I hate long drives so I decided to make the trip in 2 days, spending an afternoon, night, and morning at the Wichita Mountains National Wildlife Refuge, which was about 2/3 of the way to my final destination.
Gorum_150530_1575 by Bill Gorum, on FlickrThe first thing I came to realize there was just how ugly the Collared Lizards are in most parts of New Mexico. This is a freakin’ female and its got more green than any male I’ve ever seen in New Mexico.
Gorum_150530_1580 by Bill Gorum, on Flickr“Dame un beso mama”
Gorum_150530_1744 by Bill Gorum, on FlickrI loved watching the Prairie Dogs
Gorum_150530_1754 by Bill Gorum, on Flickr
Gorum_150530_1810 by Bill Gorum, on FlickrDirty little fella.
Gorum_150530_1828 by Bill Gorum, on Flickr
Gorum_150530_1829 by Bill Gorum, on FlickrThis poor little guy had a nasty gash over the eye and seemed really listless.
Gorum_150530_1840 by Bill Gorum, on FlickrBarking out a warning
Gorum_150530_1892 by Bill Gorum, on FlickrThis male Collared Lizard would blow away any male from back home, and this is not even close to being exceptional for the Wichita Mountains!
Gorum_150530_1901 by Bill Gorum, on FlickrLove the yellow heads and throats on these guys!
Gorum_150530_1906 by Bill Gorum, on FlickrThere were tons of wildflowers, in this case Indian Blanket. I wish I had more time there so I could work on some serious landscape photos, as well as more wildlife.
Gorum_150530_1907 by Bill Gorum, on Flickr
Gorum_150530_1910 by Bill Gorum, on FlickrGetting nicer.
Gorum_150530_1913 by Bill Gorum, on Flickr
Gorum_150530_1914 by Bill Gorum, on FlickrWild Onions and Coreopsis.
Gorum_150530_1925 by Bill Gorum, on FlickrNow this is a Collared Lizard! (Apparently with an itch).
Gorum_150530_1939 by Bill Gorum, on Flickr
Gorum_150530_1944 by Bill Gorum, on Flickr
Gorum_150530_1950 by Bill Gorum, on Flickr
Gorum_150530_1955 by Bill Gorum, on FlickrI like the missing scales on the throat. No doubt lost in a fight with another male.
Gorum_150530_1959 by Bill Gorum, on Flickr
Gorum_150530_1975 by Bill Gorum, on FlickrMore Wild onions.
Gorum_150530_1980 by Bill Gorum, on FlickrTurkey hen.
Gorum_150530_1991 by Bill Gorum, on FlickrTarantula
Gorum_150530_2019 by Bill Gorum, on FlickrMale Bison herding a female
Gorum_150530_2035 by Bill Gorum, on FlickrGetting a little personal!
Gorum_150530_2040 by Bill Gorum, on FlickrGuess thats what she thinks of him!
Gorum_150530_2050 by Bill Gorum, on FlickrBison Bull
Gorum_150530_2081 by Bill Gorum, on FlickrBison cow. (Ain’t she purdy)!
Gorum_150530_2084 by Bill Gorum, on FlickrWichita Mountains NWR also has Texas longhorn cattle. Not exactly wildlife, but pretty cool for cows!
Gorum_150530_2086 by Bill Gorum, on FlickrMama and calf.
Gorum_150530_2087 by Bill Gorum, on Flickr
Gorum_150530_2102 by Bill Gorum, on FlickrBig nasty lookin’ bull!
Gorum_150530_2110 by Bill Gorum, on FlickrDowny Paintbrush
Gorum_150530_2114 by Bill Gorum, on FlickrThat night I heard anurans calling from one of the lakes and attempted to photograph them. No less than 4 species made a fool of me and I came away wet and cold, but with no pictures. In fact, I never even saw a frog! As I was driving out though I got my consolation prize. A lifer Small-mouth Salamander.
Gorum_150531_2125 by Bill Gorum, on FlickrBison Bull the next morning
Gorum_150531_2135 by Bill Gorum, on FlickrGrazing in the mist.
Gorum_150531_2158 by Bill Gorum, on FlickrI can’t believe our fore fathers thought it was a good idea to wipe these majestic animals off of the plains and replace them with idiotic cows!
Gorum_150531_2168 by Bill Gorum, on FlickrBison calf
Gorum_150531_2185 by Bill Gorum, on FlickrBison cow
Gorum_150531_2193 by Bill Gorum, on Flickr
Gorum_150531_2196 by Bill Gorum, on Flickr
Gorum_150531_2239 by Bill Gorum, on FlickrBreakfast
Gorum_150531_2241 by Bill Gorum, on FlickrYoung Prairie Dog
Gorum_150531_2248 by Bill Gorum, on Flickr
Gorum_150531_2262 by Bill Gorum, on Flickr
Gorum_150531_2267 by Bill Gorum, on FlickrYummy grass!
Gorum_150531_2279 by Bill Gorum, on FlickrBurrow mending
Gorum_150531_2282 by Bill Gorum, on Flickr
Gorum_150531_2307 by Bill Gorum, on FlickrThe little one with the gash over the eye was looking and acting much better this morning!
Gorum_150531_2332 by Bill Gorum, on FlickrThese guys spend a lot of time eating!
Gorum_150531_2347 by Bill Gorum, on FlickrLark Sparrow
Gorum_150531_2359_60_61 by Bill Gorum, on FlickrI’m definitely going back and for a longer stay next time.
The that afternoon I arrived at my final destination and after spending a day doing non herper stuff, (I even went to a Casino, won $16). I was ready to hike. I visited the Wildcat Glades Conservation and Audubon Center in Joplin, Missouri the next morning.
Gorum_150602_2362 by Bill Gorum, on FlickrWalking the trails there I found this Eastern Cottontail
Gorum_150602_2379 by Bill Gorum, on FlickrA very uncooperative Eastern Musk Turtle.
Gorum_150602_2385 by Bill Gorum, on FlickrAnother Cottontail
Gorum_150602_2396 by Bill Gorum, on FlickrLots of basking Northern Map Turtles
Gorum_150602_2398 by Bill Gorum, on FlickrA young racerunner racing!
Gorum_150602_2407 by Bill Gorum, on FlickrAnd still
Gorum_150602_2408 by Bill Gorum, on FlickrThat night my cousin, who also likes herps, took me road cruising. We found a chorus of American Toads.
Gorum_150602_2412 by Bill Gorum, on FlickrA Brown Snake
Gorum_150602_2413 by Bill Gorum, on FlickrJuvenile Western Ratsnake
Gorum_150603_2419 by Bill Gorum, on FlickrGreen Frog
We also cruised a beautiful adult Copperhead, but it got of the road before I was able to get any pictures. (Neither of us had brought a hook along). The next morning my cousin took me out to some private property he has access to. The owner informed us that he had Timber Rattlesnakes on the property and gave us directions to a hillside where he most often sees them.
Gorum_150603_2425 by Bill Gorum, on FlickrOn the way we found this Western Ratsnake in the road.
Gorum_150603_2427 by Bill Gorum, on FlickrWe searched the hillside, but found no Timbers. As a consolation however I did get this Dark-sided Salamander, (a lifer).
Gorum_150603_2429 by Bill Gorum, on FlickrMy hat is off to the people on this forum that can take interesting pictures of salamanders. You guys/girls have a lot more patience than I do!
Gorum_150603_2431 by Bill Gorum, on FlickrOn another part of the property I found this juvenile Osage Copperhead.
Gorum_150603_2435 by Bill Gorum, on Flickr
Gorum_150603_2438 by Bill Gorum, on Flickr
Gorum_150603_2442 by Bill Gorum, on FlickrJuvenile Five-lined Skink
Gorum_150603_2456 by Bill Gorum, on FlickrThis was one of those lucky incidents you don’t plan for. I had collected this Ornate Box Turtle on a road earlier, with plans to photograph it later. I put it down in a likely looking spot and waited behind the camera. Usually with turtles what happens in this situation is you watch them for a long, long time. Then if you’re lucky you get one shot of the turtle with its head and legs out before it turns 180 degrees and walks away.
Gorum_150603_2472 by Bill Gorum, on FlickrIn this case though I just happened to place the turtle down next to an earthworm.
Gorum_150603_2474 by Bill Gorum, on FlickrThe turtle was more interested in eating the earthworm than it was in fleeing!
Gorum_150603_2490 by Bill Gorum, on FlickrAll gone! (The turtle was released where found afterwards).
Gorum_150603_2528 by Bill Gorum, on FlickrThree-toed Box Turtle also collected on a road and photographed later.
Gorum_150603_2552 by Bill Gorum, on FlickrSnapping Turtle out looking for a place to lay eggs.
Gorum_150603_2560 by Bill Gorum, on FlickrUnfortunately it was getting dark when I found her and I had to resort to using flash. I really preferred the available light, like in the previous shot, but the shutter speed was way to slow to stop even the slightest movement.
Gorum_150603_2564 by Bill Gorum, on FlickrSee what I mean about the whole turning 180 degrees and walking away thing? I never did get the shot I wanted of her. (Pretty nasty looking leach on her hind leg though).
Gorum_150603_2567 by Bill Gorum, on FlickrLook girls, I can sing and balance a stick on my head at the same time!
Gorum_150603_2570 by Bill Gorum, on FlickrCalling Gray Treefrog
Gorum_150603_2579 by Bill Gorum, on FlickrCalling American Toad
Gorum_150604_2580_1_2 by Bill Gorum, on FlickrSpavinaw Wildlife Management Area.
Gorum_150604_2589 by Bill Gorum, on FlickrOne of two Ringneck Snakes I flipped there. Neither one seemed very inclined to do the whole tail-coiling display.
Gorum_150604_2592_3_4 by Bill Gorum, on FlickrSpavinaw again
Gorum_150604_2601 by Bill Gorum, on FlickrPrairie Kingsnake I road cruised one night on my way back to the hotel.
Gorum_150604_2608 by Bill Gorum, on Flickr
Gorum_150605_2616 by Bill Gorum, on FlickrSouthern Leopard Frog hiding in the undergrowth. (As they so often do).
Gorum_150605_2618 by Bill Gorum, on Flickr
Gorum_150605_2622 by Bill Gorum, on FlickrWhite-tail doe
Gorum_150605_2633 by Bill Gorum, on FlickrFlagging
Gorum_150605_2640 by Bill Gorum, on FlickrGrey Treefrog
Gorum_150605_2643 by Bill Gorum, on FlickrAmerican Toad
Gorum_150605_2647 by Bill Gorum, on FlickrBlanchard’s Cricket Frog. There were also Leopard Frogs calling in this chorus and what I believe to be Great Plains Narrow-mouth Toads, but I was never able to get a visual on them.
Gorum_150611_2655 by Bill Gorum, on FlickrBack in New Mexico on June 11th and I went looking for Rock Rattlesnakes with Neil M. The first one we found was a male, soon to shed unfortunately.
Gorum_150611_2660 by Bill Gorum, on FlickrNeil turned up an opaque Black-tail. As I was making my way across the hillside to where Neil was I found another Black-tail basking at the edge of a boulder. I left it alone, figuring we would return to it after looking at Neil’s snake, but on the way back I couldn’t find the boulder again!
Gorum_150611_2670 by Bill Gorum, on FlickrAs we were making our way back down the canyon I got buzzed by this little female. As we were digging her out we realized there were actually 2 within a couple meters of one another. The second one was also a female, larger and opaque. I didn’t take any pictures of her, but she had a lot of pink pigment.
Gorum_150611_2675 by Bill Gorum, on FlickrDriving out we saw this earless lizard perched up on a rock
Gorum_150611_2688 by Bill Gorum, on FlickrNeil wanted to cruise for Transpecos Ratsnakes that night, so we drove down to the ara where we could do that. We still had daylight to burn, so we did a little hiking where I photographed this Tree Lizard.
Gorum_150611_2693 by Bill Gorum, on FlickrWe got skunked on subocs, but ended up with something much better. A Texas Lyre Snake!
Gorum_150611_2695 by Bill Gorum, on FlickrWe also got a Blind Snake, a Hook-nose Snake, Night Snake, Diamond-back, and Prairie Rattlesnake, but I didn’t bother to photograph any of them.
Gorum_150615_2707 by Bill Gorum, on FlickrLast night I did a little local road cruising. I missed a Massasauga because I was munching popcorn and didn’t have my camera ready, but I did manage to get a shot of this Banner-tailed Kangaroo Rat being buffeted by the wind.
Gorum_150615_2709 by Bill Gorum, on FlickrAnd this Long-nosed Snake.
Hey thanks for hanging in there!
. For some reason I thought they were restricted to Texas...
