It's been a busy month. I've been able to make a couple of short trips, once to the Portland area, and then down to Southern California for a weekend. As a result, the diversity of my finds this month is a little better than usual. There'll likely be a sizable number of photos here, so I'll keep the commentary brief. As usual, it'll be herps first, followed by non-herps and habitat shots.
From Monterey Co.:
Monterey Ensatina, Ensatina eschscholtzii eschscholtzii by J. Maughn, on Flickr
Western Skink, Plestiodon skiltonianus skiltonianus by J. Maughn, on Flickr
California Kingsnake, Lampropeltis getula californiae by J. Maughn, on Flickr
Coast Horned Lizard, Phrynosoma blainvilli by J. Maughn, on Flickr
San Benito Co. :
California Red-legged Frog, Rana draytonii by J. Maughn, on Flickr
Valley Garter Snakes, Thamnophis sirtalis fitchi by J. Maughn, on Flickr
California Legless Lizard, Anniella pulchra by J. Maughn, on Flickr
Monterey Ringneck Snake, Diadophis punctatus vandenberghi by J. Maughn, on Flickr
San Mateo Co.:
Rough-skinned Newt, Taricha granulosa by J. Maughn, on Flickr
San Francisco Garter Snake, Thamnophis sirtalis tetrataenia by J. Maughn, on Flickr
Santa Clara Co.:
California Giant Salamander, Dicamptodon ensatus by J. Maughn, on Flickr
Western Sagebrush Lizard, Sceloporus graciosus gracilis by J. Maughn, on Flickr
Western Pond Turtle, Actinemys marmorata by J. Maughn, on Flickr
Santa Cruz Black Salamander, Aneides flavipunctatus niger by J. Maughn, on Flickr
Eastern River Cooter, Pseudemys concinna concinna, and Red-eared Slider, Trachemys scripta elegans by J. Maughn, on Flickr
California Kingsnake, Lampropeltis getula californiae by J. Maughn, on Flickr
California Toad, Anaxyrus boreas halophilus by J. Maughn, on Flickr
Ouachita Map Turtle, Graptemys ouachitensis by J. Maughn, on Flickr
Santa Cruz Co.:
Pacific Ringneck Snake, Diadophis punctatus amabilis by J. Maughn, on Flickr
Sierran Treefrog, Pseudacris sierra by J. Maughn, on Flickr
Yellow-eyed Ensatina, Ensatina eschscholtzii xanthoptica by J. Maughn, on Flickr
California Slender Salamander, Batrachoseps attenuatus by J. Maughn, on Flickr
California Newt, Taricha torosa by J. Maughn, on Flickr
Coast Range Fence Lizard, Sceloporus occidentalis bocourtii by J. Maughn, on Flickr
California Whiptail, Aspidoscelis tigris munda by J. Maughn, on Flickr
Pacific Gopher Snake, Pituophis catenifer catenifer by J. Maughn, on Flickr
California Alligator Lizard, Elgaria multicarinata multicarinata and Forest Sharp-tailed Snake, Contia longicaudae by J. Maughn, on Flickr
Western Side-blotched Lizard, Uta stansburiana elegans by J. Maughn, on Flickr
San Francisco Alligator Lizard, Elgaria coerulea coerulea by J. Maughn, on Flickr
Northern Rubber Boa, Charina bottae by J. Maughn, on Flickr
Coast Mountain Kingsnake, Lampropeltis zonata multifasciata by J. Maughn, on Flickr
Northern Pacific Rattlesnake, Crotalus oreganus oreganus by J. Maughn, on Flickr
I find a weird number of herps in and around outhouses:
Lurking Under the Outhouse. (Northern Pacific Rattlesnake, Crotalus oreganus oreganus) by J. Maughn, on Flickr
Coast Garter Snake, Thamnophis elegans terrestris by J. Maughn, on Flickr
Contra Costa Co.:
Western Yellow-bellied Racer, Coluber constrictor mormon by J. Maughn, on Flickr
Coast Horned Lizard, Phrynosoma blainvillii by J. Maughn, on Flickr
I had high hopes for my Southern CA trip, but conditions were not as good as I'd hoped. My time in the San Gabriel Mountains were mostly taken up with a seminar I was attending, but the weather was uncooperative-- one day was in the high fifties, and the next dropped down to the high thirties, and then snowed. The desert was a little better, but all the animals from there below were found in temperatures in the mid to low 70s.
San Bernardino Co.:
Great Basin Fence Lizard, Sceloporus occidentalis longipes by J. Maughn, on Flickr
Southern Sagebrush Lizard, Sceloporus graciosus vandenburgianus by J. Maughn, on Flickr
San Diego Alligator Lizard, Elgaria multicarinata webbii by J. Maughn, on Flickr
Yellow-backed Spiny Lizard, Sceloporus uniformis by J. Maughn, on Flickr
Common Chuckwalla, Sauromalus ater by J. Maughn, on Flickr
Great Basin Whiptail Lizard, Aspidoscelis tigris tigris by J. Maughn, on Flickr
Western Side-blotched Lizard, Uta stansburiana elegans by J. Maughn, on Flickr
California Treefrog, Pseudacris cadaverina by J. Maughn, on Flickr
This one was an interesting, but rather sad, sight:
Shell of a Desert Tortoise, Gopherus agassizii by J. Maughn, on Flickr
Western Zebra-tailed Lizard, Callisaurus draconoides rhodostictus by J. Maughn, on Flickr
Northern Desert Iguana, Dipsosaurus dorsalis dorsalis by J. Maughn, on Flickr
From Multnomah and Clackamas Cos. OR:
Oregon Ensatina, Ensatina eschscholtzi oregonensis by J. Maughn, on Flickr
American Bullfrog, Lithobates catesbeianus by J. Maughn, on Flickr
Western Red-backed Salamander, Plethodon vehiculum by J. Maughn, on Flickr
Western Red-backed Salamander, Plethodon vehiculum (Melanistic Individual) by J. Maughn, on Flickr
Non-herps:
Goldenrod Crab Spider (Misumena vatia) on Monterey Mariposa Lily, Calochortus uniflorus by J. Maughn, on Flickr
Yellow-billed Magpie, Pica nuttalli by J. Maughn, on Flickr
Tarantula, Aphonopelma sp. (Female) by J. Maughn, on Flickr
Red Larkspur, Delphinium nudicaule by J. Maughn, on Flickr
That Looks Awkward (Long-billed Curlew, Numenius americanus) by J. Maughn, on Flickr
Oregon Fawn Lily, Erythronium oregonum by J. Maughn, on Flickr
Pacific Trillium,Trillium ovatum by J. Maughn, on Flickr
Golden Eagle, Aquila chrysaetos by J. Maughn, on Flickr
Pale Swallowtail, Papilio eurymedon by J. Maughn, on Flickr
Mount Diablo Fairy-Lantern, Calochortus pulchellus by J. Maughn, on Flickr
Bonny Doon Manzanita, Arctostaphylos silvicola by J. Maughn, on Flickr
Vivid Dancer, Argia vivida by J. Maughn, on Flickr
Common Bottlenose Dolphins, Tursiops truncatus by J. Maughn, on Flickr
Black-crowned Night Heron, Nycticorax nycticorax by J. Maughn, on Flickr
Mountain Dogwood, Cornus nuttallii by J. Maughn, on Flickr
Redhead, Aythya americana by J. Maughn, on Flickr
Silver Cholla, Cylindropuntia echinocarpa by J. Maughn, on Flickr
Verdin, Auriparus flaviceps by J. Maughn, on Flickr
Black-chinned Sparrow, Amphispiza bilineata by J. Maughn, on Flickr
Antelope ground Squirrel, Ammospermophilus nelsoni by J. Maughn, on Flickr
Cactus Wren, Campylorhynchus brunneicapillus by J. Maughn, on Flickr
Scott's Oriole, Icterus parisorum by J. Maughn, on Flickr
Landscape/habitat:
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That's all, folks. Thanks for looking.
Lunar Eclipse by J. Maughn, on Flickr
April as I Saw It
Moderator: Scott Waters
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Re: April as I Saw It
Nice finds and awesome pics as always. Sorry SoCal wasn't as good to you as you had hoped but you seemed to do pretty well considering.
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Re: April as I Saw It
Nice April you had there, Jim... love the swimming Newt... jim
Re: April as I Saw It
Great variety. I think I already told you before, but I really like the low-angle YBR shot. And I agree, considering the cool conditions in the high desert last weekend, you did rather well.
Robert
Robert
Re: April as I Saw It
Great finds, Jim!
Quite jealous of the Valley Garter!
Excellent Monterey King, as well- love the shot!
Quite jealous of the Valley Garter!
Excellent Monterey King, as well- love the shot!
Re: April as I Saw It
Best month yet
Next time you're in one of those palm oasis canyons, look for Dinapate wrightii. It's about twice the length as the next biggest in the family.
Next time you're in one of those palm oasis canyons, look for Dinapate wrightii. It's about twice the length as the next biggest in the family.
Re: April as I Saw It
Wow, you had a very productive April. Love the Rubber boas and the z the best. Good stuff.
reako45
reako45
- Calfirecap
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Re: April as I Saw It
You're not out there 'flipping port-a-potties' are you James?I find a weird number of herps in and around outhouses:
Seriously, that big Crote was a pretty cool shot. Looks like April was your month.
Re: April as I Saw It
No, you know as well as I do that the day I start looking for herps under outhouses is the day I stop ever seeing them there.You're not out there 'flipping port-a-potties' are you James?
In addition to the crote, though, I found the Gopher Snake that is in my forum avatar inside an outhouse in Santa Clara Co. (After a five mile hike that turned up no snakes.) I've also seen Alligator Lizards, Fence Lizards, skinks, CA Newts, and even a Batra. I've also found enough Black Widows in some outhouses to make me never want to use one again.
The day I find a zonata in an outhouse might just be the day I retire from field herping, and check myself into a mental institution. In the meantime, people should just be glad I don't get too literal when I post "habitat" shots.
Pacific Gopher Snake, Pituophis catenifer catenifer by J. Maughn, on Flickr
JimM
Re: April as I Saw It
I've heard that a full moon isn't so great for herps, but you're having great luck with the half-moonersJAMAUGHN wrote:No, you know as well as I do that the day I start looking for herps under outhouses is the day I stop ever seeing them there.You're not out there 'flipping port-a-potties' are you James?
In addition to the crote, though, I found the Gopher Snake that is in my forum avatar inside an outhouse in Santa Clara Co. (After a five mile hike that turned up no snakes.) I've also seen Alligator Lizards, Fence Lizards, skinks, CA Newts, and even a Batra. I've also found enough Black Widows in some outhouses to make me never want to use one again.
The day I find a zonata in an outhouse might just be the day I retire from field herping, and check myself into a mental institution. In the meantime, people should just be glad I don't get too literal when I post "habitat" shots.
Pacific Gopher Snake, Pituophis catenifer catenifer by J. Maughn, on Flickr
JimM
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Re: April as I Saw It
NIce post and not bad for one months work! The first cal king is really pretty and good diversity throughout..
Nice crisp, clear pictures too..
-Dan
Nice crisp, clear pictures too..
-Dan
Re: April as I Saw It
Spectacular post, Jim!
Derek
Derek
Re: April as I Saw It
Always a good variety Looking through your style of photos always reminds me of that moment you come across them in the field. Awesome Chuck between the rocks shot. I like that tortoise shell shot as well... captures how harsh there habitat/biome is. Nice stuff