Anyways, I finally finished editing, organizing, and uploading all my photographs from 2017. Last year was by far the most productive herping year for me so far. I entered 118 species into the H.E.R.P. Database, 89 of them from California, the others from a trip I took to Oregon and Arizona. These are my top 100 species because a few species I only saw as DOR, only got terrible shots, or were lame invasive species that aren’t as meaningful to me. Also 100 is a nice round number compared to 118. There is no rhyme or reason to the way I organized this post. It is roughly taxonomical and within that is ordered from least favorite specimen/find/photograph to my favorites. It’s impossible for me to pick out absolute favorites so it’s only roughly linear. For some I added back story some I didn’t, depending on how interesting it was.
2017 was relatively rainy compared to past years in California’s infamous drought. I took a lot of local day trips and a couple overnight trips with Jeremy Wright who was a pleasure to herp with. I got a lot of lifers this year, far more than in past years.
Here’s a brief chronological summary of 2017 by month: January was filled with a lot of amphibian life in socal. February was the month of Rosy Boas and Cal Kings. March produced some of my best herp in habitat shots. April was filled with Mountain Kings. May and June were very productive in the desert, lots of fun road cruising. July sucked herping wise except for a sea turtle. August was amazing, I went to Oregon with my Mom to catch the total eclipse and went herping with Dr. Richard Hoyer, and then herped Southern Arizona with my dad. September herping was virtually nonexistent. October consisted of one trip to the Mojave and a lot of freediving. November was basically October without any herping at all. December was very exciting with some local southern salamander magic and a trip to Northern California with my dad where we met with Zach Lim in Santa Cruz and Chad Lane in Mendocino County and found a ton of salamanders.
Aside from herping, I did a lot of freediving/underwater photography, tried to do more landscape photography, and had some pretty majestic experiences with mammals. In the summer-winter I made a lot of improvement on my underwater photography skills. The kelp forests off socal prove to be home to a plethora of bizarre and fascinating inhabitants. I’ve only scratched the surface of what I can possibly find. Despite the fact that this is a herping forum, I will display some of my nonherp photography in this post. I wasn’t able to figure out a convenient/organized way to include these shots in this post so it’s gonna be quite random. Enough jibber jabber, let’s get to the photos now.
Invasives
I found several invasive species in urban and natural settings. I’ve only included a couple of the cooler ones in this post though.
Species #1: Rio Grande Leopard Frog (Lithobates berlandieri)
I found several of these cool looking frogs while searching for my lifer Checkered Garter (Which I still haven’t seen) near the Salton Sea in Riverside County.
Rio Grande Leopard Frog (Lithobates berlandieri) by NicholasHess, on FlickrSpecies #2: Asian Flat-Tailed House Gecko (Hemidactylus platyurus)
Not the most spectacular shot but it was a H.E.R.P. county record.
Asian Flat-tailed House Gecko (Hemidactylus platyurus) by NicholasHess, on FlickrSpecies #3: Moorish Wall Gecko (Tarentola mauratinica)
I personally discovered a population of these geckos in Los Angeles County in 2016 but wasn’t able to get any good shots. Despite them being an invasive species I enjoyed photographing them a lot.
Moorish Wall Gecko (Tarentola mauratinica) by NicholasHess, on Flickr
Moorish Wall Gecko (Tarentola mauratinica) by NicholasHess, on Flickr
Moorish Wall Gecko (Tarentola mauratinica) by NicholasHess, on FlickrLizards
Species #4: Ornate Tree Lizard (Urosaurus ornatus)
Saw some of these guys in AZ and didn’t spend any time at all trying to photograph them.
Ornate Tree Lizard (Urosaurus ornatus) by NicholasHess, on FlickrSpecies #5: Western Long-tailed Brush Lizard (Urosaurus graciosus graciosus)
I’m always very happy when I manage to spot these highly camouflaged lizards amongst the branches of a bush.
Western Long-tailed Brush Lizard (Urosaurus graciosus graciosus) by NicholasHess, on FlickrSpecies #6: Common Side-Blotched Lizard (Uta stansburiana elegans)
These guys are usually the most commonly seen lizard in my area.
Common Side-Blotched Lizard (Uta stansburiana elegans) by NicholasHess, on Flickr
Common Sideblotch Lizard (Uta stansburiana elegans) by NicholasHess, on FlickrSpecies #7: Great Basin Fence Lizard (Sceloporus occidentalis longipes)
This is one of my favorite “fence” lizard shots. And yes, it is in situ.
Great Basin Fence Lizard (Sceloporus occidentalis longipes) by NicholasHess, on FlickrSpecies #8 Southern Sagebrush Lizard (Sceloporus graciosus vandenburgianus)
Southern Sagebrush Lizard (Sceloporus graciosus vandenburgianus) by NicholasHess, on FlickrSpecies #9: Granite Spiny Lizard (Sceloporus orcutti)
These lizards are a common sight, but some can be extremely colorful.
Granite Spiny Lizard (Sceloporus orcutti) by NicholasHess, on Flickr
Granite Spiny Lizard (Sceloporus orcutti) by NicholasHess, on FlickrSpecies #10: Yellow-backed Spiny Lizard (Sceloporus uniformis)
Yellow-backed Spiny Lizard (Sceloporus uniformis) by NicholasHess, on FlickrSpecies #11: Purple-backed Spiny Lizard (Sceloporus magister magister)
Purple-backed Spiny Lizard (Sceloporus magister magister) by NicholasHess, on FlickrSpecies #12: Yarrow's Spiny Lizard (Sceloporus jarrovii)
They may be really common where they live, but I love them!
Yarrow's Spiny Lizard (Sceloporus jarrovii) by NicholasHess, on Flickr
Yarrow's Spiny Lizard (Sceloporus jarrovii) by NicholasHess, on FlickrSpecies #13: San Diego Alligator Lizard (Elgaria multicarinata webbii)
San Diego Alligator Lizard (Elgaria multicarinata webbii) by NicholasHess, on FlickrI tried something different on this shot.
Southern Alligator Lizard (Elgaria multicarinata webbii) by NicholasHess, on FlickrSpecies #14: Northwestern Alligator Lizard (Elgaria coerulea principis) LIFER!
Found my lifer principis up in Orgegon.
Northwestern Alligator Lizard (Elgaria coerulea principis) by NicholasHess, on FlickrSpecies #15: Madrean Alligator Lizard (Elgaria kingii) LIFER!
I love the distinctive banding on these alligator lizards.
Madrean Alligator Lizard (Elgaria kingii) by NicholasHess, on FlickrSpecies #16: Sonoran Spotted Whiptail (Aspidoscelis sonorae)
Sonoran Spotted Whiptail (Aspidoscelis sonorae) by NicholasHess, on FlickrSpecies #17: Tiger Whiptail (Aspidoscelis tigris)
Coastal Whiptail (Aspidoscelis tigris stejnegri)
Coastal Whiptail (Aspidoscelis tigris stejnegri) by NicholasHess, on Flickr
Coastal Whiptail (Aspidoscelis tigris stejnegri) by NicholasHess, on FlickrGreat Basin Whiptail (Aspidoscelis tigris tigris)
Watching this Kestrel eat a whiptail was very cool. Especially since they are one of my favorite bird species.
American Kestrel (Falco sparverius) eating a Whiptail (Aspidoscelis tigris) by NicholasHess, on FlickrSpecies #18: Belding's Orange-throated Whiptail (Aspidoscelis hyperythra beldingi)
Evidently I didn’t get very good shots of these speedy lizards.
Belding's Orange-throated Whiptail (Aspidoscelis hyperythra beldingi) by NicholasHess, on FlickrSpecies 19: Skilton's Skink (Plestiodon skiltonianus skiltonianus)
This individual was a stunner.
Skilton's Skink (Plestiodon skiltonianus skiltonianus) by NicholasHess, on Flickr
Skilton's Skink (Plestiodon skiltonianus skiltonianus) by NicholasHess, on FlickrSpecies #20: Red-Tailed Skink (Plestiodon gilberti rubicaudatus)
Red-Tailed Skink (Plestiodon gilberti rubicaudatus) by NicholasHess, on FlickrSpecies #21: Western Banded Gecko (Coleonyx variegatus)
I actually found three different ssp.
Desert Banded Gecko (Coleonyx variegatus variegatus)
Desert Banded Gecko (Coleonyx variegatus variegatus) by NicholasHess, on Flickr
Desert Banded Gecko (Coleonyx variegatus variegatus) by NicholasHess, on FlickrSan Diego Banded Gecko (Coleonyx abbotti)
San Diego Banded Gecko (Coleonyx abbotti) by NicholasHess, on Flickr
San Diego Banded Gecko (Coleonyx variegatus abbotti) by NicholasHess, on FlickrTucson Banded Gecko (Coleonyx variegatus bogerti) LIFER!
Tucson Banded Gecko (Coleonyx variegatus bogerti) by NicholasHess, on FlickrSpecies #22: Western Zebra-tailed Lizard (Callisaurus draconoides rhodostictus)
Western Zebra-tailed Lizard (Callisaurus draconoides rhodostictus) by NicholasHess, on FlickrI love the way they swing their tails around.
Western Zebra-tailed Lizard (Callisaurus draconoides rhodostictus) by NicholasHess, on FlickrSpecies #23: Desert Night Lizard (Xantusia vigilis)
Desert Night Lizard (Xantusia vigilis) by NicholasHess, on FlickrSpecies #24: Common Chuckwalla (Sauromalus ater)
Here are two chuckwallas of different color variants. The first from Joshua Tree, the second from Palm Springs.
Common Chuckwalla (Sauromalus ater) by NicholasHess, on Flickr
Common Chuckwalla (Sauromalus ater) by NicholasHess, on FlickrSpecies #25: Desert Iguana (Dipsosaurus dorsalis dorsalis)
Desert Iguana (Dipsosaurus dorsalis dorsalis) by NicholasHess, on Flickr
Desert Iguana (Dipsosaurus dorsalis dorsalis) by NicholasHess, on FlickrSpecies #26: Southern California Legless Lizard (Aniella stebbinsi)
I seldom see these guys, but when I do I always see them in huge numbers.
Southern California Legless Lizard (Aniella stebbinsi) by NicholasHess, on Flickr
Southern California Legless Lizard (Aniella stebbinsi) by NicholasHess, on FlickrSpecies #27: Banded Rock Lizard (Petrosaurus mearnsi)
Banded Rock Lizard (Petrosaurus mearnsi) by NicholasHess, on FlickrSpecies #28: Granite Night Lizard (Xantusia henshawii)
Granite Night Lizard (Xantusia henshawii) by NicholasHess, on Flickr
San Diego Banded Gecko (Coleonyx variegatus abbotti) and Granite Night Lizard (Xantusia henshawii) by NicholasHess, on FlickrSpecies #29: Southern Desert Horned Lizard (Phrynosoma platyrhinos calidiarum)
Southern Desert Horned Lizard (Phrynosoma platyrhinos calidiarum) by NicholasHess, on Flickr
Southern Desert Horned Lizard (Phrynosoma platyrhinos calidiarum) by NicholasHess, on FlickrSpecies #30: Greater Short-horned Lizard (Phrynosoma hernandesi)
I saw a few of these guys in Sothern Arizona but all of them were tiny.
Greater Short-horned Lizard (Phrynosoma hernandesi) by NicholasHess, on FlickrSpecies #31: Great Basin Collared Lizard (Crotaphytus bicinctores)
Great Basin Collared Zard (Crotaphytus bicintores) by NicholasHess, on FlickrI found this individual at a known population on the coastal slopes of the San Gabriel Mountains.
Great Basin Collared Lizard (Crotaphytus bicinctores) by NicholasHess, on FlickrSpecies #32: Longnose Leopard Lizard (Gambelia wislizenii)
Male vs. Female
Longnose Leopard Lizard (Gambelia wislizenii) by NicholasHess, on Flickr
Longnose Leopard Lizard (Gambelia wislizenii) by NicholasHess, on FlickrSpecies #33: Peninsula Leaf-toed Gecko (Phyllodactylus nocticolus nocticolus)
Peninsula Leaf-toed Gecko (Phyllodactylus nocticolus nocticolus) by NicholasHess, on FlickrSpecies #34: Coachella Valley Fringe-toed Lizard (Uma inornata)
Coachella Valley Fringe-toed Lizard (Uma inornata) by NicholasHess, on FlickrSpecies #35: Coast Horned Lizard (Phrynosoma blainville)
Coast Horned Lizard (Phrynosoma blainville) by NicholasHess, on Flickr
Coast Horned Lizard (Phrynosoma blainvillii) by NicholasHess, on Flickr
Coastal Horned Lizard (Phrynosoma blainvillii) by NicholasHess, on FlickrSpecies #36: Colorado Desert Fringe-toed Lizard (Uma notata) LIFER!
Not the greatest shot or find but it was still a lifer for me.
Colorado Desert Fringe-toed Lizard (Uma notata) by NicholasHess, on FlickrSpecies #37: Sandstone Night Lizard (Xantusia gracilis) LIFER!
One very successful herping trip with Jeff Nordland, Chris Patnaude, Nathan Smith, Jeremy Wright, and Dave Zeldin, produced my top three lizards of the year. Thanks a ton to Jeff for organizing such a fun outing! It was a long trek into the canyon where these night zards dwell but once we reached the canyon bottom, we were instantly rewarded when Jeff spotted this beauty hanging on a wall.
Sandstone Night Lizard (Xantusia gracilis) by NicholasHess, on Flickr
Sandstone Night Lizard (Xantusia gracilis) by NicholasHess, on FlickrSpecies #38: Switak’s Banded Gecko (Coleonyx switaki) LIFER!
It didn’t take long to find one of these unique geckoes with five different cars driving the same stretch of road. Dave was the lucky one to spot this bugger and share his find with everyone else. Awesome find Dave!
Penninsular Banded Gecko (Coleonyx switaki) by NicholasHess, on FlickrSpecies #39: Flat-tailed Horned Lizard (Phrynosoma mcalli)
On the same trip, before it got dark, I saw this horned lizard sitting in a bush from the car within just a minute or two of searching. I couldn’t believe I had spotted one so quickly and from a moving vehicle. This was the first of three seen.
Flat-tailed Horned Lizard (Phrynosoma mcalli) by NicholasHess, on FlickrOf course while herping, you often see other wildlife as well. Here are some of my favorite nonherp encounters/photographs I took while herping 2017.
Red Tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) by NicholasHess, on Flickr
Tarantula (Aphonopelma sp.) by NicholasHess, on FlickrThey may be common elsewhere, but this was the first time I ever got decent shots of a bald eagle.
Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) by NicholasHess, on FlickrI know in certain desert canyons in San Diego County these guys are very approachable and common. But I was still excited to see them as they weren’t found in that canyon and I hadn’t seen any close up for some time.
Bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis) by NicholasHess, on Flickr
Bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis) by NicholasHess, on Flickr
Bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis) by NicholasHess, on Flickr
Bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis) by NicholasHess, on FlickrSomehow in all my years of herping and hiking in prime bear habitat, I had never seen a wild bear until this August in Arizona. I didn’t get the greatest shots but I was very excited.
American Black Bear (Ursus americanus) by NicholasHess, on FlickrMy favorite wildlife encounter of the year is most certainly the time I photographed a mother bobcat and her kittens. As I was looking for boas in a large outcrop, out of the corner of my eye I saw an adult bobcat perched high on a rock. I slowly approached and when I was about 20 ft away, I photographed it for well over five minutes. I called Jeremy over for him to get some shots. After the bobcat left the cave, Jeremy spotted two kittens in a crack in the outcrop. We got some quick shots and left the premises soon after, as to not disturb them.
Bobcat (Lynx rufous) by NicholasHess, on Flickr
Bobcat (Lynx rufous) by NicholasHess, on Flickr
Bobcat (Lynx rufous) by NicholasHess, on Flickr
Bobcat (Lynx rufous) by NicholasHess, on Flickr
Bobcat Kitten (Lynx rufous) by NicholasHess, on FlickrAnurans
Species #40: Canyon Treefrog (Hyla arenicolor)
Canyon Treefrog (Hyla arenicolor) by NicholasHess, on FlickrSpecies #41: California Treefrog (Pseudacris cadaverina)
California Treefrog (Pseudacris cadaverina) by NicholasHess, on Flickr
California Treefrog (Pseudacris cadaverina) by NicholasHess, on FlickrSpecies #42: California Toads (Anaxyrus boreas halophilus)
California Toads (Anaxyrus boreas halophilus) by NicholasHess, on Flickr
Western Toad (Anaxyrus boreas halophilus) by NicholasHess, on FlickrSpecies #43: Baja California Treefrog (Pseudacris hypocondriaca)
Baja California Treefrog (Pseudacris hypocondriaca) by NicholasHess, on Flickr
Baja Treefrog (Pseudacris hypochondriaca) by NicholasHess, on FlickrSpecies #44: Northern Pacific Treefrog (Pseudacris regilla) LIFER!
Northern Pacific Treefrog (Pseudacris regilla) by NicholasHess, on FlickrSpecies #45: Woodhouse’s or Great Plains Toad? PLEASE VERIFY!!! Either way LIFER!
Found in Cochise County.
Toad ID Please! by NicholasHess, on Flickr
Toad ID Please! by NicholasHess, on Flickr
Toad ID Please! by NicholasHess, on FlickrSpecies #46: Red-Spotted Toad (Anaxyrus punctatus)
Red-Spotted Toad (Anaxyrus punctatus) by NicholasHess, on Flickr
Red-Spotted Toad (Anaxyrus punctatus) by NicholasHess, on Flickr
Red-Spotted Toad (Anaxyrus puctatus) by NicholasHess, on FlickrSpecies #47: Sonoran Desert Toad (Ollotis alvaria)
Sonoran Desert Toad (Ollotis alvaria) by NicholasHess, on FlickrSpecies #48: Lowland Leopard Frog (Lithobates yavapaiensis) LIFER!
Lowland Leopard Frog (Lithobates yavapaiensis) by NicholasHess, on Flickr
Lowland Leopard Frog (Lithobates yavapaiensis) by NicholasHess, on FlickrSpecies #49: Mexican Spadefoot (Spea multiplicata) LIFER!
Mexican Spadefoot (Spea multiplicata) by NicholasHess, on FlickrSpecies #50: California Red-Legged Frog (Rana draytonii)
One of three found in Los Angeles County.
California Red-Legged Frog (Rana draytonii) by NicholasHess, on FlickrSpecies #51: Southern Mountain Yellow-Legged Frog (Rana muscosa)
Southern Mountain Yellow-Legged Frog (Rana muscosa) by NicholasHess, on FlickrSpecies #52: Western Spadefoot (Spea hammondii)
I can never get enough of spadefoots incredible eyes!
Western Spadefoot (Spea hammondii) by NicholasHess, on Flickr
Western Spadefoot (Spea hammondii) by NicholasHess, on Flickr
Western Spadefoot (Spea hammondii) by NicholasHess, on Flickr
Western Spadefoot (Spea hammondii) by NicholasHess, on FlickrSpecies #53: Arroyo Toad (Anaxyrus californicus) LIFER!
My lifer Arroyo Toads were actually little tadpoles that I wasn’t sure about the ID. After the tadpoles were verified as arroyos by Sam Sweet, we returned and found adults. Not only were they lifers for me, but they were found at a locale where there population status was previously unknown.
Arroyo Toad (Anaxyrus californicus) by NicholasHess, on FlickrIn this shot you can see how the toad had dug himself into the sand.
Arroyo Toad (Anaxyrus californicus) by NicholasHess, on FlickrTurtles
Species #54: Western Pond Turtle (Actinemys marmorata)
Western Pond Turtle (Actinemys marmorata) by NicholasHess, on Flickr
Western Pond Turtle (Actinemys marmorata) by NicholasHess, on Flickr
Western Pond Turtle (Actinemys marmorata) by NicholasHess, on FlickrSpecies #55: Green Sea Turtle (Chelonia mydas)
Although I could barely make out my fingertips in the murky water, watching this sea turtle off San Diego was a very special moment for me. In case you didn’t know, there is a tiny population of turtles off California living in shallow water. This was likely the only turtle within a 30 mile radius so needless to say I got extremely lucky.
Green Sea Turtle (Chelonia mydas) by NicholasHess, on Flickr
Green Sea Turtle (Chelonia mydas) by NicholasHess, on Flickr
Green Sea Turtle (Chelonia mydas) by NicholasHess, on FlickrSince we’re on the subject of marine life here are some of my favorite underwater photographs from 2017:
Pacific Angel Shark (Squatina californica) by NicholasHess, on Flickr
Harbor Seal (Phoca vitulina) by NicholasHess, on Flickr
California Moray Eel (Gymnothorax mordax) by NicholasHess, on Flickr
California Two-Spot Octopus (Octopus bimaculoides) by NicholasHess, on Flickr
Spanish Shawl (Flabellina iodnea) by NicholasHess, on Flickr
