the hooknose stay on the screen while the rest of the wonders loaded ??
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Brendan
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Re: NM & AZ w/ some Chile (S.America) - too long, so scroll

Post by Brendan »

Thanks for helping me kill some boredom at work today! Always a great thread for me. Lot's of blood, sweat and snakes as usual. I'm thinkin it's about time you move on to some new crote speices in 2013. Just head a little farther up into AZ. ;) If you do give me a buzz so we can get some field time in. Sorry about Grams! She can now keep a better watch over your ass. ;)
B
Y.Morgan
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Joined: January 28th, 2011, 10:51 pm
Location: SW New Mexico

Re: NM & AZ w/ some Chile (S.America) - too long, so scroll

Post by Y.Morgan »

Thanks Jeff and Bullfrog!
Brandon La Forest wrote:Love the NM atrox, and your yearly bite experiences that I am positive you get some sort of sick pleasure out of!
Thanks Brandon - there really are some nice atrox in this part of the world. I get a lot more pleasure out of the bites when it's one of my buddies who is doing the grimacing instead of me! :lol:
Kent VanSooy wrote:Was it your intention for me to leave drool on my keyboard by having the hooknose stay on the screen while the rest of the wonders loaded??
Thanks Kent. I'm not nearly savvy enough to come up with a plan like that, but if I were, I would've. :D As for the hooknose, I had no idea a nonvenomous 10" snake could be so cool.
Y.Morgan
Posts: 131
Joined: January 28th, 2011, 10:51 pm
Location: SW New Mexico

Re: NM & AZ w/ some Chile (S.America) - too long, so scroll

Post by Y.Morgan »

Brendan wrote:Lot's of blood, sweat and snakes as usual.
Thanks Brendan. Of course, at least 90% of my photos would just be "filler" for you with all the stuff you saw last year. I wouldn't even have a 2012 post if not for the filler!
Brendan wrote:it's about time you move on to some new crote speices in 2013. Just head a little farther up into AZ.
I hear you! There are so many ranges around me where I am dying to find klaubs, it's hard to quit after putting in so much time on them already. But if we have another dry year, I'm not going to keep beating my head on that same wall. I might have to point the truck W/NW!
Brendan wrote:She can now keep a better watch over your ass.
True! But I wouldn't wish that on anybody!
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walk-about
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Re: NM & AZ w/ some Chile (S.America) - too long, so scroll

Post by walk-about »

EPIC York! What a beautiful journey and experience. Thank you sir. I will be back for seconds and thirds on this post. Just a very unique eye you have and presentation of that that you see. Thanks again.

Dave
btskanks
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Re: NM & AZ w/ some Chile (S.America) - too long, so scroll

Post by btskanks »

-Fantastic, thank U-the nurse and multiple n. copperhd. luv taps in me wants to know- any weird symptoms from the twin s. bite and are u ok now and or have some lasting impairment in your fanged-finger? BTW anti-V only for the wussies! [just kidding]
Y.Morgan
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Re: NM & AZ w/ some Chile (S.America) - too long, so scroll

Post by Y.Morgan »

Thanks for those extra-kind words, Dave!
btskanks wrote:any weird symptoms from the twin s. bite and are u ok now and or have some lasting impairment in your fanged-finger?
Thanks for your comments. Actually, that was my friend who got nailed. I think he's going to write it up for a journal since pricei bites are uncommon, but he still has some numbness and limited mobility from what I gather. Also, now that he has no fingernail he must use his other index finger for satisfactional butt scratching. :lol:
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PNWHerper
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Re: NM & AZ w/ some Chile (S.America) - too long, so scroll

Post by PNWHerper »

Y. Morgan,

This is officially the longest post I have seen... and what a post it is! So much good stuff, I will have to view it many times. I really appreciate your story-telling via words and photos. Also, the photos you take are great. So many wonderful close-ups and interesting finds. WOW! :shock: :beer:
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Hahahaha! Guess they really didn't give a shhh...
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That looks like some amazing mud. Was that in the Gila NF too?

Sorry to hear about your grandmother passing. Glad you could be there for her.
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This image was so striking to me. Water is so precious in the aridlands...
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Curious George did not age well... :P
There are Persian ibex in the Florida Mountains of southern NM.
Ha, that's a head-spinning mouthful... :D
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That's deer poop that came out a little bit sticky... :lol:

Awesome post. I will enjoy re-reading it many times...
FrogO_Oeyes
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Re: NM & AZ w/ some Chile (S.America) - too long, so scroll

Post by FrogO_Oeyes »

Great series of pictures! With accompanying text, it would make a great book.

Some recent taxonomic reviews could affect the identities of some of the animals photographed, though I can't tell without locality data:

Lithobates chiricahuensis - Madrean sky islands
Lithobates fisheri - Mogollon Rim
[Mogollon rim "chiricahuensis" genetically identical to type specimens of Vegas Valley leopard frog, an extinct population at the extreme west edge of the Rim].

Crotalus molossus - Madrean and Sonoran
Crotalus ornatus - Chihuahuan and eastward (not closely related to C.molossus)

Not included in this thread, but...
Lampropeltis pyromelana - Mogollon Rim
Lampropeltis knoblochi - Madrean sky islands

Anaxyrus punctatus - revision pending, probably restricting this name to Colorado Plateau, Chihuahuan and eastward;
Anaxyrus beldingi - probably resurrected for southern Baja
New name probable for Sonoran-Madrean populations of Baja, California, Arizona, and adjacent northern Mexico
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Kent VanSooy
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Re: NM & AZ w/ some Chile (S.America) - too long, so scroll

Post by Kent VanSooy »

Made it through! I dig the way your shots work together, how you were leading me on with the petroglyphs. After spending so much time gazing upon that first hooknose, I couldn't help but notice how one of the longnose looked very similar, a connection I had never made before. And I wonder, did your friend lose the mobility of the tip of this index finger?

:) :P
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Fundad
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Re: NM & AZ w/ some Chile (S.America) - too long, so scroll

Post by Fundad »

Incredible post as always..

Fundad
Y.Morgan
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Re: NM & AZ w/ some Chile (S.America) - too long, so scroll

Post by Y.Morgan »

Thanks, Fundad!
Kent VanSooy wrote:After spending so much time gazing upon that first hooknose, I couldn't help but notice how one of the longnose looked very similar, a connection I had never made before. And I wonder, did your friend lose the mobility of the tip of this index finger?
Hmmm....I hadn't thought of that comparison either, but you're right that some longnose have similar patterns to the hooks. In person though, they are much different. The hooknose is thick and carries itself like a bulldog...pushing through barriers and kinda cocky (if you'll pardon the anthropomorphization or is that caninomorphization?....I just used the longest words in my entire adult life back to back.) The longnose are longer and daintier and more variable. My bud didn't lose too much mobility because he was smart and started exercising the end of his finger immediately after the bite. He used it constantly and was very careful to bend it frequently.
FrogO_Oeyes wrote:Some recent taxonomic reviews could affect the identities of some of the animals photographed
Thanks for your kind comments and also for adding some good information. I'll keep it in mind for next year's post!
PNWHerper wrote:This is officially the longest post I have seen..
I know it, right? I need an editor!
PNWHerper wrote:That looks like some amazing mud. Was that in the Gila NF too?
Yep, in the Gila. It was even worse in some spots...and after only 1 good rain. Thanks for your observant comments!
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PNWHerper
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Re: NM & AZ w/ some Chile (S.America) - too long, so scroll

Post by PNWHerper »

York,

I might be in SE AZ this coming June. I am going to do one last journey to the southwest, for the Herp Tracking Book. I know August (Monsoon season) is best, but I will have to go with the time I have off.

I will be looking for spots with great substrate for tracks. Although it might be sad to see this kind of mud/landslide happening along a creek bed, it does offer a chance to see the tracks of many creatures. If you have recommendations for good stream beds to visit that have lots of that lovely mud, I am all ears. :thumb:

You can PM me if you have suggestions for locations.

I am not asking for herping locations for species in AZ, as I know better at this point. ;)

I have had some very generous AZ herpers offer help while in the area, and I will have to reconnect with them while there. But, it is very helpful to know of spots like the really muddy creek beds to look for clear tracks. Tracks and sign can be found in many different substrates, but for clear stuff, can't beat fine mud, sand and dusty roads...

Anyway, thanks again for your amazing post. It really is inspiring, and I know I probably won't see half as much stuff as you did, but it gets my imagination whirring anyway.

Fil
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Tonia Graves
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Re: NM & AZ w/ some Chile (S.America) - too long, so scroll

Post by Tonia Graves »

Awesome post! Loved the diversity of herps and the other wildlife too! Thanks for taking the time to put this together!
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nhherp
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Re: NM & AZ w/ some Chile (S.America) - too long, so scroll

Post by nhherp »

Great summary... as always :thumb: .

Makes me want to go hiking now, despite the 5-6 inches of snow that fell at my place last night.

3 weeks and counting.. thats about what I give it until things in my area will begin to show themselves somewhat dependably.

-N-
Matt Buckingham
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Re: NM & AZ w/ some Chile (S.America) - too long, so scroll

Post by Matt Buckingham »

Great post. I always appreciate the non-herp photography as well. The petroglyphs are especially cool.
Y.Morgan
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Re: NM & AZ w/ some Chile (S.America) - too long, so scroll

Post by Y.Morgan »

Matt Buckingham wrote:The petroglyphs are especially cool.
Thanks, Matt. On bad herping days, it definitely helps to stumble on other cool sights like petroglyphs.
nhherp wrote:3 weeks and counting.. thats about what I give it until things in my area will begin to show themselves somewhat dependably.
You think so...3 weeks? I sure hope so! For me, I won't expect dependable showings until April or May and then it might be too dry. Thanks for your comments!
Thanks, Tonia!
Thanks again, Fil. I'll shoot you a PM after I get some mud localities together.
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MichaelCravens
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Re: NM & AZ w/ some Chile (S.America) - too long, so scroll

Post by MichaelCravens »

Far too much to to comment on here, wow! I spent a couple evenings enjoying the the Gila Hot Springs, while passing through on the CDT, myself.

Michael Cravens
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PNWHerper
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Re: NM & AZ w/ some Chile (S.America) - too long, so scroll

Post by PNWHerper »

Morgan,

I tried to PM you back but could not. Whats up with that?

Also,

Once again, awesome post!
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