|
Date / Conditions
|
Summary
|
January 06, 2008
Mostly Cloudy
73°
|
The first
day of the new season meant a quick trip out to one of my favorite snake spots
in St. Charles County. The temperature cooperated so hopes were high. While
walking along the base of a bluff and feeling very discouraged at not having
found anything up to that point, I spotted a beautiful juvenile eastern yellow-bellied racer. It was nice to get the first snake of the year under my belt. We moved
on to a new location in St. Charles County and spent another hour searching
with no reward. My dad decided to sit on a bench and rest while I continued
my search. When I met back up with him later, he showed me a large snake
that was basking 10 feet from his sitting location. This black rat snake
would be the last snake of the day. It was a great way to kick the
year off. A total of 2 snakes. |
January 27, 2008
Scattered
Clouds 59°
|
My dad and I tried to hit a spot in St, Charles County,
Missouri, but luck was not on our side. The air was fairly warm, but
the wind was strong and cold. All we saw were several turtle shells including
those from red eared sliders, western painted turtles, and map turtles. A total of 0 snakes.
|
February 09, 2008
Scattered
Clouds 57°
|
My sister
Melissa, my two cousins Jessica and Erin Purcell, and I decided to look for
salamanders at a spot in Warren County, Missouri. We were skunked on
any herps here, but I did manage to turn up several aquatic staged central
newts at my grandparent’s place. A total of
0 snakes.
|
March 01, 2008
Mostly Cloudy
63°
|
Kyle,
Melissa, Jessica, and I again tried to find salamanders at my grandparent’s
property in Warren County, Missouri without any luck. We did however
turn up a few cricket frogs and a very cold spring peeper. Also seen
were several aquatic staged central newts. A
total of 0 snakes.
|
March 02, 2008
Mostly Cloudy
78°
|
My dad,
Melissa, Kyle and I decided to look for snakes at one of my spots in St. Charles
County, Missouri. After the snakes didn't show themselves, we went
to plan "B" which was to look for frogs and salamanders. Well the salamanders
didn’t show themselves either, but the northern spring peepers and western
chorus frogs were calling in moderate numbers. We checked a few ponds
where we heard some without finding any. Then on the way out we heard
a huge chorus of both species. When we found the pond, they were so
loud I couldn't hear my brother talking next to me. We visually saw
4 spring peepers and many blanchard’s cricket frogs. The spring amphibian
movement is finally here. That means the snake movement is just around
the corner. A total of 0 snakes.
|
March 14, 2008
Mostly Cloudy
60°
|
My dad
and I hit my spot in St. Charles County, Missouri. We hadn’t seen a
snake in, it seems like forever. Well the gods gave us a glimmer of
hope. I spotted a black rat snake poking its head out of a crack in
a rock. It immediately ducked back in though. Only minutes later,
I spotted a second one in another crack in a rock. The last snake was
a small prairie ring-necked snake flipped under a rock. We attempted
to see salamanders, but we had no luck. We did find and photograph a
few northern spring peepers, before we called it a night. A total of 3 snakes.
|
March 15, 2008
Overcast
52°
|
Melissa
and I decided we really needed to find a spotted salamander on my grandparent’s
property. We walked back to the vernal pool that I had discovered last
fall. The temperature was in the thirties, so we weren’t banking on
much. After searching for more than 30 minutes we spotted a spring peeper
as it made its way into the leaf litter of the pool. We were going
to call it quits when I decided to walk the perimeter of the pool one more
time. I saw a rock that I had ignored up to that point. My gut
was telling me that if I turned it, I would be very happy. I couldn’t
believe my eyes when I was staring at the spotted salamander that was underneath
that rock. I know they are common, but I have searched for this species
at my grandparent’s for several years without any luck and now I have the
satisfaction of knowing they are here. After a lengthy photo session,
I sent the critter back on its way. This was a great day! A total of 0 snakes.
|
March 17, 2008
Overcast
51°
|
The weather
men were saying that a substantial amount of rain was suppose to occur all
night long. This was a red flag to me. While in-between classes
at school, I called Mike to get his opinion on whether I should get out and
look for salamanders. He basically said, I would be stupid not to go.
Later that night, my mom, who seemed interested in going, decided to be the
driver while I searched the roads for migrating salamanders. My siblings
Kyle and Melissa also tagged along. Well, we headed out to my spot in
St. Charles County, Missouri. I should make it a point to
tell you that I have spent a few years looking for local tiger salamanders
without any luck. Well, in route to the first pond, I saw a large salamander
walking across the road. My first thought was tiger, but then I dismissed
it thinking this wasn’t what I would call tiger habitat. I ran back
and couldn’t believe my eyes. I was picking up a 6 inch eastern tiger
salamander. The pattern wasn’t the best, but the colors were nice, so
I definitely had nothing to complain about. That was a good omen.
We arrived at the first pool moments later and quickly discovered the nice
spotted salamanders in there. I stuck to the edges of the pond because
I didn’t want to step on any eggs or salamanders. I barely looked and
found 5 spotted salamanders. I photographed one quickly because the
rain was relentless. We continued to the second pond. Here I saw
many wood frogs. Their chuckles were mixed in with the peepers and
chorus frogs. I stepped into the pond and saw a small salamander quickly
swimming away from me. I wasn’t sure what it was, so I grabbed it.
It turned out to be a confused ringed salamander. Everyone knows that
ringed salamanders are fall breeders. This struck me as being weird,
but hey, I’m not complaining. These are one of my favorite salamanders.
I hit one last pond and saw one more gravid female spotted before calling
it a very successful night. I feel fortunate to witness such a massive
salamander migration. This proves to be my first migration, and I hope
it’s not my last. This was the best outing so far this year, and it
ranks up there on my all-time list. A total
of 0 snakes.
|
March 21, 2008
Sunny 66°
|
After Kyle, Melissa, my dad and I played a nice game
of disc golf, we decided the temperature was in our favor to do a little
herping. We stopped at one of my spots in St. Charles County Missouri
because it was within a few minutes of our golf location. Luck would
have it, I spotted a nice eastern garter snake minutes after our arrival.
The snake got away, but at least it was something. The beginning of
the year has been very slow snake wise. I finally grabbed another snake
that was sunning itself in the grass and I got some pictures. We ended
the day with 5 eastern garter snakes. A total
of 5 snakes. |
April 05, 2008
Sunny 55°
|
It’s that
time of the year again, so my sister Melissa, my dad, and I headed to the
Wayne and Stoddard County border in Missouri to herp the habitat that it
had to offer. Here the swamps meet the ozarks and there is a wide variety
of species to be had. We started off with some bad news. We were
told by a member of the Division of Natural Resources that the area was mostly closed to flooding.
She said the river and bluffs were about the only places we had access to.
After talking about our game plan, one of which was to head over to Illinois,
we decided to check the accessible areas before we made some decisions.
We hit the flooded river first. The river was crowded with hundreds
of gar and plenty of fishermen. However, we didn’t let that discourage
us from herping. We just had to be a little
more subtle. Within minutes we spotted several snakes seeking refuge
in the shrubs located at the edge of the water. We also saw snakes
soaking up some sun along the bank. After a half hour of looking we
had found several midland water snakes, yellow-bellied water snakes, a diamond-backed
water snake, and a western ribbon snake. We moved on toward the bluffs.
On the way we spotted another diamond-backed water snake coiled on a log
in the swamp. We parked as close to the bluffs as we could before the
water no longer allowed a vehicle through. There was a lake nearby
so we walked the dam. Here we spotted a couple of broad-banded water
snakes making their way through the grass. Also seen was my first viper
of 2008, a nice adult western cottonmouth. He was soaking up some sun
by sitting on a rock near the spillway. Also seen was a very large
4.5 foot diamond-backed water snake. We finally arrived at the bluffs.
We were expecting a nice total up here, but we were not prepared for what
was about to occur. It wasn’t long before we were seeing cottonmouths
everywhere. It was ridiculous how abundant they were. The density
was unreal. The only other snake seen along the bluffs was one large
broad-banded water snake. To end the day, we herped around the lake
near where we parked. Here we found a couple of diamond-backed water
snakes, a couple of cottonmouths, a broad-banded water snake, and a Mississippi
ring-necked snake. The totals include 52 western cottonmouths, 6 midland
water snakes, 5 diamond-backed water snakes, 4 broad-banded water snakes,
3 yellow-bellied water snakes, 1 western ribbon snake, and 1 Mississippi
ring-necked snake. A total of 72 snakes.
|
April 06, 2008
Sunny 68°
|
After such
a successful day yesterday we decided to hit LaRue Road today. The
day started out slow with only a few cottonmouths here and there and most
were in crevices. The few that were out though were very cooperative
for photographs. It wasn’t til around noon that snakes started to trickle
out into the open. It was around this time that I found a nice northern
copperhead stretched out near the base of the bluff. It was very cold
and moved very little. After the photography session the snake was
released. It wasn’t till the later part of the afternoon that the place
became alive with snakes. While walking my dad mad a joke about how
I should go get that snake sticking out of the rock. I figured I would
humor him and go over there. If you know my father, then you know why
I didn’t believe him. Well I went over there to throw the stick at
my dad, when I realized the stick was a black rat snake. What do you
know, my dad is capable of telling the truth. Anyway, soon noticeable
were three more black rat snakes and a yellow-bellied water snake.
After photographs were taken, I decided to rake the leaves a little with
a stick and out popped two more black rat snakes and another yellow-bellied
water snake all hidden completely in the leaves. This was a nice den
site and it was totally unexpected. I never would have known it was
there if I hadn’t seen the snakes near it. We finally continued on
to see two ribbon snakes doing the dirty serpentine tango. We then
headed around to the north side to
herp the last two hours of the day. I climbed the bluff to look down
on a den site that has always produced in the past. Sure enough there
were plenty of cottonmouths, eleven to be exact. As the sun began to
set, I hit one last spot. As I was climbing toward the bluff base,
I heard a rustle in the leaves ahead of me. There was a mating ball
of at least 8 ribbon snakes. They quickly scattered and I continued
on. Only a few seconds later, I saw a racer take off between my legs.
I reached down in an effort to grab him, but I picked up a black kingsnake
instead. I quickly realized what I had and I saw the racer as it slide
down a rock crevice. The racer crawled right over the king. I
didn’t mean to grab the king, it just happened. I was disappointed
that I missed the racer, but I much prefer the king. I photographed
it and released it. I was resurrected a minute later though.
There was another racer coiled perfectly at the base of the bluff.
I couldn’t have posed it more perfectly. Before we left I saw a few
more ribbon snakes. Our totals for the day include 32 western cottonmouths,
19 western ribbon snakes, 6 black rat snakes, 5 yellow-bellied water snakes,
2 southern black racers, 1 eastern garter snake, 1 Mississippi ring-necked
snake, 1 northern copperhead, and 1 black kingsnake. This was an outstanding
trip. A total of 68 snakes.
|
April 12, 2008
Sleet & Flurries 44°
|
I wasn’t
expecting much as I herped at my grandparent's property in Warren County
Missouri. It was sleeting while I was looking for snakes. This didn’t
seem natural. However, I flipped a rock and there was a prairie ring-necked
snake under it. I finished the day finding 6 of them. A total of 6 snakes.
|
April 18, 2008
Rain 64°
|
Brian had
yet to add a Graham’s crayfish snake to his life list so we headed over to
one of my spots in St. Charles County Missouri to take care of that.
We weren’t expecting much. It was raining, cold, and very windy.
However, we found our target right off the bat. It was an adult that
was kind of beat up, but very easy to work with. Our next goal was
to find a juvenile with better color. After finding a couple juvenile
northern water snakes, Brian flipped a nice juvenile crayfish snake.
After the photo session we continued on. To end the day we found another
juvenile northern water snake under a piece of styrofoam, and two more juvenile
crayfish snakes under a board and log respectively. We also netted
a western chorus frog to take pictures of. A total of 7 snakes. |
April 19, 2008
Cloudy
58°
|
I herped
my grandparent’s place in Warren County Missouri again today. I saw
10 prairie ring-necked snakes, 2 western slimy salamanders, northern spring
peepers, American toads, and a pickerel frog, along with some other common
stuff. A total of 10 snakes. |
April 20, 2008
Sunny 73°
|
My dad,
Melissa, and I hit a spot in Jefferson County Missouri today. The day
was slow, but regardless we found a few things. We found 4 prairie
ring-necked snakes, 3 lined snakes, 1 western worm snake, 1 rough earth snake,
and 1 juvenile eastern yellow-bellied racer. A total of 10 snakes. |
April 28, 2008
Showers
53°
|
Brian and I had planned
a trip to a place in Maries County Missouri. We found a load of snakes
here a couple of years ago, and today was the day to duplicate that performance.
Unfortunately, the weather was not cooperative. It was cold and rainy.
We decided to go anyway. The day started off with little diversity.
Ring-necked snakes, rough earth snakes, and flat-headed snakes were seen in what seemed to be a predictable order. We herped
for a couple of hours wondering if we were going to see anything else.
Soon Brian claimed that he had found something that I would like to see.
In hand was a nice juvenile red milk snake, our first of the year.
Happy we finally got one of our targets, we continued. Not long after,
we found another adult rough earth snake. At least that is what we
thought at first. It looked different so we checked its characteristics,
and we realized it was the rough earth snake’s cousin the smooth earth snake.
After posing both species together we continued on. The next rock is
what Brian called the big snake rock. It took both of us to move it.
Brian was right! Under it was two adult eastern yellow-bellied racers,
a rough earth snake, and a prairie ring-necked snake. We continued
on and the next rock was named big snake rock number two. Brian flipped
it and bam, there was a prairie ring-necked snake and a large beautiful copperhead.
This place produces the most beautiful copperheads in the world in my opinion.
The copperhead was a very bright pink color. We found one like this
last time too. This day was really shaping up. The next rock
was named big snake rock number three. Brian flipped it and sure enough,
there was an adult great plains rat snake coiled up underneath it.
Brian was hoping we would find one. We had pictures taken and moved
on. Three rocks in a row and 5 different species for 7 snakes.
We continued on to find another copperhead and a juvenile great plains rat
snake. The next find was a nice adult red milk snake with a yellow
ground color. This was a unique looking snake. We spent quite
of bit of time with the snake before moving on. Two more milk snakes
were found before moving to the next hill side. We were wondering why
we hadn’t seen a speckled kingsnake yet. However, we resurrected that
when Brian flipped a large adult. We headed back after letting
the king go. We saw some more of the small fossorial snakes while hiking
back to the car. Our totals for the day were 71 prairie ring-necked
snakes, 21 rough earth snakes, 11 flat-headed snakes, 4 red milk snakes,
3 eastern yellow-bellied racers, 2 great plains rat snakes, 2 osage copperheads,
1 western earth snake, and 1 speckled kingsnake. This was a day to
remember for both of us. What is more remarkable is every single snake
was flipped under cover. A record total of
115 snakes.
|
May 01, 2008
Cloudy
78°
|
My dad and I were on
our way to pick up our friend Brian Stertz to go storm chasing. However he
got off work at noon and we were there at 9:00 AM. We obviously had
some time to kill. I didn’t know the area well, so looking at the map
really didn’t help. I just picked a conservation area on the map in
Jackson County Missouri to check out. I got out in what appeared to
be a bottom land wooded area. I followed the trail as it lead up a
hill. I noticed it started to get rocky with rock outcroppings and
some loose flat rocks. I quickly found a ring-necked snake. However,
I was thinking milk snake, when I flipped a rock to uncover just that.
It was a nice milk snake. He was a little dull colored and a little
feisty. OK, so he was a lot feisty, but still a nice animal.
We soon continued on to find 4 more prairie ring-necked snakes. We
saw large hail but no tornadoes later in the day. A total of 5
snakes.
|
May 03, 2008
Mostly
Cloudy 58°
|
Jim was scheduled to
come down and try to get another crayfish snake. We got one last year
but it was opaque, so he wanted one that looked a little nicer. He
picked me up at home and we headed over to my spot in St. Charles County Missouri. It was again cold and rainy and this time was partially flooded,
but this time, no snakes were found. We decided to head over to my
tin site in Jersey County Illinois in order to give the day a chance to warm
up. We found 5 northern ring-necked snakes and a super sized red milk
snake. This was a nice surprise. We photographed the animal and
left for the Missouri side of the river again. On the way we saw a
DOR prairie kingsnake. We arrived and soon found 3 northern water snakes
under rocks. We ended the day finding an eastern garter snake, one
more northern water snake, and a DOR (Dead on Railroad) eastern yellow-bellied
racer. Thanks for coming down Jim. A
total of 13 snakes.
|
May 09, 2008
Mostly
Cloudy 58°
|
My sister, my dad,
and I needed to get out for a few hours, so we hit one of my spots in St.
Charles county Missouri that I have been to several times in the last couple
of months. It was cold again, and the place was flooded even more.
All we found were two adult eastern yellow-bellied racers. A total of 2 snakes.
|
May 11, 2008
R Rain / Thunderstorms
78°
|
My brother
and I herped my grandparent’s property in Warren county Missouri again today.
It was raining most of the day. I caught a break in between storms so I quickly
took advantage of it. I found 18 prairie ring-necked snakes, a western slimy
salamander, and a gray treefrog. The tree frogs were really calling as the
storms approached. A total of 18 snakes.
|
May 17, 2008
Partly
Cloudy 84°
|
My brother and I once
again herped my grandparent’s property in Warren County Missouri. It
wasn’t a spectacular day or anything, but we did see five ring-necked snakes
and a three-toed box turtle. Oh, did I mention the wood frog we found
too. After years of searching for this species here and not finding
any, I assumed they weren’t here. I had never heard them calling from
the ponds on the property. It figures that as soon as I stop looking
for them, I would easily find one. It was a great day. A total of 5 snakes.
|
May 18, 2008
S Sunny 73°
|
My dad, my sister,
and I had a big day planned. We were to drive down into the ozarks
to look for whatever we could turn up. While in route to our location,
I wanted to stop at a location that Mike Cravens
showed me a few years ago in St. Francois County Missouri. Right away
my dad spotted a northern water snake in the ditch next to the road.
We then continued to the site of interest. I was hoping to find a prairie
kingsnake or a speckled kingsnake. I went back to the tin site and
almost every piece was flipped and discarded in a very unappealing way.
It was a disaster. Needless to say, I didn’t find anything. However,
while walking the trail back to the car, I saw a three foot snake kinked
up on the trail. It was a really nice prairie kingsnake. After
the photo session, we continued to our next location. While driving
to our next location we stopped to get a picture of a stripped DOR prairie
kingsnake. It was a real shame the snake was dead. We did finally
make it to our destination in Iron county. The glades we absolutely
soaked. I knew that this was not going to go well for us. My
sister did flip a nice red milk snake early on. That would prove to
be it. We decided to head back to St. Francois county. Along
the way we road cruised and just barely saved another nice prairie kingsnake.
After releasing him well away from the road we continued on. We made
it to our next stop and again the glades were soaked. We off coarse
found nothing. I did remember a tin site near the glade that has produced
in the past. We made a quick stop here. I quickly flipped up
a ring-necked snake. I then noticed a door that was lying flat on the
ground. I flipped it up and was in the process of setting it back down,
when my eye caught a glimpse of something. It was another red milk
snake. This one was missing an eye and it wasn’t the best looking milk,
but it was a milk nonetheless. On the way home through Jefferson county,
we saw a large dead black rat snake lying dead on the side of the highway.
When I got there, I was shocked to see it wasn’t a rat snake at all.
It was a very large five foot DOR prairie kingsnake. It was girthy
snake. I saw some concrete chunks near the DOR, so I flipped them.
This revealed the last two snakes of the day. They were ring-necked
snakes. Our totals include 4 prairie kingsnakes (2 DOR), 3 prairie
ring-necked snakes, 2 red milk snakes, 2 northern water snakes (1 DOR), and
2 DOR eastern yellow-bellied racers. It was a great day considering
the low numbers. A total of 13 snakes.
|
May 24, 2008
Partly
Cloudy, Storms 78°
|
While coming
back early in the morning from chasing the brief Hutchinson tornado in McPherson
County Kansas, we road cruised a screamer of a red sided garter snake.
I didn’t spend nearly enough time trying to get a good picture of it.
It was a great snake. Later at night, I spotted a small great plains
narrow-mouthed toad at the motel we were sleeping at in Jewell County Kansas.
This was the only the third one I have ever seen. It was a real treat.
A total of 1 snake.
|
May 25, 2008
Partly
Cloudy, Storms 88°
|
We woke
up early and decided to check a couple of road cuts in Lincoln County Kansas
in route to our chase target. We found 5 prairie ring-necked snakes
and several great plains skinks. Then, while actively storm chasing
in limpscomb County Texas, we road cruised a nice bull snake. Unfortunately,
he bolted off the road before I could get to it. Shortly after that,
we saw a 6 foot DOR western coachwhip. At the end of the night I watched
as a snake bolted onto the road in front of us in Harper County Oklahoma.
We couldn’t avoid it. I got out and ran back to see what it was.
My heart broke into a zillion pieces when I realized we had just hit a Texas
garter snake. It was a great looking animal as well. I really
felt bad. I’m not sure how common or how rare they are. I can’t
take it back now though. A total of 9 snakes.
|
May 26, 2008
Stormy
88°
|
Early in the morning
while preparing for the day’s chase we road cruised a nice very loud bull
snake in Ford County Kansas. I never had a snake hiss that much at
me. It was a very nice looking snake though. Later, while chasing
a storm in Reno County Kansas, we saw a DOR bull snake. A total of 2 snakes.
|
May 30, 2008
Stormy
88°
|
While photographing
some lightning after capturing the Waverly Illinois tornado, I saw
a DOR prairie kingsnake. This was in Madison County Illinois. A total of 1 snake.
|
June 06, 2008
Stormy
88°
|
While
chasing a storm in Marion County Illinois, we road cruised an eastern garter
snake. A total of 1 snake.
|
June 07, 2008
Partly
Cloudy 93°
|
My family
was throwing a graduation party for my sister at my grandparents’ house,
so that meant herping for me. As soon as I stepped out of the car I
saw a prairie racerunner run right across the driveway. I had never
seen this species out here before and the habitat was not great for this
species. It was definitely a real treat. My dad followed me as
we herped the property. As Mike Pingleton always says, they are where
you find them. He usually refers to snakes, but I think that goes for
lizards too. My dad followed me around the property the rest of the
day. All we found were 11 prairie ring-necked snakes. Right after
dinner, I went down hill from the house and flipped another surprise for
the day. Under the rock was a nice fat ringed salamander. I absolutely
love finding these guys. They are rare here, and therefore a very welcome
find. A total of 11 snakes. |
June 12, 2008
Sunny
93°
|
Our family
did a little driving around St. Louis County and St. Charles County Missouri
to look at the effects of the big flood. While doing this we saw several
red-eared sliders, western painted turtles, 2 midland smooth softshell turtles,
1 common map turtle, and many fowlers toads. The common map turtle
was actually laying eggs. This was a nice surprise. It was a
good day considering I wasn’t planning to herp. A total of 0 snakes. |
June 14, 2008
Sunny
88°
|
My brother and I herped
my grandparents’ property again in Warren County Missouri. It was a
slow day. All we found were two prairie ring-necked snakes. A total of 2 snakes.
|
June 15, 2008
Sunny
88°
|
Brian Willy and I had
made a plan to herp my spot in St. Charles County Missouri. However,
the plan changed a little as he had to be back by early evening. We
decided to herp a few spots in St. Louis county instead. At the first
spot , our goal was a timber rattlesnake. Early on we were not having
much success. We found a couple of ring-necked snakes, but that was
it. However, our luck changed when Brian flipped a nice adult speckled
kingsnake under a rock. Unfortunately, the snake did not want to sit
still, and it struck at everything. It wasn’t long after we released
the kingsnake that we found our goal of the trip. While Brian was hunched
over to flip a rock, I noticed a small adult timber rattlesnake, coiled under
the rock next to the one that he was going to flip. I’m sure he needed
to change his pants after I shouted timber. I sure wouldn’t want to
be flipping a rock when someone shouted timber. All was good.
The snake sat still while we took our voucher pictures. We let the
snake back under his rock and continued on to one of Brains spots.
Here he had a rock that he called copperhead rock. He said he had seen
a pair of copperheads every time he has flipped it. We were flipping
rocks around the copperhead rock saving the best for last. I then here
Brian ask what that was. I hear a hissing sound as Brian picks up a
nice eastern hog-nosed snake that had been lying there coiled at the base
of the copperhead rock. I hadn’t seen a live one in a couple of years.
Unfortunately, the snake proceeded to play dead immediately after being touched.
I knew getting a good picture of the snake was going to be impossible.
We were kind of disappointed. However, we knew that we still had the
honor of flipping the copperhead rock. He flipped the rock and BINGO!
No it wasn’t a copperhead, but another hog-nosed snake. This one didn’t
play dead either. In fact it offered us a very nice photo session.
We were very pleased. The art of herping seems to have a way of leveling
out the playing field. Where you screw up, you eventually get lucky.
After we released the hog-nosed snakes, we called it a day. Our totals
include 4 prairie ring-necked snakes, 2 eastern hog-nosed snakes, 1 speckled
kingsnake, 1 DOR black rat snake, and 1 timber rattlesnake. A total of 9 snakes.
|
June 20, 2008
Partly
Cloudy 78°
|
Because
of the flooding Mississippi River, snakes are being stranded and concentrated
in various places. My dad and I decided to go into St. Charles County
Missouri and search for some of these spots. Our first location was
a spot that I herp a couple of times a year. Here we found nothing.
We continued on. The next spot was a river levee that had water near
the top on one side. Here we saw 2 eastern yellow-bellied racers, 2
black rat snakes (1 DOR), 1 northern water snake, and 1 eastern garter snake.
At the next spot we found a nice eastern garter snake under some rolled up
carpet. The last snake of the day was another northern water snake
that dropped off of a shrub into the river. It was a good day.
A total of 8 snakes.
|
June 22, 2008
Mostly
Cloudy 78°
|
My family decided to
go look at the flood in another part of St. Charles County Missouri.
While looking at the flood I decided to get out and look along the rocks
that lined the shore. Here my dad spotted an eastern garter snake.
I also flipped a small western chorus frog. This was the first time
I have seen this species outside of the breeding season. Also seen
were a couple of midland smooth softshell turtles. A total of 1 snake.
|
June 28, 2008
Partly
Cloudy 78°
|
I was again at my grandparents’
property in Warren County Missouri. For several years I have tried
hard to find a copperhead here. For what ever reason I haven’t been
able to find one. Well today I had a special feeling that my luck was
about to change. I started the day by flipping 2 ring-necked snakes
and a gravid northern red-bellied snake. So far I am off to a good
start. i then walked down to the creek were i had a small vision of
spotting a black rat snake in the grass. I haven’t seen a black rat
snake here in 8 years. That would have been a welcome find. Unbelievably,
there was a black rat snake stretched out in the grass exactly as what had
popped into my head. I couldn’t believe it. I got my pictures
and let it on its way. After the release, I had another vision that
I would flip a copperhead under one of my boards. When I got there,
I went to flip my board when I noticed an adult copperhead coiled at the
edge of my board. It wasn’t under the board like in my vision, but
hey it is close enough. It has been 8 years since I saw a live copperhead
out here. I laid these boards here in hopes that I would get a copperhead.
Up till today all it produced were ring-necked snakes and one brown snake.
The effort to lay the boards was well worth it. I know that I see copperheads
frequently everywhere else, but it is a real treat to find one on my main
turf. After several pictures were taken, I continued on. I found
a handful of other critters before the day drew to a close. The totals
are 4 prairie ring-necked snakes, 1 northern red-bellied snake, 1 western
ribbon snake, 1 eastern garter snake, 1 black rat snake, and 1 osage copperhead.
A total of 9 snakes.
|
July 06, 2008
SSunny 93°
|
My dad
and I decided to hit a spot in St. Louis County Missouri. It was hot
and humid and we really didn’t expect to see much. We were right.
Other than three five-lined skinks guarding their eggs, which was very cool.
We only saw a lonely prairie ring-necked snake. A total of 1 snake.
|
July 07, 2008
SPartly Cloudy
93°
|
Brian and I had made
a plan to hit my spot in St. Charles County Missouri a few weeks ago, but
the plans fell through. Today we decided to make that happen.
We arrived there early in the morning. While flipping rocks in a creek
bed, Brian flipped up my first dark-sided salamander from this area.
It was a nice start to the day. We then found one eastern garter snake,
but the mosquitoes were so bad that we had to let it go without a decent
picture. We found three ring-necked snakes the rest of the day there.
After a long an arduous hike back to the car. We decided to go to another
spot in Jefferson County Missouri. We saw a DOR juvenile northern water
snake on the way out. We finally made it to our destination.
Here Brian immediately flipped my third eastern hog-nosed snake of the year.
It didn’t play dead, luckily, but it wouldn’t sit still, and it pooped more
than any other snake I have ever handled. After we got our pictures
we let it go. Our next find was a very nice osage copperhead tucked
underneath a rock ledge. Unfortunately, I didn’t play the strategy
correctly and it got away. Sorry Brian! Anyway, Brian soon flipped
a small eastern yellow-bellied racer. Shortly after that I spotted
the last snake of the day. It was a large black rat snake tucked into
a rock crevice. We called it a day when I got dehydrated and weak.
Turns out that the dehydration was only part of the problem. I had
some sort of virus that stuck with me for a couple more days. The virus
then made its way around the family. It was a slow trip with a nice
ending in the herp department. A total of
9 snakes.
|
July 10, 2008
SSunny 88°
|
The family
and I wanted to check the flood conditions in St. Charles County Missouri
again, so we headed out. We found a road that had been flooded until
recently so we followed it. We were seeing lots of western painted
turtles. I knew it wouldn’t be long before we saw a snake. Sure
enough the first shout out came from my mom as she spotted a yellow-bellied
water snake swimming in a road side ditch. The snake ducked before
any picture could be taken. Several seconds later, I spotted a northern
water snake sunning itself on a culvert pipe. Soon a second northern
water snake was spotted on a bush in the water, followed shortly by a third
snake. The third snake was a diamond-backed water snake. Four snakes
in just a few minutes is pretty good. We ended the day with one more
northern water snake. A total of 5 snakes.
|
