Well, summer is fast coming to a close in Northern Michigan, so it's probably safe to post this. Given the amount of photos I have to post, I'm not going to bother with scientific names. Each photo is tagged with the common name. Apologies to those who have seen some of these shots. I tried to edit the repeats a little differently, in order to keep it interesting.
I started my year in Southern California. Hadn't found anything in Arizona, and I really wanted to get out and see some crotes before I moved to MI. We only managed one ruber, but I got to see some lifers, as well. As a matter of fact, everything else that I photographed was a lifer for me.
Imperial Dunes by crotalus_cerberus83, on Flickr
Habitat by crotalus_cerberus83, on Flickr
Habitat by crotalus_cerberus83, on Flickr
San Diego Banded Gecko by crotalus_cerberus83, on Flickr
Great Basin Fence Lizard by crotalus_cerberus83, on Flickr
Granite Spiny Lizard by crotalus_cerberus83, on Flickr
San Diego Alligator Lizard by crotalus_cerberus83, on Flickr
San Diego Alligator Lizard by crotalus_cerberus83, on Flickr
Garden Slender Salamander by crotalus_cerberus83, on Flickr
Garden Slender Salamander by crotalus_cerberus83, on Flickr
Garden Slender Salamander by crotalus_cerberus83, on Flickr
San Diego Nightsnake by crotalus_cerberus83, on Flickr
San Diego Nightsnake by crotalus_cerberus83, on Flickr
Coastal Rosy Boa by crotalus_cerberus83, on Flickr
Coastal Rosy Boa by crotalus_cerberus83, on Flickr
Coastal Rosy Boa by crotalus_cerberus83, on Flickr
Red Diamondback Rattlesnake by crotalus_cerberus83, on Flickr
Red Diamondback Rattlesnake by crotalus_cerberus83, on Flickr
Big thanks to Brian Hinds, Chris Meachum, Diego Ortiz, and Ben Jones for a great trip. That ruber is probably the only crote I'll see all year, and all the lifers were just awesome.
Shortly after thiat trip, I made the move to Michigan. When I first arrived, I was very disappointed. I did some exploring, and while the scenery was beautiful, the weather was nothing like what I'd left behind.
Bay Harbor by crotalus_cerberus83, on Flickr
Ice fishing by crotalus_cerberus83, on Flickr
Michigan winter by crotalus_cerberus83, on Flickr
Lake Michigan by crotalus_cerberus83, on Flickr
Slowly but surely, the snow (and my melancholy) began to melt away and the true beauty of this place revealed itself at last. I started my summer off by checking some of the old growth forests and cedar swamps in my neighborhood. I started to get discouraged about how many snakes I wasn't finding, so I moved on to the open, grassy fields. Jackpot. The snake herping in these areas has been so easy that I'm now so backlogged on records to enter this winter, that I've now moved on to turtles and amphibians.
In order of type, rather than chronology, here is the new habitat that I've been exploring in Michigan.
Habitat by crotalus_cerberus83, on Flickr
Habitat by crotalus_cerberus83, on Flickr
Cedar swamp by crotalus_cerberus83, on Flickr
Habitat by crotalus_cerberus83, on Flickr
Habitat by crotalus_cerberus83, on Flickr
Habitat by crotalus_cerberus83, on Flickr
Swamp by crotalus_cerberus83, on Flickr
Sinkhole swamp by crotalus_cerberus83, on Flickr
Swamp by crotalus_cerberus83, on Flickr
Bear River by crotalus_cerberus83, on Flickr
Okay, now that that's out of the way, here's some of the good stuff.
Red-backed Salamander by crotalus_cerberus83, on Flickr
Red-backed Salamander by crotalus_cerberus83, on Flickr
Green Frog by crotalus_cerberus83, on Flickr
Green Frog by crotalus_cerberus83, on Flickr
Northern Leopard Frog by crotalus_cerberus83, on Flickr
Northern Leopard Frog by crotalus_cerberus83, on Flickr
Fowler's Toad by crotalus_cerberus83, on Flickr
American Toad by crotalus_cerberus83, on Flickr
American Toad by crotalus_cerberus83, on Flickr
Wood Turtle by crotalus_cerberus83, on Flickr
Painted Turtle by crotalus_cerberus83, on Flickr
Painted Turtle by crotalus_cerberus83, on Flickr
Painted Turtle by crotalus_cerberus83, on Flickr
Painted Turtle by crotalus_cerberus83, on Flickr
Painted Turtle by crotalus_cerberus83, on Flickr
DeKay's Brown Snake by crotalus_cerberus83, on Flickr
DeKay's Brown Snake by crotalus_cerberus83, on Flickr
DeKay's Brown Snake by crotalus_cerberus83, on Flickr
Dekay's Brown Snake by crotalus_cerberus83, on Flickr
Northern Red-bellied Snake by crotalus_cerberus83, on Flickr
Northern Red-bellied Snake by crotalus_cerberus83, on Flickr
Eastern Gartersnake by crotalus_cerberus83, on Flickr
Eastern Gartersnake by crotalus_cerberus83, on Flickr
Eastern Gartersnake by crotalus_cerberus83, on Flickr
Smooth Green Snake by crotalus_cerberus83, on Flickr
Eastern Milksnake by crotalus_cerberus83, on Flickr
67844878-7575-411f-9a3d-a03b06aa38d6_zpsb52b7c2f1 by crotalus_cerberus83, on Flickr
Eastern Milksnake by crotalus_cerberus83, on Flickr
Well, that's how my year went. Not a lot of variety, but almost every single species is one that's new to me. It's been a great year, and I can't wait to see even more of the Michigan herps in 2014. Take care, guys. Happy herping.
My EOY report (pic heavy)
Moderator: Scott Waters
- Joshua Jones
- Posts: 413
- Joined: August 31st, 2011, 2:33 pm
- Location: Vanderbilt, Michigan
- ThamnElegans24
- Posts: 406
- Joined: November 23rd, 2010, 6:44 pm
- Location: Mesa, Arizona
Re: My EOY report (pic heavy)
Great stuff bro! Your making me jealous with those milks.
Re: My EOY report (pic heavy)
very nice! Love those habitat shots and the amazing picture with the toad in the shore water
Jealous of the san diego banded gecko.
Jealous of the san diego banded gecko.
- Joshua Jones
- Posts: 413
- Joined: August 31st, 2011, 2:33 pm
- Location: Vanderbilt, Michigan
Re: My EOY report (pic heavy)
Thanks, Benny. I've got to do something to makeup for all the crotes you've been finding without me.
Gopher, when I moved here, I destroyed a camera by getting it rained on. I almost destroyed my new one trying to get that shot of the toad. It's hard to tell, but he's actually in about three feet of moving water. I'm glad you enjoy that shot as much as I do.
Gopher, when I moved here, I destroyed a camera by getting it rained on. I almost destroyed my new one trying to get that shot of the toad. It's hard to tell, but he's actually in about three feet of moving water. I'm glad you enjoy that shot as much as I do.
Re: My EOY report (pic heavy)
Your photography has really improved Joshua.
Now so find some saugs!!!!
-Kris
Now so find some saugs!!!!
-Kris
Re: My EOY report (pic heavy)
Nice habitat shots and great find on that wood turtle! You're right, winter is around the corner for sure! Thanks for posting.
- jason folt
- Posts: 262
- Joined: June 7th, 2010, 9:20 am
- Location: Midwest
- Contact:
Re: My EOY report (pic heavy)
Don't give up on the season yet! Still plenty of time for some finds.
Really nice shots throughout. Do you have another pic/perspective of the first garter? It looks a little butlerish but I don't think the scale rows count out.
Take care,
Jason
Really nice shots throughout. Do you have another pic/perspective of the first garter? It looks a little butlerish but I don't think the scale rows count out.
Take care,
Jason
- Joshua Jones
- Posts: 413
- Joined: August 31st, 2011, 2:33 pm
- Location: Vanderbilt, Michigan
Re: My EOY report (pic heavy)
Thanks, Kris. Believe me, if I had the money, I'd be knocking over old ladies trying to get to them. All of the MI animals and habitat you see posted here are within a few miles of where I live. I've gotten some good advice from some of the guys on here, so I'm still hopeful.
I'll be honest, PJ. My girlfriend found the turtle while I was flipping logs. We both had a blast that day.
Jason, that's the best shot I've got of that garter. That's the only snake I road cruised this year. I got two shots of him from the same spot. The other one is blurrier and less magnified. Out of all the garters I've seen around here (about 200 or so) roughly a quarter of them looked like that. Another quarter were checkered. The other half were somewhere in between. I always try to look twice the iffy ones, but the lateral stripes never go above the third scale row. Haven't found any T. sauritus either, for that matter.
Hopefully, the coming month will bring me another eft newt. I found one this spring but haven't seen another. That's as high as I dare to keep my hopes up, as I've been scraping my windshield every morning.
I'll be honest, PJ. My girlfriend found the turtle while I was flipping logs. We both had a blast that day.
Jason, that's the best shot I've got of that garter. That's the only snake I road cruised this year. I got two shots of him from the same spot. The other one is blurrier and less magnified. Out of all the garters I've seen around here (about 200 or so) roughly a quarter of them looked like that. Another quarter were checkered. The other half were somewhere in between. I always try to look twice the iffy ones, but the lateral stripes never go above the third scale row. Haven't found any T. sauritus either, for that matter.
Hopefully, the coming month will bring me another eft newt. I found one this spring but haven't seen another. That's as high as I dare to keep my hopes up, as I've been scraping my windshield every morning.
- axeman2729
- Posts: 445
- Joined: November 5th, 2012, 2:10 pm
- Location: Cranberry township, PA
Re: My EOY report (pic heavy)
You take amazing pictures, Joshua.