Northeast Summer 2010: Rattler family photos and more.
Moderator: Scott Waters
- Ridge Walker
- Posts: 127
- Joined: June 8th, 2010, 4:41 pm
Northeast Summer 2010: Rattler family photos and more.
It's been a weird year for me, lots of horrible days where I got completely skunked, with a few really good days here and there mixed in. We've had a really dry and hot Summer here which has not helped. In no real order, here's some photos from some of the better days.
A couple of flipped Black Ratsnakes.
Timber Rattlesnake coiled in the woods with some spider web on it's face.
A Marbled Salamander with two Eastern Newts, as flipped.
A couple of Longtail Salamanders.
Hills.
Northern Copperhead.
Box Turtles.
Spotted Turtle.
Flipped Eastern Milksnakes.
Timber Rattlesnakes:
A neonate sliding through the rocks.
Adult.
I spent some time one day with a group of rattlers that included a male, some females and neonates. The snakes were very calm, so I took a seat nearby, watched, and took photos.
At one point the yellow male began courting one of the females with tongue flicks and twitches.
Some more Rattler photos.
A couple of semi-hidden neonates with Mom.
A big opaque male that I found basking.
He then soon moved to hang out with some Moms and neonates.
A Black Ratsnake found on the crawl nearby.
More family photos:
Pile up!
Obviously those are not all her kids, she's just doing some baby-sitting. A few minutes later the pile up had shifted.
And that's it for now, thanks for viewing!
RW
A couple of flipped Black Ratsnakes.
Timber Rattlesnake coiled in the woods with some spider web on it's face.
A Marbled Salamander with two Eastern Newts, as flipped.
A couple of Longtail Salamanders.
Hills.
Northern Copperhead.
Box Turtles.
Spotted Turtle.
Flipped Eastern Milksnakes.
Timber Rattlesnakes:
A neonate sliding through the rocks.
Adult.
I spent some time one day with a group of rattlers that included a male, some females and neonates. The snakes were very calm, so I took a seat nearby, watched, and took photos.
At one point the yellow male began courting one of the females with tongue flicks and twitches.
Some more Rattler photos.
A couple of semi-hidden neonates with Mom.
A big opaque male that I found basking.
He then soon moved to hang out with some Moms and neonates.
A Black Ratsnake found on the crawl nearby.
More family photos:
Pile up!
Obviously those are not all her kids, she's just doing some baby-sitting. A few minutes later the pile up had shifted.
And that's it for now, thanks for viewing!
RW
Re: Northeast Summer 2010: Rattler family photos and more.
Wow, your trip reports are ALWAYS a pleasure to view. Amazing encounters with incredible snakes.
Re: Northeast Summer 2010: Rattler family photos and more.
I would assume all those neos are from multiple mothers? How long do the stay buched together like that? Do they all move in at night and then bunch up on emergence?
Re: Northeast Summer 2010: Rattler family photos and more.
Wow!!! It is so good to know that there are places left where this still occurs. Thanks for sharing. I love the shots with the neonates hanging out with the adults, very nice!
-Chris
-Chris
- Ross Padilla
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Re: Northeast Summer 2010: Rattler family photos and more.
That last shot is great! Its very telling.
Re: Northeast Summer 2010: Rattler family photos and more.
The last rookery is amazing, how many clutches do you think are there?
Re: Northeast Summer 2010: Rattler family photos and more.
Cool post! The babies are so cute!
- Ridge Walker
- Posts: 127
- Joined: June 8th, 2010, 4:41 pm
Re: Northeast Summer 2010: Rattler family photos and more.
monklet wrote:
I would assume all those neos are from multiple mothers? How long do the stay buched together like that? Do they all move in at night and then bunch up on emergence?
I think there were about three litters in the last two photos. They do go back under the rocks at night or when the weather is not comfortable for basking. The babies disperse soon after they have their first sheds.justinm wrote:The last rookery is amazing, how many clutches do you think are there?
Here's one more photo I forgot to post, and thanks for the comments guys!
RW
- ahockenberry
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Re: Northeast Summer 2010: Rattler family photos and more.
A+ Thanks for sharing -excellent variety of Timbers - also love the Box Turtles!!
Re: Northeast Summer 2010: Rattler family photos and more.
Oh, man, I LOVE those dark timbers! Great spotted turtle shot, too -- nice composition. The adults & neos stuff is just AWESOME...THANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!
- Christopher
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Re: Northeast Summer 2010: Rattler family photos and more.
Wow, what an amazing post!! Must be awesome to just sit and observe a family of horridus like that, thank you so much for sharing!
- geckoguy747
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Re: Northeast Summer 2010: Rattler family photos and more.
awesome! love the shot with all the little faces poking out from under the rock. i'm digging those long tails and that last milk, too!
-
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Re: Northeast Summer 2010: Rattler family photos and more.
Nice! What state are the horridus from? I'm jealous of those piles for sure... not a lot of reproduction in my neck of the woods this year.
-Will
-Will
- Tim Borski
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Re: Northeast Summer 2010: Rattler family photos and more.
Excellent. Excellent. Excellent!!!
I love the first Horridus shot as well as the spotted on log. Momma with all the neighborhood kids is really cool too! (There's always one house on the street that all the kids hang at...)
Thanks for the candy
I love the first Horridus shot as well as the spotted on log. Momma with all the neighborhood kids is really cool too! (There's always one house on the street that all the kids hang at...)
Thanks for the candy
- Ridge Walker
- Posts: 127
- Joined: June 8th, 2010, 4:41 pm
Re: Northeast Summer 2010: Rattler family photos and more.
Hey Will, I herp a few states in the Northeast....reproduction was really poor everywhere I went. I realize it doesn't look that way from the photos, but those shots were taken in spots that have large rattler populations. Those spots were bound to have a few gravid girls even on an off year. I went to many spots with average populations and saw nothing. Hopefully in 2011 there will be a bumper crop of babies.will lattea wrote:Nice! What state are the horridus from? I'm jealous of those piles for sure... not a lot of reproduction in my neck of the woods this year.
-Will
Thanks everybody!
RW
Re: Northeast Summer 2010: Rattler family photos and more.
I must be the only one who thinks RW's posts just plain suck.
- Tim Borski
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Re: Northeast Summer 2010: Rattler family photos and more.
brick911 wrote:I must be the only one who thinks RW's posts just plain suck.
- dezertwerx
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- Knightkrawler5
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Re: Northeast Summer 2010: Rattler family photos and more.
DBD is fed-up with all this and hanging up his boots!
But he still has to congrat his friend on a steller year of pictures, some of them just blow me away.
DBD
But he still has to congrat his friend on a steller year of pictures, some of them just blow me away.
DBD
- Ridge Walker
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- Joined: June 8th, 2010, 4:41 pm
Re: Northeast Summer 2010: Rattler family photos and more.
Gracias amigos! And, DBD, I don't know what you're talking about...you've had a fantastic year. Texas, Arizona, the Southeast and now a great job on top of it all!
RW
RW
- billysbrown
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Re: Northeast Summer 2010: Rattler family photos and more.
I was emailing with some PA timber guys who agreed that the year was weird. They thought everything was a few weeks early - dispersing early, dropping early, etc. I would also guess that the higher temps might have meant less need to bask in general, which can make finding the girls a lot harder.Ridge Walker wrote:
Hey Will, I herp a few states in the Northeast....reproduction was really poor everywhere I went. I realize it doesn't look that way from the photos, but those shots were taken in spots that have large rattler populations. Those spots were bound to have a few gravid girls even on an off year. I went to many spots with average populations and saw nothing. Hopefully in 2011 there will be a bumper crop of babies.
Thanks everybody!
RW
- walk-about
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Re: Northeast Summer 2010: Rattler family photos and more.
SWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEET! Very impressive indeed.
RocK ON!
Dave
RocK ON!
Dave
Re: Northeast Summer 2010: Rattler family photos and more.
Hey this post rocks. Nice work!
-JJ
-JJ
Re: Northeast Summer 2010: Rattler family photos and more.
I'm speachless!
- Ridge Walker
- Posts: 127
- Joined: June 8th, 2010, 4:41 pm
Re: Northeast Summer 2010: Rattler family photos and more.
Thanks to everybody that replied, glad you enjoyed the post!
RW
RW
- wayne_fidler
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Re: Northeast Summer 2010: Rattler family photos and more.
great work as usual love those dark timbers.
wayne
wayne