Happy New Years

Not only did January 1st bring a new year (i.e. 2011), it also brought rain and a slight warm front...and I wasn't the only one watching weather.com. I meet up with a couple close herping buds (Kevin and Ross). It had been raining for quite sometime and the air temp stayed in the range of 58-65F until I departed (~12:30).

Ross and I beat Kevin to the spot and quickly spotted five individuals o

f our target species. Photographed a couple before seeing an additional 2 more upon release.

Ambystoma tigrinum

Head Shot

Ambystoma tigrinum

On the crawl, posed

Ambystoma tigrinum

Full body

Elaphe guttata

Kevin cruised this guy en route for the meet up, AOR on a dirt road.

Happy New Years and Happy Herping!

Rubies in the Headlights!

We came all this way one for one thing, for a weekend of ole' fashion herpin' in the Old North State!! Our eyes were set for the coastal plain, home to an endemic form of the Carolina Pigmy Rattlesnake (Sistrurus m. miliarius) - a form that is erythristic (high red pigmentation). Once Kevin and I reached Greenville (coming from West Virginia) we met up with Scott, and Ross the next morning. We spent two nights cruising and a day in the field trying to locate these secretive snakes. We ended up photographing two live specimens and found one DOR. The specimens were left in their habitats to prolong their species' survival.

Summer dazin'

Summer is my time. My time to go out and play with creatures more entertaining than most people and I'm lucky it's been my job for the past year and some. These are the fruits of a summer thus far's labor.

Figure 1: Scaphiopus holbrookii

Figure 2: An attractive Plethodon nettingi specimen.
Figure 3: Plethodon nettingi in ambush position.
Figure 4: Plethodon nettingi found on a Red Maple leaf at night.
Figure 5: Young Lampropeltis t. triangulum found out basking, late morning.
Figure 6: Three young Aneides aeneus found on rocky boulders.
Figure 7: Large, attractively bright orange Cryptobranchus alleganiensis found out foraging at night.
Figure 8: Gorgeous black Crotalus horridus found coiled in vegetation.

Sandhills Cruising in the New Herper Whip

2006 Subaru Forester feat. gravid female Elaphe obsoleta (Black Ratsnake)

Blue Ridge Caudata Post

Recently posted a long overdue quick overview of my trip last (2008) September to the mountains of North Carolina. Goals were Plethodon jordani and P. yonahlossee and we were successful in that pursuit. Hands-down the best find of the trip was a Pseudotriton montanus from Avery Co., the second specimen found within that county and an attractive specimen. Enjoy, link to post below.

http://fieldherpforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=28269

Overview

2-3 Rana palustris (AOR)
1 Thamnophis sirtalis (habitat)
TMTC Desmognathus monticola (habitat)
several big D. quadramaculatus (habitat all at night)
several D. "ochrophaeus" (habitat)
1 Eurycea wilderae (habitat)
3-4 Plethodon cinereus (AOR, habitat)
1 P. richmondi (habitat) - lifer...no photographs
12+ P. cylindraceus (habitat)
40+ P. jordani (AOR, DOR, habitat) - lifer
25-35 P. yonahlossee (habitat) - lifer
1 Pseudotriton montanus (AOR) - lifer
2 P. ruber (AOR)

Plethodon yonahlossee

Desmognathus "ochrophaeus"

Pseudrotriton montanus

A quick trip down south

Recently I joined Kevin Messenger on a quick trip down to some old familiar stomping grounds down in South Carolina. Quick into our trip Kevin and I stumbled Cottonmouth crossing a dirt stretch of road near Kevins old study site. After a few photographs, the snake was saftely moved off the road. Sunset soon found us and the game began. The moon was not in our favor of producing a high quantity of snakes this night, but fate was not far away. Within an hour of sunset we drove right up on a Carolina Pigmy, soaking up warmth on a quite paved patch of road winding through some of the best long leaf sandhills habitat left in the state. It was a rather contrastly individual for this locale, but nothing phemnomenal, except it was the first pigmy of the year for both of us.

Further down the road we met up with Matt Nordgren who had just seen a scarlet snake, which he bagged for us to photograph. A little while later after unsuccessfully finding anything else we met up with Matt to photograph the scarlet snake and found he we had seen a garter also. Though the night was less than ideal for productivity we were contident with our pigmy find. For us it was a nice piece of the annual herping pie, one that this year we almost missed entirely out on.

"...some of the best long leaf sandhills habitat left in the state."

Stalking Tigers in the Swamp

This is a 'rough draft' of the night I found my first tiger salamander (Ambystoma tigrinum). I wrote this up about 10 months ago. It has 'rough' parts that are unneeded or are in need of different wording, but whatever, thought I'd share...

Even though I sit here with a cup of hot tea, some tissues, and antibiotics by my side, I can still say it’s better to be stalking tigers in the swamp, than the contrary; Tigers stalking you in the swamp! With that said I can too say that spotting and catching an Eastern Tiger salamander is worth the runny nose, fever, and use of legal medical drugs; if the cold and wet weather did indeed sicken me or at least had a part in the reason why I’m sick.

The Eastern Tiger salamander, scientifically known as Ambystoma tigrinum, is the walking, burrowing, arthropod munching beast of the terrestrial salamanders. It is a rather large species as far as terrestrial salamanders go and is the largest in its group of salamanders, the Ambystomid salamanders. This group includes the well known Spotted salamander (Ambystoma maculatum) and the Marbled salamander (Ambystoma opacum). The Eastern Tiger salamander is one of six subspecies, others include; the Gray Tiger salamander (A. t. diaboli), the Barred Tiger salamander (A. t. mavortium), the Blotched Tiger salamander (A. t. melanostictum), the Arizona Tiger salamander (A. t. nebulosum), and the Sonoran Tiger salamander (A. t. stebbinsi) (Crother 2000). Within the southeast we only have the Eastern Tiger salamander subspecies, but this species ranges throughout much of the US (Conant 1991).

It had been a long time coming, so to speak. I had read of this species since back when I was a youngster, I can hear the ole’ grumpy herper laughs, or rather gasps! I had caught two of its sister species when I was a young boy, probably around the age of 12, flipping logs in a wet area at the Piedmont Environmental Center, Marbled and Spotted salamanders. I had long dreamed of the day when I could hold in my hand a wild Tiger, the crown jewel of North Carolinian Ambystoma salamanders.

One damp, wet night in early January I decided to have a go at finding a Tiger salamander. I had heard of a friend of mine’s recent success in the same areas I was about to search. I called up a few herpin’ buddies, Ross and Kevin, and we were off to stalk tigers in the swamp!

The first area was made up of two small burrow pits. I pulled up my hip waders, Ross put on his knee boots, and Kevin searched from the bank. It was sometime later, when morale was low and we were about to announce to each other that we should migrate to another searching area, when my eyes found him. He was just sitting so still in the water. I must have stared at him a few moments before alerting my search partners of his presents. My nose was starting to run and I made a wiping motion with the back side of the hand under my nose to wipe away the endlessly flowing snot. Then, I got ready, with both hands on the handle of the dip-net. It was then, when I alerted everyone, “Here’s one! I’ve got a Tiger!!!” At least something to that degree was yelled over the otherwise calm landscape. And with one big motion I threw the dip net over him. After bringing the dip net up and inspecting it, I again yelled, “I got one, my first Tiger! Holy ____!”, and that’s probably the edited version of my language then.

Kevin and Ross came over and I walked out of the pool and over to the car for a trophy photograph (pictured; taken by Kevin). Man, what excitement! We took a few minutes find a proper place to photograph him and continued to photograph him for several on several minutes more. After which, he was placed back in the pool and we went on to our next spot.

Our next spot was an aestically better spot from the human point of view. A wet ephemeral meadow pool with its long grass and shallow waters was home to many species of herps, mainly frogs. I had kept my hip waders on and everyone fully geared up literally and mentally, after finding the first of the night. We each entered the pond from slightly different areas to maximize our search efforts. The first thing to be noted was the egg masses. They were covering much of the pool and they greatly inhibited us from searching the whole area, our purpose is conservation first, so no damage was to be done to any future offspring.

Again, I found my nose running and I let it run and often it trickled out of my nose as I searched. I was focused, in having found my search image. Slowly, quietly, and systematically, I made my way through the pond. After 5 minutes into my search I spotted my second of the night. This one though, I was going to catch by hand. I yelled to everyone, “Tiger!” At the same time Kevin yelled out, “Tiger!” I rolled up my sleeve and plunged my hand into the icy cold water. It was a surprisingly easy catch, probably having to do with the cool water temperature slowing the Tiger’s movements and reaction time. I yelled again, “I got it!!! Anyone want photographs of this one!?” The reply was no, so this Tiger, brighter than the other one earlier and of Kevin’s, was let go, back into his pond. I wished him luck with his amphibious future and continued my search.

After Kevin finished taking photographs of his Tiger, he let his go and I made my way back to the shore. Ross was still searching intent on finding a Tiger of his own, but unfortunately tonight was not his night and he came back frustrated but all the happy he was at least outside searching for Tigers. We then made our way to our third spot; Kevin alerted me that this was his 26 or so hour awake. After trying to find our way into spot number three of the night and not succeeding to find it, we called it a night. My nose was running like blood out of a cut artery and the cold was creeping in on everybody. Kevin took off to go stump hunting in southern South Carolina and Ross and I made our way back to Raleigh. Ross and I had to wake up early-ish and help out at the Museum’s Ground Hog Day festivities and our table, “Snakes in the winter”.

Although I do favor hunting herps during the warmer times of the year, it was nice to get out into the field and catch such an impressive salamander, a Tiger salamander! Lifers are always remembered and this one will especially be.


Literature Cited

Conant, R. and J. T. Collins. 1991. A Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of Eastern and Central North America. Third Edition. Houghton Mifflin Co., Boston, Massachusetts. Xviii + 450.

Crother, B.I. 2000. Scientific and Standard English Names of Amphibians and Reptiles of North America North of Mexico, with Comments Regarding Confidence in Our Understanding. Herpetol. Circ. 29:1–82.

The Magnificent Bog Turtle

It all started in grade school, when I first saw a photograph of a Bog Turtle. Immediately, it became my favorite species and one I have admired for its beauty since. After fifteen years I got to see one in the wild...I got to find my first bog turtles.

The day began at 5:30am, a time that I usually don't see. But on this day I had to meet the rest of my camp at the research lab by 6:30am. I had gotten all my gear ready...as all of it was already in my car, a herper is always prepared you see. One never knows if they will have to slide a snake off the road or if they will hear that county record frog calling, which has to be retrieved. So, I hastily get-up and ready for the day. And find myself, briming with ancipation, arriving at the wet lad early, around 6am. No one else is there yet this early, so I double check my gear. Lunch (a sandwich, apple, and bottle water), my knee boots, and my camera gear (double check its all there).

At around 6:20am Mr. [=Dr.] Beane arrives at the lab. We greet each other and I load up my gear into the museum van and make conversation until the others start to arrive. Jeff Hall is the next and he loads up. At around 6:45am, most of the group points out 15 minutes late, Bob Davis arrives, not realizing he's late but thinking he was early. 6:50am we are on the road and rollin'.

We meet up with Gabriella at our first bog site. This site sits at the bottom of a hilly field. It is mostly dried up by this point in the season, but we give it a try and dip our sticks in the mud hoping for a chunk, chuck, which should indicate a turtle underneath. We give this bog a good effort for nearly 3 hours but our group has zero luck, as its dry, grown up and hard to see. We break for lunch and head to site number two.

At site two, we meet up with Tammy Sawyer and the group starts out strong with Tammy finding the first Bog Turtle of the day within 10 minutes of poking and searching.


-- The group searches on...












I continue searching...using two sticks at once. One in each hand and their movements are independent and quick. As a couple other find a few more turtles, I question my technique and my speed. Thirty of so minutes of search and I here the clunk, clunk...Could it be a submerged stick or log that I hit? I've stuck my hand in the mud many times today for those. No, its was different, more resonating when I made contact. I quickly but carefully push my hand down in the mud and over into a small pocket. I grab the object and immeditatly know what I have. I pull it out and shout something I've wanted to since my childhood..."I've got a Bog Turtle over here". I use a piece of pink ribbon and tie off the place of capture, so later after the specimen's data is worked up and he is mark, I can release him where he was exactly found...right in the same little pocket of mud.


-- My Lifer Bog Turtle (front two legs are missing but otherwise a healthy male)






I take him over for a few photographs. For one photo we placed Jeff Hall's fresh hatchling on top of my adult for a little size/lifestage reference image. As my eye is looking through the view finder, Jeff points out a snake making his way through the middle of the photo session. I then wonder how many herps go right on by without my detection while I photograph another herp, in this case two others.


-- The two age groups (Hatchling and adult)













-- Nerodia sipedon (the snake found itself in the middle of a photograph session).











I release my turtle right into the same muddy world I forced myself to take it from. I then wish him look luck and search on, round two. As I make my way up to Jeff Hall I hear another clunk this time Jeff's stick made the connection. It didn't seem like the same clunk my turtle made so I figured it was a log or something, but to his well trained bog turtle shell sensitive ears, he knew it was a bog turtle immediately. I marked his spot and searched on. Not five feet from where he pulled his turtle out I made contact with my second turtle of the day. I stuck my arm, this time farther, down into the cool mud and extracted out a gem of a bog turtle. Nearly perfect with a little shell injury as if something had tried to chew on it. This turtle was gorgeous.

-- One of my favorite finds in turn, makes one of my best photos. Winner of the 2008 Herpetological Society Photography contest, color images.




The day ended perfectly with a total of 17 turtles found, most new turtles for the population, and some BBQ on the way back home. This represents one of the most exciting and significant days in the field for me. This species was my highest life list goal. Check.

And here's to next season!