I can confidentially say that this year was easily one of the most exciting in the field. I enjoyed a fair amount of surprising and exhilarating moments. As usual, my dogs were my ever present adventure partners. I'll skip a lengthy introduction and get right into my field experiences.
I spent a fair amount of the winter and early spring hiking in the far western portion of Texas, looking for birds and herps. That time of year, birds are plentiful but herps (especially snakes) are a little more scarce. Every now and then I encountered snakes either in or around their hibernacula, or by flipping rocks/other objects.
Western Diamondback Rattlesnake (in situ) by Frank Portillo, on Flickr
Sonoran Gopher Snake by Frank Portillo, on Flickr
Desert Side-blotched Lizard by Frank Portillo, on Flickr
Long Hike by Frank Portillo, on Flickr
Banded Rock Rattlesnake by Frank Portillo, on Flickr
Western Diamondback Rattlesnake by Frank Portillo, on Flickr
Mountainscape by Frank Portillo, on Flickr
During March, I took a trip with a friend to Southern California. It was the first time I had intentionally herped that region of the US. We were able to find a couple of neat animals, most of which were new encounters for me. A huge thanks to Devin and Jeremy who were super helpful during this trip.
San Diego Gopher Snake by Frank Portillo, on Flickr
Southern Pacific Rattlesnake by Frank Portillo, on Flickr
Two-striped Garter Snake by Frank Portillo, on Flickr
Red Diamond Rattlesnake by Frank Portillo, on Flickr
Red Diamond Rattlesnake by Frank Portillo, on Flickr
Northern Three-lined Boa by Frank Portillo, on Flickr
Black-tailed Rattlesnake by Frank Portillo, on Flickr
Riverside County by Frank Portillo, on Flickr
I spent the rest of the spring exploring West Texas. Because of work and my impending dissertation defense, the amount and length of time I was able to go out herping were limited. Nevertheless, luck was on my side and neat animals were found almost every weekend. One memory I am particularly fond of, was finding a West Texas milksnake during on a chilly, spring afternoon. My friend and I were jumping for joy after seeing that beautiful tricolored snake under a large rock.
Western Ground Snake by Frank Portillo, on Flickr
Prairie Rattlesnake by Frank Portillo, on Flickr
Prairie Rattlesnake by Frank Portillo, on Flickr
Western Coachwhip by Frank Portillo, on Flickr
Four-lined Skink by Frank Portillo, on Flickr
Many-lined Skink by Frank Portillo, on Flickr
Texas Blind Snake by Frank Portillo, on Flickr
Checkered Garter Snake by Frank Portillo, on Flickr
Great Plains Ratsnake by Frank Portillo, on Flickr
Western Diamondback Rattlesnake by Frank Portillo, on Flickr
Desert Massasauga by Frank Portillo, on Flickr
Ring-necked Snake by Frank Portillo, on Flickr
Trans-Pecos Copperhead by Frank Portillo, on Flickr
Texas Horned Lizard by Frank Portillo, on Flickr
Desert Massasauga by Frank Portillo, on Flickr
Desert Kingsnake by Frank Portillo, on Flickr
Desert Massasauga by Frank Portillo, on Flickr
Western Diamondback Rattlesnake in Habitat by Frank Portillo, on Flickr
New Mexico Milk Snake by Frank Portillo, on Flickr
New Mexico Milksnake by Frank Portillo, on Flickr
Towards the end of April/beginning of May, I began hunting road cuts with greater frequency. One of my favorite memories came at the very end of May. My brother and I spent three nights hunting road cuts looking for gray-banded kingsnakes. The nights had been rather slow and unproductive. On the last night, as we were driving out to our chosen location for the night, it began lightly raining. My brother and I both hoped the light rain would bring out the elusive kingsnakes. We selected a large cut and walked it from 9 to 11pm only observing invertebrates. At exactly 11:05pm, a dark colored snake with orange bands appeared on the rock cut about 15-20 feet above me. With extreme enthusiasm, I yelled out to my brother: "ALTERNA!" He quickly made his way over to my location. I climbed up the cut and retrieved the beautiful snake. We both cheered and celebrated our prize. No less than 20 minutes had passed, and we spotted a second alterna. This one was about 30-40 feet up the cut. The snake was inaccessible from both the top and bottom of the cut. The snake remained surface active for about an hour and a half until it disappeared for good. We were slightly disappointed, but in good spirits, especially since we had already found our desired animal.
Trans-Pecos Rat Snake by Frank Portillo, on Flickr
Sonoran Gopher Snake by Frank Portillo, on Flickr
Sonoran Gopher Snake by Frank Portillo, on Flickr
Long-nosed Snake by Frank Portillo, on Flickr
Many-lined Skink by Frank Portillo, on Flickr
Texas Horned Lizard by Frank Portillo, on Flickr
Mexican Hognose Snake by Frank Portillo, on Flickr
Mexican Hognose Snake by Frank Portillo, on Flickr
Long-nosed Snake by Frank Portillo, on Flickr
Ornate Black-tailed Rattlesnake by Frank Portillo, on Flickr
Gray-banded Kingsnake by Frank Portillo, on Flickr
Gray-banded Kingsnake by Frank Portillo, on Flickr
At the end of May/beginning of June, I took a trip to Croatia to visit my wife. This trip was full of wonderful memories (both herping and non-herping). My wife and I encountered several species of herpetofauna throughout my two week stay, with the most exciting being a nose-horned viper (Vipera ammodytes). I tried to find this species the previous year in a different location but failed. This summer, I encountered the beautiful viper specimen basking during the late morning in a forest clearing.
Grass Snake by Frank Portillo, on Flickr
Blue Ground Beetle by Frank Portillo, on Flickr
Kalnik by Frank Portillo, on Flickr
European Smooth Snake by Frank Portillo, on Flickr
European Marsh Frog by Frank Portillo, on Flickr
Forest Sunrise by Frank Portillo, on Flickr
Grass Snake by Frank Portillo, on Flickr
European Common Toad by Frank Portillo, on Flickr
Slow Worm Lizard by Frank Portillo, on Flickr
Water Lily Flower by Frank Portillo, on Flickr
European Smooth Snake by Frank Portillo, on Flickr
Nose-horned Viper by Frank Portillo, on Flickr
Nose-horned Viper by Frank Portillo, on Flickr
After my return from Europe, I took a friend on her first herping experience. We explored several areas throughout West Texas. Unfortunately, the entire Trans-Pecos was hit with a funky heat wave; the temperature soared into 110s. Night temperatures of 95+ were not uncommon. Despite the weather, I had a lot of fun on this excursion and we were able to see a decent amount of herp movement.
Texas Banded Gecko by Frank Portillo, on Flickr
Long-nosed Snake by Frank Portillo, on Flickr
Glossy Snake by Frank Portillo, on Flickr
Long-nosed Snake by Frank Portillo, on Flickr
Texas Night Snake by Frank Portillo, on Flickr
Mexican Hognose Snake by Frank Portillo, on Flickr
I spent the rest of the summer mostly exploring West Texas with a handful of trips to New Mexico and Arizona sprinkled in between. I found two more gray-banded kingsnakes during the summer months, both exciting and unique encounters. I was also finally able to photograph a gray-banded kingsnake in-situ, something I had not tried in my previous encounters with alterna because of the high probability of losing those snakes.
Desert Kingsnake by Frank Portillo, on Flickr
Trans-Pecos Rat Snake in Habitat by Frank Portillo, on Flickr
Mojave Rattlesnake by Frank Portillo, on Flickr
Mottled Rock Rattlesnake by Frank Portillo, on Flickr
Mottled Rock Rattlesnake by Frank Portillo, on Flickr
Gray-banded Kingsnake in Habitat by Frank Portillo, on Flickr
Gray-banded Kingsnake by Frank Portillo, on Flickr
Gray-banded Kingsnake by Frank Portillo, on Flickr
Mojave Rattlesnake by Frank Portillo, on Flickr
Desert Kingsnake by Frank Portillo, on Flickr
Black-necked Garter Snake by Frank Portillo, on Flickr
Great Plains Skink by Frank Portillo, on Flickr
Banded Rock Rattlesnake by Frank Portillo, on Flickr
Banded Rock Rattlesnake by Frank Portillo, on Flickr
Summer Rains by Frank Portillo, on Flickr
Majestic Davis Mountains by Frank Portillo, on Flickr
Baird's Rat Snake by Frank Portillo, on Flickr
Mottled Rock Rattlesnake by Frank Portillo, on Flickr
Mottled Rock Rattlesnake by Frank Portillo, on Flickr
Gray-banded Kingsnake (In situ) by Frank Portillo, on Flickr
Gray-banded Kingsnake by Frank Portillo, on Flickr
West Texas Monsoon by Frank Portillo, on Flickr
Figeater Beetle by Frank Portillo, on Flickr
Brady and Anubis in AZ by Frank Portillo, on Flickr
Southeastern Arizona by Frank Portillo, on Flickr
Arizona Ridge-nosed Rattlesnake by Frank Portillo, on Flickr
Sonoran Lyre Snake by Frank Portillo, on Flickr
Desert Box Turtle by Frank Portillo, on Flickr
Ornate Black-tailed Rattlesnake by Frank Portillo, on Flickr
Madrean alligator lizard by Frank Portillo, on Flickr
Madrean Alligator Lizard by Frank Portillo, on Flickr
Green Rat Snake by Frank Portillo, on Flickr
Ornate Black-tailed Rattlesnake by Frank Portillo, on Flickr
Prairie Rattlesnake by Frank Portillo, on Flickr
Mojave Rattlesnake by Frank Portillo, on Flickr
Western Diamondback Rattlesnake by Frank Portillo, on Flickr
Mountain Patchnose Snake by Frank Portillo, on Flickr
Mexican Black Kingsnake by Frank Portillo, on Flickr
Ornate Black-tailed Rattlesnake by Frank Portillo, on Flickr
The fall can be quite a productive time to herp, and this year did not let me down. On a particular weekend outing during late September, I found 60+ snakes represented by a good amount of diversity. I'll finish this post with photos from fall herping.
Western Hognose Snake by Frank Portillo, on Flickr
Anubis and Canela by Frank Portillo, on Flickr
Black Range by Frank Portillo, on Flickr
Mojave Rattlesnake by Frank Portillo, on Flickr
Western Hognose Snake by Frank Portillo, on Flickr
View From Above by Frank Portillo, on Flickr
Sonoran Gopher Snake by Frank Portillo, on Flickr
Regal Ring-necked Snake by Frank Portillo, on Flickr
Regal Ring-necked Snake by Frank Portillo, on Flickr
Neonate Desert Massasauga by Frank Portillo, on Flickr
Desert Massasauga by Frank Portillo, on Flickr
Mottled Rock Rattlesnake in Habitat by Frank Portillo, on Flickr
Mottled Rock Rattlesnake by Frank Portillo, on Flickr
Trans-Pecos Copperhead by Frank Portillo, on Flickr
Checkered Garter Snake by Frank Portillo, on Flickr
Western Diamondback Rattlesnake by Frank Portillo, on Flickr
Western Diamondback Rattlesnake by Frank Portillo, on Flickr
Big Bend Patchnose Snake by Frank Portillo, on Flickr
Western Hognose Snake by Frank Portillo, on Flickr
Mottled Rock Rattlesnake by Frank Portillo, on Flickr
Mexican Hognose Snake by Frank Portillo, on Flickr
Baird's Rat Snake by Frank Portillo, on Flickr
Mottled Rock Rattlesnake by Frank Portillo, on Flickr
Mottled Rock Rattlesnake by Frank Portillo, on Flickr
Desert Box Turtle by Frank Portillo, on Flickr
Western Hognose by Frank Portillo, on Flickr
Western Hognose by Frank Portillo, on Flickr
Prairie Rattlesnake by Frank Portillo, on Flickr
Organ Mountains by Frank Portillo, on Flickr
Great Blue Heron by Frank Portillo, on Flickr
Collard Lizard by Frank Portillo, on Flickr
Western Hognose Snake by Frank Portillo, on Flickr
Western Coachwhip by Frank Portillo, on Flickr
Sandhill Cranes by Frank Portillo, on Flickr
Eurasian Blue Tit by Frank Portillo, on Flickr
Coal Tit by Frank Portillo, on Flickr
Hidalgo Sunset by Frank Portillo, on Flickr
Thanks for reading.
Cheers!
Mottled Rock Rattlesnake by Frank Portillo, on Flickr
2017 recap
Moderator: Scott Waters
Re: 2017 recap
Stupendous. You got to some fun places and had some good times. Nice pics too BTW. I have a few impertinent questions burning holes in my brain, but will try to show a little restraint and leave you be.
Ah, here's just one harmless one. Did you walk any of those early-season 'saugas?
Thanks for the vicarious adventure. It's a bleak bleak bleak time of year where I'm at.
Good luck with that defense, if it's still ahead of you.
cheers
Ah, here's just one harmless one. Did you walk any of those early-season 'saugas?
Thanks for the vicarious adventure. It's a bleak bleak bleak time of year where I'm at.
Good luck with that defense, if it's still ahead of you.
cheers
Re: 2017 recap
Incredible post. It makes me excited to herp the USA in 2018.
Re: 2017 recap
Too much amazing stuff man. For me, the red rattler pic really got me. I think it's sometimes very difficult to sum up a whole year--there's lots of stories "between" the pictures here.
- achillesbeast
- Posts: 46
- Joined: July 15th, 2012, 9:52 am
Re: 2017 recap
Thank you all for the comments and compliments.
Jimi: All of the early season saugas were cruised.
Jimi: All of the early season saugas were cruised.
- Fieldherper
- Posts: 252
- Joined: June 11th, 2010, 10:46 am
Re: 2017 recap
Epic year. Amazing shots!
FH
FH
- orionmystery
- Posts: 674
- Joined: December 26th, 2012, 11:48 pm
- Location: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
- Contact:
Re: 2017 recap
Excellent set! Those horned lizards are too awesome!
- chris_mcmartin
- Posts: 2447
- Joined: June 9th, 2010, 12:13 am
- Location: Greater Houston TX Area
- Contact:
Re: 2017 recap
Are ALL of your herping seasons this amazing? You really cleaned up on some traditionally "hard to find" species.
Re: 2017 recap
Hey Chris, you're not still chasing Moby Alterna are you? Heh heh heh. Hope not. I like Frank's super dark one the best, myself. Same goes for the darkest common king - nice animal.You really cleaned up on some traditionally "hard to find" species.
Frank - just curious, (sorry if I asked this before, I know we have exchanged a little about them), how helpful do you find your dogs to be, in your herping? I love hiking with my dog, but I just can't herp with him. The panting alone would hinder detections, but his sheer "busy-ness" all around me is fairly guaranteed to drive everything underground before I get there. Then once he gets a little tired, he's right at my heel. Do you just make them stay 10 feet behind you, or what?
- achillesbeast
- Posts: 46
- Joined: July 15th, 2012, 9:52 am
Re: 2017 recap
Thanks!Fieldherper wrote:Epic year. Amazing shots!
FH
- achillesbeast
- Posts: 46
- Joined: July 15th, 2012, 9:52 am
Re: 2017 recap
Agreed, horned lizards are great. Thanks!orionmystery wrote:Excellent set! Those horned lizards are too awesome!
- achillesbeast
- Posts: 46
- Joined: July 15th, 2012, 9:52 am
Re: 2017 recap
chris_mcmartin wrote:Are ALL of your herping seasons this amazing? You really cleaned up on some traditionally "hard to find" species.
Not all my seasons; a lot of effort and a lot of luck this year. Hope to get similar results this coming season!
- achillesbeast
- Posts: 46
- Joined: July 15th, 2012, 9:52 am
Re: 2017 recap
Jimi: More than anything, my dogs keep me company. They tend not to disturb critters as they are normally on my heel the entire hike. Anubis, does help on occassion. He has found klauberi, and atrox/ornatus hibernacula.Jimi wrote:Hey Chris, you're not still chasing Moby Alterna are you? Heh heh heh. Hope not. I like Frank's super dark one the best, myself. Same goes for the darkest common king - nice animal.You really cleaned up on some traditionally "hard to find" species.
Frank - just curious, (sorry if I asked this before, I know we have exchanged a little about them), how helpful do you find your dogs to be, in your herping? I love hiking with my dog, but I just can't herp with him. The panting alone would hinder detections, but his sheer "busy-ness" all around me is fairly guaranteed to drive everything underground before I get there. Then once he gets a little tired, he's right at my heel. Do you just make them stay 10 feet behind you, or what?
Re: 2017 recap
I would love to herp with my dogs but I fear they would be a bit too inquisitive around hots and being on the smaller side, a bite would prove fatal in minutes...
Awesome set of photos!
Bart
Awesome set of photos!
Bart
- Jeremy Wright
- Posts: 144
- Joined: December 14th, 2015, 4:56 pm
Re: 2017 recap
What an epic post Frank! Glad I could help when you came over to California as well!
I really dig those shots, especially that alterna and the viperas! My dad's side of the family is in england / france so I've been lucky enough to see a few adders before. Always fun little snakes.
-Jeremy
I really dig those shots, especially that alterna and the viperas! My dad's side of the family is in england / france so I've been lucky enough to see a few adders before. Always fun little snakes.
-Jeremy
Re: 2017 recap
Looks like a great year! Great shots too. Your lighting is very clean and your habitat shots very well composed!
Hopefully 2018 will be as kind as 2017!!!
Nicholas
Hopefully 2018 will be as kind as 2017!!!
Nicholas
- achillesbeast
- Posts: 46
- Joined: July 15th, 2012, 9:52 am
Re: 2017 recap
Definitely would not want to take that big risk.RenoBart wrote:I would love to herp with my dogs but I fear they would be a bit too inquisitive around hots and being on the smaller side, a bite would prove fatal in minutes...
Awesome set of photos!
Bart
- achillesbeast
- Posts: 46
- Joined: July 15th, 2012, 9:52 am
Re: 2017 recap
Thanks, Jeremy! The European Vipera are pretty awesome. Hopefully I can see a few more species in the coming years.Jeremy Wright wrote:What an epic post Frank! Glad I could help when you came over to California as well!
I really dig those shots, especially that alterna and the viperas! My dad's side of the family is in england / france so I've been lucky enough to see a few adders before. Always fun little snakes.
-Jeremy
- achillesbeast
- Posts: 46
- Joined: July 15th, 2012, 9:52 am
Re: 2017 recap
Thanks for the compliments, Nicholas! I'm hoping 2018 will be another great one.Nicholas wrote:Looks like a great year! Great shots too. Your lighting is very clean and your habitat shots very well composed!
Hopefully 2018 will be as kind as 2017!!!
Nicholas