A Week in Norcal - April 8-16

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tspuckler
Posts: 355
Joined: June 7th, 2010, 4:40 pm

A Week in Norcal - April 8-16

Post by tspuckler »

The beginning of the trip had rainy conditions, the Santa Cruz Mountains were covered in mist.
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A number of wildflowers were in bloom, such as this Blue-eyed Grass.
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Fence Lizards were often encountered.
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And there was a profusion of Boxelder Bugs.
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A couple of young Ringneck Snakes.
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A male Western Skink.
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The conditions were ideal for Rubber Boas.
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This tiny one was posed on a Holly leaf to show its size.
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This one had a nice olive coloration.
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Yellow Monkey Flower.
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Yellowbelly Racer.
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Despite the misty conditions, I saw this Northern Pacific Rattlesnake "basking" on a hillside.
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Carrion Beetle larva.
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A view of the surrounding landscape.
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A young Western Fence Lizard.
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Pacific Ringneck Snakes were pretty easy to find in the mountains.
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Sierran Treefrog.
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I always enjoy encountering Coast Garter Snakes and was not disappointed on this trip.
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Western Skink.
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There was no shortage of California Slender Salamanders.
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On orange striped version of a Coast Garter Snake.
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Southern Alligator Lizard.
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Yellowbelly Racer.
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I found my first California Night-stalking Tiger Beetle ever.
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One rainy evening I took a trip to this mountain.
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I brought along my herping buddy, Connie for backup; we found several Pacific Gopher Snakes.
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Close-up of one of the Gopher Snakes.
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We also found this soggy Bobcat.
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Big Millipede.
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A couple of Northern Pacific Rattlesnakes.
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Yellow-eyed Ensatina.
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A nicely patterned yearling California Kingsnake.
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Connie found the only California Toad seen on the trip.
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Sharptail Snake.
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Newts were extremely common when it was overcast and misty.
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Southern Alligator Lizard.
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Banana Slug.
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On the following day I headed to Santa Cruz County and found this Striped California Racer.
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It was a great find, but there were many more creatures to be encountered.
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California Firefly - they do not luminesce.
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Ponderosa Pine.
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Coastal Mountain Kingsnake.
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Snail-eating Beetle.
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Pacific Gopher Snake.
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Southern Alligator Lizard.
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A Pacific Rattlesnake that looks like it are something quite large.
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Sign of the times.
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A Coast Garter Snake sporting a lot of red.
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I decided to check out what was going on near the ocean.
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A Fence Lizard doing what it does best - hanging out on a fence.
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Rufous-sided Towhee
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San Francisco Garter Snake.
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Sleepy Elephant Seals.
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Sourgrass (aka Bermuda Buttercup).
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On the following day I did some herping with Zach in the Santa Cruz Mountains, which were still quite misty.
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Pacific Ringneck Snake.
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A yearling California Kingsnake.
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Muddy Northwest Forest Scorpion.
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Northern Pacific Rattlesnake.
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The nest day I continued to herp the Santa Cruz Mountains and the sun finally burned away the fog.
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A couple of "in situ" Santa Cruz Garter Snakes.
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Santa Cruz Garter up close.
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Robberfly.
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Southern Alligator Lizard.
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A centipede sporting a bit of blue.
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Newt.
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Juvenile Yellowbelly Racer.
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I ended the trip with herping the Bay Area.
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Aquatic Intergrade Garter Snake.
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Oceanside Cows.
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A White-crowned Sparrow wearing a lot of ankle bracelets.
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California Poppies seemed to be in bloom more than usual.
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Checkerspot Butterfly.
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Tule Elk.
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A tiny Sierran Treefrog.
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Otter.
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I closed out the trip with this fine looking California Red-sided Garter Snake.
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Owen
Posts: 1924
Joined: June 11th, 2010, 12:35 am
Location: San Jose', Northern Catcrapistan

Re: A Week in Norcal - April 8-16

Post by Owen »

Hi Tim, yeah, interesting week with the cold and the mist and the rain. 80F today.

This guy looks like a Northern:
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Oh, and your carrion beetle larva is a ground beetle (Scaphinotus) larva.
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Fieldherper
Posts: 252
Joined: June 11th, 2010, 10:46 am

Re: A Week in Norcal - April 8-16

Post by Fieldherper »

Awesome. I'd say you've mastered the SC Mtns. I've enjoyed your annual posts from CA over the years. The area is near where I grew up and learned to love herps and the outdoors in general. Very pretty zonata. Can't wait to get out there again someday.
Thanks!

FH
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sjfriend
Posts: 257
Joined: February 20th, 2011, 1:38 pm
Location: Alaska

Re: A Week in Norcal - April 8-16

Post by sjfriend »

Wonderful post with great pics. Makes me miss CA herping. Never did get to herp the S.C. area so seeing these pics is great.
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JAMAUGHN
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Joined: May 15th, 2011, 12:16 am
Location: Santa Cruz, CA
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Re: A Week in Norcal - April 8-16

Post by JAMAUGHN »

I'd have to agree about you're having mastered the S.C. Mountains. You saw some things I still haven't seen yet this year, and I've had a bit more than a week to spend looking. The tiny boa in the Coast Live Oak leaf is fantastic.

JimM
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Keeper
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Joined: May 25th, 2011, 11:13 pm
Location: OKlahoma
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Re: A Week in Norcal - April 8-16

Post by Keeper »

Nice! Thanks for sharing :D

Kai
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Calfirecap
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Joined: June 16th, 2010, 8:09 am
Location: Santa Cruz Co. California
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Re: A Week in Norcal - April 8-16

Post by Calfirecap »

Amazing finds and photos. I've never seen a River Otter in the SC Mountains and I live there!
Well done and great post.
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yolodave
Posts: 292
Joined: June 19th, 2010, 8:30 pm

Re: A Week in Norcal - April 8-16

Post by yolodave »

Great stuff. Love the photos. That is the best photo of a slender salamander I have ever seen.

Dave
stark_herper
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Joined: March 17th, 2016, 10:03 pm

Re: A Week in Norcal - April 8-16

Post by stark_herper »

Really cool finds. The Ensatinas and Slenders are tons of fun.
Zach_Lim
Posts: 1607
Joined: June 10th, 2010, 8:37 pm

Re: A Week in Norcal - April 8-16

Post by Zach_Lim »

Great herping with you, Tim! A yearly tradition it is!

Great pics, especially of the red coast garter! Lovely sonata- so jealous!
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