On March 13, 2015, my son Michael and I left north Florida early morning with Pigeon Mountain as the destination. We arrived late morning only to run into Jake Scott and Don Filipiak on their way out heading north to another location. It was cold and raining, just plain miserable! But, that didn't stop us. We were to meet up with Ashley Tubbs and Justin Oguni later. Two wonderful field herpers we've had the pleasure herping with in the past.
One of the first finds was this beautiful Red Salamander.
Red Salamander (Pseudotriton ruber) by Daniel D Dye II, on Flickr
The next was a Red Eft Red-Spotted Newt.
Red-Spotted Newt (Notophthalmus viridescens) by Daniel D Dye II, on Flickr
Ashley and Justin arrived and we decided to check out some caves and look for a few more species of salamanders found on the mountain.
This is Michael crawling out one of the caves.
Michael Crawling out of a Small Cave by Daniel D Dye II, on Flickr
Ashley and Justin taking photos of a salamander, I don't remember which species this was.
Ashley and Justin by Daniel D Dye II, on Flickr
Here's the group searching the rocks for Pigeon Mountain Salamanders.
Ashley, Justin and Michael by Daniel D Dye II, on Flickr
Yours truly.
Me Standing next to Water Fall by Daniel D Dye II, on Flickr
We found this nice Southern Zigzag Salamander (Plethodon ventralis).
Southern Zigzag Salamander (Plethodon ventralis) by Daniel D Dye II, on Flickr
And this Cave Salamander (Eurycea lucifuga).
Cave Salamander (Eurycea lucifuga) by Daniel D Dye II, on Flickr
We also found this monster Northern Slimy Salamander (Plethodon glutinous).
Northern Slimy Salamander (Plethodon glutinous) by Daniel D Dye II, on Flickr
On the way out from the cave system, I found this Eastern Red Bat (Lasiurus borealis) hanging just above my head on a tree branch.
Eastern Red bat (Lasiurus borealis) by Daniel D Dye II, on Flickr
We then set out to find a Green Salamander, which we did! Thanks to the sharp eyes of Justin Oguni!
Green Salamander (Aneides aeneus) by Daniel D Dye II, on Flickr
We went down the mountain in search of other species and found this large Spring Salamander.
Spring Salamander (Gyrinophilus porphyriticus) by Daniel D Dye II, on Flickr
Ashley and Justin had to head out to meet up with Dale Wilson, so Mike and I hit a few more spots before heading south to find a place to over night.
Michael and Jeep by Daniel D Dye II, on Flickr
We found a hotel and settled in. Here's the face of a worn out man!
Michael Worn Out by Daniel D Dye II, on Flickr
We later met Ashley, Justin and Dale near Okefenokee and settled in at the place we would spend the next couple of days. Then we started road cruising. We found plenty of snakes, most I photographed with my iPhone for documentation only.
Here are some of the finds.
Glossy Crayfish Snake (Regina rigida rigida) by Daniel D Dye II, on Flickr
Striped Crayfish Snake (Regina alleni) by Daniel D Dye II, on Flickr
Brown Water Snake (Nerodia taxispilota) by Daniel D Dye II, on Flickr
Ashley has a keen interest in spiders so we spent some time looking for some. Here's a couple finds.
Bowl and Doily Spider (Frontinella pyramitela) by Daniel D Dye II, on Flickr
Starbellied Orbweaver (Acanthepeira stellata) by Daniel D Dye II, on Flickr
Ashley and Dale by Daniel D Dye II, on Flickr
Michael, Ashley, Dale and Justin by Daniel D Dye II, on Flickr
That's it for this trip. Thanks for looking.
March 2015 Trip to Pigeon Mountain and Okefenokee Swamp
Moderator: Scott Waters
- Daniel D Dye
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Re: March 2015 Trip to Pigeon Mountain and Okefenokee Swamp
Nice post. Love the sally shots. No Pigeon Mtn Sals?
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Re: March 2015 Trip to Pigeon Mountain and Okefenokee Swamp
Looks like a wonderful time. The photos are amazing. The little bat is so cute!
- Jeroen Speybroeck
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Re: March 2015 Trip to Pigeon Mountain and Okefenokee Swamp
Nice! Would love to see that water fall - nearly zero flow when I was there last July.
- BillMcGighan
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Re: March 2015 Trip to Pigeon Mountain and Okefenokee Swamp
Excellent... Took us right along to a special place.
- walk-about
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Re: March 2015 Trip to Pigeon Mountain and Okefenokee Swamp
Daniel - What a beautiful post! What state it Pigeon Mountain in? The topography and species you found could pass for my native KY. That pic of the Green mander is really nice and what a pretty specimen. Love the pic of you standing in front of that water-fall. Also, that pic of the Slimy is a really good one. I have taken many pics of Slimy manders in my lifetime, and for some reason they all have one thing in common - They SUCK! (my white whale I guess) so when I see a good pic of one, I take notice.
Dave
Dave
- Daniel D Dye
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Re: March 2015 Trip to Pigeon Mountain and Okefenokee Swamp
chrish, I have some many photos of Pigeon Mountain Salamanders, I didn't bother to take any.
The bat was a surprise, Tamara.
The water fall was cool, Jeroen. Lots of rain that day too.
Bill, more to come!
Pigeon Mountain is in North West Georgia, Dave. Truly a wonderful place. I've been there several times and enjoy each visit. Thanks for the encouraging words.
The bat was a surprise, Tamara.
The water fall was cool, Jeroen. Lots of rain that day too.
Bill, more to come!
Pigeon Mountain is in North West Georgia, Dave. Truly a wonderful place. I've been there several times and enjoy each visit. Thanks for the encouraging words.
Re: March 2015 Trip to Pigeon Mountain and Okefenokee Swamp
Wonderful stuff, thanks for sharing! I especially like that adult Spring Salamander.
- soulsurvivor
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Re: March 2015 Trip to Pigeon Mountain and Okefenokee Swamp
Nice photos, Daniel! I really like that NEWT!
~Bree
~Bree
- Josh Holbrook
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Re: March 2015 Trip to Pigeon Mountain and Okefenokee Swamp
Though I wasn't along for this trip, some good memories just from the scenery. Thanks for the post, Dan.
Re: March 2015 Trip to Pigeon Mountain and Okefenokee Swamp
Great salamander pics! Love that big red and the spring. Got me thinking about March now!