Sweet '16: Year in Review (TX, LA, NM, UT, MT)

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Soopaman
Posts: 924
Joined: March 18th, 2012, 7:34 pm
Location: Houston, Texas

Sweet '16: Year in Review (TX, LA, NM, UT, MT)

Post by Soopaman »

It's that time of year again!

It's the time to snuggle up for the Holidays and enjoy the year-end field herping summaries from around the country and abroad, and to see all the enticing finds that keep our spirits warm through the cold and unproductive winter.

Armin and I always look at our adventures at the end of the year and wonder "how can we ever top THAT!" Yet, year after year we continue to do so, and this year is no exception. With that in mind, I can't wait to see what 2017 has in store for us; but without a doubt it will be a fun year with great friends and memorable events.

This year I spent most of my herping time in south Texas. The annulata bug bit me, and I was excited to find as many as possible. But I also took several forays into Louisiana, and a short trip in the summer to Utah and Montana, and then a weekend trip to New Mexico with a rowdy group of herpers to look for klaubs and pyros.

Fortunately for us in Texas, if the herping bug gets us in the winter, there's always a chance to find a few things in December-February, albeit with more effort. My first snakes of the year were in January. I spent a good bit of January and February planting tin for the spring harvest, and couldn't help but to check some stuff that was already out.

A tantilla, Texas coral, patchnose, and a scrub rat made a nice winter tin planting day in South Texas less of a work day and a lot more fun. The coral was an exciting early in the year find, but by the end of summer I'd seen nearly 40 of them and the excitement had worn off substantially. The twitchy things are always tough to photograph.


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Tantilla gracilis (Flathead Snake) by Kyle, on Flickr

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Pantherophis emoryi meahllmorrum (Thornscrub Rat Snake) by Kyle, on Flickr

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Pantherophis emoryi meahllmorrum (Thornscrub Rat Snake) by Kyle, on Flickr

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Salvadora grahamiae lineata (Texas Patchnose Snake) by Kyle, on Flickr

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Micrurus tener tener (Texas Coral Snake) by Kyle, on Flickr

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Micrurus tener tener (Texas Coral Snake) by Kyle, on Flickr

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Micrurus tener tener (Texas Coral Snake) by Kyle, on Flickr

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I-Tin Corridor by Kyle, on Flickr


While scavenging tin in January from a site in Houston that was to later be bulldozed, I found this angry little Texas Rat Snake:

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Pantherophis obsoletus lindheimeri (Texas Rat Snake) by Kyle, on Flickr


February was notably unproductive for me. At this point I can't recall if I just didn't go out, or if when I did I didn't have any good finds. Regardless, March started the herping season off with a bang. The week prior to my week-long spring South Texas trip, the weather looked perfect for some night cruising, so I took off after our graduate seminar and headed south for a day. On the way, I stopped by my favorite roadside board just south of Houston and flipped the ugliest calligaster I'd ever seen. It was sporting a severely damaged right eye and had a terrible case of winter blisters. I held onto it for a good bit of the year feeding it and letting it shed out several times. By the time I released it, he'd turned out to be a pretty good looking animal, and had some eye function return.

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Lampropeltis calligaster calligaster (Prairie Kingsnake) by Kyle, on Flickr

The next night proved to be as productive as I'd expected, and I cruised a young annulata shortly after sunset, along with about two dozen glass lizards and a random assortment of the regular finds.

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Lampropeltis triangulum annulata (Mexican Milk Snake) by Kyle, on Flickr

My friend John came down from Virginia and met me in South Texas where our week of snake hunting ended up far better than expected.
John's goal was to find his first Mexican Milk snake. I'd only had a couple under my belt, but I had a good sense of what they liked and how to find them.
We located quite a few snakes, including the ever present Texas indigo, coachwhips, patchnoses, ribbon snakes, coral snakes, checkered garters, whipsnakes, tantilla, longnose and glossy snakes. I only spent time photographing a few things, as I'd had plenty of good photos of most of those animals.

Moisture was good, and temperatures briefly soared for the week into the high 90's, putting night temps into the 70's. This meant good things for road cruising!

The first night didn't produce a milk snake as we'd hoped, but it was still a really good time. The next morning we went out and looked for hognose snakes. We found a large indigo and at some point during the day found a couple of Texas horned lizards sunning themselves on the asphalt.

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Phrynosoma cornutum (Texas Horned Lizard) by Kyle, on Flickr

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Phrynosoma cornutum (Texas Horned Lizard) by Kyle, on Flickr


That evening we cruised a different area for milk snakes. We had a long night of searching, and found mostly the common stuff, including atrox, coral snakes, glossy snakes, and rat snakes.
We started to head back about 3am. I was driving, going about 70mph, expecting our search was done for the evening as it had been a while since we'd seen a snake. From the corner of my eye I caught a small flash of red. I wasn't convinced it was a snake, so I slowly turned the car around and headed back (normally this would be a lot faster!)

After turning around, it turned out the small flash of red was John's first Mexican Milk snake. Unfortunately, driving so fast, I'd been unable to move the car and avoid hitting the animal. It was bleeding from it's cloaca and had poor function of the last 1/4 of it's body, but otherwise appeared undamaged. We collected the snake and hoped that it wouldn't succumb to its injuries.
The next morning, the snake was still alive, and it bolstered our hope for the animal. We took some photos, and I decided to keep it and see if it would recover. I waited a month to feed it, in which time it leaked feces and urates through its enclosure, but still remained alive. After a month, I fed him. The food passed through and the snake has been going strong ever since. It's grown considerably since then!

DeadMilk Lives:

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Lampropeltis triangulum annulata (Mexican Milk Snake) by Kyle, on Flickr

The following evening, we cruised again for another, less damaged milk snake for John. We were pleased when, around midnight, this little guy was milking across the road:

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Lampropeltis triangulum annulata (Mexican Milk Snake) by Kyle, on Flickr

We continued to hunt well into the night, driven by the adrenaline rush of success. On our way back for the night, John suggested we check out this area he thought would be good for cat-eyed snakes. He'd hunted the area a considerable amount for many years, and had found a few interesting things. Ripping down this small dirt road at 4:20am we saw a large snake in our headlights.

"Is that a rat snake?"
I hit the e-brake and we skidded past the snake, and as we went past the red and orange markings came into view.

John and I ran back and, gleefully, like little schoolgirls picked up this 3ft annulata (dubbed "Chorizo" by John's wife) and pranced back to the car.

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Lampropeltis triangulum annulata (Mexican Milk Snake) by Kyle, on Flickr

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Lampropeltis triangulum annulata (Mexican Milk Snake) by Kyle, on Flickr


The fun of course wasn't over there. Over the next few days we'd see several more snakes. At some point we found this cat-eyed snake, a Mexican racer, and a hooknose snake.
I'd had to run back to Houston for a meeting on evening, and couldn't make it out to cruise. John located another milk snake and a massassauga in that time I was absent.
On my return, we managed to find a coral snake eating a longnose snake in the road, just a few feet away from a roadkilled cateye snake! After that, a cold front came and the temperatures plummeted, putting an end to our March adventure.

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Arizona elegans arenicola (Texas Glossy Snake) by Kyle, on Flickr

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Ficimia streckeri (Mexican Hooknose Snake) by Kyle, on Flickr

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Coluber constrictor oaxaca (Mexican Racer) by Kyle, on Flickr

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Leptodeira septentrionalis (Northern Cat-eyed Snake) by Kyle, on Flickr

In late March, John, Armin and I took a day to go up into Louisiana, pining for the snakes of the eastern forests. Despite the colder than expected temperatures, we managed to achieve a Triple Crown (the three Lampropeltids) as well as a nice buttermilk racer, ringneck snake, and a couple of the usuals. The black calligaster we found was a gorgeous animal, but I never even saw it as we walked along a cutaway where we flipped boards. Instead I stepped on it, and Armin dove on it as it attempted its getaway.

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Coluber constrictor anthicus (Buttermilk Racer) by Kyle, on Flickr

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Lampropeltis getula holbrooki (Speckled Kingsnake) by Kyle, on Flickr

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Lampropeltis triangulum amaura (Louisiana Milk Snake) by Kyle, on Flickr

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Lampropeltis triangulum amaura (Louisiana Milk Snake) by Kyle, on Flickr

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Lampropeltis calligaster calligaster (Prairie Kingsnake) by Kyle, on Flickr


On Easter Sunday I visited my parents, then spent the afternoon and went to a favorite flip spot in the Big Thicket region. I didn't get much more than coachwhips at my flip spot, but I was happy to cruise this young canebrake in the middle of a small town on my way out there:

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Crotalus horridus (Canebrake Rattlesnake) by Kyle, on Flickr

One early April weekend I went to accept a photography award from SWCHR and have dinner with Gerry Salmon. I went to a couple of concerts in Austin, and in the day took some time to herp. The herping wasn't super productive, but I did get to pose up this coachwhip hat trick I found behind a gas station, and then sat down to observe a male atrox court a female and begin to mate.

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Coluber flagellum testaceus (Western Coachwhip) by Kyle, on Flickr

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Crotalus atrox (Western Diamondback) by Kyle, on Flickr

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Crotalus atrox (Western Diamondback) by Kyle, on Flickr

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Crotalus atrox (Western Diamondback) by Kyle, on Flickr

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Crotalus atrox (Western Diamondback) by Kyle, on Flickr

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Crotalus atrox (Western Diamondback) by Kyle, on Flickr

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Crotalus atrox (Western Diamondback) by Kyle, on Flickr

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Crotalus atrox (Western Diamondback) by Kyle, on Flickr


The following weekend, Tim from Colorado had been pining to get out into Louisiana with us. I picked him up from the airport in Houston, and we hauled ass through the night to reach our hotel in the middle of the piney woods. We spent the day herping, with only a few notable finds. The weather was good, but didn't produce what we were looking for.

Armin and I were pleased to pull this beautiful light colored calligaster from underneath a railroad tie:

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Lampropeltis calligaster calligaster (Prairie Kingsnake) by Kyle, on Flickr

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Lampropeltis calligaster calligaster (Prairie Kingsnake) by Kyle, on Flickr


A couple weeks later, one of these things we'd really been pining for showed up. 'Bout time!

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Pituophis ruthveni (Louisiana Pinesnake) by Kyle, on Flickr

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Pituophis ruthveni (Louisiana Pinesnake) by Kyle, on Flickr

We also managed to flip this massive, 53in calligaster.

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Got 'im! by Kyle, on Flickr

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Lampropeltis calligaster calligaster (Prairie Kingsnake) by Kyle, on Flickr


I spent much of my snake hunting time in the months of April and May... (and June, July, August and September), in South Texas.

A few things near Houston were found, but most of my time was spent looking for annulata in different counties. I managed to see them in Jim Hogg, Starr, Hidalgo, Willacy, Duval, McMullen, LaSalle, and Zavalla county this year. Hopefully in 2017 I can expand that list some. For a total of 18 live, and 9 roadkill, I feel I did pretty well for my first year focusing on them.

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Heterodon platirhinos (Eastern Hognose Snake) by Kyle, on Flickr

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Heterodon platirhinos (Eastern Hognose Snake) by Kyle, on Flickr

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Drymarchon malanurus erebennus (Texas Indigo Snake) by Kyle, on Flickr

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U.S. Customs and Border - Interstellar Division by Kyle, on Flickr

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Gopherus berlandieri (Texas Tortoise) by Kyle, on Flickr

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Thamnophis proximus diabolicus (Arid Land Ribbon Snake) by Kyle, on Flickr

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Lampropeltis triangulum annulata (Mexican Milk Snake) by Kyle, on Flickr

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Ambystoma mavortium (Barred Tiger Salamander) by Kyle, on Flickr

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Lampropeltis getula splendida (Desert Kingsnake) by Kyle, on Flickr

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Lampropeltis getula splendida (Desert Kingsnake) by Kyle, on Flickr

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Rhinocheilus lecontei tessellatus (Texas Longnose Snake) by Kyle, on Flickr

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Chelydra serpentina (Common Snapping Turtle) by Kyle, on Flickr

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Coluber constrictor flaviventris (Eastern Yellowbelly Racer) by Kyle, on Flickr

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Lampropeltis triangulum annulata (Mexican Milk Snake) by Kyle, on Flickr

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Rhinocheilus lecontei tessellatus (Texas Longnosed Snake) by Kyle, on Flickr

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Rhinocheilus lecontei tessellatus (Texas Longnosed Snake) by Kyle, on Flickr

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Lampropeltis triangulum annulata (Mexican Milk Snake) by Kyle, on Flickr

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Lampropeltis triangulum annulata (Mexican Milk Snake) by Kyle, on Flickr


You can't go a year without visiting southeast Louisiana for some canebrake fun. Me, Armin, and Brennan had a good ol' time chasing down canebrakes on his property.

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Crotalus horridus (Canebrake Rattlesnake) by Kyle, on Flickr

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Crotalus horridus (Canebrake Rattlesnake) by Kyle, on Flickr

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Crotalus horridus (Canebrake Rattlesnake) by Kyle, on Flickr

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Crotalus horridus (Canebrake Rattlesnake) by Kyle, on Flickr

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Crotalus horridus (Canebrake Rattlesnake) by Kyle, on Flickr

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Canebrake Cajuns by Kyle, on Flickr

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Crotalus horridus (Canebrake Rattlesnake) by Kyle, on Flickr

More from the south Texas sand:

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Lampropeltis triangulum annulata (Mexican Milk Snake) by Kyle, on Flickr

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Pituophis catenifer sayi (Bullsnake) by Kyle, on Flickr

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Pituophis catenifer sayi (Bullsnake) by Kyle, on Flickr

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Pituophis catenifer sayi (Bullsnake) by Kyle, on Flickr

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Lampropeltis triangulum annulata (Mexican Milk Snake) by Kyle, on Flickr

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Lampropeltis triangulum annulata (Mexican Milk Snake) by Kyle, on Flickr

In May, I found this female calligaster that was heavily gravid. I suspected she'd drop in early June, but she ended up laying just a couple days after capture. I held onto the eggs and they hatched in early August. 10 healthy calligaster babies that were then released near where I found her.

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Lampropeltis calligaster calligaster (Prairie Kingsnake) by Kyle, on Flickr

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Lampropeltis calligaster calligaster (Prairie Kingsnake) by Kyle, on Flickr


In early June I took a trip up to Montana and Utah. I met John and his wife, and we were hoping to find some pale milks. Unfortunately, conditions seemed quite dry, and the area hadn't gotten the rain it normally does. We still had a good time, but mostly found bullsnakes, prairie rattlesnakes, and racers. Luckily, we did manage to turn up our third highest target of the trip, Crotalus concolour, in Utah.

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Crotalus viridis (Prairie Rattlesnake) by Kyle, on Flickr

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Pituophis catenifer sayi (Bullsnake) by Kyle, on Flickr

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Crotalus viridis (Prairie Rattlesnake) by Kyle, on Flickr

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Montana Thunderstorm by Kyle, on Flickr

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Crotalus viridis (Prairie Rattlesnake) by Kyle, on Flickr

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Coluber constrictor mormon (Western Yellow-bellied Racer) by Kyle, on Flickr

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Crotalus viridis (Prairie Rattlesnake) by Kyle, on Flickr

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Crotalus viridis (Prairie Rattlesnake) by Kyle, on Flickr

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Crotalus oreganus concolor (Midget-Faded Rattlesnake) by Kyle, on Flickr

We also took some time to explore the Dinosaur National Monument while we were in the general area. The dinosaur bones exposed in the rock were a sight to behold, and it was fun to go around an look at the pictographs through the Monument.
It also has some nice views too:

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Dinosaur National Monument by Kyle, on Flickr

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Dinosaur National Monument by Kyle, on Flickr

Returning to Texas, I had to get right back to hunting annulata. Can't go too long without milk!

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Lampropeltis triangulum annulata (Mexican Milk Snake) by Kyle, on Flickr

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Lampropeltis triangulum annulata (Mexican Milk Snake) by Kyle, on Flickr


Brennan and I took a weekend in late July to go to west Texas. Brennan had never herped the region or seen any of the snakes out there.
For two nights, we did quite well. When we finished the trip, I took him down to my favorite spot in the south on the way back to look for milks. We managed to find one that had fallen prey to a Great Horned Owl! Unfortunately for the owl, the snake had managed to coil around it's neck and was in the process of choking the owl to death when we came across them. We separated the two. The owl flew off (and was seen again a couple weeks later!), and the milk snake succumbed to its injuries by morning.

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Masticophis taeniatus taeniatus (Central Texas Whipsnake) by Kyle, on Flickr

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Thamnophis cyrtopsis cyrtopsis (Western Blacknecked Garter Snake) by Kyle, on Flickr

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Crotalus lepidus lepidus (Mottled Rock Rattlesnake) by Kyle, on Flickr

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Salvadora hexalepis deserticola (Big Bend Patchnosed Snake) by Kyle, on Flickr

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Crotalus ornatus (Eastern Black-tailed Rattlesnake) by Kyle, on Flickr

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Pantherophis bairdi (Baird's Rat Snake) by Kyle, on Flickr

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Crotalus lepidus lepidus (Mottled Rock Rattlesnake) by Kyle, on Flickr

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Crotalus ornatus (Eastern Black-tailed Rattlesnake) by Kyle, on Flickr

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Crotalus ornatus (Eastern Black-tailed Rattlesnake) by Kyle, on Flickr

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Masticophis taeniatus taeniatus (Central Texas Whipsnake) by Kyle, on Flickr


Not too soon thereafter, I spent a weekend with a little South and West combo. South by night, West by day:


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Pituophis catenifer sayi (Bullsnake) by Kyle, on Flickr

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Crotalus lepidus lepidus (Mottled Rock Rattlesnake) by Kyle, on Flickr

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Crotalus lepidus lepidus (Mottled Rock Rattlesnake) by Kyle, on Flickr

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Rhinocheilus lecontei tessellatus (Texas Longnose Snake) by Kyle, on Flickr

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Rhinocheilus lecontei tessellatus (Texas Longnose Snake) by Kyle, on Flickr

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Lampropeltis triangulum annulata (Mexican Milk Snake) by Kyle, on Flickr

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Lampropeltis triangulum annulata (Mexican Milk Snake) by Kyle, on Flickr

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Lampropeltis triangulum annulata (Mexican Milk Snake) by Kyle, on Flickr


I spent Labor Day weekend with Tim and large crew of herpers in New Mexico. It was great to get out with a big group, share stories, and do some herping in a gorgeous mountain range in New Mexico. My main target was a pyro, but none were to be found, despite our best efforts. We had a great time regardless, and I got to meet new folks and new friends over the weekend. Plus it's always a good time when you can roll into camp and wake everyone up with a porcupine.

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Porcupine by Kyle, on Flickr

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Porcupine by Kyle, on Flickr

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Black Range by Kyle, on Flickr

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Vinegaroon by Kyle, on Flickr

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Canyon Stream by Kyle, on Flickr

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Black Range by Kyle, on Flickr

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Desert Crew by Kyle, on Flickr

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Coluber taeniatus taeniatus (Desert Striped Whipsnake) by Kyle, on Flickr

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Crotalus lepidus klauberi (Banded Rock Rattlesnake) by Kyle, on Flickr

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Crotalus lepidus klauberi (Banded Rock Rattlesnake) by Kyle, on Flickr


At some point in September, I took out a graduate student friend and her boyfriend. They'd seen a couple milk snakes at home, and were enamored, and wanted me to take them out snake hunting. Of course, when you take out non-snake hunters, it's always good to use an abundance of caution and temper expectations. They both expected to see nothing, and I expected to see a few common things and that maybe we'd luck out.
We were all pleasantly surprised to find three coral snakes, three diamondbacks, a checkered garter snake, a scrub rat, a bullsnake, a desert king, and an annulata, plus an assortment of roadkills, all within a few hours.

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Lampropeltis getula splendida (Desert Kingsnake) by Kyle, on Flickr

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Lampropeltis getula splendida (Desert Kingsnake) by Kyle, on Flickr

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Lampropeltis triangulum annulata (Mexican Milk Snake) by Kyle, on Flickr


On another night, shortly thereafter, I found an abundance of coral snakes (yet again!). This time, a monster 44in coral snake showed up, and I had to take some time to photograph it. The larger ones seem easier to photo than the smaller ones.

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Me and Carl by Kyle, on Flickr

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Micrurus tener tener (Texas Coral Snake) by Kyle, on Flickr

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Micrurus tener tener (Texas Coral Snake) by Kyle, on Flickr


One last adventure in October to see Armin and Brennan for the Fall corn harvest and canebrake crop was a good way to end the season, and plot the next year's adventures.

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Pantherophis guttatus guttatus (Corn Snake) by Kyle, on Flickr

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Agkistrodon contortrix contortrix (Southern Copperhead) by Kyle, on Flickr

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Pantherophis guttatus guttatus (Corn Snake) by Kyle, on Flickr

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Crotalus horridus (Canebrake Rattlesnake) by Kyle, on Flickr

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Crotalus horridus (Canebrake Rattlesnake) by Kyle, on Flickr


Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
User avatar
Evgeny Kotelevsky
Posts: 59
Joined: November 24th, 2016, 12:06 pm
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Re: Sweet '16: Year in Review (TX, LA, NM, UT, MT)

Post by Evgeny Kotelevsky »

Your 2016 year was successful! Wish your next year be even better! :beer:

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Rman
Posts: 142
Joined: April 22nd, 2012, 3:32 pm
Location: Baton Rouge, LA

Re: Sweet '16: Year in Review (TX, LA, NM, UT, MT)

Post by Rman »

You totally milked this post!
Your 2016 was excellent and I'm glad to have been there for parts of it.
User avatar
Jeff
Posts: 620
Joined: June 11th, 2010, 6:01 am
Location: Louisiana

Re: Sweet '16: Year in Review (TX, LA, NM, UT, MT)

Post by Jeff »

an'allota milks at that!
NACairns
Posts: 372
Joined: December 30th, 2013, 7:27 am

Re: Sweet '16: Year in Review (TX, LA, NM, UT, MT)

Post by NACairns »

Always excited to see you've put up a post and this one did not disappoint. As usual amazing photography and the subjects are what herping dreams are made of. I love east Texas and Louisiana but I always miss the snakes when I come through for frogs. Congratulations on that ruthveni, that is a rare critter. Thanks for sharing all these awesome shots.
Best,
Nick
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Jeroen Speybroeck
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Re: Sweet '16: Year in Review (TX, LA, NM, UT, MT)

Post by Jeroen Speybroeck »

You never disappoint us, thanks for sharing! Great shots, great numbers, pretty species... Cuteness award has to go to that porcupine, though.
brennan
Posts: 84
Joined: December 13th, 2010, 8:29 am

Re: Sweet '16: Year in Review (TX, LA, NM, UT, MT)

Post by brennan »

outstanding photos kyle! wish you had some pics of Vess from W. Tejas.......
Matt Cage
Posts: 128
Joined: June 7th, 2010, 1:04 pm
Location: Denver, CO

Re: Sweet '16: Year in Review (TX, LA, NM, UT, MT)

Post by Matt Cage »

Awesome stuff! Post just kept going.....and going......and going.....What a year! The big question, did you get stung by any bees?
Tamara D. McConnell
Posts: 2248
Joined: June 7th, 2010, 11:42 am

Re: Sweet '16: Year in Review (TX, LA, NM, UT, MT)

Post by Tamara D. McConnell »

Amazements and wonders. Such a beautiful post!
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Porter
Posts: 2418
Joined: March 19th, 2011, 7:43 pm

Re: Sweet '16: Year in Review (TX, LA, NM, UT, MT)

Post by Porter »

A lot of nice photo balance and angles here! :thumb: I really like those coral snake shots. That seems to be a herp that doesn't get photographed well very often. I hear they are pretty difficult. Beautiful shots :beer: ...and dig the chorizo, Mexican racer, and coachwhips under overcast :thumb: :thumb: Porcupine was cool too
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DracoRJC
Posts: 335
Joined: May 5th, 2011, 3:15 pm
Location: The beautiful Texas Hill Country

Re: Sweet '16: Year in Review (TX, LA, NM, UT, MT)

Post by DracoRJC »

Well done, sir. That lightning shot is just stupid!

Hope we see more of each other next year - curious to know what your targets will be, hopefully some of ours will cross over! I still need a big horridus, and maybe I can show you some blacknecks and gator lizards :beer:
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Rusty
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Re: Sweet '16: Year in Review (TX, LA, NM, UT, MT)

Post by Rusty »

Amazing post and photography!
Jimi
Posts: 1955
Joined: December 3rd, 2010, 12:06 pm

Re: Sweet '16: Year in Review (TX, LA, NM, UT, MT)

Post by Jimi »

Nice man, real nice. Love me some chorizo! Ha ha, that's awesome. Lil sausage fattie.

I got a 44" coral in FL once. It's like a different species when they're big like that. Imposing, but more chill. Definitely nothing you wanna get bit by. I had no idea they get that big in TX. Very cool.

I like that little grey lep too. Did you cut-walk him in the AM or hold him overnight?

I've never seen a calligaster over maybe 40". You got a real hoss there. Whoa. Love it.

cheers
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achillesbeast
Posts: 46
Joined: July 15th, 2012, 9:52 am

Re: Sweet '16: Year in Review (TX, LA, NM, UT, MT)

Post by achillesbeast »

Great post! Those annulata look like awesome little lampros. Your shots are some of the best, in my opinion. The colors and lighting are great.
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nhherp
Posts: 128
Joined: August 10th, 2010, 11:25 am
Location: southwest US - NM

Re: Sweet '16: Year in Review (TX, LA, NM, UT, MT)

Post by nhherp »

What a summer ! Corals have been on my list for years with no success. I have yet to also see a live porcupine in all my out and abouts here.
It was nice to put a face to your screen name during Labor Day trip.
-Notah
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Soopaman
Posts: 924
Joined: March 18th, 2012, 7:34 pm
Location: Houston, Texas

Re: Sweet '16: Year in Review (TX, LA, NM, UT, MT)

Post by Soopaman »

Thanks for the kind words everyone!
Rman wrote:You totally milked this post!
Your 2016 was excellent and I'm glad to have been there for parts of it.
Excited to see where we end up next year. Glad you'll be part of the 2017 Milking!
brennan wrote:outstanding photos kyle! wish you had some pics of Vess from W. Tejas.......
We should have taken a group photo. "I looove propulsion! That is just my opinion though."

Jimi wrote:Nice man, real nice. Love me some chorizo! Ha ha, that's awesome. Lil sausage fattie.

I got a 44" coral in FL once. It's like a different species when they're big like that. Imposing, but more chill. Definitely nothing you wanna get bit by. I had no idea they get that big in TX. Very cool.

I like that little grey lep too. Did you cut-walk him in the AM or hold him overnight?

I've never seen a calligaster over maybe 40". You got a real hoss there. Whoa. Love it.

cheers
There were a couple later on in the post bigger than Chorizo, but it's always hard to tell size in portraits.

You're right, corals are totally different animals when they're that big. Very chill in comparison to the smaller ones. I've seen another of comparable size in the area, but wasn't able to capture it before it got in the grass. Thought it was a big milk when I ran back, and I didn't have anything to grab it with when I saw otherwise!

That grey lep was cut walked in the morning. It had rained the day before and cooled off a bit, and but it was warm and cloudy for most of the morning. Walked up on that guy and a whipsnake before lunch.

I've seen a couple of big callies near 4ft, but this one is something else! They don't show up often, but it seems more common to have large ones in the forested regions vs. the prairies.
nhherp wrote:What a summer ! Corals have been on my list for years with no success. I have yet to also see a live porcupine in all my out and abouts here.
It was nice to put a face to your screen name during Labor Day trip.
-Notah
Hey man, it was great to meet you in New Mexico. Corals are easy in south Texas. Come down some time.

Porcupines aren't too tough either, in west Texas; I'll even teach you how to catch one by the hands.
bgorum
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Re: Sweet '16: Year in Review (TX, LA, NM, UT, MT)

Post by bgorum »

Great post Kyle. It was great meeting you and swapping tales while we road cruised, even if we didn't see a lot of snakes! The vinagaroon and gopher snake are in my classroom and eating like champs though.
nhherp wrote:What a summer ! Corals have been on my list for years with no success. I have yet to also see a live porcupine in all my out and abouts here.
It was nice to put a face to your screen name during Labor Day trip.
-Notah
Notah,

Seriously? Try this time of year, anywhere in the Rio Grande bosque in Albuquerque. Look up into the cottonwoods for what looks like a big ball of something. From a distance they are easy to dismiss as an old raven's nest of such. Its pretty easy to see several during a short hike. If you time it for close to sunset you can see them rousing for their nightly rounds.
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dwakefield
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Re: Sweet '16: Year in Review (TX, LA, NM, UT, MT)

Post by dwakefield »

Awesome post, Kyle! It's hard to pick a favorite, but I always love your Canebrake shots.
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Will Wells
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Re: Sweet '16: Year in Review (TX, LA, NM, UT, MT)

Post by Will Wells »

Great Shots!
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Soopaman
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Re: Sweet '16: Year in Review (TX, LA, NM, UT, MT)

Post by Soopaman »

Thanks folks!
bgorum wrote:Great post Kyle. It was great meeting you and swapping tales while we road cruised, even if we didn't see a lot of snakes! The vinagaroon and gopher snake are in my classroom and eating like champs though.
Great meeting you as well, Bill. I had a good time hanging out. What are you feeding that Vinagroon? Glad to hear they are doing well in your classroom!



I couldn't resist going out again in mid-December. Had to see another milk, it just wouldn't have been a good Christmas without one!


Image
Pantherophis guttatus meahllmorum (Thornscrub Rat Snake) by Kyle, on Flickr

Image
Lampropeltis triangulum annulata (Mexican Milk Snake) by Kyle, on Flickr

Image
Lampropeltis triangulum annulata (Mexican Milk Snake) by Kyle, on Flickr
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ahockenberry
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Re: Sweet '16: Year in Review (TX, LA, NM, UT, MT)

Post by ahockenberry »

Fantastic post - wow, awesome - lots of great shots - my favorites are the Coral Snake and love the bolt of Lightening - Awesome!
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