Rattlesnake Roundups...

One of the unfortunate truths to face as a nature lover, and a herper, is that every year hundreds of snakes will be barbarically butchered each year in the southern US.  I am not even referring to the woefully high road mortality, or the persecution by hunters and landowners.  Each year, hundreds of snakes are captured by spraying gasoline down burrows that many other animals use, and then all slaughtered in front of crowds who love to cheer on the blood and gore.  These roundups typically occur in Texas, the Sweetwater Jaycees Annual Rattlesnake Roundup being the most well known, but also occur in parts of the SE US.

I won't provide them web traffic by leading your to pictures of the event.  I also won't ever drink a Coors beer again as they are one of the events biggest sponsors.  Instead I will show a couple pictures of healthy western diamondback rattlesnakes that were not found by gassing burrows, and I will highlight how a terrible thing can be transformed for the good.

One of the countries other biggest yearly roundups occurred in Claxton, Georgia.  Concerned individuals were able to convince the organizers of the event to change the roundup from an event focused on persecution and slaughter to a celebration of all wildlife.  This year, the "45th" Annual Claxton Rattlesnake and Wildlife Festival was held, although really the first under this new name.  They were able to draw much more vendors, including zoos, conservation organizations who were all very supportive of the new direction of the event.  The event still drew 15000 visitors over two days and was still a success.

Check out this article on the Orienne Society's website, a wonderful conservation society that focuses on reptiles and amphibians.

Will the Sweetwater Roundup ever go the way of the dodo?  Hard to tell at this point, but if smaller roundups can show they are successful even after a change in "format" maybe there will be hope for the future.

Arizona: SE

Brian, Carl and I were now a few days into our Arizona trip.  We had been doing pretty well, but we had missed out on a few targets.  Morale was a little low from a tough couple of days near Sedona.  We orchestrated our exodus from Phoenix and the north well though and were in location to cruise about 30 minutes before dusk near Tuscon.  We met up with an old buddy of mine who moved out to Tuscon this year, Mike R, enjoyed a quick car sandwich and hit the road.  I had been a little worried about running into masses of other herpers because the Biology of Rattlesnakes Symposium was currently underway in Tuscon.  We chose a less traveled location hoping traffic would be low...

A couple of passes were not fruitful, and we couldn't help but worry about plummeting temperatures and blustery winds.  Finally, a snake was spotted...

Gopher Snake Pituophis catenifer

We also noticed 2 or 3 other cars joining us on the road.

I spotted a stick-looking snake and called out to stop and check it out.  I wasn't too confident, and as we were backing up, I couldn't find what caught my eye.  Luckily, Mike saw it and yelled out "It's moving!"  Game on!

Tiger Rattlesnake Crotalus tigris

We kept at it and noticed another car pulled over on the road.  They were photographing a tiger rattlesnake of their own.

A little bit later we quickly photographed a WBD moving across the road.  One of the other cars pulled up and we told them what we were photographing.  A few of the cars inhabitants had never seen a WBD before so they filed out to get some pictures.  We were anxious to move on so Carl and I hopped in the car and started it up.  Brian and Mike stayed back...  I was being abnoxious, saying things like "Time to go!" and "Snakes are moving!".  Turns out none of the 4 people from the car (1 guy driving and 3 girls) had a flashlight.  They were all stupidly holding their phones out to try and light the snake with their "light apps".  It would have been funny if it wasn't so stupid.  Who in their right mind cruises at night in Arizona, basically for rattlesnakes, without a flashlight?  Mike and Brian are luckily nice guys and ignored me long enough to assist them with pictures. 

A bit later another group was photographing a young gila on the side of the road.  It was content to just sit on the side of the road and cooperate for pictures.

"beaded" lizard

The road was producing nicely, but it was getting late and we had some other targets on our mind.  Later, we hit pay dirt and got to see some very awesome amphibians.  Numerous border patrol interruptions later...

Sonoran Desert Toad Bufo alvarius

Kiss it.  I double dog dare you.

Great Plains Toad Bufo cognatus

Sonoran Green Toad Bufo retiformis

My favorite toad of the trip.

Lowland Burrowing Treefrog  Smilisca fodiens

Brian was pretty darn happy to see this!

On the way back a few more snakes were moving.

Our first Mohave Rattlesnake since Carl joined us, Crotalus scutulatus.  Unfortunately, we called this an atrox for some silly reason and Carl never got out of the car to look at it.

Long-nosed Snake Rhinocheilus lecontei

Carl and I saw a DOR long-nose, (we won't mention that Mike and Brian drove over it twice...) and an atrox.  We were all dozing off at the wheel, and decided to call it a night.  Many thanks to Mike for everything, and letting us crash on his floor.  I wish we could have spent more time hiking together.

The next morning we set out for a nice long mountain hike.  The weather looked sketchy, but we were ready for anything.  This would be a very memorable day for me...

We saw quite a few Canyon Treefrogs Hyla arenicolor

It started to rain, and true to form, Carl found his specialty crossing the trail.

Ridge-nosed Rattlesnake or Willard's Rattlesnake Crotalus willardi

We got poured on for the couple of hours and my camera gear and flashes started to act a little funky.  Carl came through again though, with another willardi out in the rain.

The rain finally let up and I decided to hike some talus.  Talus, or scree, is fractured, loose rock that has been worn off of a cliff face and can form fields of bare rock.  It is probably not the safest of materials to walk on dry, but soaking wet was just stupid.  I quickly realized my mistake, and was trying to get off the rock when I slip and fell on a large rock with an upward facing pointy edge.  I jumped up immediately to prove to myself I was ok to watch blood spray out of my shin.  Luckily, it didn't bleed that much after or really hurt too much.

Gore Warning:  If you don't like blood, scroll ahead quickly.

War wound

Many thanks to Carl for taking these shots!

I cleaned it out on the mountain and tried to stop the bleeding with a sweaty bandana.  This of course did not work.  The rain picked back up again and darkness was creeping so we started the long walk back to the car.  It was cold and rainy and Brian and Carl decided to call it a night.  I took this wonderful opportunity to get stitched up.  A bunch of stitches later it still looked like crap.

Might as well have done it myself...

And just for good measure, after a course of antibiotics and then a week or so of wet to dry dressings, here it is, now a little more than a month later.

We were feeling refreshed and ready to go the next morning after a good nights sleep, a warm shower and some tasty breakfast.  We got to our site early and quickly started finding stuff.  I was having some major camera problems from the rain and condensation, but after removing all my gear and leaving it in direct sunlight for 30 minutes or so things started to dry out for pictures.

We noticed a lizard rustling through the grass and we were able to use the 3 person corral method to capture it.  

Madrean Alligator Lizard  Elgaria kingii

As I went back to get my backpack from the car, I heard the tell-tale sound of a slither through leaves.  Again, trapping the snake from all angles was useful.

Sonoran Whipsnake  Coluber bilineatus

While looking hard for Arizona Black Rattlesnakes, Brian noticed a turtle a little way from his pond.

Sonoran Mud Turtle Kinosternon sonoriense

We would see a few of the sonoran whipsnakes today.

As well as a couple Black-necked Garter snakes Thamnophis cyrtopsis

Carl was checking out some boulders when we all heard him get buzzed.  Finally another one of my Arizona curses was broken.  Of course, when it rains... it would pour.

Black-tailed Rattlesnake Crotalus molossus

We hiked around a bit more and I went back for my backpack that I had set down to see our molossus had crawled into a hole.  I noticed an obviously dead rat laying for his consuption.  Carl must have spooked him on his way to finish his meal.

I tried, mostly unsuccessfully, to photograph lizards on the way out.  We enjoyed an early dinner with grilled brats, beans and a beer or two waiting for the hour or two before dusk.  It cooled off quickly, but we did see a gopher crossing the road.

Red-spotted Toads Bufo punctatus were numerous and a new species for the trip.

We tried crusing a few other roads as well and just saw more atrox.  It was still one of our better days and we added a bunch of new species to our totals for the trip.

We finished out the night by finding a nice campsite.  Thunderstorms could be heard in all directions and Carl and I were up for doing a motel (remember we didn't think to bring tents?!!?).  Brian assured us the rain wouldn't come for a few hours, if it was going to come at all.  About 10 minutes after we all were tucked into our sleeping bags it started to rain.  I wanted nothing to do with a cold, wet, mildewy bag so I quickly bailed.  They followed a little bit later and we rolled into a motel pretty late this night, tired and cranky...

Stay tuned for more from Arizona soon!

Click here for Part I, Part II, Part III and Part IV.

Arizona 2007

Most of this will be a repost from the trips section of www.buckeyeherps.com, which was a repost from either the now dead www.fieldherpers.com or a very and lost www.fieldherpforum.com.

A trip to the wilds of SE Arizona has been on my wish list for a number of  years now. My initial desire had been sparked while reading Carl Kauffeld's accounts of his travels in the area in his books, Snakes and Snake Hunting and The Keeper and the Kept. As I looked more into the natural history of the state, I knew I had visit and get away from the urban sprawl of Phoenix. Unfortunately, I was unsure when I would be able to have the time to make the trip, or a companion to enjoy to the experience with. Sometime that winter I realized I would have a week off at the end of my school year. I worked on figuring out the exact dates and then mentioned my idea to Carl when I had all my ducks in a row. He was definitely interested in trying to work something out, and thought he would probably be free. Finally, in May we locked ourselves into the trip. 

Due to schedule constraints, I could only go the last week in June, before the onset of the Arizona monsoons. Herps can be difficult to find at best during this time, and this year was no exception. Southern Arizona was being blasted with hot temperatures, had seen little rain, and the end did not look to be near. We knew we had our work cut out for us, but as Carl later reminded me, we didn't know any better! We hoped the small mountain ranges, collectively referred to as the "Sky Islands", would provide us with chances for success. The cooler high elevation temperatures and the increased possibility of rain filled us with some hope. We did our homework, reading old natural history accounts, articles and talking to others who had been successful in the area. Many thanks to those of you who helped answer a few questions for a couple of first times.  My deepest gratitude also goes out to Young for his wonderful hospitality, immeasurable amounts of help and excellent companionship in the field. I still hope someday I can find a way to return the favor.

The timing of the trip was funny in that Ohio also had been experiencing a hot, dry spell that is unusual for June. Typically, June is an amazing time for herps around here, but this year it already felt like late July or early August. The day our flight left was refreshingly cool and there had even been some precipitation! When we arrived at the airport we both mentioned the wonderful weather and joked about our fortunes. Maybe we should have stayed home??   Nah, I don't think so!

Upon landing were excited to grab our bags, hop in the rental and hit the road. The first herp we saw was a Sonoran Desert Toad. I think we expected to see many more during our travels, and due to our excitement, we passed on photos. That was the only toad of that species we were able to capture for pictures over the next 4 days. What were we thinking?!? We met Young that night, said some quick introductions and hit the nearby roads. Nothing was really moving, but we passed up another Sonoran Desert Toad or two (again no pictures?!?) and a Red Spotted Toad. We didn't pass on pictures for this guy, and I am thankful for that. 

Red-spotted Toad Anaxyrus punctatus

We rose early on Sat morning and set out for farther to the southest.  On the way out of Tuscon we had to get some supplies and our hunting permits. Figuring there would be no traffic early on a weekend morning we were greatly disappointed to get stuck in some nasty construction. Here we were, just trying to get out in the wilds, and we were wasting precious morning hours sitting in a car in downtown Tuscon! Somehow we stayed patient - I don't remember too much complaining and we made it to our destination just a little later than planned.  It sure was hot already...

The spot was some very interesting country, and the promise of neat wildlife, seemed to be just around every corner. The first rock I flipped had a massive Scelopendra. I thought it was pretty cool, but again, thinking we would see many more I opted to let it escape. That was the only creature I found under a rock the whole trip. Carl also flipped his only creature under a rock at that site as well. It was a very speedy Sonoran Spotted Whiptail. My pictures from afar turned out pretty shoddy unfortunately. We were able to see another on our hike out. I asked Carl for the noose, and was able to quickly catch my very first whiptail! I admit some cheating coming up. We could only restrain it with a noose, and I very jokingly at the time mentioned we could just photoshop that out after. Well, having never tried this feat before, and being urged on by some recent photoshop projects I had been playing around with, I decided to see what kind of results I could manage. Needless to say, I cheated, but I am pleased with the outcome. Not quite as bad as people posing DORs for books and not mentioning the snake is actually dead...

Sonoran Spotted Whiptail Aspidoscelis sonorae

Looking back, I can't even begin to remember where the noose was!

Young suggested another spot nearby that might have a bit more water this time of the year. We of course happily obliged to check it out as we were hot and ready for a change of scenery. Right after we arrived, clouds seemed to roll in out of nowhere, and the thunder started booming. It only rained for about 20 minutes, but it was decent, and I was hopeful for our chances immediately after. The temps seemed to drop ~15 degrees... Our first find was this neat little Tree Lizard. If I am not mistaken, it was the only one we saw all trip.

Ornate Tree Lizard Urosaurus ornatus

A little bit later, I split off from Young and Carl to hike up a dry creek bed, while they scouted out a little pond. While they checked out invasive Bullfrogs, I happened to hear a slither and a quiet rattle as this little guy saw me and quickly fled... OH SWEET SUCCESS! Carl and I's first rock rattlesnake.

Rock Rattlesnake Crotalus lepidus

I remember this snake being much uglier...

What rattle did I even hear?

On the flight out, Carl and I had discussed many of the species we hoped to be able to observe. We didn't really have any huge goals or aspirations. We just wanted to see as much as possible and enjoy the good times. Of course we tried to put ourselves in the best places for the highest chance of success with a wide variety of species. We figured if we missed out on snakes, there were always lizards or vice versa. The three montane rattlesnakes were up on the unofficial list, but we didn't think we had much chance this time of the year. I think we both decided we would be pleased, and lucky to see one of the three species. We figured we would see plenty of gophersnakes, kings, whipsnakes, glossies, etc to keep us busy and more than happy. To be quite honest, any of those species would have been a lifer for me, and I would have been tickled pink. As lady luck would have it though... our first snake of the trip turned out to be one of the coveted rattlesnakes. I couldn't help but compare my feelings at this moment to the excitement I could feel in Karl Kauffeld's words when he first found his lepidus...

We hiked for a bunch longer without much success. We saw a few Yarrow's spiny lizards, but I will save some pics of them for later. After feeling a bit lost and turned around, we returned back to a dry creek bed that earlier we had thought was the "wrong way" and started our hike back to the car. I have to admit, I was feeling done. It was a good feeling though. We had some success. The weather had cooperated momentarily. I was returning to the car a happy man. We all spoke of the beauty of the country, the luck of the weather, and the wonderful cool temps. Suddenly, Carl yells "WILLARDI!!"  I ran over to his side quickly, filled with complete astonishment.  Never in my wildest dreams did I think we would get two of the montane rattlers! That snake was the species we had thought was the best looking of the three, with the rock rattlesnakes being second. The Price's Rattlesnakes we had said were obviously the ugly ducklings of the bunch... The snake was gorgeous (It really wasn't that good looking). It was beyond my wildest dreams. Please forgive me for many pictures! (I have since cut a few out)

Willard's Rattlesnake or Arizona Ridge-nosed Rattlesnake Crotalus willardi

  

More habitat...

We searched hard the rest of the hike out but were not to see anything else.

The intrepid hunters... 

We parted ways with Young on the way out.  I must have unsuccessfully swerved from some rocks. Poor driving on my part... First I noticed a random warning light up on the dash. I asked Carl what he thought it meant, while I thought to myself it looks like a very poor representation of a flat tire. The car seemed to be driving fine though. We checked the dash, but no manual was to be found. About a minute later I noticed a bit more pull and a weird sound. Pulling over, my fears were realized.

Flat Tire in the middle of nowhere

Carl and I enjoyed our success, and a beer, as we took our time putting on the spare. We found the manual in the process, hidden in the back of the car.   Real help it was to us there...

We set out on the long drive to another part of the state. We tried cruising a famous road that evening but really couldn't keep our eyes open. There was nothing on the road to motivate us either way. We pulled into the trailhead for our hike the next morning late that night, shared a couple beers, some pasta salad and called it a night. Carl was shocked to find I had risen before him a day or two later when I mentioned I had taken this shot. I had opted for sleeping in the car for reasons due to sleeping bag problems. Basically, I bought an expensive, small bag, that I was too tall for. I decided to return it after bringing it along, and had no means of sleeping under the stars. (I don't really remember what this means.  Did I return the bag prior to going, so I had no bag?  Did I decide to return it while out there so I didn't use it?  What did I sleep in while in the car?  Note to self, we did not bring a tent...)

 Carl under the "stars"

Our hike that morning was through some very pretty country. We rose early, and really saw nothing at all but a few whiptails and some unIded anurans on the way in. There was a trickle or so of water here every now and then and we were hopeful to find animals nearby. To our surprise, I spotted this hopping through the middle of a a very dry rock bottom creek. I never guess we would see these down in Arizona.

Great Plains Narrow-mouthed Toad Gastrophryne olivacea

We saw some Clark's Spiny Lizards we were never able to photograph and on the way back out the canyon we spotted a Canyon treefrog hopping through the dry creek, in the middle of the blazing sun. We moved it to shade for pics, but the bastard escaped under a rock - I know poor form on our parts...

Back near the start of the hike, Carl mentioned a whiptail that was running along the trail in front of us. I wasn't too impressed, there was work to be done ya know, and so I stopped to check out a pool of water near the trail. It looked great but nothing seemed to hanging around. Really starting to feel dejected I turned around. Carl had stopped to wait for me and was standing a few feet away on the trail. I quickly noticed the snake at his feet and thought to myself why the hell he hasn't said anything. I noticed his eyes were in the trees, taking in the scenery. After some heated hooping and hollering I snapped this quick picture. The snake was our main target for this particular hike, and I have to say I never thought we would find one!

Here is some camo at it's best... Carl and our target relying on his stick shtick.

Can you see it??  Middle of the frame, complete bottom of the picture..

 

Brown Vinesnake Oxybelis aeneus

Some new lizards decided to show up in the midday sun on our way out. We had some fun with these Elegant Earless Lizards.

Elegant Earless Lizards Holbrookia elegans

Our last herp of the spot, were a couple Chiricahua Leopard frogs that I obtained horrible poor pictures of.

Some scenery from the hike. 

 

 And from the road out.

Ahh Mexico...

And that concludes day two of four.  We will pick up the rest of the trip another time.   Click here for Part II.

BH