Cal - Neva 2014

Dedicated exclusively to field herping.

Moderator: Scott Waters

Post Reply
User avatar
Jason Hull
Posts: 203
Joined: June 7th, 2010, 6:43 pm

Cal - Neva 2014

Post by Jason Hull »

Well It's ten degrees with a fresh layer of snow on the ground here in northern Nevada this morning so I thought I'd take a minute to share a few pics from California and Nevada. Nothing too exciting. These are mostly voucher shots taken with my point and shoot.

Most of my time was spent up north but on New Years day I found myself sifting through roadside trash in the central valley.
This California Alligator Lizard was the first herp of 2014 for me.

Image

Image


I did make it down to the southern California a couple times this year. Once in early Spring and just recently for Christmas.

I don't need to tell anyone here how dry it was this year. The surface conditions at the beginning of the season seemed more like late Summer.
We did however manage to see a couple of snakes.

A few Cal Kings.

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image


A Southern Pacific Rattlesnake in the grass.

Image


San Diego Gopher Snake.

Image


San Diego Mountain King Snake.

Image


A few snakes from Northern California.


A couple of Coral Bellied Ring Neck Snakes.

Image

Image


Western Yellow Bellied Racers.

Image

Image


Pacific Gopher Snake.

Image


Sharp Tailed Snake.

Image


California Striped Whipsnakes.

Image

Image


A couple Northern Pacific Rattlesnakes emerging from hibernation.

Image


Last year I put a few boards out on my friends private property. One day these two Cal Kings decided to make an appearance.

Image

When I went to put the above snake back under the board this larger and fuller king was coming to the surface.

Image


A Sierra Mountain Kingsnake that we found crossing my friends driveway.

Image


The lack of water was also very apparent up north.

Image

These fish were grouping up in deeper parts of this small lake.

Image


This Mountain Garter Snake seemed to be benefiting from the low water level. I'm pretty sure thats a Catfish it's got there.

Image

Image


Until this year I had yet to see a Great Basin Rattlesnake in northern CA. These are a couple of the live ones that I came across this season.

Image

Image

Image

This one has a cool background color going on.

Image

Image


A couple of Southern Pacifics from the day after Christmas to mark the final serpents of 2014.

Image

Image


Some of the lizard species that I encountered in northern CA this year.

North Western Fence Lizard.

Image


Spirited little fella.

Sagebrush Lizard.

Image


Long Nosed Leopard Lizard

Image


Great Basin Whiptail Lizard.

Image


Some Great Basin Collared Lizards.

Image

Image

Image


YOY Cal Alligator Lizard.

Image


This y.o.y Orange Throated Whiptail Lizard was the only non Alligator type lizard that I saw in southern CA.

Image


A handful of frogs from up north.

Sierran Tree Frog.

Image


So Cal Toad.

Image


Sierran Tree Frog.

Image


Bull Frog

Image


A couple of Northern Red Legged Frogs.

Image

Image


Foothill Yellow Legged Frog.

Image


Sierran Tree Frog... I guess.

Image


One of my goals this year was to see some of California's salamanders. While I was unable to locate some of the species that I was after I really did enjoy the ones that I did see.


This Sierra Nevada Ensatina was by far the most beautiful of them. I was bummed not to have gotten a better pic but it was clear that it was stressing it out so I put him back.

Image


Image


Southern Long Toed Salamander.

Image


Painted Ensatinas.

Image

This one is probably an intergrade.

Image


Oregon Ensatina.

Image


Coastal Giant Salamander larvae.

Image

Image


Speckled Black Salamanders.

Image

Image

Image


Arboreal Salamander.

Image


This Wandering Salamander was one of my favorites for sure.

Image


For a long time I've wanted to check out the three web toed salamanders in California. I was able to locate two of the three this year.

Limestone Salamander.

Image


Shasta Salamander.

Image

Image

That about does it for The Golden State in 2014.


On to the Silver State.


A couple of North Western Pond Turtles.

Image

Image

Image


This Pond Turtle seems to be holding it's own among all of the larger sliders. I've seen one other adult male PT hanging out in this group also.

Image

Image


Two of the amphibian species in the area.

So. Cal Toad

Image

Great Basin Spade Feet.

Image

Image


A couple of YOY Valley Garter Snakes near Lake Tahoe Nevada.

Image

Image


Habitat.

Image


This Sierra Garter Snake would have been three feet underwater in previous years.

Image


Some of the other colubrids around here.

Variable Ground Snake.

Image

Mojave Patch Nosed Snake.

Image

Great Basin Gopher Snakes.

Image

Image

These are just a hand full of the Cal Kings that I came across this year in NV. First two are posers and the others in-situ.

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image


Lizard species are abundant in Nevada. These are just a few.

Image

The most common species in Northern Nevada are the Fence Lizards.

Image

Image

Some tend to reach pretty good size.

Image

Image

Great Basin Collared Lizards.

Image

Image

Image

Image

Cold shoulder from this couple.

Image

Image

Northern Desert Horned Lizards.

Image

Image

Image

Image

Long Nose Leopard Lizards.

Image

Image

Image

Image

A couple fast movers.

Great Basin Whiptail Lizard.

Image

Northern Zebra tailed Lizard.

Image


One thing that I really enjoy checking out are some of the dwellings and other items left behind by those that were here before us.

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

This trophy of death was on the window sill of the house above.

Image


A good portion of my time this season was spent searching north western contact zones for Great Basin and Panamint Rattlesnakes. One night I came across this funny looking creature that exhibits characteristics of both species.


Image

Image


And some pure luts to boot!

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

That does it for 2014.
Happy New!
Cheers, Jason :beer:
User avatar
Brendan
Posts: 435
Joined: June 7th, 2010, 4:26 pm
Location: Arizona

Re: Cal - Neva 2014

Post by Brendan »

Great thread. Happy New Year! :beer:
User avatar
Carl Brune
Posts: 488
Joined: June 7th, 2010, 11:22 am
Location: Athens, OH
Contact:

Re: Cal - Neva 2014

Post by Carl Brune »

Nice post. I particularly enjoyed the basking lizards and the rattlesnakes. I think that little socal whiptail is an orange-throated.
User avatar
walk-about
Posts: 567
Joined: June 14th, 2010, 12:04 pm
Location: 'God's Country' aka western KY
Contact:

Re: Cal - Neva 2014

Post by walk-about »

Epic post Jason! That second shot of the Alligator Lizard is really nice one. And that Sierra Mountain King is really something. I was going to comment on the age of that wheel barrow, and then I got to the end of the post...and well never mind. WoW. Those dry arid conditions out west really insures the preservation of such antiquities from our past. Great scenery shots you've put together too.

Dave
User avatar
LouB747
Posts: 1184
Joined: June 7th, 2010, 8:50 am
Location: Huntington Beach, CA

Re: Cal - Neva 2014

Post by LouB747 »

Great post.
User avatar
herpseeker1978
Posts: 1139
Joined: June 7th, 2010, 8:05 am
Location: Albuquerque

Re: Cal - Neva 2014

Post by herpseeker1978 »

Great post! Just reminds me of how much I love kings! Loved that patchnose, the leopard lizards, heck the whole thing was awesome!
Happy New Year!
Josh
User avatar
Jason Hull
Posts: 203
Joined: June 7th, 2010, 6:43 pm

Re: Cal - Neva 2014

Post by Jason Hull »

Thanks for the good words guys!

Happy New Year Brendan! We have to try and get out there more in '15.

Carl, thank you. Your probably correct on the Whiptail. Cheers!

Thanks Dave. I guess there are some positives in the dry climate. Cheers!

Thanks Lou. I've enjoyed following your over sea adventures on the CA forum.

Thanks Josh. Happy New Year!
condyle
Posts: 206
Joined: September 25th, 2010, 3:46 pm
Location: Santa Cruz ca

Re: Cal - Neva 2014

Post by condyle »

Awsome post! Great ensatina shot BTW, and Hydromantes. I cant beleieve that "jar of death'' in the window, from eons ago none the less!
Jimi
Posts: 1955
Joined: December 3rd, 2010, 12:06 pm

Re: Cal - Neva 2014

Post by Jimi »

thanks for the inspiration

I like that high-black Z from your friend's driveway; red is so over-rated

re: this
Until this year I had yet to see a Great Basin Rattlesnake in northern CA.
with quite a lot of time afoot and boonie-driving out there, my observations are:

1) in most places they're nowhere near as common (or as apparent, anyway) as oreganus is on the west side of the crest,

2) there seems to be a variable-width strip of intergradation w/ oreganus, especially wide where the east-of-crest mid-elevation zone is broad (e.g. NE Siskiyou Co vs SE Lassen Co) - your "I liked this one's colors" animal seemed like one of those

3) the east side of that intergrade zone has some pretty bright, high-contrast, beefy yellow animals - further east in the desert they seem duller and mostly smaller

4) the highest density of rattlesnakes I've seen anywhere in far NorCal's Great Basin is within Lava Beds National Monument - mid morning and dusk cruising often revealed several a day - otherwise I probably averaged - just casual encounters, not dedicated hunting - ~ 1/month elsewhere in that region (from Reno to Klamath Falls)

anyway, thought these "notes from memory" might stimulate more searching out there - tons of reptile & amphibian records could be added, I wish there had been a HERP database (hell, just an internet...) when I worked there

cheers,
Jimi
Post Reply