Some cool stuff from this spring.

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Saunders
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Joined: June 7th, 2010, 7:42 am
Location: Boerne, Tx

Some cool stuff from this spring.

Post by Saunders »

Wel I've been getting behind on posting trip photos so here is the dam breaking.
First off, a nice Juvie Texas rat found by a friend of mine who I saved it from.
Surprisingly I have never found a Texas Rat alive despite living in central Texas and going herping most weekends, I guess I'm just unlucky.
Anyway, here she is.
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The next few photos are from a week long reptile survey done at my local Nature center here in Boerne. The week was great, got to work with Mr. Dave Barker.
The survey documents all species found, but we have also been doing  a pit tagging identification with water snakes, so we tag all of those and then see if we recapture them in later years to see how they have grown.
Anyway, here they are.
My favorite find was this Three Toed Box Turtle, a first time find for the survey and fist time documentation for the center, though some have said they have seen them.
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One of the kids who came out for the survey looking at her with Mr. Barker in the second pic.
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Next, my favorite snakes of the survey, the Coral snakes.
I found two of them just out on the crawl, the first got away, but I caught the second one to keep for the survey to show/ teach people about them.
First one:
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Second one, in situ.
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This big girl was one of the calmest corals I have ever worked with, I had to keep telling myself that it wasn't a colubrid and I shouldn't pick it up.
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The photo set up we made.
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And the release.
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Next, a massive Redstipe Ribbon snake.
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A nice Musk Turtle.
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A Texas Rat found at the survey (not by me)
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we later found a second one and got some pics of the pair.
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The second one.
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Next, the Water snakes.
A mix of Blotcheds and Diamond backs in no real order.
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This girl is a big female rombifer that we catch almost every time, nicknamed princess, she left a few teeth in me.
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Her, being released in her domain.
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Yours truly, holding princess, soaking wet and covered in my own blood.
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The biggest Diamondback (princess) and the biggest blotched.
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The prettiest Blotched I've ever sen.
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Him and a big ugly female.
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Mr. Barker and a Diamond Back.
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Now, some photos of me tagging, or getting data from the water snakes.
Sorry for bad photos but these are actually screen shots of videos taken since I got no photos.
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This one is a photo of the group at work.
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Now on to non survey stuff, a pretty rare find for the area: Strecker's Chorus Frog.
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Baby Blotched
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Now, some photos from this weeks night cruising.
Texas Patchnose.
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A very gravid Rough Green Snake.
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Diamond Back Watersnake.
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Nice male Coral Snake.
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Sorry for the long post, but I'm done now.
Enjoy.
RobK

Re: Some cool stuff from this spring.

Post by RobK »

Nice looking coral. If there's blood on your shirt, you know there's a Nerodia nearby. Looks like you've had a good year so far.
Saunders wrote:A nice Musk Turtle.
Most of the ones I meet are jerks, good on you for finding a nice one.
Coluber Constrictor
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Re: Some cool stuff from this spring.

Post by Coluber Constrictor »

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Saunders
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Joined: June 7th, 2010, 7:42 am
Location: Boerne, Tx

Re: Some cool stuff from this spring.

Post by Saunders »

By nice I guess I mean it was a nice find, but not a nice individual, certainly didn't smell nice.
And coluber, I have no idea why I can find them, I find them DOR all the time, often still moving, but never alive... I guess I'm just unlucky.
mikemike
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Re: Some cool stuff from this spring.

Post by mikemike »

Dude. That 2nd coral looks like a beast!!

Looks like a good year, man.
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Mark Brown
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Joined: June 8th, 2010, 2:15 am
Location: Austin, TX

Re: Some cool stuff from this spring.

Post by Mark Brown »

Great post - that really summarizes central Texas herping nicely! :thumb:
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Mulebrother
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Joined: June 7th, 2010, 8:31 am
Location: A bunker near Mountainburg AR

Re: Some cool stuff from this spring.

Post by Mulebrother »

That one pic of the coral on the trail gets my blood pumpin! man, i wish i would walk up on somethin like that. I'm starting to realize corals are more common in that part of Tejas than you think. Certainly doesnt seem like coral habitat, but there does seem to be a couple every year posted from the san antonio area. Never get tired of seeing them!
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Saunders
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Joined: June 7th, 2010, 7:42 am
Location: Boerne, Tx

Re: Some cool stuff from this spring.

Post by Saunders »

The second coral was a pretty big girl.
And yes Mule they do seem pretty common in the area, certainly the most common venomous snake I find here.
Tamara D. McConnell
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Joined: June 7th, 2010, 11:42 am

Re: Some cool stuff from this spring.

Post by Tamara D. McConnell »

This was a great post. I loved:
1. The coral snake shots,
2. The close-up of the blotched water snake, and
3. The picture of the photo set-up y'all used.
I also enjoyed the rhombifer pictures.
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Saunders
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Joined: June 7th, 2010, 7:42 am
Location: Boerne, Tx

Re: Some cool stuff from this spring.

Post by Saunders »

Thank you very much.
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RenoBart
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Joined: June 7th, 2010, 10:22 am

Re: Some cool stuff from this spring.

Post by RenoBart »

Hmmm, I really like the idea of the table to take "natural" shots on, setup there.

nice pics, btw.

Bart
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