The ADD YOUR photos to this photo-post POST 📷

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The ADD YOUR photos to this photo-post POST 📷

Post by Porter »

It was just the other day, I was chatting in PM's with Mr. Richard F Hoyer... (wait-a-minute 🤔 that was Yesterday) ...and I wrote to him something like:
"...I liked when people would collaborate on a subject together on one post. Now it seems like you’re lucky if one person post's photography, and if you post your photography to it or Write something that they don’t agree with, they take it personal. I liked seeing a post about racers and everyone would post their own pictures and stories of racers."

So, then it had me thinking... Why the heck don't I just make one 🤷🏻‍♂️

The idea behind this is, I've got a whole bunch of old photography I've taken over the last 10 years. Now that I've transferred over to films, the photography aspect is over for me... But, I got all this photography just sitting on the shelf collecting dust. Serving no purpose. I've thought of coming up with post subjects, where I can use the photography as visual aids. Really, I'm just trying to think of a reason to post some photos I'm proud of :lol: Then, I realized... there's photographers out there that have 4 times as many photos backlogged, non-photographer herpers who have maybe just one or two cool shots over the years, newbies just getting started with their first photos, ect... and they don't see any reason to dedicate a whole post to some old photo they took. So, I figure skip out the middle-pressure of expectations, lets just post em! :thumb: :thumb:

Not all, but some... of these photos have a story or some nostalgia connected to it. So, the basic idea at this point is to randomly pick a species and showcase the shots I have of it. However, I want it very to be clear.... ANYTHING GOES!! Everyone is allowed to say or do ANYTHING they want to this post. Make it your own. It doesn't even have to be the same species or one of the species I posted previously. Quality don't matter... lizard/snake/sal/terrapin/croaker don't matter... post a bug... post a shed... post something dead... post whatever pops in your head! You don't even have to post a photo. Talk amongst yourselves! Don't wait for me to respond. (AND I don't have to unless you ask me something specific 🤨👉) There's only one thing NOT allowed... Don't write a compliment. No gosh dammed mutha fluggin no purpose other than to compliment the photographer fuggle lovin' compliments. This isn't about compliments... this is about field herping.

I had a few ideas about what species to start with... Do I jump right into the gigas? ...zonata my lifer with a little help from my friends? ...morphage that aberrant like it's some variation straight from the depth of thee darkest unknown? Then, this shot popped in my mind. One of my favorite shots of just an average ol' Alligator Lizard. When I first posted it back around 2011-ish-ness... someone, no idea who, commented something like, "that's a good shot of an alligator lizard." That member's comment, to this day, still is in my head everytime I look at or even think of that photo. And I think the reason why it meant something to me back then, and now, is that it says more than just "you're a good photographer...or that's a hard to find species." What he meant was... you made people look at something that they usually don't even take the time to photograph and you showcased it in a way that made people remember the beauty of it, that they had taken for granted. It doesn't look like just a boring lizard.

Or, at least... that's what I thought he meant :lol:

ImageFotoJet - 2021-01-04T200139.217 by The Singing Frog, on Flickr
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Re: The ADD YOUR photos to this photo-post POST 📷

Post by Porter »

I forgot to add my story...!! :lol:

Ok, so... When I was like 11-12 years old. My Dad lived downtown and I used to visit every other weekend. He kept a few terrariums at his apartment for me and one of them, at one time, housed a few Alligator Lizards (Elgaria multicarinata multicarinata). So, I go to visit one time and he say's, "Hey look at this...!" or maybe I was cleaning out the poop and noticed them 🤔 Either way, it was full of little white Easter eggs. I had obtained a copy of the old Stebbins Field Guide by this time. So, I looked up what to do with the eggs. Put them in a jar in a cupboard and forgot all about it.

So, then I go to visit my dad and I'm lounging on the couch. Watching the usual VHS mixtape of music videos, movie clips, stand-up comedy, wildlife shows and whatever else my dad saw on TV since the last time I saw him. I look over... and right there on the arm of the couch... I'm starring at this little newborn hatchling gator baby. Just starring at me, licking his lips, like, "Hey, buddy you got any grubbs or somethin'...?" So, then I go to the Jar and see they all busted out, right. Then one goes running across the floor. So, now I'm looking under the couch, in the bathroom, in the closet, in the kitchen, under the fridge, by the aquarium, underneath the snake tank stand, behind the baseball gear... found like 9 or 11 of the little fuggers :thumb:

Ever since then, I don't know about chew, but uhhhh... I ain't bringing home no more alligator lizards, ya know whadda mean....?

;)
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Re: The ADD YOUR photos to this photo-post POST 📷

Post by Porter »

One last rule ... (the most important thing, of course I forget :roll: ) And then, I'm done and I'll leave this alone for a while.

No Jelly... No one is allowed to used the word, "Jelly." Not unless it's attached to a fish, a sandwich, or a friggin pastry 🤨👉 If I hear that dumb fruggin word like jealousy is some normal or complimental place to emotionally force yourself to exist... I'm gonna stick my head in friggin garbage dispossal :crazyeyes: There will be no hatred and/or weakness evolved from looking at a picture of a friggin frog...toad...node...frickin...chode...on this post.

Futhermore... There will be no stroken your ego or taken the credit for displaying the beauty existing on a gothdamn snake's back, like you created it. You didn't. Even if you bred the damn thing. You didn't create the parental DNA. You just manipulated it. All that weak ass evil shit just died today. It is no longer cool to belittle yourself or others. Or make people feel guilty for their accomplishments.

Once again, this isn't about compliments... this is about field herping. You got 10,000 things to say about an alligator lizard. A compliment to a photo of one, is only one of those otions...

🍻 ✌️
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Re: The ADD YOUR photos to this photo-post POST 📷

Post by Porter »

These shots are from one of Dave's Yolo County surveys. This was my first time participating with a group of herpers. We all met up in the morning and Dave asked us to form a circle to introduce ourselves to the group. Each person stated their name and a gave little bit about themselves: field of study, job title, hobbyist, etc… I may have been a little hungover (maybe just tired and groggy)... and as my turn to talk slowly began to creep up on me, it seemed to resemble that of an AA meeting. I've never been an alcoholic, nor have I attended an AA meeting. (Although, my ex-girlfriend from a recent break up, at that time, had to attend for a DUI a year earlier. Like my mother, she was in fact an alcoholic. Which ultimately led to our break up). "My name is Richard... and I'm an alcoholic...!" 😃
...no one laughed 🦗

Designated drivers volunteered for ridesharing and away we went... :thumb:

ImageFotoJet - 2021-01-10T064324.620 by The Singing Frog, on Flickr

ImageFotoJet - 2021-01-10T064117.247 by The Singing Frog, on Flickr

ImageFotoJet - 2021-02-01T002419.375 by The Singing Frog, on Flickr


This was the first time I had ever seen a caramel-colored alligator lizard. I call these, "Delta morph or delta phase" because of their similarities in unique color and pattern, to the blackbelly kingsnake in the area. It seems the muddy brackish saltwater habitat may be influential in this, but those are my own thoughts. ...AND my own slang! I think anyone else would probably call this a variation or just an alligator lizard. Like the striped gopher snakes of Yolo County (and blackbelly), they seem to be found in only certain areas/locales within the county. They look more like a Panamint or the ones down in Arizona, to me. Significally different. Some are much darker, almost black.

ImageFotoJet - 2021-02-01T013231.054 by The Singing Frog, on Flickr


This dramatic scene was discovered by Owen Holt, as we were progressively flipping boards within one of the study sites. Found under a piece of broken tree wood, if I remember correctly. It became quite the spectacle as we all gathered 'round to photo sesh the snakes. The sad aspect of this is that the racer was much larger than the kingsnake. So, either the kingsnake would have to regurgitate the meal or lose his life to it. Although many of us were probably thinking it, no one spoke of it. We gently replaced the Yoda-hut-like chunk of wood back over the snakes and continued the day.

ImageFotoJet - 2021-02-14T050758.066 by The Singing Frog, on Flickr

ImageFotoJet - 2021-02-14T045615.950 by The Singing Frog, on Flickr

ImageFotoJet - 2021-02-14T045345.341 by The Singing Frog, on Flickr

ImageFotoJet - 2021-02-14T045016.528 by The Singing Frog, on Flickr


Photo by Owen Holt:

ImageFotoJet - 2021-02-01T015531.920 by The Singing Frog, on Flickr
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Re: The ADD YOUR photos to this photo-post POST 📷

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ImageFotoJet - 2021-02-14T052017.887 by The Singing Frog, on Flickr


I started this webpage up in 2010. It was somewhere towards the end of 2009, that I starting getting into the photography aspect of field herping. I had seen Calherps for the first time, and liked the idea of having a collective page of multiple variations of the same species. So, my idea was to start an artistic photography website to showcase what I had found. It ain't easy keeping a damn website going... 😓 ...I tell ya. It was discontinued but served as a good place to go and retrieve my photography from, after I had deleted them all from my computer 🤦🏻‍♂️ I actually had to illegally steal them back because they were copywrite-protected after adding them to the website. So, just clicking on them and saving them to a PC was inoperable :lol: I lost a lot of resolution, but I got back a majority of the good ones.

Treefrogs... this is where it started for me :thumb: I was always fascinated by frogs when I was a kid. Anytime I was near a pond, a field, or on my grandmother's friend's farm after a rain... I'm out looking for frogs. That's probably why I'm so into aberrants , morphs, and unique varriations. I remember combing grassy pond edges, searching out the tan, green, and red amongst the mass hopping frenzy of freshly morphed froglets. Ooooo, oooo, ooo...there's a little green one with no spots :mrgreen: :thumb: Finding multicolored individuals was an even more special artistic detection.


This first photo was taken in 2009 and was the first time I had ever photographed a treefrog:

ImageFotoJet - 2020-12-24T094600.293 by The Singing Frog, on Flickr

ImageFotoJet (16) by The Singing Frog, on Flickr

ImageFotoJet - 2020-12-24T103834.776sfc by The Singing Frog, on Flickr

ImageFotoJet - 2020-12-27T083245.148 by The Singing Frog, on Flickr

ImageFotoJet - 2021-11-27T092348.809 by The Singing Frog, on Flickr

ImageFotoJet - 2021-11-27T092247.748 by The Singing Frog, on Flickr

ImageFotoJet - 2020-12-27T084012.209 by The Singing Frog, on Flickr

ImageFotoJet - 2021-11-27T092518.291 by The Singing Frog, on Flickr

Image7219A975-CE42-46FC-8E1A-D55A46E0BFA4 by The Singing Frog, on Flickr

ImageA78775F8-0275-4F52-ACE0-F2ADA89C7FFE by The Singing Frog, on Flickr
JWO
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Re: The ADD YOUR photos to this photo-post POST 📷

Post by JWO »

Here is a juvenile Northern Desert Nightsnake. This is the first confirmed one I have found in Washington State after looking for almost twenty years. I think I might have found a different one two years ago but i wasn't able to confirm before it slipped away. Found in Benton County, Washington State in early summer 2021.
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Post by Jeff »

On the springtime in California theme...
A Northern Pacific Rattlesnake in the Diablo Range in the late 1980s.

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JWO wrote: November 27th, 2021, 12:14 pm Here is a juvenile Northern Desert Nightsnake. This is the first confirmed one I have found in Washington State after looking for almost twenty years. I think I might have found a different one two years ago but i wasn't able to confirm before it slipped away. Found in Benton County, Washington State in early summer 2021.
Nice :thumb:

Nightsnakes are one of those species that, depending on the locale, are either so common you get tired of seeing them or so rare it takes years to find one. I found my first California nightsnake in Roseville CA, in my early teens. It was the only time any of my friends or myself had come across one. We didn't even know what it was... and it became known as the little viper snake (because of the eyes) until we finally got our hands on a field guide. When I started herping back up in 2009, it along with lateralis, was the only species I wasn't able to re-find in the Roseville/Sacramento/Folsom/Rancho Cordova area. It wasn't until September 2017 or 18 that I was walking a bike trail a few days before my birthday... very close to where I found the first one, that I saw a little snake ahead on the paved trail. Thought for sure it would have to be a sharptail. I was amazed when I got up to it... 3pm, overcast, habitat dry as hell. Found on the birthday of my long-time competitive nemesis... Mr. Chad M Lane :lol: (Not sure if that was a win for him or me 🤔) I've wondered if that's the only known population for this area. The only herper I know of that would be even relatively close, would be Scott. But he is more Yolo/Davis area. I'm amazed I still haven't found one in the El Dorado Hills/Folsom/Rancho Cordova area. Habitat looks great for them out there...
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Re: The ADD YOUR photos to this photo-post POST 📷

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Jeff wrote: November 27th, 2021, 3:40 pm On the springtime in California theme...
A Northern Pacific Rattlesnake in the Diablo Range in the late 1980s.
That's a vintage classic right there, Jeff :thumb: What's the story behind that one..?
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Re: The ADD YOUR photos to this photo-post POST 📷

Post by Porter »

.
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Re: The ADD YOUR photos to this photo-post POST 📷

Post by JWO »

Hanford rattlesnakeedit.jpg
hanfordrattlesnake2020edit.JPG
I've got two "Radioactive" :crazyeyes: Northern Pacific Rattlesnakes from the Hanford Nuclear Reservation in Benton County, Washington State. The smaller one next to the rail was found in 2008 I believe. The larger one was upset but cooperative because I moved it away from the road. The only reason why I found it was because it was "waving" at me when I was driving by slowly. I think it wanted to let me know it wanted some glamour shots taken so it could be famous. Found in the early morning in late August 2020.
Northern Pacific Rattlesnakes are my favorite. I've been trying to get WA State Fish & Wildlife to allow me to relocate snakes that are found in peoples yards so they don't otherwise get killed. Our rattlesnakes where I live are becoming harder to find with all the new development that has been ongoing where I live. Right now the state has them listed as a nuisance animal and they can only be relocated on the property where they were found (doesn't matter how big the property is) otherwise they have to be killed. I think that one day this state is going to have to end up paying later financially and with species protection to keep our rattlesnakes from being locally extinct.

Not 100% sure what the other one is. This snake was found in Benton County, WA in late July 2019. Recently born, starting its first shed. Found next to an irrigation wasteway. I was leaning towards a species of garter snake but I've never seen one without a stripe, even a new born. With it being in shed it also makes it more difficult to tell.
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Re: The ADD YOUR photos to this photo-post POST 📷

Post by Porter »

JWO wrote: November 29th, 2021, 10:16 am I've got two "Radioactive" :crazyeyes: Northern Pacific Rattlesnakes from the Hanford Nuclear Reservation in Benton County, Washington State.
Nice :thumb: You should stick those things under a blacklight and see if they glow :lol: That sucks about the rattlers. It’s the same out here in Roseville. They used to be pretty common, now it takes a little more effort to find one.
JWO wrote: November 29th, 2021, 10:16 am Not 100% sure what the other one is. This snake was found in Benton County, WA in late July 2019. Recently born, starting its first shed. Found next to an irrigation wasteway. I was leaning towards a species of garter snake but I've never seen one without a stripe, even a new born. With it being in shed it also makes it more difficult to tell.
I don’t know much about Washigton snakes, but judging by the stoutness of the nose, my guess is northwestern gartersnake, Full-melanistic. Cool find :thumb: Any other pics of that individual..?
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Re: The ADD YOUR photos to this photo-post POST 📷

Post by krismunk »

I'll play.

Favorite moment of an - admittedly slow - 2021 herping season
P1080848a.JPG
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Re: The ADD YOUR photos to this photo-post POST 📷

Post by Jeff »

Krismunk
Finding an Adder lying out on a gray day reminds me of finding Massassaugas up north. You need the right spot, right conditions (cold and windy), and keep looking.
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Post by krismunk »

Not an adder, though.
7489_dirty-snake-6.jpg
...but yes, a gray day. Nice spot, however .
P1080875a.JPG
As for adders, here's three.
P1030042a(2).JPG
Saugas are nice. Also seem the most adder like of rattlers.

Cold and north I can deliver as well. Here 's an incredibly late end to the season. Monday, November 29, 45 miles north of Cold Bay, Alaska (and a few thousand miles east (or west, doesn't make much difference)), 34 F
261501877_1243487549463088_1959201153591677829_n.jpg
Meanwhile, on the the other side of the path.
261501877_4509763399078687_101876864629502419_n.jpg
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Post by Porter »

I was sure that was Thamnophis… :lol:

What the hell is that… A new England cottonmouth? 🧐 …or a Scottish water moccasin?
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Re: The ADD YOUR photos to this photo-post POST 📷

Post by Jeff »

Not an adder, though.
Vipera seoanei?
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Post by krismunk »

Porter wrote: December 3rd, 2021, 4:37 am I was sure that was Thamnophis… :lol:
You're not the first ;)
Porter wrote: December 3rd, 2021, 4:37 am What the hell is that… A new England cottonmouth? 🧐 …or a Scottish water moccasin?
Jeff wrote: December 3rd, 2021, 3:19 pm Vipera seoanei?
Yup.

Here's another viper from the same trip.
.P1080576a.JPG
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Re: The ADD YOUR photos to this photo-post POST 📷

Post by Porter »

So, I was wondering what should be the next installment for this weekend... and JWO's post of the Washington snakes and krismunk's white lite-blueish assume-toned thamnophis-ish Vipera seoanei insitu, led me here:

A few years ago, my employer needed someone to cover a weeklong shift for another driver in Washington. It was my first and only time in Washington. Luckily, they set me up in a hotel room next to some good habitat. I mean GREATEST hotel location ever for herping! Huge pieces of plywood in an abandoned field, pond full of calling frogs, an abandoned house littered with boards and debris, and even a rain-cruise road that produced a few Northern Red-legged frogs, Rough-skinned newt, and crossing Long-toed ambystoma.

The first thing I found was a pile of breeding gartersnakes at the abandoned house. Most were multicolored and I figured they must be hybrids when I saw that some had blue color. I had watched a video where someone was saying that in order for a Washington snake to qualify as a Pugent Sound Garter, it had to be blue. I found one that, to the naked eye, appeared to be all blue. Another thing to look for was a slightly faded (pale) blue dorsal stripe. I figured I had found one and posed it gently on a thorny blackberry bush stem. It wasn't until this year, when I found this great FREE online editor, that I enhanced the photo's color and saw that there was in fact some greenish tones from a slight bit of yellow coloring. Not only that, but I later talked to Jeremiah Easter, a herper located in Washington and he said that Northwesterns can also be blue... and, The way to Identify a Pugent Sound is by the labial stripes. I did find a couple true blue Pugent Sound garters when I met up with my old friend Mr. Nafis for a day. At a pond where he knew them to be. But, it even gets funnier when I travel to the northern part of the state to meet Ian (technoendo) and tell him the snakes he's calling Pugent Sound garters... "aren't TRUE pugent sound garters because they are not Blue!" :lol:

I really should have just applied my years of catching Valleys, Mountains, & Diablos in trying to identify these things. It's really just as simple as sirtalis, elegans, and atratus... 💁‍♂️

🤔🙄 ...wait-a-minute??

👀

ImageFotoJet - 2021-12-05T145239.533 by The Singing Frog, on Flickr


Ok, so I figured this can serve as not only something to enhance a photo...but also help to see the small color information you might overlook in bad lighting situations. You might think a Cal King is 100% black & white until those under tones start to reveal the brown & yellow (I still think there are true black kings in the Northern Central Valley marshy delta and farmland habitats...based on the same undertones of a raven, that I brought forward for comparison, in the same manner as various kingsnakes within that area). This free online editor has an awesome HIGHLIGHTS adjustor that keeps authentic natural color, as long as you don't overdo it. Use it at your own discretion :thumb: I usually look at the habitat in the photo (grass, logs, water, ect...) to make sure I stay in the realm of true natural coloring. You can't really achieve this through a SATURATION adjustor. After all these years, I'm finally getting some realistic quality to my old photography :mrgreen:

The name of the free online photo editor is FotoJet.

Here is a visual display of the processing I did on the Northwestern gartersnake, pictured above. I first do a full highlight enhancement, then add a little contrast and exposure correction if needed. The contrast gives it a bit more realistic dynamic. Then, even if the photo you're using is a jpeg... make sure to save it as a PNG. This will ensure to keep a good quality after rendering. If you save as jpeg, you lose some resolution each time you render a new photo:



This first screenshot displays the original photo ~

ImageScreenshot (485) by The Singing Frog, on Flickr


This screenshot displays the adjustments to Exposure(+20), Contrast(+30), and Highlights(-100)... each display in the left side panel ~

ImageScreenshot (488) by The Singing Frog, on Flickr


Then, after I APPLY those adjustments... I go back and reduce the Highlights (-37) even more ~

ImageScreenshot (489) by The Singing Frog, on Flickr


Always save as a PNG for best quality. Even if your photo is already a jpeg!

ImageScreenshot (490) by The Singing Frog, on Flickr



Here are a few more photos from that trip: 📸

First, a couple more individuals found near the hotel. The 2nd individual is my favorite gartersnake find of all time. The contrast between that bright orange zippered into the dorsal stripe on top of the blue is just amazing to me. They say the San Fransisco Gartersnake holds rank as North America's most beautiful snake... I'd say this little one definitely puts that ranking to the test :crazyeyes:

ImageFotoJet - 2021-12-05T151240.697 by The Singing Frog, on Flickr

ImageFotoJet - 2021-12-05T150854.230 by The Singing Frog, on Flickr

ImageFotoJet - 2021-12-05T150245.382 by The Singing Frog, on Flickr



These individuals were found with Ian Technoendo and display The Mark of the Pugent... a sound discovery indeed :thumb:

ImageFotoJet - 2021-12-05T152445.261 by The Singing Frog, on Flickr

ImageFotoJet - 2021-12-05T151557.289 by The Singing Frog, on Flickr



These individuals were from a secret spot graciously shared with me by one of the coolest field herpers I know... Mr. Gary Nafis 8-) The in situ on the log was of one which had escaped us by fleeing into the water. When we came back... there it was... Out basking :thumb: I was just barely able to extend my camera over the mesh of natures barbed wire for those photos. We left him as is and continued on to search for more...

ImageFotoJet - 2021-12-05T154611.927 by The Singing Frog, on Flickr

ImageFotoJet - 2021-12-05T155137.686 by The Singing Frog, on Flickr

One more...

ImageFotoJet - 2021-12-05T153847.279 by The Singing Frog, on Flickr



Here's a few photos of the breeding MESH of formally known (to myself, and only myself) Hybrigades...

ImageFotoJet - 2021-12-05T201053.248 by The Singing Frog, on Flickr

ImageFotoJet - 2021-12-05T201558.467 by The Singing Frog, on Flickr

Here are two facial shots of the large female who enjoyably entangled herself within the MESH of multiple DNA input from various simultaneous sources. The black coloration bleeding down onto the labials, however unlike the true Pugent Sound, but still in resemblance, should be noted when considering the possibility of hybridization at the abandoned house locale. Hybrigade or not... the same thing may be going on with the blackberry individual (abandoned house), the bright yellow individual, and the awesome blue & orange beauty (both with black labial markings) 🤔

ImageFotoJet - 2021-12-06T032459.336 by The Singing Frog, on Flickr

ImageFotoJet - 2021-12-06T032316.331 by The Singing Frog, on Flickr



This is still the best pic of the trip :thumb:

These kids weren't playing around... if you needed slime, they had the hookup 🤨👉

#WashingtonSlimeSwindlers
#SlimePeddling
#WhoYouGonnaCall
#ShowMeYourBoogers
#GiveMeSomeGreenForSomeGreen
#GreenForSale
#WeAin'tGreenBehindTheEars
#TopDollarSlime
#PayingOurWayThroughCollege
#ThisDon'tTasteLikeLemonade


ImageFotoJet - 2021-12-05T200403.735 by The Singing Frog, on Flickr


* In realization of how misleading the computerized wall of internet can be when using it as a form of communication between humans... and the influential power it could possibly have on young learning minds. I think this is necessary for me to point out:

In the Blackberry shot, it may look as if the snake is impaled upon a thorn through the belly. The length of the other thorns suggests this. However, I can assure you I was very careful to delicately nestle the snake into place. It took a lot of patience and time holding the snake before it was calm enough to pose. The one little thorn beneath the snake is slightly aimed outward towards the camera and was underdeveloped in comparison to the rest. If you click the pic, go to the Flickr page, and then double click on the image to enlarge it... you will notice that the tip-color of the thorn meets the base of the stem. Unlike the rest of the thorns. The snake remained unharmed during this session :thumb:
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Porter
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Re: The ADD YOUR photos to this photo-post POST 📷

Post by Porter »

Here are a couple more shots and close-ups of the two presumed to be Hybrigades (by myself, and only myself) :mrgreen: The black coloration extends down from the eye on both snakes. This is difficult to see because of the glare casted down from the sky. The same glare that is affecting the head scales is also cast upon the top of the labials. These two were flipped together under a piece of roadside scrap board. Located a little further down the road from the abandoned house where I found the giant mesh of breeding snakes, the blackberry posed snake, and the large female displaying the same black labial coloration. They would be considered to be within the same locale.

ImageFotoJet - 2021-12-06T090006.937 by The Singing Frog, on Flickr

ImageFotoJet - 2021-12-06T085851.536 by The Singing Frog, on Flickr

ImageFotoJet - 2021-12-06T085718.724 by The Singing Frog, on Flickr

ImageFotoJet - 2021-12-06T085358.584 by The Singing Frog, on Flickr
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Porter
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Re: The ADD YOUR photos to this photo-post POST 📷

Post by Porter »

One hot humid mid-July night, back in 2016... I went out exploring Sacramento County and visited some old familiar roads. The humidity was thick. The sun was gone and the evening light had nearly simmered away. The conditions seemed right, and now would be the time for some activity.

After not seeing anything on the first few passes... I noticed a little frog of some kind perched on the side of the road. Caught in my peripheral view through one of my sideways glances. I decided to pull over to see what looked to be a little Western Toad. Roughly about the size of a quarter. I bent down for a closer look and saw that it was one of the prettiest looking little Western Toads I had seen in a long time 😍🤗 I used to love finding these at this age, because the bottom of their footpads are colored freshly in bright yellow and the dorsal spots vibrant red. I figured I might as well photo shesh this little guy real quick before continuing my cruise. As I walked back to get my DSLR camera... I saw a much larger one had just emerged from the grass onto the roadside. Except this one was silhouetted by the sunset behind it. I couldn't believe my eyes as observation sunk in the realization of an undeniably characteristic shadowy head shape... No way! SPADEFOOT!!! :thumb:

I then looked down at the little toad in my hand. Flipped it over to find... I was actually holding a little baby SPADE ♠️ :o

I photographed the two. Then looked further up the road to see two more had emerged from the grass. I decided to stay with the road to survey the locale for the night. I ended up seeing an estimate of at least 70 individuals. However, it's difficult to know the true count because as I scared them off the road on one pass... they would be back on the road again when I came back :lol: I could hardly drive 50 feet before pulling over for another 2 or 3. They were easy to photograph because they would just sit there with that grumpy look on their face. Because of the humidity leaving beads of water atop of everything, including the toads... they were all freshly washed clean from hoping through the grass on their journeys to the road. Perfect photography opportunity :thumb: Because of the humidity droplets, I was able to spot unique variations between them. Most were all white with green blotching. But, quite a few had no green and were all white with greyish tones. I even found what appeared to be a pattern-less axanthic individual. I photographed the individuals that displayed the most extreme ends of the spectrum. Unlike the Placer County population that appeared in my Box Spring - Night of the Spadefoot video, none of these had a pinkish orange base color.

ImageFotoJet (20) by The Singing Frog, on Flickr


This photo I had to steal back from Calherps because I unplugged my external storage drive without doing a "safe remove" first :roll: :lol:

ImageFotoJet (63) by The Singing Frog, on Flickr

ImageFotoJet (19) by The Singing Frog, on Flickr

ImageFotoJet (17) by The Singing Frog, on Flickr

ImageFotoJet (14) by The Singing Frog, on Flickr

ImageFotoJet - 2021-12-11T170441.296 by The Singing Frog, on Flickr

ImageFotoJet (37) by The Singing Frog, on Flickr

ImageFotoJet - 2021-12-11T165703.001 by The Singing Frog, on Flickr


Here's the individual that I think could qualify as axanthic. It lacks all red and/or yellow pigment... except for a couple little faint orange freckles where red spots should be.

ImageFotoJet (21) by The Singing Frog, on Flickr

ImageFotoJet (26) by The Singing Frog, on Flickr

ImageFotoJet (35) by The Singing Frog, on Flickr

ImageFotoJet (36) by The Singing Frog, on Flickr



Here's a collection of dorsal shots from a few more I was able to steal from Calherps :mrgreen:

ImageFotoJet - 2021-12-12T070648.246 by The Singing Frog, on Flickr

ImageFotoJet - 2021-12-12T071745.320 by The Singing Frog, on Flickr

ImageFotoJet - 2021-12-12T072833.162 by The Singing Frog, on Flickr

ImageFotoJet - 2021-12-12T073551.099 by The Singing Frog, on Flickr

ImageFotoJet - 2021-12-12T074017.728 by The Singing Frog, on Flickr

ImageFotoJet - 2021-12-12T074435.414 by The Singing Frog, on Flickr
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Jeff
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Re: The ADD YOUR photos to this photo-post POST 📷

Post by Jeff »

Were any garter snakes out on the spadefoot night?
Jeff
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Porter
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Re: The ADD YOUR photos to this photo-post POST 📷

Post by Porter »

Jeff wrote: December 12th, 2021, 6:48 pm Were any garter snakes out on the spadefoot night?
Jeff
That's a good question... Lol I remember seeing a mountain gartersnake and a Cal king at that road. I tried to look up the original FHF post for this to see if there was a mention of one of those snakes. For one, it was 2017... not 2016. And it was in May, Not July. I'm getting that mixed up with the July thunderstorm drive up to the sierras, during the same year. I was in that area (close to that spadefoot road) and saw that there was a thunderstorm flashing in the mountains. I drove up and cruised some boas and a DOR zonata. As for the Spades... There were 2 nights. The night I discovered them and the night I did an official survey count of them (the following night). I was thinking it was all one night, until I re-read that 2017 FHF post...Lol I logged into H.E.R.P to see what I had there and saw that it was actually May 21 and 22. I do remember photographing a kingsnake on one of those nights and discarding the photo because it didn't come out good. The mountain garter may have been a different month all together. I honestly don't know...



My original description of this encounter from the 2017 FHF post:
Porter wrote: December 12th, 2021, 8:06 pmAt first glance, I thought to myself boy... That sure is a pretty little western toad sitting there. I haven't photographed one of those in a while, (although I did come across several large tote encounters in Davis while living there for a couple months) I might as well photograph it. :lol: Laid down next to him in the dark dusky road and as I took a closer look... Wholly shift.... :thumb: another unseen culprit that had gone undocumented for this area. Sacramento County Spea! I talked to Gary Nafis later in the year who told me that breeding calls had been heard for this area but no one had seen one. I surveyed the locale the following night. I counted over a hundred but figured I probably only saw around 70 due to recounts from driving up and down the road. Super easy to photograph. I basically just laid down in front of them and started shooting away. They seemed to be collecting humidity droplets from the air and most all of them had fresh washed visible patterns. I only photographed the more attractive individuals that displayed the most variation in color and pattern. This was the best hometown herping experience I've had in a long time. First time for me ever discovering a species of herp in my hometown area that I hadn't already found exploring on my own in my youth. 8-) ...given that it was an undocumented population made it an even more rewarding experience.
So, I did get the " 70 " count right :lol: :thumb: But, I thought it was the same month as the thunderstorm trip and forgot it was the following day that I decided I should go out and count them. I'm 99% sure I saw a not-too-little kingsnake on one of those nights.
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Porter
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Re: The ADD YOUR photos to this photo-post POST 📷

Post by Porter »

Ok, so I actually just went back on H.E.R.P to read the descriptions on each of the vouchers... Yes, I did find a kingsnake on the 2nd night. Also, it looks like the " 70 " count was the sum total of both nights combined:

It reads: "These individuals were found in a total count of 40 for the night. 5 of the original 40 vouchers turned out to be recounts. A total of 35 were observed. Sierran treefrogs and a CA kingsnake were also found here that night." 5-22-2017 🐍 :thumb:

ImageFotoJet - 2021-12-12T204000.756 by The Singing Frog, on Flickr
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krismunk
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Re: The ADD YOUR photos to this photo-post POST 📷

Post by krismunk »

krismunk wrote: December 2nd, 2021, 11:02 pm Cold and north I can deliver as well. Here 's an incredibly late end to the season. Monday, November 29, 45 miles north of Cold Bay, Alaska (and a few thousand miles east (or west, doesn't make much difference)), 34 F
261501877_1243487549463088_1959201153591677829_n.jpg
Meanwhile, on the the other side of the path.
261501877_4509763399078687_101876864629502419_n.jpg
Guess I was wrong about the "end to the season" part.

Same spot, December 14:
P1090294a.JPG
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