Ernie Caldwell Diaries.....

Cflaguy · Jul 3, 2009

Ernie Caldwell is a gentlemen who donated his land for a road as a by-pass. It is my new job and is a pretty chunk of woods. No beer cans, Cheeto bags, or garbage around. Getting deeper into the woods and today they got the temp road to the creek.

First catch of the day....

Sorry for the quality, cell phone pics....

About a 4ft Racer.

Cflaguy · Jul 3, 2009

Having had enough of cell pics...

I went home to get the digital. Later that afternoon the dozer operator came and got me having seen a rat snake in the creek. The dozer operator chased the snake throwing dirt clods in the water to my side. The snake stopped about ten feet in front of me treading water. After a minute he crawled out of the water right to me. I took him down to a more siutable area, we are about to bulid a bridge over said creek.

JoannaD · Jul 3, 2009

Nice finds! Looks like you will be enjoying this work site!

Cflaguy · Jul 3, 2009

Thanks....

On the way out I spied another Racer. The panther was spotted on Tuesday, suppose to be two out there. We're at the area repoted to have a family of coyotes, three pups. Of course deer, pigs, and turkeys abound.

I love this pic....

fu1bar3 · Jul 3, 2009

I love the striped rat... very nice..

Why is the road going through there? and you said it would be temp? What do you do? I think I want your job.. lol

Cflaguy · Jul 3, 2009

They are building....

fu1bar3 said:
I love the striped rat... very nice..

Why is the road going through there? and you said it would be temp? What do you do? I think I want your job.. lol

a temp road to get to the creek. They are building the bridge first to connect the Ernie Caldwell site with the Pinetree site where the roads will connect. Then they will go back finish the embankment, site work, and road work.

I sit around in my air conditioned truck and make sure these guys build the thing the way are supposed to, compact the soils, and take concrete samples for strength tests.

The_Thunderer · Jul 3, 2009

Very kewl and nice finds! I would have had a hard time parting with either the racer or the rat! LOL.

alan · Jul 3, 2009

Nice Craig! I love herping opportunities at work. Getting paid for handling snakes is great.
Panther? That would be nice to see, but maybe not a one-on-one close-up.

Cflaguy · Jul 3, 2009

It is hard not to step on a Racer.....

The_Thunderer said:
Very kewl and nice finds! I would have had a hard time parting with either the racer or the rat! LOL.

in this state. As I keep looking at that Yellow Rat I am wondering why I didn't keep it. Never tried to bite, never musked, never went helter skelter on me. Oh ya, I have twenty snakes two of which are YR, my wife would have kicked me out.

He was a beauty!

The_Thunderer · Jul 3, 2009

Cflaguy said:
in this state. As I keep looking at that Yellow Rat I am wondering why I didn't keep it. Never tried to bite, never musked, never went helter skelter on me. Oh ya, I have twenty snakes two of which are YR, my wife would have kicked me out.

He was a beauty!

LOL... With my close to 30 snakes (mostly corns), I'm at the same point with my wife! Whenever I catch and relocate a wild one around here, I have to make a BIG production about the release or she thinks I'll keep it. LOL.

Catch and release is great too... it just hurts more!

Cflaguy · Jul 3, 2009

Amen on that Alan....

alan said:
Nice Craig! I love herping opportunities at work. Getting paid for handling snakes is great.
Panther? That would be nice to see, but maybe not a one-on-one close-up.

Another cool thing about this site. We have found automatic feeders, hog traps, and megshift fencing used to funnel deer to a ground feeder, surrounded by tree stands. Even a small camoflauged trailer. The owner has come by and informmed us this belongs to poachers. They aren't supposed to be there. They are even shooting cows in the adjacent pastures. Well, he says we can take anything we want and do with what we want, he wants it and them gone. Every feeder I find I sell, for cheap. I don't hunt, didn't pay for it, it's all profit. It is satisfying to see the contractor demolish some of the hog pens and fences.

But we can go on the weekends and herp.

fu1bar3 · Jul 3, 2009

Whoo wee... I do want your job... lol.. I work in what I call the sweat box.. lol.. Indoors 98 degrees and 80% humidity. And I dont like the heat.. lol..

ceduke · Jul 3, 2009

I want to work there! I love the ferocious racer pics.

Cflaguy · Jul 4, 2009

He was not happy.....

ceduke said:
I want to work there! I love the ferocious racer pics.

he had trouble getting over a silt fence so I was going to help him. Of course he was all over the place. I'm lucky nobody was around cause I'm sure I looked the nutjob running around in circles through the muck. He went under my truck and thought he had eluded me. I reached under the truck with my hook and pulled him out. He had an OH S@*T moment.

Cflaguy · Jul 7, 2009

On....

7-6....

A very large Snapping Turtle and a Red Belly Turtle at the creek.

7-7.....

As it poured down rain a huge flock (?) of turkey hens came out and ran all over the place. I had to chuckle, when the boys got their guns out (always on construction sites) the turkeys vanished.

RobbiesCornField · Jul 7, 2009

Turkeys are smart! LOL.

I can't wait to see more pics of what you find!

Cflaguy · Jul 10, 2009

The rest of the week.....

saw no reptile activity. I took the opportunity to go around and get some shots of the landscape.
1.The entrance to the site.
2. The creek where the bridge will be built.
3. The other side of the creek.
4. My office.
5. A poachers deer pen.

Cflaguy · Jul 16, 2009

Not much herps lately....

I did rescue this frog from a tractor.
There is a daily visit from a juvenile Bald Eagle.
Another shot of the poacher's deer pen.
A beautiful pond.
And the every afternoon rain moves in.

RobbiesCornField · Jul 16, 2009

I love it when the afternoon rains move in. It's so cool to watch!

Cflaguy · Jul 16, 2009

I have more....

RobbiesCornField said:
I love it when the afternoon rains move in. It's so cool to watch!

some didn't come out so well. I'll post em later...I'm about to hit the hay. I love having the hours but TGIF!

If you're interested Robbie I have a pic (somewhere) of Hurricane Charlie making his entrance into Orlando.

Ernie Caldwell Diaries.....

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