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by azatrox
December 3rd, 2012, 5:52 am
Forum: Image Lab
Topic: Random thoughts on lenses and herp photography...
Replies: 12
Views: 4449

Random thoughts on lenses and herp photography...

Love this forum (particularly the Image Lab)... I've read and contributed to quite a few discussions here, and I always feel that I walk away with a better understanding of not only the photography, but the people that do it as well. I may be in the minority here, but I'm finding that I really don't...
by azatrox
December 1st, 2012, 10:51 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Senticolis, a year in review
Replies: 18
Views: 4629

Re: Senticolis, a year in review

"The only thing I worry about is having hundreds of herpers all in the same spot. Let's hope that doesn't happen."

I for one hope that DOES happen...that way I won't have to run into them! :)

-Kris
by azatrox
December 1st, 2012, 10:35 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: so what do you do to help keep from herping withdrawl?
Replies: 34
Views: 8523

Re: so what do you do to help keep from herping withdrawl?

The "offseason" (if there ever really is such a thing here in Az) is spent scouting new areas for possible return in the spring. Scouting is done either via GE or with good old fashioned boots to the caliche.

-Kris
by azatrox
December 1st, 2012, 7:21 am
Forum: Image Lab
Topic: Herp-a-day (pt II)
Replies: 492
Views: 197965

Re: Herp-a-day (pt II)

Western Diamondback rattlesnake (Crotalus atrox)

Image

Canon XSi (450D)
24-105mm USM IS L series lens
.3 sec
f/18
400 ISO
rocks used as tripod
no flash

-Kris
by azatrox
November 30th, 2012, 8:12 pm
Forum: Image Lab
Topic: Herp-a-day (pt II)
Replies: 492
Views: 197965

Re: Herp-a-day (pt II)

Texas Horned lizard (Phyrnosoma cornutum)

Image

Canon XSi (450D)
300mm USM IS f/4 prime lens
100 ISO
f/18
1/100 sec.
hand held
no flash

-Kris
by azatrox
November 29th, 2012, 7:54 pm
Forum: Image Lab
Topic: Which of these photos is better?
Replies: 7
Views: 2814

Re: Which of these photos is better?

Yeah, the last photo you posted (the combo of the two) is the money shot.

-Kris
by azatrox
November 29th, 2012, 7:51 pm
Forum: Image Lab
Topic: Herp-a-day (pt II)
Replies: 492
Views: 197965

Re: Herp-a-day (pt II)

Here I was beginning to think you didn't have anything except the 300mm lens :lol: LOL...no I carry 4 lenses with me into the field The aforementioned 300mm The 24-105mm A 16-35mm Canon L series wide angle and a Tamron 90mm macro I am finding that I'm using the 300mm more and more...I'm a BIG propo...
by azatrox
November 29th, 2012, 7:41 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: The Ankle Biters Present: A Weekend Trip to Mexico (DUW)
Replies: 42
Views: 18979

Re: The Ankle Biters Present: A Weekend Trip to Mexico (DUW)

You don't necessarily have to kill anyone...But you do have to sleep with Dell.

Hey, what can I say? It worked for me. :)

-Kris
by azatrox
November 29th, 2012, 6:27 pm
Forum: Image Lab
Topic: Herp-a-day (pt II)
Replies: 492
Views: 197965

Re: Herp-a-day (pt II)

FINE Dell! (Exasperated sigh and teenage eye roll.) :roll: Hahahaha Here's my ONE (UNO!) contribution for today... Eastern massassauga (Sistrurus catenatus catenatus) - juvenile http://i1004.photobucket.com/albums/af168/azatrox_2010/AHA%20post/AHApost14of60_zps2b61f617.jpg Canon XSi (450D) 24-105mm ...
by azatrox
November 28th, 2012, 7:29 pm
Forum: Image Lab
Topic: Herp-a-day (pt II)
Replies: 492
Views: 197965

Re: Herp-a-day (pt II)

Western Coachwhip (Masticophis flagellum piceus)

Image

Canon XSi (450D)
300mm USM IS f/4 prime lens
400 ISO
f/18
handheld
no flash

-Kris
by azatrox
November 28th, 2012, 7:09 pm
Forum: Image Lab
Topic: Herp-a-day (pt II)
Replies: 492
Views: 197965

Re: Herp-a-day (pt II)

Greater Earless lizard (Cophosaurus texanus)

Image

Canon XSi (450D)
300mm USM IS f/4 prime lens
200 ISO
f/20
hand held
no flash

-Kris
by azatrox
November 28th, 2012, 2:39 pm
Forum: Image Lab
Topic: PHOTO ESSAY - November 16-30 - Species Profiles
Replies: 82
Views: 20403

Re: PHOTO ESSAY - November 16-30 - Species Profiles

Crotalus willardi silus

Image

-Kris
by azatrox
November 27th, 2012, 9:22 pm
Forum: Image Lab
Topic: Herp-a-day (pt II)
Replies: 492
Views: 197965

Re: Herp-a-day (pt II)

DAYUMN!!!! That was 9 pages of jaw dropping skills ya'll have shown! I just now found this thread, and will be a regular contributor...I may not have all the metadata from the photos, but I'll post it where available. Allow me to post 2 photos taken this year.... Rough green snake (Opheodrys aestivu...
by azatrox
November 27th, 2012, 7:42 pm
Forum: Image Lab
Topic: PHOTO ESSAY - November 16-30 - Species Profiles
Replies: 82
Views: 20403

Re: PHOTO ESSAY - November 16-30 - Species Profiles

Crotalus willardi amabilis

Image

-Kris
by azatrox
November 21st, 2012, 7:34 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: The Ankle Biters Present: A Weekend Trip to Mexico (DUW)
Replies: 42
Views: 18979

Re: The Ankle Biters Present: A Weekend Trip to Mexico (DUW)

Cole...

The Ankle Biters moniker has dual....nay....thrice connotations....

1) Yes, we enjoy biting ankles
2) It's a common nickname for a canine that has a habit of doing so
3) By extention, there's a Mexican state with that same name

-Kris
by azatrox
November 20th, 2012, 8:57 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: The Ankle Biters Present: A Weekend Trip to Mexico (DUW)
Replies: 42
Views: 18979

Re: The Ankle Biters Present: A Weekend Trip to Mexico (DUW)

Now if you could just tell us why you all decided to name yourselves the ankle biters....

Our fetishes notwithstanding, a look at a map of Mexico should probably explain it. ;)

-Kris
by azatrox
November 17th, 2012, 9:21 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Cool season blues
Replies: 14
Views: 3400

Re: Cool season blues

Cool shots...

Spring is just around the corner...Let's hope for a wet winter.

-Kris
by azatrox
November 17th, 2012, 9:15 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: The End of AZ Chapter Forum!!
Replies: 29
Views: 8265

Re: The End of AZ Chapter Forum!!

Ya'll better be careful....This thing'll get sent to the Board Line if the flaming doesn't stop! (That's particularly funny, considering this (and all) chapter forums will be ending pretty soon (at least on FHF)). Everyone that set this chapter forum up and continues to maintain it has done a great ...
by azatrox
November 17th, 2012, 4:33 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: My end-of-year report (dial-up warning)
Replies: 20
Views: 5492

Re: My end-of-year report (dial-up warning)

Well done Josh.

-Kris
by azatrox
November 3rd, 2012, 3:40 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Snake ID in question
Replies: 8
Views: 2350

Re: Snake ID in question

Aspidoscelis?

HA! Now THAT'S a screwed up genus! Good luck getting that one sorted out!

They're all just Masticophis food anyway! ;)

-Kris
by azatrox
November 3rd, 2012, 3:38 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Question: How Has Sandy Effected You?
Replies: 5
Views: 1293

Re: Question: How Has Sandy Effected You?

Still sunny and warm here in Az.

Temps were in the mid 80s-low 90s last week.

-Kris
by azatrox
November 3rd, 2012, 3:34 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Best place to live for herping and every day life
Replies: 114
Views: 50029

Re: Best place to live for herping and every day life

Here in the U.S. my first pick would be in AZ, not in Phoenix (though I lived in its suburb Tempe for most of a year) but rather in Sedona, or failing that in Flagstaff, or failing that some small town on the Mogollon Rim (e.g. Payson)... In southern AZ I'd probably aim for Tucson. It's not that I ...
by azatrox
October 25th, 2012, 12:02 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Snake poacher busted!!!
Replies: 51
Views: 13299

Re: Snake poacher busted!!!

In order to LEGALLY field herp in Texas, one basically has to get the ok from a landowner/business to be on their property....And I'm not talkin' road cruising either....(altho that's a whole diff ball of wax in Tx, now isn't it?). Without getting someone's permission, you'd be trespassing. Is that ...
by azatrox
October 25th, 2012, 11:56 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Snake poacher busted!!!
Replies: 51
Views: 13299

Re: Snake poacher busted!!!

You mean like a sovereign state, in that it can do whatever it wants, with no interference from the Federal Government?

No... I mean like a state wuth virtually NO public lands for people to enjoy....Period. 98% of Texas is controlled by businesses or private citizens.

-Kris
by azatrox
October 25th, 2012, 10:40 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Snake poacher busted!!!
Replies: 51
Views: 13299

Re: Snake poacher busted!!!

While we're on the subject of land use: http://news.yahoo.com/arizona-ballot-measure-contests-ownership-grand-canyon-025337121.html;_ylt=A2KJNTtHeYlQBjMAbg3QtDMD Prop 120 proposes to take all land in Az controlled by the feds and hand it over to Az authorities. Such a plan is rife with problems. Whe...
by azatrox
October 25th, 2012, 7:39 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Snake poacher busted!!!
Replies: 51
Views: 13299

Re: Snake poacher busted!!!

“So my question is this: Does anyone think that any of these species can go extinct in AZ? If not these, then which species?” Specific to Arizona, I’d say that most species are not in danger of extirpation, for precisely the reasons that you mentioned. That said, there ARE some species that definit...
by azatrox
October 24th, 2012, 8:21 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Snake poacher busted!!!
Replies: 51
Views: 13299

Re: Snake poacher busted!!!

The other problem we have to work on is the laws themselves. It does no good what so ever to protect a species if the habitat isn't protected as well. It doesn't do much good to protect the frogs then drain the lake! And *THIS* is the major issue facing the VAST majority of threatened/endangered sp...
by azatrox
October 18th, 2012, 6:36 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: 2012 NAFHA Meeting report (DUW)
Replies: 10
Views: 2495

Re: 2012 NAFHA Meeting report (DUW)

Dave... If nothing else, not many places here are really set up to allow 71 people (the amount of people that showed @ Snake Rd.) to camp in one place. A big part of this event was the camaraderie and the telling of "fish stories" over the campfire....If we're all disjointed over a few are...
by azatrox
October 15th, 2012, 10:01 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: 2012 NAFHA Meeting report (DUW)
Replies: 10
Views: 2495

Re: 2012 NAFHA Meeting report (DUW)

What are you talking about Terry?!?

I volunteered to take everyone on a guided tour of all the Sky Islands with a complimentary tour of some other western Az areas thrown in for good measure!!!!! Wouldn't want anyone going home without seeing everything they wanted to see, now would I? ;)

-Kris
by azatrox
October 14th, 2012, 6:50 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Snake ID in question
Replies: 8
Views: 2350

Re: Snake ID in question

Janine...

Your snake is indeed Salvadora hexalepis. As far as ssp., if this animal was found "way up in NW Az", then it would be Salvadora hexalepis mojavensis, the Mojave Patchnose snake.

-Kris
by azatrox
October 14th, 2012, 8:25 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: 2012 NAFHA Meeting report (DUW)
Replies: 10
Views: 2495

Re: 2012 NAFHA Meeting report (DUW)

Terry, Yes, there were lots of NAFHA folks there...One night we sat around the campfire and introduced ourselves, what our handle is on the forum and what we most want to see in the wild. I cool experience all around. People have been tossing around many ideas for next year's trip...Someone even sug...
by azatrox
October 12th, 2012, 8:45 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Poacher get probation
Replies: 24
Views: 5424

Re: Poacher get probation

Great....so after he gets off probation, is he deterred from further poaching activity? Hardly.... Douchecanoe. Punishments like this hardly stop poachers from poaching, esp. considering the high dollar amounts they can get for some species....Punishments like this are "an acceptable cost of do...
by azatrox
October 11th, 2012, 7:56 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Mountain Kingsnakes in Arizona
Replies: 49
Views: 27825

Re: Mountain Kingsnakes in Arizona

Taxonomy is intricately related to conservation, as well as utility. Conservation wise, we have evidence that the southern and northern bog turtle populations are different, and as so they have different conservation priorities. This isn't based on morphology, but genetics (as well as other factors...
by azatrox
October 11th, 2012, 7:13 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Mountain Kingsnakes in Arizona
Replies: 49
Views: 27825

Re: Mountain Kingsnakes in Arizona

And the next logical followup question:

Why all the pissing, moaning and bickering over this? After all, they're only kingsnakes. :lol:

-Kris
by azatrox
October 11th, 2012, 1:42 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: NAFHA 2013?
Replies: 38
Views: 7212

Re: NAFHA 2013?

....had arraignments with a Bar/Grill

I need to live THERE....Anywhere that I've ever lived had arraignments in a courthouse. :)

-Kris
by azatrox
October 10th, 2012, 9:16 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Snake Road - October 7-10
Replies: 3
Views: 1565

Re: Snake Road - October 7-10

Hey man it was good meetin' up with ya out there!

Love that little timber and that garter is good lookin'!

-Kris
by azatrox
October 10th, 2012, 6:38 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: NAFHA 2013?
Replies: 38
Views: 7212

Re: NAFHA 2013?

"Who's gonna tell AZ, though?" HAHAHAHA!!!! I can only imagine the fit that some of the locals would have if a bunch of NAFHA herpers rolled 71 strong into "their" spot...THAT would be funny. I almost want to do it for the reaction... :) "There are obvious choices like the ...
by azatrox
October 10th, 2012, 6:13 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: 2012 NAFHA Meeting report (DUW)
Replies: 10
Views: 2495

2012 NAFHA Meeting report (DUW)

As pretty much everyone knows by now, NAFHA held it's first annual meeting this past weekend @ Snake Rd. in southern Illinois. Having virtually no experience herping in the central US, I saw a good number of lifers. The weather was colder than normal, with highs in the high 50s-low 60s and lows down...
by azatrox
October 10th, 2012, 6:27 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: NAFHA 2012 meeting
Replies: 3
Views: 1124

Re: NAFHA 2012 meeting

Dave,

Yeah, I just downloaded photos last night. I'll throw something together soon.

-Kris
by azatrox
October 9th, 2012, 1:36 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: NAFHA 2013?
Replies: 38
Views: 7212

Re: NAFHA 2013?

A few considerations that were discussed were the need for a large amount of public parking/camping, legal issues associated with a large group of herpers and locations that are not overly sensitive. As an aside, I also mentioned to Mike (Pingleton) the idea of a waiver in case of accident while her...
by azatrox
October 9th, 2012, 6:33 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: NAFHA 2012 meeting
Replies: 3
Views: 1124

NAFHA 2012 meeting

The NAFHA 2012 meeting @ Snake Rd was a blast...It's too bad that there was only 1 representative from Az that made it because we saw some cool stuff that you just can't see in Az. Best of all, I was able to finally put some faces to the handles that I'd been chatting with online for all these years...
by azatrox
October 3rd, 2012, 11:36 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: amaZING ariZONA! (Part 2 of 2)
Replies: 12
Views: 4664

Re: amaZING ariZONA! (Part 2 of 2)

Well done Carl. I enjoyed both parts. Thanks for throwin' these up!

-Kris
by azatrox
October 3rd, 2012, 7:34 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Evolution of Nongame Laws
Replies: 27
Views: 5239

Re: Evolution of Nongame Laws

“I said elsewhere that I believe AZ's herp regulations are very good, and have for a long time offered a great model for other states to follow - but I wouldn't by any means say that they're perfect. Their prohibition of commercialization and the resident/non-resident confusion surrounding it point...
by azatrox
October 2nd, 2012, 10:47 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Evolution of Nongame Laws
Replies: 27
Views: 5239

Re: Evolution of Nongame Laws

Interesting topic Shane, and I'm glad you continued it. As I have lived in Az for the past 18 years, I can chime in with some info re: Az regs and how those regs fit into the discussion at hand. Az does not allow the commercialization of ANY native reptile or amphibian. They cannot be bought, sold, ...
by azatrox
October 1st, 2012, 2:38 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Some more of Southern Arizona from this year.
Replies: 46
Views: 7834

Re: Some more of Southern Arizona from this year.

Has everybody gotten skunked on those, this year? It's funny, because I was discussing this with a friend a few weeks ago....I don't recall hearing about anyone finding one of those snakes this year....I looked a few times, but just found the usual suspects. Methinks that the window for finding the...
by azatrox
September 28th, 2012, 2:58 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: How to handle a snake
Replies: 27
Views: 6393

Re: How to handle a snake

I thought it was quite informative (for a layperson). Good job on advising people NOT to handle hots as well....

Draco....He's got a vid for ven snake ID too.

-Kris
by azatrox
September 28th, 2012, 1:06 pm
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Hydrophis donaldi - news
Replies: 65
Views: 14994

Re: Hydrophis donaldi - news

Also I would like to say that a species is by no means functionally extinct if there are only 9 individuals left over. Excellent points and interesting conversation. I would simply add that in order for a population to rebound from tremendously low numbers (like 9 or 12), I imagine in this day and ...
by azatrox
September 28th, 2012, 9:23 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Hydrophis donaldi - news
Replies: 65
Views: 14994

Re: Hydrophis donaldi - news

Kris, I think no matter what I state, you are going to have an answer for it anyway so I really have no desire to list out all the details of who's pickling what. And your comment on that population of sea snakes being doomed anyway has to be one of the funniest things I've heard in a while. You ar...
by azatrox
September 28th, 2012, 7:56 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Hydrophis donaldi - news
Replies: 65
Views: 14994

Re: Hydrophis donaldi - news

"My argument is that scientists kill off way more than really is needed. I can understand the desire by them to have a specimen in their collection but it has gotten to the point now that I think it is being overdone. We hear on here many times that over collecting can have an impact on a spec...
by azatrox
September 28th, 2012, 7:20 am
Forum: The Forum
Topic: Hydrophis donaldi - news
Replies: 65
Views: 14994

Re: Hydrophis donaldi - news

"Easily with photos and/or shed skins. The problem I have here is it's ok for scientists to pickle anything and everything they can for that "greater good" you stated. But god forbid someone collects an animal because the scientists do not want you to touch it. It's become a we can d...