Post-Tropical Storm Colin and a Day with Noah M.

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mtratcliffe
Posts: 533
Joined: January 19th, 2014, 4:34 pm
Location: Mt Laurel, NJ

Post-Tropical Storm Colin and a Day with Noah M.

Post by mtratcliffe »

Hey everyone, it's been a little while since my last update, and with the relative inactivity on this board, I figured it could use some life. It's been two weeks now since Tropical Storm Colin hit Florida. Here in Tampa, we received 6+ inches of rain over the course of about 48 hours. Given the rainfall totals, I was obligated to road cruise for frogs, which would be out in force. While I was unable to hear any of my target species (Eastern Spadefoot Toads) calling, I was able to turn up a big surprise - my first Eastern Glass Lizard in South Tampa!

ImageDSCN1584 by Matt Ratcliffe, on Flickr

ImageDSCN1587 by Matt Ratcliffe, on Flickr

I also found a DOR Snapping Turtle, which was another first for the area. It's always great to confirm a new species that lives in one's neck of the woods. Below are some other finds, mostly of the amphibian variety:

ImageDSCN9273 by Matt Ratcliffe, on Flickr

The prettiest Green Treefrogs I find are usually out on the road:

ImageDSCN1579 by Matt Ratcliffe, on Flickr

ImageDSCN1573 by Matt Ratcliffe, on Flickr

Some large Florida Leopard Frogs:

ImageDSCN1578 by Matt Ratcliffe, on Flickr

ImageDSCN1577 by Matt Ratcliffe, on Flickr

ImageDSCN1569 by Matt Ratcliffe, on Flickr

THAT'S NOT HOW THIS WORKS! Cuban Treefrog in amplexus with a Green Treefrog.

ImageDSCN1571 by Matt Ratcliffe, on Flickr

Florida Watersnake

ImageDSCN1562 by Matt Ratcliffe, on Flickr


That Saturday, I met up with our very own Noah M. for some much overdo herping. We hadn't met up since July of last summer, and given that this might be last summer in Florida, I'm glad I was able to escape for a day and target some specific species. Thanks to him, I was able to turn up five lifers and see some parts of Florida I had never been to, let alone herped. Even better, for the first time in my life, I was able to see at least one of each of the following in a 24 hour period: Frog, Salamander, Lizard, Snake, Turtle, and Crocodilian! On that note, if you've ever achieved that feat before, I'd be interested in hearing your story.

Our first objective of the day was to dipnet for Sirens and other amphibians in an area thick with water hyacinth and water lily. It was a laborious effort, and it took a while, but we eventually produced a larval Peninsular Newt and an adult Dwarf Salamander, both lifers. Additionally, we netted a bunch of other neat critters, not all of which I am familiar with. Feel free to ID the finds below!

Leech

ImageDSCN9280 by Matt Ratcliffe, on Flickr

Crayfish

ImageDSCN9281 by Matt Ratcliffe, on Flickr

ImageDSCN9300 by Matt Ratcliffe, on Flickr

Fish

ImageDSCN9283 by Matt Ratcliffe, on Flickr

Not sure - nymph form of some insect?

ImageDSCN9285 by Matt Ratcliffe, on Flickr

Juvenile Largemouth Bass

ImageDSCN9286 by Matt Ratcliffe, on Flickr

ImageDSCN9293 by Matt Ratcliffe, on Flickr

Insect

ImageDSCN9289 by Matt Ratcliffe, on Flickr

Large Spider

ImageDSCN9290 by Matt Ratcliffe, on Flickr

Blue-finned Killish. These are quite striking.

ImageDSCN9292 by Matt Ratcliffe, on Flickr

Caddisfly larva?

ImageDSCN9294 by Matt Ratcliffe, on Flickr

Green Treefrog Tadpole

ImageDSCN9295 by Matt Ratcliffe, on Flickr

Some variety of worm...thing

ImageDSCN9297 by Matt Ratcliffe, on Flickr

ImageDSCN9298 by Matt Ratcliffe, on Flickr

Grass Shrimp

ImageDSCN9301 by Matt Ratcliffe, on Flickr

Peninsula Newt (lifer)

ImageDSCN9302 by Matt Ratcliffe, on Flickr

ImageDSCN9304 by Matt Ratcliffe, on Flickr

Dwarf Salamander (lifer)

ImageDSCN9311 by Matt Ratcliffe, on Flickr

Dragonfly larva?

ImageDSCN9306 by Matt Ratcliffe, on Flickr

Catfish

ImageDSCN9307 by Matt Ratcliffe, on Flickr

And here's a Green Anole that was hanging out nearby:

ImageDSCN9312 by Matt Ratcliffe, on Flickr

Flipped this Juvenile Leopard Frog under a mattress near Noah's apartment:

ImageDSCN9317 by Matt Ratcliffe, on Flickr

ImageDSCN9319 by Matt Ratcliffe, on Flickr

There was an ephemeral pond near his place that was full of tadpoles, so I decided to see what they were. From what I can tell, most (if not all) are Leopard Frog tadpoles. A key indicator are the dorsal eyes and the transparent bellies that show the intestines.

ImageDSCN9320 by Matt Ratcliffe, on Flickr

ImageDSCN9321 by Matt Ratcliffe, on Flickr

ImageDSCN9322 by Matt Ratcliffe, on Flickr

ImageDSCN9323 by Matt Ratcliffe, on Flickr

ImageDSCN9325 by Matt Ratcliffe, on Flickr

ImageDSCN9326 by Matt Ratcliffe, on Flickr

ImageDSCN9327 by Matt Ratcliffe, on Flickr

ImageDSCN9330 by Matt Ratcliffe, on Flickr

Does anyone know what the orange, clear specimens are in this photo?

ImageDSCN9335 by Matt Ratcliffe, on Flickr

Caught this Yellow-bellied Slider at the apartment complex's pond

ImageDSCN9338 by Matt Ratcliffe, on Flickr

ImageDSCN9340 by Matt Ratcliffe, on Flickr

Recent metamorph Southern Toads were abundant around the complex:

ImageDSCN9342 by Matt Ratcliffe, on Flickr

After resting and cleaning up at the apartment, we headed west to Dixie County, where we would roadcruise that evening. But first, we stopped along the coast to search for Gulf Saltmarsh Snakes, though we turned up empty handed. We still found some cool critters and saw great sights.

ImageDSCN1624 by Matt Ratcliffe, on Flickr

ImageDSCN1624 by Matt Ratcliffe, on Flickr

ImageDSCN1627 by Matt Ratcliffe, on Flickr

ImageDSCN1631 by Matt Ratcliffe, on Flickr

Snowy Egret

ImageDSCN1634 by Matt Ratcliffe, on Flickr

ImageDSCN1636 by Matt Ratcliffe, on Flickr

ImageDSCN1637 by Matt Ratcliffe, on Flickr

ImageDSCN1638 by Matt Ratcliffe, on Flickr

ImageDSCN1640 by Matt Ratcliffe, on Flickr

Large Fiddler Crab

ImageDSCN1641 by Matt Ratcliffe, on Flickr

Habitat

ImageDSCN1642 by Matt Ratcliffe, on Flickr

ImageDSCN1643 by Matt Ratcliffe, on Flickr

Tracks

ImageDSCN1644 by Matt Ratcliffe, on Flickr

Saw this Florida Cricket Frog on our way to our road. There were also Oak Toads calling nearby, but I didn't get any worthwhile photos of them.

ImageDSCN1647 by Matt Ratcliffe, on Flickr

We had to stop for gas before our cruise, and I heard a Squirrel Treefrog give a rain call from the building. Turns out there were four of them up there!

ImageDSCN1649 by Matt Ratcliffe, on Flickr

ImageDSCN1650 by Matt Ratcliffe, on Flickr

ImageDSCN1651 by Matt Ratcliffe, on Flickr

ImageDSCN1653 by Matt Ratcliffe, on Flickr

Finally, we reached our destination and set about to find some snakes. We ended up finding seven snakes on this road, plus a whole slew of frogs we didn't bother stopping for. It was nice not to have any traffic to worry about.

Our first find was this Florida Cottonmouth, which escaped into the bushes shortly after this photo.

ImageDSCN1654 by Matt Ratcliffe, on Flickr

Florida Watersnake

ImageDSCN1656 by Matt Ratcliffe, on Flickr

My lifer Blue-striped Ribbonsnake! Noah had to calm it down in order to get a decent photo. I wish we had turned up a Blue-sided Garter as well, as they are especially blue, but I was happy to settle on this species.

ImageRibbon Resize 1 by Matt Ratcliffe, on Flickr

ImageRibbon Resize 2 by Matt Ratcliffe, on Flickr

Lifer Southern Ring-necked Snake. That's right, three years in Florida and I never found one until that night.

ImageDSCN1667 by Matt Ratcliffe, on Flickr

Here you can see the tell-tale ring, which is broken on top, a key identifier for this species.

ImageDSCN9352 by Matt Ratcliffe, on Flickr

Love the bellies on these snakes! Southern Ringnecks have spotting while the Northern subspecies does not.

ImageDSCN9353 by Matt Ratcliffe, on Flickr

ImageDSCN9355 by Matt Ratcliffe, on Flickr

ImageDSCN9357 by Matt Ratcliffe, on Flickr

Cottonmouth #2

ImageDSCN1670 by Matt Ratcliffe, on Flickr

ImageDSCN1672 by Matt Ratcliffe, on Flickr

Ribbon #2

ImageRibbon Resize 3 by Matt Ratcliffe, on Flickr

Florida Leopard Frog

ImageDSCN1684 by Matt Ratcliffe, on Flickr

We stopped at a beach to shine for clarkii, but only found this dismembered Blacktip Reef Shark.

ImageDSCN1688 by Matt Ratcliffe, on Flickr

ImageDSCN1689 by Matt Ratcliffe, on Flickr

Hundreds of crabs were on the beach, many of which were feeding on the shark carcass.

ImageDSCN1690 by Matt Ratcliffe, on Flickr

Cottonmouth #3

ImageDSCN1692 by Matt Ratcliffe, on Flickr

ImageDSCN1694 by Matt Ratcliffe, on Flickr

ImageDSCN1697 by Matt Ratcliffe, on Flickr

On the way back to Gainesville, we cruised up this Bullfrog.

ImageDSCN1699 by Matt Ratcliffe, on Flickr

There was some sort of wound on its chin.

ImageDSCN1700 by Matt Ratcliffe, on Flickr

The following morning, I met up with another herper in Gainesville to hike the La Chua Trail in Payne's Prairie. Nothing too special, but I figured I'd share a few of my finds from there as well.

A darker-colored Green Treefrog

ImageDSCN1703 by Matt Ratcliffe, on Flickr

Obligatory proof that I saw an Alligator

ImageDSCN1705 by Matt Ratcliffe, on Flickr

Green Heron

ImageDSCN1707 by Matt Ratcliffe, on Flickr

Gulf Fritillary

ImageDSCN1712 by Matt Ratcliffe, on Flickr

Juvenile Black-crowned Night Heron

ImageDSCN1725 by Matt Ratcliffe, on Flickr

Horses

ImageDSCN1734 by Matt Ratcliffe, on Flickr

Florida Watersnake

ImageDSCN1748 by Matt Ratcliffe, on Flickr

And here's a skink to wrap it all up! Not sure of the species, but I'm leaning towards a Southeastern Five-lined.

ImageDSCN1762 by Matt Ratcliffe, on Flickr

Well, that wraps it up! A huge thanks to Noah for showing me around his neck of the woods and for setting the whole thing up. I very much appreciate it! I'm starting to make up for my lost time in the desert. With five lifers on this trip, I"m now up to eight lifers for the year.
Carl D. May
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Re: Post-Tropical Storm Colin and a Day with Noah M.

Post by Carl D. May »

A great example of enjoying ALL of the critters that a specific region offers. I too try and learn about even the obscure invertebrates, mollusks, insects and the like.
For me the most interesting shots in this group are those of the fallen trees and their roots along the coast! One wonders how old those guys were? They didn't look like pines to me...were they oaks, or cedars?
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Josh Holbrook
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Re: Post-Tropical Storm Colin and a Day with Noah M.

Post by Josh Holbrook »

Good stuff - I love that region. I'm surprised you didn't turn up any dwarf sirens at that dipnetting spot. The two nymphs/dragonfly larvae are both indeed dragonfly naiads...I'm not an expert but I would guess Anax junius. The first fish looks like a bluespotted sunfish, and the Bass is indeed a bass, but not a largemouth - It's a warmouth (warmouth have red eyes).


Good stuff, enjoy the sunshine state while you're there!
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Noah M
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Re: Post-Tropical Storm Colin and a Day with Noah M.

Post by Noah M »

Yeah the water levels were way down, to the point it was a creek this winter. I wonder if that has anything to do with the siren population. I've been there a few times this year and have yet to turn up any sirens, only dwarf salamanders and now a newt.

Here are some of my pics from the day w/ Matt.

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Image
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mtratcliffe
Posts: 533
Joined: January 19th, 2014, 4:34 pm
Location: Mt Laurel, NJ

Re: Post-Tropical Storm Colin and a Day with Noah M.

Post by mtratcliffe »

Carl D. May wrote:A great example of enjoying ALL of the critters that a specific region offers. I too try and learn about even the obscure invertebrates, mollusks, insects and the like.
For me the most interesting shots in this group are those of the fallen trees and their roots along the coast! One wonders how old those guys were? They didn't look like pines to me...were they oaks, or cedars?
I don't really know my trees, but I would guess some kind of oak. It was definitely a a unique scene seeing them all laying there like that. I imagine some storm (or storms) created that scene over many years.

Josh Holbrook wrote:Good stuff - I love that region. I'm surprised you didn't turn up any dwarf sirens at that dipnetting spot. The two nymphs/dragonfly larvae are both indeed dragonfly naiads...I'm not an expert but I would guess Anax junius. The first fish looks like a bluespotted sunfish, and the Bass is indeed a bass, but not a largemouth - It's a warmouth (warmouth have red eyes).


Good stuff, enjoy the sunshine state while you're there!
Thanks for the IDs, Josh. I forgot that Warmouths were another type of bass around here. There was a ton of diversity hanging out near those aquatic plants. It's just a shame that we didn't turn up any sirens. I'm going to have to try again somewhere before I leave Florida.
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JakeScott
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Re: Post-Tropical Storm Colin and a Day with Noah M.

Post by JakeScott »

All good stuff.

I haven't been over to dip that area in awhile but it is usually quite productive. Water levels have fluctuated due to the dam temporarily allowing more water into the St. Johns, which may be the reason for lower numbers.

Glad you are getting out and seeing some cool animals.

-Jake
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Josh Holbrook
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Re: Post-Tropical Storm Colin and a Day with Noah M.

Post by Josh Holbrook »

JakeScott wrote:All good stuff.

I haven't been over to dip that area in awhile but it is usually quite productive. Water levels have fluctuated due to the dam temporarily allowing more water into the St. Johns, which may be the reason for lower numbers.

Glad you are getting out and seeing some cool animals.

-Jake

If I recall correctly, it took me quite a few times visiting it before I turned up my first, but I just assumed it was a fluke.
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Josh Young
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Re: Post-Tropical Storm Colin and a Day with Noah M.

Post by Josh Young »

Josh Holbrook wrote:The first fish looks like a bluespotted sunfish, and the Bass is indeed a bass, but not a largemouth - It's a warmouth (warmouth have red eyes).
It's a juvie largemouth. The eye color isn't uncommon at that age and it changes with age.
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mtratcliffe
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Re: Post-Tropical Storm Colin and a Day with Noah M.

Post by mtratcliffe »

Josh Holbrook wrote:
JakeScott wrote:All good stuff.

I haven't been over to dip that area in awhile but it is usually quite productive. Water levels have fluctuated due to the dam temporarily allowing more water into the St. Johns, which may be the reason for lower numbers.

Glad you are getting out and seeing some cool animals.

-Jake

If I recall correctly, it took me quite a few times visiting it before I turned up my first, but I just assumed it was a fluke.
I like how everyone knows this spot without me describing it outside of mentioning the county, haha. I know Jake showed it Noah a while back.
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JakeScott
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Re: Post-Tropical Storm Colin and a Day with Noah M.

Post by JakeScott »

mtratcliffe wrote: I like how everyone knows this spot without me describing it outside of mentioning the county, haha. I know Jake showed it Noah a while back.
Yep, that be the spot. It's the herp world, word spreads like wildfire. ;)
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Noah M
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Re: Post-Tropical Storm Colin and a Day with Noah M.

Post by Noah M »

To be fair though, I did ask Jake if I was allowed to share that location. I hope nobody is upset I showed it to Matt.
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SHELLFISH
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Re: Post-Tropical Storm Colin and a Day with Noah M.

Post by SHELLFISH »

Great shots and great post! Thank you!
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