Field Meeting 5/27 - 5/30 Save The Date!

Dedicated exclusively to field herping.

Moderator: Scott Waters

Post Reply
User avatar
TravisK
Posts: 774
Joined: July 8th, 2010, 11:14 am
Location: Eastern Washington

Field Meeting 5/27 - 5/30 Save The Date!

Post by TravisK »

So this years first group outing will officially take place from 5/27 - 5/30 2016, Memorial Weekend. It will be held in South Eastern Idaho and possibly into OR. Hadar and I will have more details as the time approaches so please save the date.

If you plan on attending please reply to this thread or PM Hadar or myself so we can get a head count. Also please invite any friends or family that would be interested in Field Herping.
User avatar
Hadar
Posts: 251
Joined: October 12th, 2011, 6:39 pm
Location: Delray Beach, Florida
Contact:

Re: Field Meeting 5/27 - 5/30 Save The Date!

Post by Hadar »

How many people will be coming from Oregon? I'm trying to figure out whether to drive from Oregon or fly to Idaho and rent a car.

Cheers, Heather
User avatar
TravisK
Posts: 774
Joined: July 8th, 2010, 11:14 am
Location: Eastern Washington

Re: Field Meeting 5/27 - 5/30 Save The Date!

Post by TravisK »

I am for sure going and John S. will be going as well. Ryan Y. is most likely going make it too but he hasn't given me a 100% on it yet.
Entomancer
Posts: 22
Joined: June 2nd, 2014, 9:12 pm

Re: Field Meeting 5/27 - 5/30 Save The Date!

Post by Entomancer »

I'm interested in coming.

I'm kind of shy, but I'm interested in getting to know more people who have a burning desire to know what lies under rocks and old pieces of tin. I also really want more herping experience; I have zero local friends who like herping, so sometimes it's frustrating when I really want to check something out on the side of the road, etc. and nobody understands why.

The only problem is that I don't have a car, so I would need to carpool with other people. I know nobody here knows me at all, but I'd like to think I'm an okay guy. I'm mostly quiet until somebody brings up my interests in conversation, I do my best to be polite and be respectful of others, and I am willing kick in some gas money and bring some snacks.

I'm also not an axe murderer (or any other kind of murderer, for that matter), so if anyone is driving there, I am looking for a ride. I live in the suburbs to the west of Portland, and I could meet someone in Portland on their way out.
User avatar
the_cw1
Posts: 138
Joined: April 2nd, 2015, 8:30 am
Location: Utah
Contact:

Re: Field Meeting 5/27 - 5/30 Save The Date!

Post by the_cw1 »

I'm potentially interested. My car died, sadly, but I may rent one.

Entomancer: I could give you a lift if you're interested. Send me a PM. :)
User avatar
TravisK
Posts: 774
Joined: July 8th, 2010, 11:14 am
Location: Eastern Washington

Re: Field Meeting 5/27 - 5/30 Save The Date!

Post by TravisK »

Glad to hear that the both of you are planning on coming! I look forward to meeting you both in the next 8 weeks.

So I have had Q's about food and lodging... Both of these are negotiable and any 'feed'back is appreciated.

Let's start with lodging. Camping is the norm on these trips, I have done some trips where cars were used as tents and it's really hard to get decent sleep that way. 10 years ago I wasn't so picky... Personally if there is a cheap motel or something close to where we will be I would prefer to split a room with someone(s). Sleeping well is worth the extra money in my opinion. I am cool with camping though and do have a very large 8 person tent if traveling to a motel is a pain and not logistically in our best herping interest as long as i get a little help with setup and take down ;-) What are your thoughts? Keep in mind we still need to bump ideas as to what area for sure we will focus on, etc..

Food is a little different. There are dietary restrictions and such and it's always been easier to just let everyone BYOF. Most people either eat out or bring enough food for themselves. If any of you are interested in a group meal just let us know in this thread but I would recommend not trying to do it for to many meals as it just ads unneeded stress and such. But if you would like to take on such a task by all means you are welcome to do so.


The participation list so far is...

Travis
Heather
John
John's GF
Ryan
Matt
the_cw1


Once we get our location(s) nailed down, it would be nice if someone could put together a species list. Kinda like a scavenger hunt, Herps, birds, mammals, etc.. Any takers?
Entomancer
Posts: 22
Joined: June 2nd, 2014, 9:12 pm

Re: Field Meeting 5/27 - 5/30 Save The Date!

Post by Entomancer »

TravisK wrote:Glad to hear that the both of you are planning on coming! I look forward to meeting you both in the next 8 weeks.

So I have had Q's about food and lodging... Both of these are negotiable and any 'feed'back is appreciated.

Let's start with lodging. Camping is the norm on these trips, I have done some trips where cars were used as tents and it's really hard to get decent sleep that way. 10 years ago I wasn't so picky... Personally if there is a cheap motel or something close to where we will be I would prefer to split a room with someone(s). Sleeping well is worth the extra money in my opinion. I am cool with camping though and do have a very large 8 person tent if traveling to a motel is a pain and not logistically in our best herping interest as long as i get a little help with setup and take down ;-) What are your thoughts? Keep in mind we still need to bump ideas as to what area for sure we will focus on, etc..

Food is a little different. There are dietary restrictions and such and it's always been easier to just let everyone BYOF. Most people either eat out or bring enough food for themselves. If any of you are interested in a group meal just let us know in this thread but I would recommend not trying to do it for to many meals as it just ads unneeded stress and such. But if you would like to take on such a task by all means you are welcome to do so.


The participation list so far is...

Travis
Heather
John
John's GF
Ryan
Matt
the_cw1


Once we get our location(s) nailed down, it would be nice if someone could put together a species list. Kinda like a scavenger hunt, Herps, birds, mammals, etc.. Any takers?
Question;

Are we packing up and leaving on 5/30, or on the following day? It could be interpreted either way.

And will you be posting the location publicly or sending it to us via email?
User avatar
TravisK
Posts: 774
Joined: July 8th, 2010, 11:14 am
Location: Eastern Washington

Re: Field Meeting 5/27 - 5/30 Save The Date!

Post by TravisK »

Entomancer wrote:
Question;

Are we packing up and leaving on 5/30, or on the following day? It could be interpreted either way.

And will you be posting the location publicly or sending it to us via email?

I am sure everyone will probably head home on Monday the 30th. I will be heading down there very early on the 27th or possibly even the night before. Obviously people will come and go as they please too. Some might only be able to stay for part of the weekend.

For the most part the general location(s) will be public so we can all have access to the information. If you want to exchange cell numbers, etc., for car pooling and such just do it via PM. I do recommend sending Heather and myself your cell number via PM if you plan on going on the trip as well.
Entomancer
Posts: 22
Joined: June 2nd, 2014, 9:12 pm

Re: Field Meeting 5/27 - 5/30 Save The Date!

Post by Entomancer »

TravisK wrote:
Entomancer wrote:
Question;

Are we packing up and leaving on 5/30, or on the following day? It could be interpreted either way.

And will you be posting the location publicly or sending it to us via email?

I am sure everyone will probably head home on Monday the 30th. I will be heading down there very early on the 27th or possibly even the night before. Obviously people will come and go as they please too. Some might only be able to stay for part of the weekend.

For the most part the general location(s) will be public so we can all have access to the information. If you want to exchange cell numbers, etc., for car pooling and such just do it via PM. I do recommend sending Heather and myself your cell number via PM if you plan on going on the trip as well.
I finally gave up the ghost and bought a smartphone, but there's an issue with the SIM card that I have to take care of before I can use it for phone calls. I have a backup cellphone in case of emergencies, but I'm probably going to get the smartphone fixed before the trip; when I do, I'll send you guys my number.
User avatar
randimal
Posts: 18
Joined: March 3rd, 2013, 8:07 pm
Location: Federal Way, WA

Re: Field Meeting 5/27 - 5/30 Save The Date!

Post by randimal »

I'm planning on going as well. Let me know approximate locations soon. I prefer staying in hotels when they are available.
User avatar
TravisK
Posts: 774
Joined: July 8th, 2010, 11:14 am
Location: Eastern Washington

Re: Field Meeting 5/27 - 5/30 Save The Date!

Post by TravisK »

Glad you can make it Randy. Location info will be available soon. Might be nice to go halvesies with you on that room too if it isn't too far from the general location(s)

Also a bit of bad news. Heather will be in Panama and wont be able to join us on this trip. Frankly I think she is lucky though :-p Heather, watch out for the Zika!
User avatar
Hadar
Posts: 251
Joined: October 12th, 2011, 6:39 pm
Location: Delray Beach, Florida
Contact:

Re: Field Meeting 5/27 - 5/30 Save The Date!

Post by Hadar »

TravisK wrote:Glad you can make it Randy. Location info will be available soon. Might be nice to go halvesies with you on that room too if it isn't too far from the general location(s)

Also a bit of bad news. Heather will be in Panama and wont be able to join us on this trip. Frankly I think she is lucky though :-p Heather, watch out for the Zika!
Sorry guys :( I wish I could be there but I just found out this week that I'll be doing fieldwork May 23rd to June 15th in Panama, as Travis mentioned. I tried to postpone my departure but didn't have much luck. Hopefully I'll have some herping sightings to report back from Bocas del Toro. Travis, I'm not worried about Zika since it is only a concern for pregnant women. The one I hope to avoid is dengue fever. Have a wonderful time and remember to record what you see for those of us who can't make it.

Cheers, Heather
User avatar
the_cw1
Posts: 138
Joined: April 2nd, 2015, 8:30 am
Location: Utah
Contact:

Re: Field Meeting 5/27 - 5/30 Save The Date!

Post by the_cw1 »

Let me add and say that location info is super important ASAP. I am leaving the PNW in June, sadly, and want to budget my time appropriately. :beer:
User avatar
technoendo
Posts: 112
Joined: December 13th, 2014, 5:27 pm

Re: Field Meeting 5/27 - 5/30 Save The Date!

Post by technoendo »

I've been interested in joining this trip for months, but I still don't see a location or other details posted (is there some other post I'm missing?). I wouldn't be camping and would either get a hotel or split a room with someone. I'm a little anxious at not being able to plan further for this trip when we're now less than 3 weeks away. Is this trip still on seeing that Hadar isn't able to make it? Are we waiting on something (weather forecast)? This weekend I'll be herping in the Alvord Desert and next weekend up in Chelan. Assuming details get posted I've got a couple weekdays in between to think about this trip, lodging, and how I'll be traveling down from the Seattle area. If the idea is to announce the location days before the field meeting I'm not sure if I can pull things together quickly enough to attend. Would be nice to meet some fellow nw herpers if it works out.
User avatar
TravisK
Posts: 774
Joined: July 8th, 2010, 11:14 am
Location: Eastern Washington

Re: Field Meeting 5/27 - 5/30 Save The Date!

Post by TravisK »

Sorry guys. I, personally, have been really busy at work. I am Soooooo looking forward to this trip. Lets get this all figured out by Friday, shall we?

Let get some locations that we want to see and herp and come up with a plan. I was thinking within reasonable distance to Boise, visiting locations South and South-West from there. Morley Nelson Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation Area comes to mind. Succor Creek State Recreation Area also looks promising.

There are hotels but it will add a bit of time to ones travel. There is also a couple camping areas available that are a bit closer. Not sure how they are on availability for that weekend.

BLM also allows Dispersed Camping in Undeveloped Areas. I am willing to do a base camp somewhere in the big 8 person tent I have if anyone is interested. I will just bring some air mattresses if we go that direction.

Succor Creek just inside of OR has a toilet and free primitive camping. It has a lot to offer, deep canyons, fresh water running through, lots of varied habitat, etc.
User avatar
TravisK
Posts: 774
Joined: July 8th, 2010, 11:14 am
Location: Eastern Washington

Re: Field Meeting 5/27 - 5/30 Save The Date!

Post by TravisK »

I am looking forward to finding all the color morphs of Sonora semiannulata while we are down there. Apparently all four morphs are found in the area.

http://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/pd ... 086/670988
Image

Image

Image
User avatar
Hadar
Posts: 251
Joined: October 12th, 2011, 6:39 pm
Location: Delray Beach, Florida
Contact:

Re: Field Meeting 5/27 - 5/30 Save The Date!

Post by Hadar »

TravisK wrote:I am looking forward to finding all the color morphs of Sonora semiannulata while we are down there. Apparently all four morphs are found in the area.

http://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/pd ... 086/670988
Image

Image

Image
That would be a great find! Let me know what you all end up finding. Have you decided on a location to stay?
User avatar
randimal
Posts: 18
Joined: March 3rd, 2013, 8:07 pm
Location: Federal Way, WA

Re: Field Meeting 5/27 - 5/30 Save The Date!

Post by randimal »

I got a hotel in Nampa. But I'm really just available Saturday and Sunday since most of Friday and Monday I'll be driving. Technoendo is staying in Boise and he's leaving a day earlier and staying a day later than me.
User avatar
technoendo
Posts: 112
Joined: December 13th, 2014, 5:27 pm

Re: Field Meeting 5/27 - 5/30 Save The Date!

Post by technoendo »

Yup I'll be there. I am excited for the suggested look for ground snakes. I expect the strategy will be hiking and flipping natural cover? The high temperatures will be in the 68-73F range, sunny, no rain. I was just down around Malheur area a few weeks ago and had great success road cruising for snakes too. In the last 2 years I've done two trips to southern OR looking for great basin rattlesnakes and desert striped whipsnakes and have only found DOR whipsnakes. Looking forward to meeting new people and talking about/looking for herps!
User avatar
the_cw1
Posts: 138
Joined: April 2nd, 2015, 8:30 am
Location: Utah
Contact:

Re: Field Meeting 5/27 - 5/30 Save The Date!

Post by the_cw1 »

I had a great time in the trip guys! Heaps of fun. I'm posting my favorite shots, but I uploaded more on my flickr.

ImageGreat Basin Rattlesnake - Crotalus Oreganus Lutosus by Derek Halm, on Flickr
Here's the rattler that technoendo found! Very cool.

ImageWhipsnake Macro by Derek Halm, on Flickr
And the whip snake I ran down a mountain after, haha. :p

ImageGreat Basin Rattlesnake - Crotalus Oreganus Lutosus by Derek Halm, on Flickr
The rattler I negotiated with for a pic. I didn't realize I was this close to it!

ImageCactus Flower Macro by Derek Halm, on Flickr
Macro of the one cactus plant we found. I love the detail on the pollen.

ImageScreech Owl by Derek Halm, on Flickr
The owl that entomancer found. I want to see Randy's pics of the great horned owls!

ImageWoodhouse Toad Macro by Derek Halm, on Flickr
The toad we road cruised, haha.

ImageKangaroo Rat Macro by Derek Halm, on Flickr
The kangaroo rat that was oh so difficult to snap a pic of.

ImageWhiptail by Derek Halm, on Flickr
And the elusive whiptail we found near the snake river.
User avatar
Hadar
Posts: 251
Joined: October 12th, 2011, 6:39 pm
Location: Delray Beach, Florida
Contact:

Re: Field Meeting 5/27 - 5/30 Save The Date!

Post by Hadar »

Thanks Derek for sharing your photos. I'm glad everyone had a wonderful time! Wish I could've been there to meet more of you in person. I didn't see any venomous snakes over the weekend but I did spot a few hundred poison-dart frogs. Looking forward to more posts about the trip.

Cheers, Heather
User avatar
randimal
Posts: 18
Joined: March 3rd, 2013, 8:07 pm
Location: Federal Way, WA

Re: Field Meeting 5/27 - 5/30 Save The Date!

Post by randimal »

Derek, your photos are amazing. I'm going to have to get a macro lens now. Since you covered the main species really well, I'll try to post some of the other stuff I photographed.

Here's a neat dark Fence Lizard
Image

Gopher Snake in attack pose
Image

My first Badger photo
Image

Common Poorwill at night
Image

Whipsnake tongue
Image

Racer tongue
Image

Prickly Pear Cactus
Image

Desert Marble Butterfly
Image

Western Pygmy Blue Butterfly (smallest butterfly in North America)
Image

Great Horned Owl at Dusk
Image
User avatar
Hadar
Posts: 251
Joined: October 12th, 2011, 6:39 pm
Location: Delray Beach, Florida
Contact:

Re: Field Meeting 5/27 - 5/30 Save The Date!

Post by Hadar »

Great finds and photographs! I especially love the gopher snake and badger. Thank you so much for sharing.
User avatar
the_cw1
Posts: 138
Joined: April 2nd, 2015, 8:30 am
Location: Utah
Contact:

Re: Field Meeting 5/27 - 5/30 Save The Date!

Post by the_cw1 »

Love the owl pic Randy. :)
User avatar
technoendo
Posts: 112
Joined: December 13th, 2014, 5:27 pm

Re: Field Meeting 5/27 - 5/30 Save The Date!

Post by technoendo »

I was there shooting video and hopefully in a few weeks I'll catch up on my backlog of footage from various herping trips and upload a trip video from the Boise adventure. Stay tuned!

My photos are not nearly as good as the_cw1's, Randimal's, and likely TravisK's photos but I did shoot some panoramics that I thought were fun and a little different. I put a gallery of them together here http://imgur.com/a/UBRFz and will post them below. I do have higher resolution versions... panoramic images can get massive and I thought I'd scale things down so viewing is a little less savage to the network.

Image
Another photo from whipsnake hill. We've got herping war stories from this place.

Image
Road to Succor Creek. We saw a gopher snake on the road one day, and saw some strange birds along the road. I put a fake rubber snake on the road, but nobody from the group found it. I'd like to believe a raptor encountered it and was confused.

Image
Road to Succor Creek. Almost drove over a rattlesnake that zipped down a burrow here.

Image
More Succor Creek. TravisK and I didn't find many herps in here, but a day later found some racers and a great basin rattlesnake nearby. He also was excited by some large scorpions and centipedes.

Image
Morley Nelson Birds of Prey wilderness area near the snake river.

Image
The snake river. It was awesome to look for snakes near a snake river.

No ground snakes, but finding 4 desert striped whipsnakes was huge for me. Seeing great basin rattlesnakes means I can cross it off my list and journey to see the next closest venomous snake which I think will be the prarie rattlesnake unless I choose to go down to southern california. On a trip last year I discovered I could confuse kangaroo rats with bright lights and had them running around in circles by my feet, but this year I got even better footage of this curious rodent! Cute animal! I've never used black lights to find scorpions and after calling every Spencers gifts and bong store we could think of we collected enough black lights to find bigger and bigger giant hairy scorpions. I'm not as enthusiastic for invertibrates, especially arachnids, but watching scorpions get an unholy glow even as far as 15' away was super fun. I had just heard about a locality of Pituophis catenifer deserticola in Montana that is more red/pink in color and to my delight 2 of the large gopher snakes found in Morley Nelson (Randimal got a good photo showing this above) had some pink flecks of color.

I drove a long way from Seattle to make this trip and it was great to be there. Some folks knew their birds and insects really well and as someone that usually doesn't pay much attention to these critters made for a richer and more informative trip. TravisK lead us through some great sites with diverse habitat as you can see in the pano's. I would recommend Succor Creek and Morley Nelson Birds of Prey national conservation area to other herpers they were both fantastic sites. I think pacnw herpers and other herpers in northern states are a special breed to keep the interest going through long cool winters and still celebrate things like reptiles when they can be so scarce in the north. It was great to talk shop with such wildlife enthusiasts and I learned a few new things for sure.
User avatar
Hadar
Posts: 251
Joined: October 12th, 2011, 6:39 pm
Location: Delray Beach, Florida
Contact:

Re: Field Meeting 5/27 - 5/30 Save The Date!

Post by Hadar »

Thanks for sharing the panorama and stories. I'm so glad that the weekend turned up some great finds. It is always wonderful meeting more herpers and learning about more animals. Did anyone get photos of the glowing scorpions?
User avatar
technoendo
Posts: 112
Joined: December 13th, 2014, 5:27 pm

Re: Field Meeting 5/27 - 5/30 Save The Date!

Post by technoendo »

ImageBlack lighted scorpion (the_cw1)

ImageBlack lighted scorpion (randimal)

ImageScorpion in daylight (technoendo)
User avatar
Hadar
Posts: 251
Joined: October 12th, 2011, 6:39 pm
Location: Delray Beach, Florida
Contact:

Re: Field Meeting 5/27 - 5/30 Save The Date!

Post by Hadar »

Wow!!! Incredible photos.
User avatar
technoendo
Posts: 112
Joined: December 13th, 2014, 5:27 pm

Re: Field Meeting 5/27 - 5/30 Save The Date!

Post by technoendo »

Here's a trip video. Props again to Randimal and the_cw1 for sharing such great photos! Well done folks. This was a solid adventure and I'm looking forward to the next trip.



EDIT: ugh, fixed some basic typos and grammar errors.

This winter when the temps drop and the herps go underground I'll play this video and dream about whipsnake hill.
User avatar
Hadar
Posts: 251
Joined: October 12th, 2011, 6:39 pm
Location: Delray Beach, Florida
Contact:

Re: Field Meeting 5/27 - 5/30 Save The Date!

Post by Hadar »

technoendo wrote:Here's a trip video. I like to try and keep them under 5 minutes but Randimal and the_cw1 took so many great photos I just had to include that pushed this video over 8 minutes! Well done folks. This was a solid adventure and I'm looking forward to the next trip.

Fixing typos.

This winter when the temps drop and the herps go underground I'll play this video and dream about whipsnake hill.

I don't see the video.
User avatar
technoendo
Posts: 112
Joined: December 13th, 2014, 5:27 pm

Re: Field Meeting 5/27 - 5/30 Save The Date!

Post by technoendo »

I don't see the video.
I noticed a few embarrassing typographical errors that I had completely failed to see even after a dozen or so viewings. Things like "fieldherpingforum.com" instead of "fieldherpforum.com", etc. All fixed up!
User avatar
technoendo
Posts: 112
Joined: December 13th, 2014, 5:27 pm

Re: Field Meeting 5/27 - 5/30 Save The Date!

Post by technoendo »

I found an extra day of footage from our time on this trip at Succor Creek in Oregon and this image made me chuckle:

ImageSee the fake rubber snake in the bottom left corner?

Entomancer/the_cw1 didn't see my fake snake despite its lifelike pose. Maybe another tourist picked it up, maybe I trolled some unrelated herper, or maybe a bird of prey carried it back to their nest to feed to their confused young?
User avatar
Hadar
Posts: 251
Joined: October 12th, 2011, 6:39 pm
Location: Delray Beach, Florida
Contact:

Re: Field Meeting 5/27 - 5/30 Save The Date!

Post by Hadar »

Great video! I really appreciate seeing it since I wasn't able to make the trip. Thank you Travis for organizing such an incredible meeting for the chapter and thank you everyone who attended for making it happen.

Cheers, Heather
User avatar
jonathan
Posts: 3689
Joined: June 7th, 2010, 8:39 am
Contact:

Re: Field Meeting 5/27 - 5/30 Save The Date!

Post by jonathan »

Congrats on a well-done trip!

I noticed a conspicuous lack of lizard shots. Did you guys not see much besides whiptails and fencies?
User avatar
technoendo
Posts: 112
Joined: December 13th, 2014, 5:27 pm

Re: Field Meeting 5/27 - 5/30 Save The Date!

Post by technoendo »

Hey jonathan!

If you like lizards we did also see common sideblotch lizards and the_cw1 shot this photo. He sure does take some excellent macro shots -- sharp enough to survey for mites and parasites!

Image
Post Reply