Today's herpin' result

[SkyChimp]

I went to a local wildlife management area today. I wanted to see if the dove-fields were flooded, because when they are, they attract frogs by the thousands. Well, they were flooded, but it was still too cold for any frog activity. So, no Garter Snake activity either. Oh well, I poked around anyway. Didn't see anything until I flipped an old tent and found this guy.

Northern Black Racer (Coluber constrictor constrictor)

I've got a new camera that takes better pictures than I do. It has several focus modes and I'm still trying to figure it out. Sometimes my photos stink (1-4). Sometimes I nail them (5-6).

 

[Nanci]

I didn't get the pic for some reason...

But hey, I caught an anole today in a tarp I was throwing away, luckily I spotted him first. I left the garbage can propped open in case there were more, after I did a search. He turned from brown to green as I held him, and I released him on my new potted palm on my patio.

Nanci

 

[Nanci]

Ok, now I have the pics. I've never held an adult, but it's funny how much their faces/heads resemble the babies that I've caught. Great find! Was he pretty mellow? Because he was cold?

Nanci

 

[SkyChimp]

fixed..........

 

[SkyChimp]

Very mellow, and he was cold. He warmed up a bit during the "'photo session" and got more active, but never aggressive. I had him out for about 5 minutes and returned him to his tent.

 

[SkyChimp]

Some habitat shots.

The fields had lots of standing water. It usually stays that way until summer when they dry up. Long enough to produce huge amounts of tadpoles and frogs.

The area has a small tidal river that runs to the south and some of the rivines flood. I'm going looking for water snakes this spring and am going to try and see if there are any cottonmouths there. I've heard there are - even though it's a few miles out of their known range.

 

[Nanci]

That's pretty excellent to get a tongue shot, and a sky tongue shot on a WC snake...

Nanci

 

[SkyChimp]

A few more....

 

[Drewby07]

Awesome snake! I'm in Richmond and I can't wait to go herping this spring! Any good spots you know of up this way?


--Drew

 

[SkyChimp]

Heck yeah. Try any of Virginia's Wildlife Management Areas (WMA). All those pictures were taken at Chickahominy Wildlife Management Area in Charles City County, about 30-45 minutes from Richmond. Powatan WMA is up your way, Amelia WMA is out that way. There's tons of them. It's all public land and you can wander the land till your heart's content. Look here:
http://www.dgif.virginia.gov/wmas/
Most of these WMA have cultivated "Dove fields" where grain of various sorts are planted for doves. That grain attracts rodents. Rodents attract snakes. Search the edges of the dove fields.

Try a state park, there's several near you.
http://www.dcr.virginia.gov/state_parks/state_park.shtml

There are tons of option, especially if you want to drive an hour or two, then you would have access to 1.5 million acres of National Forest Land. There are also a few huge State Forests that are good.

Note-If your intent is to keep any snakes, though, don't do it in any parks - it's illegal. You can keep and possess up to 5 of any one species of snake (as long it is not a protected species) in Virginia. You can keep snakes from WMAs or National Forests. Hardly anyone does that, though. My philosophy is to leave them as I found them.

 

[Drewby07]

WOW! I had no idea!

Thanks for the great info!! Have you ever camped at any of these areas? I see that it's allowed but I didn't know how that worked.

I will be heading out to one of these soon!!

--Drew

 

[alysha101]

If never seen an adult one not even in pics. LOVE IT!!!

 

[SkyChimp]

WOW! I had no idea!

Thanks for the great info!! Have you ever camped at any of these areas? I see that it's allowed but I didn't know how that worked.

I will be heading out to one of these soon!!

--Drew

Yes, I've camped at Chickahominy in the past, and I've camped at Highland and Goshen-Little North Mountain WMAs. Highland and Goshen are pretty tough areas. Big and rugged.

Each WMA has a set of rules and I think they are available on that site I posted. AFAIK, you can "primitive camp" (no generators, RVs, etc) as long as you are a specific distance from road (see the rules). And there may be a 1 or 2 day maximum before you have to pack up and move to another spot in the WMA (this prevents "residency" in the WMA).

Virginia's WMAs are fantastic. There are several new ones, too. Cavalier WMA in Chesapeake Virginia, on the North Carolina line right next to the Dismal Swamp looks very promising with respect to herps and I think it may help the Cnebrake Rattlesnake population in southeast Virginia.

 

[SkyChimp]

WMA camping rules:

Camping/Fires

-Primitive camping (no water, electric hookups, bathrooms or
other facilities) is permitted for up to 14 consecutive days
when occupants are engaged in authorized activities. No more
than 3 camping units are permitted per site.

-Camping is prohibited on or within 100 yards of any boat
ramp or fishing lake or at other specific sites as posted.

-It is unlawful to leave a campfire unattended. From February
15 to April 30 campfires are allowed only between the hours
of 4:00 p.m. and midnight.

 

[Steve C]

Great Pics Sky. I'll have to try out the Chickahominy WMA. That place is right under my nose, but have yet to do any herping there.

Steve

 

[SkyChimp]

I went out there again today for a couple of hours. I strained my achilles tendon so I wasn't real motivated to walk a lot. I did find a neat Eastern Mud Turtle (Kinosternon subrubrum subrubrum). I also found some frog (not sure what kind) eggs in one of the many flooded patches. It's getting really pretty there, the fields are in bloom with masses of some kind of yellow flower. When you walk through them, you are overcome by the hum of bees.

 

[SkyChimp]

This is what the dove fields look like right now at Chickahominy. Along with some of its smaller citizens.

 

[Drewby07]

wow! :bang:

I will definitely be camping there this spring...it sounds PERFECT!

Those flowers look like something in the brassica family....maybe some sort of mustard or something? :shrugs: I love the pic of the bee!

 

[Spork]

Lucky, we don't get too many snakes in Nevada other than rattle snakes

 

[tricksterpup]

Lucky, we don't get too many snakes in Nevada other than rattle snakes

Actually you have alot of snakes in Nevada.
http://heritage.nv.gov/lists/reptiles.html

Arizona elegans glossy snake
Charina bottae rubber boa
Chionactis occipitalis western shovel-nosed snake
Cnemidophorus tigris western whiptail
Coluber constrictor mormon western yellow-bellied racer
Crotalus atrox western diamondback rattlesnake
Crotalus cerastes sidewinder
Crotalus mitchellii speckled rattlesnake
Crotalus scutulatus scutulatus Mojave green rattlesnake
Crotalus viridis lutosus Great Basin rattlesnake
Diadophis punctatus ringneck snake
Hypsiglena torquata night snake
Lampropeltis getula californiae California kingsnake
Lampropeltis pyromelana Sonoran mountain kingsnake
Leptotyphlops humilis western blind snake
Masticophis flagellum coachwhip
Masticophis taeniatus striped whipsnake
Phyllorhynchus decurtatus perkinsi western leaf-nosed snake
Pituophis catenifer deserticola Great Basin gopher snake
Rhinocheilus lecontei long-nosed snake
Salvadora hexalepis western patch-nosed snake
Sonora semiannulata ground snake
Tantilla hobartsmithi southwestern black-headed snake
Thamnophis couchii western aquatic garter snake
Thamnophis elegans western terrestrial garter snake
Thamnophis eques Mexican garter snake
Thamnophis sirtalis common garter snake
Trimorphodon biscutatus lambda Sonoran lyre snake