Fieldherper.com » arizona

Future Roadburger Candidate

Bryan — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 15:11:09 +0000

I scooted him away this time, but I doubt he’ll change his ways.

P-solare-1-042810

Beautiful Blacktail

Bryan — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 15:08:06 +0000

One of the ways that I’ve decided to take my hobby is to start speaking at events as a local snake ‘expert’. I have a pretty decent collection of native rattlesnakes at home, but it was finally time to go try and pick up a great specimen of my absolute favorite of Arizona rattlesnakes, the Northern Blacktailed Rattlesnake, Crotalus molossus molossus. When it comes to blacktails, there aren’t any more beautiful than as can be found in the Sky Islands region of South East Arizona. I set aside 3 days to head to my favorite range and find my prize.

Success came on the first night, finding two absolutely knockout animals. After careful comparison, I decided that the larger, and higher contrast, of the two would come home with me. Before leaving the area, however, I took this photo of him in the rocks near where he was found, stretched out in the cold rain.

Crotalus molossus

For comparison, here is another blacktail, found in the McDowell mountains earlier in the year. You can clearly see why I looked to find mine in the range that I chose.

Sleepy lady

Night Hike Tiger Rattlesnake

Bryan — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 15:52:02 +0000

On a night time desert hike, taking part in a herpetological survey of a local mountain range, a friend of mine found this tiger rattlesnake sitting in in the rocks. The orange coloration is atypical for this locale, so it was cool too see, not that I’m not happy to see any tiger rattlesnake at all.

Cinnamon Bun

Banded Rock Rattlesnake Out at Night

Bryan — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 15:56:18 +0000

Here’s a pretty, young male Banded Rock Rattlesnake I found one night out crawling around. He was just over a foot long, but he didnt’ seem to know it … probably the most aggressive of this species I’ve ever seen. I escaped with all fingers intact.

Great Basin Collared Lizard

Bryan — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 15:53:37 +0000

After many miles hiking the area above the North rim of the Grand Canyon, without finding much, I got close enough to this pretty Great Basin Collared Lizard to get a few shots.

Weird Looking Rock

Bryan — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 15:52:23 +0000

I’m not sure who this snake was trying to fool, but it wasn’t me. A bright orange rattlesnake sitting on top of a rock caught my eye from a good 50 feet away and brought me over, and yup, it’s a speckled rattlesnake out getting some morning sun. I found a good spot and watched her do her thing for over an hour, during which time she moved very little. Eventually it got too hot, and she retreated to an area I am guessing is where she eventually had her babies – a spot I will return to and hopefully see her again.

Crotalus mitchelli pyrrhus

Diamondback in the Early Evening

Bryan — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 15:51:18 +0000

We had a great night after this shot was taken. This was the first of many we’d see in the next few hours.

Common Snake on Uncommon Terms

Bryan — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 15:29:29 +0000

These long-nosed snakes can be found about anywhere that sleeping lizards can, and I see a lot of them. This kind though, not so much. The clarus phase is lighter and the red bands between the black are completely missing, or in this case faded to a few rosy hold-outs near the last third of the snake.

Long-Nosed Snake, Rhinocheilus lecontei

longnosed snake

“Baby Rattlesnake”

Bryan — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 15:18:52 +0000

Obviously it’s not, but these groundsnakes get into houses a lot, and “baby rattlesnake” is what the people who call my snake removal service often tell me it is. The baby they describe is actually full-sized at a little over a foot long, and can get anywhere scorpions can. This one wasn’t found in a kitchen, but crossing a road in a mountainous area North of Phoenix.

Sonoran Groundsnake, Sonora semiannulata

Groundsnake

Blacktailed Rattlesnake Getting Out of the Summer Sun

Bryan — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 15:19:31 +0000

After a long day of searching without much to show for it, we found this guy sitting out the sunshine 30 steps from the car on the way out on a “let’s just check that shady spot really quick” time-waster. Glad we stopped!

Blacktailed Badass

Tiny sidewinder with a fancy tail

Bryan — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 15:14:09 +0000

I found this little guy in the Spring, barely the size of a pencil. I don’t even photograph most of them from the amount that are seen, but this one had a tail pattern turned 90 degrees, resulting in a single black stripe running the length. I hope he lives long enough to see him again one of these days out in that spot.

Sidewinder

The Arizona Strip

Bryan — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 15:10:30 +0000

Arizona Strip

Good Morning to You Too, Asshole

Bryan — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 15:39:52 +0000

After a long night of herping and not seeing much at all, I finally found … or was found, rather, by this diamondback just a few yards from my camp. I think he was already a little worked up from the cows that came through a short time beforehand.

Western Diamondback Rattlesnake, Crotalus atrox

Crotalus atrox

Arizona

Bryan — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 17:13:53 +0000

Arzona Sunset

Sonoran Lyresnake

Bryan — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 15:43:56 +0000

Trimorphodon lambda: Pencil-thin, huge-eyed, and slightly venomous … I love these guys.

Trimorphodon lambda

Diamondback Crawling Through Brush

Bryan — Sat, 23 Jul 2011 19:03:51 +0000

Nothing too special about this one … a pretty typical looking animal for this area. I followed it for a short time but failed to get any good full-body images, as it was moving through thick brush. I did manage to get this shot of his head, however, as he crawled between shrubs.

Crotalus atrox

Diamondback Rattlesnake Whoops

Bryan — Fri, 18 Feb 2011 15:11:15 +0000

This is a diamondback I’ve been watching for awhile, and successfully out of sight until this particular morning when he found me first. Lesson learned that day: just because a snake is sitting at the exact same place every day for a 14 days doesn’t mean he’ll be in the same spot for 15. Took a quick picture and left him alone, and have visited many times since.

Diamondback Rattlesnake

Here’s his ladyfriend/roomie out hunting early one morning. There are at least 4 different diamondbacks that I’ve seen that live in this one hole, and 14 total within a half mile that can be visited with regularity. The hole is within 20 feet of a popular walking trail, too, but from the tracks they leave it looks like they don’t go that direction. Good for passive hikers, good for the snakes.

The Monsoons Approach!

Bryan — Wed, 22 Dec 2010 17:37:36 +0000

Every year in Arizona, every herper waits and complains until this sight appears over the horizon. Rain! = Snakes!

A Big Milipede

Bryan — Mon, 20 Dec 2010 17:51:50 +0000

This milipede was out cruising around a wash North of Phoenix on a cold, wet morning. Can any arthropologists out there help me out with the species?

Ancient Graffiti

Bryan — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 17:11:29 +0000

Tale of Two Toads

Bryan — Mon, 06 Dec 2010 17:05:07 +0000

This are a pair of the Woodhouse toads that live in a pond right off the main street through Sedona, Arizona.

woodhouse toads

Sidewinders sidewinding all over the place

Bryan — Tue, 23 Nov 2010 17:24:14 +0000

Here are a few of the 20 or so sidewinders easily found in an evening and about an hour of the next, as can be done nearly any Spring evening in much of Arizona.

Crotalus cerastes cercobombus

Sonoran Sidewinder

Sidewinding

cerastes

scoot scoot scoot

side winder in arizona

eyelashes

My Favorite Species of Rattlesnake

Bryan — Tue, 16 Nov 2010 19:06:45 +0000

Here’s a really pretty desert phase Blacktailed Rattlesnake, Crotalus molossus, from a seldom herped area in Yavapai county. Every molossus I’ve seen in this area is a knock out, and this one is no exception. I was able to get in close for a photo and leave again without it waking up.

Blacktail

Here’s where he was sitting when found:

Crotalus molossus molossus

A Baby Coachwhip

Bryan — Fri, 12 Nov 2010 17:09:02 +0000

We found this little guy out basking in the middle of a road … not a smart way to start life kid.

The Largest Glossy Snake I’ve Ever Seen

Bryan — Fri, 29 Oct 2010 17:01:35 +0000

This Glossy Snake, Arizona elegans noctivaga, was especially large, maybe a third larger than the next closest individual. It was found in a relatively cool grassland, as well, out and about in the monsoons. This first photo should serve as comparison to the gophersnake-ish size of this beast.

The first of the monsoon season in Anthem, Arizona

Bryan — Fri, 08 Oct 2010 17:09:27 +0000

My friend Mark and I climbed out of a wash just before dark and got to see the first summer rain about to touch down in the desert North of Phoenix in July. All the snakes were just about to be climbing over each other to get out and get some moisture. I love August.

Anthem, Arizona

Sunset Sidewinder

Bryan — Tue, 05 Oct 2010 17:02:31 +0000

Crotalus cerastes cercobombus

The sidewinders were out in force this night. We eventually just stopped pulling over for them, even though I had some out of state friends here to see them.

sonoran sidewinder

Sidewinder

Basking Springtime Sidewinder

Bryan — Fri, 24 Sep 2010 17:15:56 +0000

In April, my wife Kelly and I had a great night West of Phoenix, and found over 20 live snakes in just over 3 hours. This is the first of the evening, a Sonoran Sidewinder, Crotalus cerastes cercobombus, soaking in the sun before the evening activities begin. We had pulled off the road to catch and photograph a horned lizard, and I spotted this snake about 15 feet away from where we were taking pictures. That’s a good sign.

Crotalus cerastes cercobombus

Baby Blacktail in the New River Mountains

Bryan — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 17:41:32 +0000

I found this young Black-Tailed Rattlesnake, Crotalus molossus, in the New River mountains, in a pretty amazing spot that also is home to a good many Crotalus cerberus. This is also the youngest molossus I’ve ever seen in the wild. For only having two rattle segments, it was surprisingly large.

Crotalus molossus

Blacktail

… and you’ll have to endure my playing with HDR and the RAW format.

HDR version

Diamondback in Yavapai County

Bryan — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 17:38:28 +0000

This is the one and only living Western Diamondback, Crotalus atrox, I’ve seen in a mountainous area of Yavapai county. Nothing striking, but still clean and attractive nonetheless.

Diamondback

Bright Orange Speckled Rattlesnake

Bryan — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 17:08:32 +0000

A Southwestern Speckled Rattlesnake, Crotalus mitchelli pyrrhus, from Maricopa county. The color is amazing, but not atypical for this species in this area.

Crotalus mitchelli pyrrhus

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Speckled Rattlesnake

Tiger Rattlesnake from Santa Cruz County

Bryan — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 17:52:01 +0000

This is one of the more rarely seen rattlesnakes in Arizona, the Tiger Rattlesnake, Crotalus tigris. This is one of two I saw in 2009 in the South East of the state, this one being near Nogales, only a few miles form the border of Mexico. While we were photographing this guy, a border patrol helicoptor swooped down and gave us a really good look before heading off again … a pretty common thing to happen down there.

This snake’s color, in real life, is incredible. Looking at it, you can’t tell if it’s pink, green, white, or a mix of all. They seem to have almost translucent scales, solid grey with undertones shining through in all colors at once. This one came home with me.

Crotalus tigris

Tiger Rattlesnake

Tiger

Arizona Black Rattlesnake right after a shed.

Bryan — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 06:11:05 +0000

I watched my Arizona Black Rattlesnake shed his skin late last night, and this morning took him out for some photos with his fresh, new scales. My wife Kelly took the pictures, and got some of the amazing iridescence in the morning light. This is truly the most beautiful rattlesnake I’ve ever seen … awesome awesome awesome snake!

zuul

Hiking the Agua Fria River

Bryan — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 17:16:47 +0000

I had some friends in town to find rattlesnakes in April, and one of the locations we hit was the Agua Fria river. The various small canyons and rock cuts, along with the year-round supply of water, make a great habitat for all kinds of desert animals. We found 3 rattlesnakes this particular morning, and a variety of other cool stuff.

Here are a trio of diamondbacks found along the way:

Diamondbacks

diamondback

atrox

diamondback

Here are a couple of the many canyon treefrogs we saw as well.

Frog

canyon treefrog

… and some indian art on a rock, right near where we parked.

art

Here’s about the scariest thing you can find in Arizona, an open nest of bees. Fortunately, these guys usually make enough noise so that you can see them well before you piss them off.

bees

And finally, a patchnosed snake we found on the way out to our next location.

Patch-Nosed Snake

Scenery and Scorpions

Bryan — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 20:47:01 +0000

Here are some of the other things I point my camera at while out looking for scaly stuff.

Stripe-Tailed Scorpion, Hoffmannius spinigerus

Stripe Tailed Scorpion

Harcuvar mountains, on a chilly snake-less afternoon.

Harcuvars

The foothills North of my home in Anthem, Arizona.

Anthem

An outcrop near New River, Arizona

New River Rocks

… and the same hill in the other direction. It’s not snow, it’s a hill of crumbled white quartz, early in the morning.

New River

Tarantula

Bryan — Tue, 11 May 2010 01:00:00 +0000

Here’s a big tarantula I found crawling around near our camp one morning near Payson, Arizona. One of these days I’m going to have to learn how to identify these other than “those brown ones” and “those blackish ones”.

Tarantula

Hatchling Zebra-Tailed Lizard

Bryan — Sat, 17 Apr 2010 01:18:30 +0000

We found this baby zebra tailed lizard catching the last bit of sun one evening right in the middle of Surprise, AZ. These are one of my favorite lizards, and he sat nice and still for a picture.

Zebra Tailed Lizard

The First Snake of 2010 – A Western Diamondback Rattlesnake

Bryan — Sat, 03 Apr 2010 01:07:04 +0000

I found a Western Diamondback Rattlesnake, Crotalus atrox, a couple of miles from my home in Anthem, Arizona. We’ve had a rather wet year, so temperatures have remained cool and I haven’t seen as much in the early part of the year as I did in 2009, but this year will be a killer! Lots of moisture means lots of snakes, and Spring is looking good.

Diamondback Rattlesnake in Arizona

C. atrox

A Trio of Mojave Rattlesnakes

Bryan — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 03:00:38 +0000

Here are 3 typical-looking Mojave Rattlesnakes, Crotalus scutulatus, in Arizona. This is one of the more common snakes I encounter in the wet months of the year.

rattlesnake in az

Crotalus scutulatus

rattlesnakes in az

One Pissed Off Rattlesnake

Bryan — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 03:00:22 +0000

I was out on the last day in August with my good herping friend Kris Haas dodging flash floods and racking up the snakes when we found a neonate Mojave Rattlesnake, Crotalus scutulatus, making his way across the road. I slammed on the brakes, dropped my window, and sent us backwards to confirm the snake and park for photos. Before I was able to turn off the car we could hear the familiar “ssssshhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhchchchc” way off into the desert to our right; it was another snake. We couldn’t believe it, by the sound of it the snake was qay off in the distance, and it seemed unlikely it could possibly be rattling at us at this distance. Kris went off to catch the little guy, and I went off into the bushes to find the noisy guy.

He was easy to find; I just followed the sound. He was under a tree a good 100′ or more from where we first heard him inside the truck with the engine running. Crazy luck.

Here’s the little guy, followed by the angry noise maker.

Crotalus scutulatus

Pissed Off Rattlesnake

Watch Your Step

Bryan — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 03:00:24 +0000

A young Mojave Rattlesnake, Crotalus scutulatus, hiding in the grass in Southern Arizona. If there were any snake in Arizona that I would step on if I had to, this species would not be it.

Mojave Rattlesnake

Zuul is about to change his clothes

Bryan — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 19:37:03 +0000

This isn’t a field photo, but still pretty cool. It’s my big all-black Arizona Black Rattlesnake, Crotalus cerberus, with white eyes as he prepares to shed his skin.

Zuul

‘

Some Mojave Rattlesnakes from Eastern Arizona / Western New Mexico

Bryan — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 06:26:46 +0000

Here are a few of the many mojave rattlesnakes, Crotalus scutulatus, I found in a 3 day period in August, 2009. The species has an incredible amount of variation throughout its range, and these individuals are no exception. The 4 hour drive to this location shows quite a bit of difference between the light greenish scutulatus I see around Phoenix.

It’s also worth mentioning that the scutulatus from Cochise county have more toxic venom than they would elsewhere. I am not sure why this is, but I’m as careful as ever when handling these guys.

Neonate

Crotalus scutulatus

A pissy morning scutulatus

Mojave Rattlesnake

Another bad morning

Friendly

Stripe-Tail Scorpion

Bryan — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 06:24:13 +0000

I know this isn’t a lizard, but I still take pictures of them from time to time when things are slow. It’s (I believe so anyway) a stripe-tail scorpion (Vaejovis spinigeris), one of the more common scorpions I run into when flipping stuff over herping. The sting from these guys is maybe a little painful, but otherwise completely harmless to humans. Keep that in mind next time you see one out there trying to make a living and the douchebag behind you is yelling for its death.

Stripe Tail Scorpion

Round-Tailed Horned Lizards

Bryan — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 06:15:45 +0000

Here are a few pictures of one of my favorite Arizona-native lizards, the Round-Tailed Horned Lizard (Phrynosoma modestum). They always look so damn serious, which is even funnier when you meet one in person.

Sorry for the poor photos … these were taken quite awhile ago before I had decided to get into this as a full-on nerd activity.

Yoda

Little dude

Camouflage Fail

Bryan — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 03:18:28 +0000

I watched this Canyon Treefrog, Hyla arenicolor, crawl out of a stream and climb a rock to do as they do, and take on the approximate color of the rock for an afternoon snooze. It takes awhile to take effect, it seems, as this little guy was not at all hidden at first. I set up on a rock and had lunch while I watched it gradually get darker and darker, but left before the change was complete.

Hyla arenicolor

Busy Body Tiger Whiptail

Bryan — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 19:20:30 +0000

This big Tiger Whiptail, Aspidoscelis tigris, was foraging for food in the mesquite roots while Kelly and I watched. I’ve always thought whiptails are a bit entertaining, as they always seem to be extremely busy doing whatever they’re doing, and just can’t be bothered to run away. Not now, not while there are bills to pay and bugs to catch.

Tiger Whiptail

Elegant Earless Lizard

Bryan — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 21:02:55 +0000

An adult Elegant Earless Lizard, Holbrookia elegans, from Santa Cruz County, Arizona.

Elegant Earless Lizard

Finding a Hopi Rattlesnake, Part 2

Bryan — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 04:16:56 +0000

Continued from part 1.

More beautiful little Hopi Rattlesnakes from our first outing in search of them.

Hopi Rattlesnake

Crotalus viridis

Eastern Collared Lizard

Bryan — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 03:52:22 +0000

Here’s a young Eastern Collared Lizard, Crotaphytus collaris, found basking one morning in June.

Collared Lizard

Bumble Bee Rattlesnake

Bryan — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 16:27:20 +0000

This is by far one of the coolest snakes I’ve encountered. It’s a relatively large Black-Tailed Rattlesnake (Crotalus molossus) in the mountain phase coloration. I most often find the less dramatically patterned desert phase molossus, and the differences between the two are obvious.

This particular rattlesnake shows some extremely high contrast between pattern elements, but had the calm, almost boid steadiness that I think is so cool about molossus. She didn’t rattle, even when I tried my best to get her to coil up for some photos. We let her continue her way to the rocky cliffside. About an hour later, we saw her again, coming back down the other way. It was just a good experience all around; one that sticks out in my mind of the hundreds of rattlesnakes I’ve seen in the last couple of years.

Of course, I took way more photographs than is necessary.

Crotalus molossus

Mountain Phase Black Tailed Rattlesnake

Blacktail Rattlesnake in Southern Arizona

Crotalus molossus

c-molossus-23-090608

Eastern Collared Lizard

Bryan — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 19:42:05 +0000

Another example of an Eastern Collared Lizard, Crotaphytus collaris, that I believe is a female.

Eastern Collared Lizard

Arizona Black Rattlesnake

Bryan — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 03:00:53 +0000

After 10 hours of hard hiking and searching in the June heat, I found my target: the Arizona Black Rattlesnake, Crotalus cerberus. This is only the third I’ve ever seen, and the darkest coloration of my experience with them.

Here it is as it was found, sleeping in a rock cut

Crotalus cerberus

Arizona Black Rattlesnake

I left to search further into the canyon, but found nothing. On the way out, as the sun had just gone over the edge of the mountains, I found the same snake in a different location, about 100 feet from the original hideout. It was sleeping in the middle of the wash. I was able to once again sneak a few photos without disturbing the animal, and left without it even knowing I had found it both times.

Arizona Black Rattlesnake

Crotalus cerberus

The Worst iPhone App Ever

Bryan — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 07:10:46 +0000

Although this isn’t nearly the smallest Sonoran Sidewinder (Crotalus cerastes cercobombus) I’ve ever seen, it was the one I saw on a night when I was bored enough to try and make it sit on my phone for maybe the nerdiest photo I’ve ever taken. Here they are, and yes I’m a dork.

Crotalus cerastes cercobombus

Sonoran Sidewinder

Greater Earless Lizard

Bryan — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 18:53:45 +0000

Another example of a colorful Greater Earless Lizard, Cophosaurus texanus, one of the most common lizards I see out there. They’re usually the first interesting thing I see on a trip, and I’m anxious to come away with something to show for my long drive to wherever. One of these days I’ll stop taking so many pictures of them, or at least so I tell myself.

Cophosaurus texanus

A Big Desert Spiny Lizard

Bryan — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 19:32:44 +0000

This is the most colorful Desert Spiny Lizard, Sceloporus magister, I have ever seen. While not displaying a lot of variety, the head is solid red-orange. It was also very large. In fact, upon first seeing it, I thought it was a squirrel. Cool lizards.

Desert Spiny Lizard

Desert Grassland Whiptail

Bryan — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 18:44:59 +0000

I had to follow this little Desert Grassland Whiptail, Aspidoscelis uniparens, around for 15 minutes before it would hold still long enough to get a quick photo. Like a lot of whiptails I encounter, it didn’t much mind my presence, and felt just fine continuing to root around in the soft soil looking for small insects.

As the species name may suggest, uniparens, this species is entirely female; each baby being a perfect clone of the parent. This of course also renders them unable to change with their habitat or adapt to new challenges, ultimately leading to the demise of the species.

Desert Grassland Whiptail

Plateau Fence Lizard

Bryan — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 21:33:39 +0000

One of hundreds of instances of Plateau Fence Lizard, Sceloporus tristichus, I see when in the higher elevation forests of the Bradshaw Mountains North of Phoenix. This is the first I have photographed, since I had previously assumed they were something else. Good to slow down and look around once in awhile!

Plateau Fence Lizard

Sonoran Mud Turtles

Bryan — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 20:33:33 +0000

An unsuccessful trip to the S. E. portion of Arizona on the hunt for Green Ratsnakes and Brown Vinesnakes ended up yielding some worthwhile byproducts. A cattle pond full with one log and a good number of Sonoran Mud Turtles , Kinosternon sonoriense, basking in the sun. These are the first that I’ve seen of this species. One more for the life list. There is one time that I found several empty shells of these turtles in the Superstition Mountains, in the rocks near the bank. Some bird had a good meal.

Sonoran Mud Turtle

Kinosternon sonoriense

Sonoran Mud Turtles

Juvenile Mojave Rattlesnakes

Bryan — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 22:08:00 +0000

Here are two young mojave rattlesnakes (Crotalus scutulatus) I found within a quarter mile of eachother. I’ve seen my share of drab individuals, but these snakes are highly variable in color and pattern, and each seems interesting for this reason. I’ve seen them range anywhere from lime green to nearly black.

These are fairly typical of the type you’d find West of Phoenix, but they show some of the pattern variation that occur in individuals that live in the same area.

Crotalus scutulatus

c-scutulatus-1-042409

Mojave Rattlesnake

Sonoran Whipsnake

Bryan — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 05:12:45 +0000

Here’s an example of one of the large, diurnal snakes I often see while looking for other snakes, a Sonoran Whipsnake (Coluber bilineatus). They’re really fast, hard to get your hands on, and extremely aggressive if you do manage to catch one. Fun stuff.

Coluber bilineatus

A Couple of Arizona Lizards

Bryan — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 22:34:52 +0000

Since moving to the Northern area of Phoenix (Anthem), I’ve been looking forward to getting into some higher elevations to look for some of the species that live there. Here are the first and second.

The first is a young Greater Short-Horned Lizard (Phrynosoma hernandesi) enjoying the early evening sun.

Phronosoma hernandesi

Desktop Wallpaper Version:

1650 x 1100 desktop

Greater Short-Horned Lizard

The second is the first Madrean Alligator Lizard (Elgaria kingii) I’ve been able to photograph. I’ve seen one other one, but it slipped through my fingers in tall grass.

Madrean Alligator Lizard

Elgaria kingii

Desktop Wallpaper Version:

1650 x 1100 wallpaper

Here was my view at about 8 a.m.

Bradshaw Mountains

Western Banded Gecko

Bryan — Tue, 19 May 2009 21:37:45 +0000

The Western Banded Gecko (Coleonyx variegatus) is very common in the Sonoran desert, and can easily be found under rocks during the day, where they lie in wait for dark. At night, they’re easily encountered as well. The pattern can be pretty variable as well. I’ve seen them with such diminished patterning that they look almost a solid tan/pink color, as well as banded, spotted, and any combination of both.

The tiny bead-like scales and flexible skin give them an incredibly soft texture. They’re also capable of vocalizing, which is unique in lizards to the geckos. When scared, they will sometimes chirp.

They are easily sexed, as males have large, visible bulges to either side of the tail base. This one is a female.

Westen Banded Gecko

Springtime Sidewinders

Bryan — Tue, 12 May 2009 21:30:41 +0000

The Colorado desert scrub that makes up much of the wild areas to the West of Phoenix are absolutely crawling with Sonoran Sidewinders (Crotalus cerastes cercobombus) on warm nights in the springtime. They all look incredibly similar as well, for the most part. When they’re moving I typically see 5 or more in an outing. I always photograph the first one, and then just check to make sure the others don’t have some cool mutation or something, and let them be on their way. Here are a three of the 10 instances of these small rattlesnakes I found within 2 evenings in April.

Sonoran Sidewinder

Crotalus cerastes cercobombus

Quality, Not Quantity (Part 5, the Rattlesnakes)

Bryan — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 04:32:05 +0000

Continued from part 1, part 2, part 3 and part 4 …

After finding nothing else enjoying the morning sun, we started hiking an open, rocky wash I had spotted the day before as a possible place to find our target for the trip and my favorite of the rattlesnakes I’ve encountered so far, Crotalus molossus, the Black-Tailed Rattlesnake.

Within 50 yards from our point of entry, one of my herping partners saw a Western Diamondback Rattlesnake (Crotalus atrox) hiding in a rodent activity area under a large rock. Finally the first rattlesnake of the trip!

Crotalus atrox, in situ

Western Diamondback Rattlesnake

Continuing up the wash, well’camoflauged canyon treefrogs (Hyla arenicolor) were everywhere in various forms.

Hyla arenicolor

Canyon Treefrog

Canyon treefrogs display some amazing camouflage. There are 2 hiding in this crack doing their best rock impression.

Canyon Treefrogs

The stream still had some moving water, in which each puddle was home to a good number of these lowland leopard frogs (Rana yavapaiensis).

Rana yavapaiensis

Quality, Not Quantity (Part 3)

Bryan — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 03:59:58 +0000

… continued from part 1 and part 2.

In the morning, the first thing I found was a biggie for me. It was a Gila Monster (Heloderma suspectum), only my second find of this animal.

Gila Monster

Heloderma suspectum

I took a lot of pictures. I’ve only seen 2 in so many trips to the desert, who knows when the next one would be.

Gila Monster in Arizona

Gila Monster

Although they’re venomous, the bite is most likely not going to be fatal to a human unless there’s some other problem going on. Unlike rattlesnakes, their bite is purely defensive. They’re slow moving animals who just want to get away, and will face you and slowly back up to cover if bothered. I tried my best to keep my distance and let this one do what he was doing and get my photos without hassling him. It was on its way somewhere and I was pleased to follow it for awhile as it did what Gila Monsters do.

Also found with the earlier-mentioned coral snake was this big gross desert bug, the Arizona Desert Centipede (Scolopedra heros arizonensis). They’re the largest centipede in the U.S., capable of reaching up to 12 inches in captivity. Always cool to see, they are one of the few things out here that just creep the hell out of me.

Arizona Desert Centipede

Scolopendra heros arizonensis

Here’s one crawling on a boot, just so you can see how big these things are and why they make me feel like a scared little girl when I’m around them.

Gross dude.

I went back to town at this point to meet up with a couple of guys from Pennsylvania who were out in Arizona to see some desert animals. Right away, we were able to photograph this young adult Sonoran Gophersnake (Pituophis catenifer affinis) enjoying the warm dirt roads of Apache Junction.

Sonoran Gophersnake

Pituophis catenifer affinis

More to come.

Quality, Not Quantity (Part 2, Sonoran Coralsnake)

Bryan — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 07:49:55 +0000

… continued from part 1.

I was really happy to have found this Sonoran Coralsnake (Micruroides euryxanthus) out on the move. This is the 5th I’ve seen, and I was happy to be able to show my new friends from Pennsylvania one of the more elusive venomous snakes we have here in Arizona. This is one of a handful of snakes that can be the only one found on a trip and I’ll still feel completely satisfied seeing it alone.

Sonoran Coralsnake

… and a couple more of the same animal.

Micruroides euryxanthus

Sonoran Coralsnake

Superstition Mountains

Quality, Not Quantity (part 1)

Bryan — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 05:29:41 +0000

On Tuesday night I headed off into the Superstition mountains for a 4-day springtime trip to try and see whatever could be seen. I would be meeting up with a pair of Timber rattlesnake researchers from Pennsylvania the next day to try and find a Black-tailed Rattlesnake (Crotalus molossus) Unfortunately, the weather did not agree with my plans. A cold front moved in to place just as quickly as I did, and the normal April daytime temperatures of 90 degrees dropped to a windy 75. Evening air temperatures were as low as the upper 50′s by 9pm, creating quite a challenge for the next few days. The original plan was to visit the mountains to the South East of Tucson, but I thought we’d have a better chance in my favorite local range, the Superstition mountains to the East of Phoenix.

It was a good sign when I saw this Ground Snake (Sonora Semiannulata) within minutes of arriving on location.

Sonora semiannulata

Groundsnake

Here he is again without the Flash, in the dramatic late-afternoon lighting. I prefer this sort of shot than the ‘field guide’ style above.

Ground Snake

Sonora semiannulata

When I was done photographing, I watched it crawl into a crack in a rock cut, which was also inhabited by a sub-adult Chuckwalla. The only part visible was the tail; evidence that somebody isn’t as sneaky as they think they are.

Chuckwalla

That's a weird looking root.

The evening lighting can be quite dramatic in the canyon. I haven’t been able to accurately portray how this place looks with my photos.

Superstition Mountains

One last photograph for this portion of the story; a large Red Spotted Toad (Bufo punctatus):

Red Spotted Toad

Bufo punctatus

Another ’08 Ridge-Nose Rattlesnake

Bryan — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 03:34:53 +0000

Last year I was lucky enough to see a few willardi out and about in South East Arizona. Now that I know what to look for, I hope to see a good amount more this year. Here’s another photo of a large male from my second productive trip into willardi range.

Crotalus willardi

Springtime Sunsets North of Anthem

Bryan — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 03:14:53 +0000

I’ve recently been getting out a bit into the hills immediately North of my new home of Anthem, Arizona, and recording coordinates of good places to check for snakes later in the year. Other than some Chuckwallas and signs of snake activity, I haven’t found much. As always, when snakes are scarce, sunset photos fill my card. I’m having a great time with the HDR technique and learning more about my camera. Fun stuff.

North of Anthem Arizona

More HDR Shit

On Arizona’s Small Diamondbacks

Bryan — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 19:43:46 +0000

I’ve had a few conversations in the last year (most recently, yesterday) about the size differences in Crotalus atrox and other species of rattlesnake. In Arizona, the largest rattlesnake I’ve seen was maybe a few inches past 4′ in length, with the majority of encountered adults being just over 3′. I’ve found 4 instances of atrox in New Mexico; the largest, in the South Eastern part of the sate, was perhaps a small bit larger than the biggest one I’ve found in Arizona. The same species 2 states away in Texas get much larger, with an average of 4.5-5′, and a record size of 6′ 8″.

Thoughts on the subject from fellow herpers usually assume food availability and competition is a primary factor in our mini-atrox. I was doing some reading today on the topic and found found some information on supplemented food effecting growth rates (and other factors) in atrox. Although it does not infer discuss food availability in Texas versus Arizona, it does show that this is a factor that can directly result in larger or smaller animals. Interesting reading for anyone interested in the subject.

Effects of food supplementation on Western diamond-backed rattlesnakes Crotalus atrox in the Upland Sonoran Desert, Arizona, USA

Taylor E.N, Malawy M.A., Browning D.M., Lemar S.V. & DeNardo D.F. (2005) Effects of food supplementation on the physiological ecology of female Western diamond-backed rattlesnakes (Crotalus atrox). Oecologia, 144, 206-213 (added by: Showler D.A. 2006).

Chiricahua Leopard Frog

Bryan — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 07:18:31 +0000

Here’s a Chiricahua Leopard Frog (Lithobates chiricahuensis), my first photo-worthy encounter. I couldn’t sneak within range on foot, but in a car … they don’t seem to even register it as a threat. I drove to within a few feet and shot this picture out the window, and they only lept into the water upon the opening of my door.

Chiricahua Leopard Frog

Young (metamorph) Canyon Treefrog

Bryan — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 22:51:48 +0000

Hundreds of these were swimming in shallow pools this September in Santa Cruz county, along with many more less-developed tadpoles of various species. This is the southern-most example of a Canyon Treefrog I had seen.

Canyon Treefrog

Also out in vast numbers were these big lubber grasshoppers. They were so big that I first mistaked them for tarantulas crossing the road when I saw them.

Lubber Grasshopper

… some habitat:

Santa Cruz County

Ridge Nosed Rattlesnake, My First

Bryan — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 07:14:03 +0000

Here’s a picture from an early August morning with my first instance of this snake, the Ridge-Nosed Rattlesnake (Crotalus willardi). We found a few more that month, but there’s never a snake like your first. This picture just feels like someone slept in the driver’s seat of their car in the middle of nowhere to get it. Well, it does to me anyway.

Crotalus willardi

Western Diamondback Rattlesnake and Bad Photography

Bryan — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 03:06:08 +0000

A Diamondback I photographed in July 2006 with my little point and click, out on the road.

Rattlesnake in Arizona

Crotalus scutulatus (archive)

Bryan — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 03:13:25 +0000

Here’s another old photograph of a Mojave Rattlesnake found road-cruising in Arizona.

Mojave Rattlesnake from Arizona

Mojave Rattlesnake

Bryan — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 03:10:29 +0000

Here’s a Mojave Rattlesnake (Crotalus scutulatus) I found a year or two ago. Clean and pretty.

Crotalus scutulatus

Arizona Toad

Bryan — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 07:28:45 +0000

I’ve seen a ton of toads, but this is my first Arizona Toad (Anaxyrus microscaphus). I wish I would have realized it then … I would have taken a few more pics!

Arizona Toad, Anaxyrus microscaphus

California Kingsnake

Bryan — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 05:56:51 +0000

A dirty Lampropeltis getula californiae from a few years back. This one was a total jerk and bit my arm.

Lampropeltis getula californiae

Regal Horned Lizard

Bryan — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 05:51:01 +0000

A Phrynosoma solare found after a sprint-time hike a year or two ago.

Phrynosoma solare

Yarrow’s Spiny Lizard

Bryan — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 05:45:48 +0000

Here’s a Yarrow’s Spiny Lizard (Sceloporus jarrovii) from the Western side of the Chiricuahua mountains in Eastern Arizona. Late in the summer there are babies jumping around on about any rock you put your eyes on.

Excuse the crappy photo. It’s an old one, like most of the Wintertime pics I’ve been posting.

Sceloporus jarrovii

Black-Tailed Rattlesnake

Bryan — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 05:15:38 +0000

This greenish Black-Tailed Rattlesnake (Crotalus molossus) was actually the first I had been able to take pictures of. The previous year I looked all over for them and really wanted to see one. In late October I finally found one, but it was on a busy mountain road in a severe thunderstorm and it wasn’t safe to leave the car. I had to watch it crawl off the road in front of me. This picture was taken the next March, the first snake I found that year, and my first molossus.

Crotalus molossus

Skull Valley, Arizona

Bryan — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 03:18:14 +0000

… a couple pictures from a recent trip that failed to produce my target species, but provided some nice practice with my HDR technique.

hdr-prescott-forest

hdr-skull-valley-1

Banded Rock Rattlesnake (Crotalus lepidus klauberi)

Bryan — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 04:08:11 +0000

With the rain come the animals, and then me out after them. Trips have been productive, and I’m proud to say I’ve knocked several species off my life list.

Rather than post a bunch of mega-threads, I’ll just throw out my 2008 monsoon season one animal at a time. It seems easier on my seldom-seen free time that way as well.

So here’s the first … a morning Banded Rock Rattlesnake (Crotalus lepidus klauberi) from the Santa Rita Mountains.

Banded Rock Rattlesnake from the Santa Rita Mountains

New Mexico Trip, July 2008, Part 1

Bryan — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 03:14:57 +0000

We left at about 2 in the afternoon to take the long route to the border, and then use some backroads to get to El Paso for the night.

The area along the Arizona/New Mexico border was just finished being pounded by monsoonal rain. The air was in the upper 70′s, which is a little on the cool side for late July. Everything was washed in glowing orange as the sun set, so we stopped to get some dramatic pictures of the rocks and road before the rain started in again.

Sun-lit rocks in Arizona

Just Northeast of Douglas, Arizona

It didn’t take long to find a Western Diamondback (Crotalus atrox) with the decently clean pattern we usually find in that area.

Crotalus atrox from Eastern Arizona

Then we found a nice yellow Desert Kingsnake (Lampropeltis getula splendida). I didn’t really get a good picture of him though because I didn’t see the pile of fire ants that I was standing on. One made it up my pant leg and stung me a good dozen or so times on the knee before I was able to kill it. Fire ants suck. When I’m done posting this I’m going to see if Amazon has any specials on magnifying glasses. Anyway, I got a decent picture of the snake before being driven back to the truck.

Desert Kingsnake

We were expecting the giant storm to our East to end our herping early, but it fell apart after it got dark, leaving smooth skies and lightning here and there in the distance.

With my entire leg throbbing from fire ant venom, we found a neonate Mojave Rattlesnake (Crotalus scutulatus) out trying not to be eaten in his first few days of life.

Crotalus scutulatus

Here’s a second picture zoomed out a little so you can see how tiny this little guy was. Coiled, he was about the diameter of a beer can.

Crotalus scutulatus

That’s it for now; Chinese food should be here soon. I’ll post the rest from the trip in coming days, as I am able to work through the thousand or so photos I took in the last week.

Some Early Rain

Bryan — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 21:09:51 +0000

It rained on the 26th. It’s a little early, and we really wanted to just get out of the house. I knew we wouldn’t see much, if anything, but a night out cruising with no snakes is always better than a boring and hot Thursday evening hiding inside from the sun.

The clouds and smoke made for a really nice bright sunset that gave the usually colorful Superstition Mountains a desaturated, grey-green color. It was a really nice drive.

Superstition mountains sunset

We did see a couple of young atrox out and about. This is the first one. The second was on a tight, blind curve with a cliff off to the side in an area where dumbasses regularily speed around corners without regard to which lane they’re in. He looked about the same as this one, so I just got out long enough to hurry it off the road.

Anyway… here’s the little guy. I’m not sure why, but I didn’t pay attention to the depth of field while photographing.

Crotalous atrox

Western Diamondback Rattlesnake

We also found an adult Red-Spotted Toad (Bufo punctatus) out enjoying the bump in humidity from none to almost none. I remember I hiked near this area in October, 2006, and young punctatus absolutely covered the ground. I took some time to see how many I could stack on top of eachother from big to small.

Bufo punctatus

Red-Spotted Toad

… and this last picture isn’t any good, but I always think its funny when one of these ends up on the card when trying to photograph a toad. Position the shot, shoot, look in the viewfinder and I have a nice picture of empty dirt. Escape!

escape!

Thats it for now. Hopefully I’ll get up to the task of uploading pictures from a recent trip to Utah and a fairly unproductive trip down south in the ultra-dry air of May.

Diamondback Rescue While I Wait for Rain

Bryan — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 03:24:29 +0000

The herping has been on pause these last few weeks. In late May, Kris and I had quite a trip down to the South East part of the state and really didn’t see much of anything. The air is extremely dry at this time of year, leaving a lot of reptiles in their holes until things become a little more favorable with the rains in late July or so. With gas so expensive, I’d rather just wait it out and then go crazy for a few weeks when I’m likely to see things.

Here’s a Western Diamondback Rattlesnake rescued awhile back from a home in Cave Creek. Nothing spectacular about this guy except how old it seemed. The tail was very long, and had broken off long ago, and was STILL one of the longest rattles I’d seen. He had a great temperment, and never struck or really rattled to speak of.

Crotalus atrox

Western Diamondback Rattlesnake

Crotalus atrox

Memorial Day Hike in the McDowell Mountains

Bryan — Sat, 31 May 2008 01:14:39 +0000

After a couple hours of difficult hiking in the White Tanks on the 25th, I was looking forward to a nice and calm stroll over flat land with Kelly for Memorial day. We slept in late and left the house around 1, and only planned to be gone a few hours. Temps were in the low 80′s and lizards were everywhere.

Callisaurus draconoides

On the way out we found a big, old Western Diamondback Rattlesnake (Crotalus atrox) crossing a wash. It was a good opportunity to try out a new lense and work out some kinks in my daytime exposures. Ya, I could just practice on inanimate objects in the backyard or something, but uh, not as fun.

Crotalus atrox

Diamondback from Arizona

Desert Night Snake

Bryan — Tue, 27 May 2008 19:01:26 +0000

Kris and I went out the other night, but the low-pressure system moving down on us made it too cold to herp pretty quickly after sundown. On the way back to town we did find a cool little Desert Night Snake (Hypsiglena chlorophaea).

Desert Nightsnake

Ugh (Except for the molossus)

Bryan — Sat, 24 May 2008 04:21:57 +0000

The weekend looked good for a trip up north to see what there is to see. We got a hotel room and headed out and were justified 10 minutes into our hike with a beautiful Black-Tailed Rattlesnake. It was my second in 2 weeks of my favorite rattlesnake, and Kelly’s first experience with one. I probably saved too many photos of it, but oh well. I had fun.

Crotalus molossus

Black-Tailed Rattlesnake

Crotalus molossus

Black-Tailed Rattlesnake in Arizona

The sun set and we left, and found a really aggressive Western Diamondback Rattlesnake (Crotalus atrox) a mile or so away. It was a big contrast from the usual slow, solid demeanor of the molossus.

Crotalus atrox

The rest of the trip wasn’t so much fun. There were a lot of misses … a ground snake, a whipsnake, a few other odds and ends, and maybe the largest Sonoran Gophersnake I’d ever seen. I misjudged the situation and lost him into a hole in the ground. The only other photos I took were of this Zebra-Tailed Lizard (Callisaurus draconiodes) the next morning on the way out.

Callisaurus draconiodes

Thats it! Oh ya, and here’s the newly-fixed email subscription thingie, in case its easier for you that way.

Superstitions Black-Tailed Rattlesnake (continued)

Bryan — Thu, 22 May 2008 02:46:09 +0000

Here are a few more pictures of the snake from Mother’s day.

Crotalus molossus from Arizona

Blacktailed Rattlesnake found Field Herping in Arizona

Crotalus molossus

Black-Tailed Rattlesnake found outside Phoenix, Arizona

Superstition Mountains Black-Tailed Rattlesnake

Bryan — Tue, 20 May 2008 02:39:06 +0000

Here’s a Black-Tailed Rattlesnake (Crotalus molossus) from a few ago. I found him after a long hike in the Superstition mountains, Northeast of Mesa, Arizona. He’d just finished swimming across a creek and was heading into the bushes at the base of a large tree when I found him. This is my favorite rattlesnake, and my first of the year.

Crotalus molossus

Black-Tailed Rattlesnake from the Superstition Mountains, Arizona

Blacktail Rattlesnake

HDR Photo from the Superstition Mountains

Bryan — Thu, 15 May 2008 03:42:17 +0000

Superstition Mountains, Arizona

“No Herping Weekend” = FAIL

Bryan — Tue, 13 May 2008 05:45:41 +0000

Last weekend was supposed to be the weekend where I don’t go herping. My brother is in town and I planned on wasting the entire time drinking and eating horrible things. Friday night went well, but by Saturday morning at 8 a.m. I was halfway up a mountain North of Phoenix.

The place kind of sucked. There was automatic gunfire from pretty much every direction. I realize they were most likely shooting at targets placed up against hillsides, but that’s a lot of trust to place in people. The other established trails were equally occupied with the most redneckingest redneckmobiles and douchy mountain bikers with their silly little hats and “I’m so much better than you” neon spandex.

I only found two things that I felt like taking pictures of.

First was a nice tarantula crawling across a wash; the first I’ve found this year. I’ve since seen two more, and will see hundreds more by years end. I wish I knew how to differentiate species.

Tarantula

The next thing was this Desert Spiny Lizard (Sceloporus magister) that I was able to sneak up to within a foot or two of before he woke up and bolted.

Desert Spiny Lizard

I also saw a lot of Tiger Whiptails, though I didn’t stop to photograph them. I like them. They don’t seem as good as the other lizards at disappearing into the brush. Usually when I’ve disturbed one, it crashes loudly through the grass and makes no attempt to hide its location.

Mojave Shovel-Nosed Snake & Sonoran Sidewinder

Bryan — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 06:15:23 +0000

A couple of snakes from a slow night on the West end of Maricopa County. We found the usual bunch of Sonoran sidewinders (Crotalus cerastes) out and about. They don’t have a lot of variability, so if you’ve seen one you’ve pretty much seen them all. I usually get out to get some pictures of the first one, but after that they get an escort off the road and that’s about it.

Crotalus cerastes cercobombus, the Sonoran Sidewinder:

Crotalus cerastes cercobombus

We also found a Mojave Shovel-Nosed Snake (Chionactis occipitalis occipitalis). We haven’t seen one of these since the spring of 2006, so it was nice to get some photos. It was a little over a foot long, and that’s about their upper limit. They’re tiny little sand-loving snakes that spend most of the time in or under the loose dirt in the desertscrub.

Chionactus occipitalis occipitalis

Mojave Shovel-Nosed Snake

Recent Outings

Bryan — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 03:16:09 +0000

The last few times out have been a little slower. On the 13th, Kris and I went up to Yavapai County to look for some Speckled Rattlesnakes (Crotalus Mitchellii) or maybe a Rosy Boa (Lichanura trivirgata), but struck out. Even that night cruising back to town in the lower elevations that all indications showed would be nice and warm dropped down into the 60′s within minutes of the sun setting.

We did find a young, sleepy Regal Horned Lizard (Phrynosoma solare) laying in the road. He sat perfectly still while we played with our cameras. The only other notable critter of the trip was the bark scorpion that I posted a picture of awhile back.

Regal Horned Lizard - Phrynosoma solare

A few nights later Kris and I again had a dead night West of Phoenix. We found one decently-behaved Long-nosed Snake (Rhinocheilus lecontei).

Long-nosed Snake

Then, my girlfriend Kelly and I went camping near Payson for the weekend. It was pretty cold all weekend, but I did find a couple of Wandering Gartersnakes (Thamnophis elegans vagrans) near the stream. 2 would have been 4 if my hands were a bit faster and I werent’ so worried about dropping my new camera into the water.

Here’s the first one:

Wandering Gartersnake

The next 2 pictures are of another one resting in the shade maybe 20 feet away.

\"Can I eat this big biped coming this way?\"

\"No! Hisssss spit fft!\"

… and that’s pretty much it for the last week. Hopefully the rest of April will treat me a little better.

moon

Western Lyresnake from 2007

Bryan — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 03:55:47 +0000

Here’s a Western Lyresnake (Trimorphodon biscutatus) I found with Bill Sloan from the AHA last summer sometime in the mountains South of Bagdad, Arizona. I’ll probably have a lot of these ‘found this in my old stuff’ kind of posts in the next month or so as I streamline my process on this computer with my new software.

First Relocation of 2008

Bryan — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 03:18:22 +0000

It was the usual Diamondback. By the time I got up there, it had crawled into the neighbors’ yard and fallen asleep. It really wasn’t happy to be woken up! It was probably one of the most aggressive atrox I have ever encountered.

After being released he crawled to the base of a bush and calmed down pretty quickly for a picture.

Herping West of Phoenix, 03-28-08

Bryan — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 18:25:47 +0000

We went out tonight and found a good 10 or so snakes in the nice, warm air. The temperatures stayed in the mid 70′s for about an hour and a half after dark, and there was a lot of movement in that time. Here’s some of what we found:

South Mountain, Phoenix AZ 03-15-08

Bryan — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 03:54:00 +0000

Kelly and I finally got out of the house to try out luck in the low 70′s weather we’ve been having. We’re both still getting over being sick so lazily poking around a local mountain was a great time. We saw a lot of side blotched (Uta stansburian) and Ornate Tree (Urosaurus ornatus) lizards, but no snakes or chucks. Oh well. It was a nice day and we made the most of it by finding a nice place to sit for awhile, and for me to practice a little with some high dynamic range photography on my new camera. I saved them as high-res desktop graphics for wide-format monitors. Download them and check them out.

Regular picture of a regular lizard out looking for a girlfriend (this isn’t the HDR, obivously).

Desert HDR 1 (right-click to save as):

Desert HDR 2 (right-click to save as):