Lefty and I went Herpin today!!

Today Trevor and I went to Horse Thief Canyon in San Dimas for a little herping.



And today, for the first time ever...I saw me some SNAKES! Please note, that until today, I had NEVER actually see ANY kind of snake in the wild... EVER!!!!!

So, we trecked up to the top of this hill. It was hot, sunny, and steep. At the top, there is a big flat area, and this wierd, cement, pit-like structure. Don't know what it was for...only that it's been "fenced" off. However, kids or something had cut through the fencing. What sucks about this thing, is it's about 20 feet deep or so...and animals fall down into it and can't get out. There's a catwalk that goes across it, which I hung out on. I wouldn't climb down the latter to go into the pit like Trev did...because, well...there was a skunk trapped down there. No thank you.

This is a really crappy pic taken from the catwalk, to sorta illustrate the place.



He found a pretty beat up gopher snake. Thin, and super dehydrated, who knows how long he was down there.





His lower body seemed to have limited mobility....but he may have just been weak. Poor thing. Trev handed him off to me to relocate away for the pit (don't know how he'll do...but he's got a better chance out there then stuff in the pit.) He was mellow in my hands, but as soon as I put him down, he took right off...which was nice to see, actually.



Goodbye little fella.



*zoom*

After that, we found a much nicer, more secluded trail to take back. Went down through a ravine...much more shade and much higher brush.

Saw TONS of lizards-





I was looking the wrong way when a Coachwhip or something raced accross our path. Completely missed it, but he saw it. I said "Damn...that sucks. Man, what we really need to see is a rattler! That'll stay put for photos!". I kid you not, not 5 seconds later, Trev is ahead of me and hears me say "Oh s***!!"

I almost STEPPED on this little baby right by the path! Talk about timing! (I kept trying that the rest of the day, saying "Now, what I really need to see is a King Snake! What I really need to see is a Coyote!...but it never worked again. Damn!)


Once I regained my composure, I snapped a couple shots.





Trev hooked him so I could get a better look.



Such a little thing, only about a foot long, and only two buttons on his rattle. Hehehe. Never rattled though, he was actually completely chill. We set him on the other side of the trail, he crawled aways calmly into the brush, and we carried on our way.



We got back to civilzation, and decided to go check out one more little horsetrail real quicky by the dog park there. We were walking along and we noticed all these baby squirrels scampering in a big bush. Not three feet away from them, my eyes drifted and lying there was an adult pacific rattler. Yeay! This guy DID give us rattles (yeeeay! I've also never actually heard a rattlesnake rattle in person before either!...lame, I know)...and quickly scurried off. I feel kinda bad...since his rattling totally alerted the squirrels...we probably ruined his dinner.





So, all in all, a fine day. I finally got to see some snakes...got a little sun...and alot of excercise.

And got to hang out with Trevor's dog-



*fear*

What an awesome day! And fantastic pictures. I wish I could make it up to SoCal and do a bit of herpin!

I'll be on ma big flying machine in a few hours though... Texas here I come!

Jenn, how fun!! Like I said before, envied!! So cool you got to find all those snakes! Did the rattler sound like how you thought it would? great pics!

Nanci

Looks like a great day of herpin'. Thanks for the photos! And I'm always happy to see a picture of Kiya.

great pics! Don't see too many rattlers over here in FL. and usually they are just pygmy's if at all. the garter looked great.

Sounds like a fun time.

I'll cross my fingers a king crosses your path next time.

It's one of the coolest sounds in the world, isn't it? Looks like you had a great time!

Jcapicy said:

great pics! Don't see too many rattlers over here in FL. and usually they are just pygmy's if at all. the garter looked great.

Sounds like a fun time.

I'll cross my fingers a king crosses your path next time.

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That's funny- rattlers (Diamondback) are one of the snakes I see the most! I've never seen a Pygmy!!

Nanci

pygmy's are pretty cool look like a mini diamond back but have a bright green or purplish pink tail.

Just 2 weeks ago the lady i deal with at the bank's husband got bit between the fingers by a pygmy. there are 12 bites on avg per year in FL by a pygmy and no recorded deaths to date.

Her Husband spent 2 days in the hospital then went home then returned less than 24 hours later from the reaction to the antivenom.

no intention of a thread jack here.



The pygmy rattlesnake, also called ground rattler, is common throughout Florida. It is found in every county and on many of the offshore islands. Its rattle is small and slender and produces a sound like the buzzing of an insect. This warning signal can be heard for no more than a few feet away.

Stout-bodied for so small a snake, it is gray in color and marked prominently with rounded, dusky spots. Starting at base of the head, reddish spots alternate with the black along the midline of the back. Most pygmy rattlers measure less than 18 inches in length.

This species feeds on small frogs, lizards, mice and other snakes. Like other members of the pit-viper family, it does not lay eggs, but gives live birth to its young.

Look for the pygmy rattlesnake in palmetto flatwoods, or in areas of slash pine and wire grass. It may be encountered in almost any locality where there are lakes, ponds, or marshes.

It is fortunate that the ground rattler is small, as it has a feisty disposition, and is quick to strike. Its bite produces pain and swelling which usually subsides in a few days. While its bite could be fatal to humans under certain circumstances, no deaths from the bite of this species have been recorded.

Sounds like you had fun. I have seen four wild snakes before, one when I was really young it was a huge black snake, one on the road and I almost crashed avoiding it, and one when a friend and I were walking. Thank god the dog noticed it before we almost walked on the log it was under. And a very small water snake that was between two rocks that I just happened to be sitting on, that was fun it was watching me. Creppy little thing. I look for them all the time but I never see any. Sucks because its fun watching them.

Looks like a great time. I so wish that I could get out there to meet all you So Cal people one of these days!

no kidding, I wouldn't mind going to socal for a bit.

Great photo story!
It's nice to see Trev without a kilt on!
Of course you only showed him from the waist up. :roflmao:

Awesome Trip!!! Wow, I was just complaining about how bad herping in Iowa is compared to Texas....Now I'm really getting anxious! I need to find me some snakes lol. Great shots and I'm really envious of your little rattlers. I love those little guys...their character is always fun to try and deal with lol. Congrats on the great trip! :cheers:

Sigh....I wanna go herpin'....

jennrosefx said:

*fear*

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:roflmao: :roflmao: :roflmao:

Now THAT cracked me up.

Beware the killer chihuahua.

regards,
jazz

Tula_Montage said:

What an awesome day! And fantastic pictures. I wish I could make it up to SoCal and do a bit of herpin!

I'll be on ma big flying machine in a few hours though... Texas here I come!

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You should visit SoCal!!

What are ya doin in Texas?

Nanci said:

Jenn, how fun!! Like I said before, envied!! So cool you got to find all those snakes! Did the rattler sound like how you thought it would? great pics!

Nanci

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I had heard rattlers online and in movies/tv...just not in person. It wasn't as loud as I expected...allthough this little guy wasn't really giving it his all. He was just kinda like "Eh...can I go now?" hehehe...

Jcapicy said:

The pygmy rattlesnake, also called ground rattler, is common throughout Florida. It is found in every county and on many of the offshore islands. Its rattle is small and slender and produces a sound like the buzzing of an insect. This warning signal can be heard for no more than a few feet away.

Stout-bodied for so small a snake, it is gray in color and marked prominently with rounded, dusky spots. Starting at base of the head, reddish spots alternate with the black along the midline of the back. Most pygmy rattlers measure less than 18 inches in length.

This species feeds on small frogs, lizards, mice and other snakes. Like other members of the pit-viper family, it does not lay eggs, but gives live birth to its young.

Look for the pygmy rattlesnake in palmetto flatwoods, or in areas of slash pine and wire grass. It may be encountered in almost any locality where there are lakes, ponds, or marshes.

It is fortunate that the ground rattler is small, as it has a feisty disposition, and is quick to strike. Its bite produces pain and swelling which usually subsides in a few days. While its bite could be fatal to humans under certain circumstances, no deaths from the bite of this species have been recorded.

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So Small! So Angry! So...CUTE!