Wild Iris
Well, flowers are starting to bloom, and spring is trying to be here, but for some reason, this cold wind just doesn’t seem to want to release its grip on the valley. So rather than battle the wind and shoot fast shutter speeds, or wait for the wind (and the Iris) to die, I decided to just go with it…
Wild Iris
There was a couple of other photographers out shooting, but the color never popped, and the wind was incessant. Rather than battle the conditions, I went with it, stopped down to f/22, and even dropped a 3stop ND filter on to slow it down and really exaggerate the blur. I think it came out fairly neat!
The Victoria and Wild Rose are blooming in the front yard, too…
Victoria
Wild Rose
And this is the closest I have ever gotten to a good shot of a Whiptail lizard…
Great Basin Whiptail--Aspidocelis tigris tigris
One of these days, spring will actually get here and stay for a little while…
Thanks for looking!
Walking Around Out Back
Went for a walk through the desert out behind the house this afternoon. No snakes, but bunches of lizards and birds…
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- House Finch
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- Western Kingbird
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- Common Sideblotch-Uta stansburiana
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- Western Sagebrush–Sceloporus graciosus graciosus
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- Common Sideblotch-Uta stansburiana
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- House Finches
Walk in the Desert
Well…I went in to town today to try and find some local characters to interview and photograph. I didn’t find the folks I was looking for, but I ran into a good friend of mine, and we decided to go for a quick walk in the desert to see what was moving. So we hopped in my car, head to the Volcanic Tablelands, and started hunting around the rocks…
Western Sagebrush Lizard
Barred Spiny Lizard
Great Basin Collared Lizard
Great Basin Collared Lizard
Not a bad day for a quick trip. The sun was out, the wind was relatively calm, and there were some really nice lizards that decided to come out and play. It does a body good!
Thanks for coming along!
Backyard Bird Watching
Backyard bird watching. It’s almost cliché. People are hustlin’ and bustlin’ around this great big world of ours, and not leaving anytime to enjoy the simple pleasures of life. Money is tight, job security is low, taxes and inflation continue growing… It seems the only thing we have any ability to control anymore is how we respond to the rapidly changing stimuli.
That’s why I LOVE my backyard. Let me explain… I live in the High Desert. My house is situated at about 5,000′, right on the feet of the eastern slope of the Sierra Nevada Mountains in eastern California. I can look out my living room window and I have an unobstructed view for close to 10 miles, all the way up the western slope of the White Mountain peaks, which is the western most border of Nevada. Now…there is a major highway running through there, and a multitude of high-power, high-tension lines zig-zagging back and forth. Views are spectacular, but these ugly lines are very destructive to landscape compositions. But the wildlife is incredible…
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- American Goldfinch
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- American Goldfinch
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- Common Sideblotch–Uta stansburiana
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- Domestic Iris
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- Male House Finch
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- Female House Finch
It’s amazing how curative a backyard like mine can be. I’m gonna tell you guys a little secret…I lost my job last week. Yea, right in the middle of my visit with my son, I found out that I was no longer employed. But it’s OK. I had an incredible week visiting with my son, and my emotional well-being has never been more positive. Even being unemployed and quickly running out of money, I can’t help but smile. I walk out back, and it just happens. Something will come through. I have a lot of experience in a lot of fields. I’ve done everything from flippin’ burgers and pouring drinks to antique restorations and hotel management. I also found out about some pretty cool job openings in my area, including backcountry habitat recovery and wildlife rehabilitation, and not only would I LOVE to have either of those jobs…I’m fairly well qualified for both. So something will come through. Just gotta ride this wave for a few days…
Thanks for taking the time to stop and look!
The Buttermilks and Mono Lake
Turkey Vulture
- Panamint Rattler–Crotalus stephensi
- Panamint Rattler–Crotalus stephensi
It was quite a lovely day…
- Kevin trying to get the shot
- Little Peak
- Buttermilk Ridgeline
Kevin’s flight back home was this afternoon, so we left the house around 5am, and headed up to Mono Lake, to get some early morning shots before he had to go. It was another spectacular day…
- Mono Lake Tufa
- Looking for a shot
- South Tufa Portrait
This has been one of the most incredible weeks of my life. I’m really glad I took a chance and reached out to my son. I’m even more thrilled that he responded positively. I think we have a good thing to build on here…
Thanks for taking the time to look!
What a Day!
So…I picked my son up at the airport on Sunday. I haven’t seen him since he was 2 years old, and he has no conscious memory of me at all. He’s a 21-year-old Army combat veteran, now. We had a 4 hour drive from the airport to the house, and we spent 99% of it talking, laughing, and getting to know each other. It really surprises me how much we have in common, both in terms of things we enjoy, and our personalities…the way we think. We share similar opinions on many subjects, and enjoy many of the same hobbies and activities.
It’s really been a nice couple of days. We went for a walk around the Buttermilk area, looking for snake and lizards, and taking pictures yesterday afternoon…
My son, Kevin, looking for snakes and lizards, camera 'round his neck
We did manage to find a few lizards, but no snakes…
Great Basin Fence Lizard--Sceloporus occidentalis longipes
And a B&W panorama of some of my favorite mountains…
2 shot pano--Paiute Crag to Mt. Humphries
Last night, Kevin and I went road cruising for snakes for a little bit. We didn’t see any snakes, but we did find a Great Basin Spadefoot toad, which is always a welcome and rare treat in Inyo County…
Great Basin Spadefoot--Spea intermontana
It’s been fantastic so far! We are going to pick up Zayne either tonight or tomorrow. These two haven’t met, yet, so I’m pretty excited to get them both together…
Thanks for looking!
Endangered Toads
The California Black Toad(Bufo exsul) exists only in a tiny chain of natural springs in Eastern California. They are endemic to this area, and as a founding member of the Eastern Sierra Herpetology Club, it is a privilege to be able to work with the California Department of Fish and Game to protect and maintain the habitat for these animals. Yesterday, we took a trip up there to check on the toads, and see how the breeding season was coming along…
Adults in amplex amid egg strings
Adult pair in amplex(mating)
We observed 4 or 5 pairs of adult toads in amplex, which means the male has mounted the female and breeding has begun, and we also heard several “release” calls, which is a signal that mating has finished and the male is releasing the female. We also saw millions developing egg strings, and even a few tadpoles…
Egg Strings. Each tiny, black dot is a developing tadpole. The empty areas are from recently hatched tadpoles...
2 tiny tadpoles, likely only a day or two old...
After visiting the breeding habitat, we followed the spring system to a location known to be home to several toads to see how they were progressing. We were pleasantly surprised to see a countless number of juvenile toads, likely hatched last year, hopping and swimming around, seemingly everywhere we looked. To say there were thousands would be an understatement…
Juvie Black Toad
Juvie Black Toad
It was a real treat to see so many breeding adults peacefully using the breeding habitat that we, as a club, helped to restore and protect. It was also a real treat to see that the implementation of a seasonal road closure, also initiated by the Eastern Sierra Herpetology Club, led to such a successful amount of breeding last season. We were all smiles and giggles over our short-term successes. Now we can begin long-term documentation and maintenance and hopefully watch this endangered, endemic population of toads thrive in their only native habitat.
Obviously, while out on these trips, we see other reptilian wildlife and even a few insects. So here are a couple of “bonus shots” from the day…
No idea...any guesses on species out there?
Great Basin Fence Lizard--Sceloporus occidentalis longipes
Common Sideblotch--Uta stansburiana
Northern Desert Horned Lizard--Phrynosoma platyrhinos platyrhinos
I did find a very pretty and extremely healthy Mojave Patchnose snake(Salvadora hexalepis mojavensis) on the way up to the habitat, but I didn’t get a picture of it. I got to share it with my friend Rusty who had never seen one before, though, so that’s good enough for me…
Thanks for coming along!
More from The Buttermilks
Here’s a few more shots from my quick venture in the Buttermilks the other day…
Summit of Mt. Tom
Common Sideblotch
Unexpected Sighting
Thanks for taking the time to look!
Buttermilk Walkabout
I went for a walk around the granite boulders of Buttermilk Country today. It wasn’t a spectacular day to shoot, but the light was really nice for B&W, and there were a bunch of little lizards running about, so…it was worth it…
Paiute Crag, Checkered Demon, Emmerson Peak, Mount Humphries, Basin Mountain
Basin Mountain and Mt. Tom
Checkered Demon and Emmerson Peak
Common Sideblotch
Common Sideblotch
It was a good day. I was out with my friend James, who is the only son of my best friend John that just passed away. It was nice for the two of us to get out together and take some shots.
Thanks for taking the time to look!
Beautiful Buzztails
I went out to my friend’s house today to look at his albino rattlesnake collection. What a spectacular treat. Some of these are incredibly rare…
Northern Mojave het. albino--Crotalus scutulatus scutulatus
Albino Northern Mojave--Crotalus scutulatus scutulatus
The albino Northern Mojave, above, is 1 of only 6 in existence, including the original wild-caught female. The original albino animal was caught near Ridgecrest, CA in 2001, as a sub-adult. The above animal is one of 5 albino F2 offspring from that female produced in captivity.
Albino Prairie--Crotalus viridis viridis
Western Diamondback--Crotalus atrox
There are several different types of albino in Western Diamondbacks–
Amelanistic--"regular" albino
"Bubblegum" Albino
"Caramel" Albino
There is also a hyper-melanistic morph–
Black Diamondback
And as is par for the course in the world of reptile breeding, they have started to combine these traits-
Caramel + Black
Above is a combination of the Caramel albino gene and the Black gene. These are incredibly rare at this point, I’m told…
Oh…I also managed to get a shot or two of an ACTUAL Panmint Alligator Lizard. A little while back I mis-identified an Alligator Lizard as a panamintina but I was wrong. As luck would have it, a friend of mine caught an actual panamintina and invited me over to get a shot, since I’m likely to never have the chance again-
Panamint Alligator Lizard--Elgaria panamintina
And here it is curled next to a Southern Alligator Lizard (Elgaria multicarinata)-
panamintina on the left; multicarinata on the right
ASll in all it was a really fun afternoon. Thanks for taking the time to look!!
Very Rare Lizard
So I get a phonecall today, from an hysterical lady…”There is a lizard in my store! Can you PLEASE come get it out for me?!” I asked her what kind of lizard, and of course she had no idea. So I grabbed a fine-mesh net, and headed over…
There were several customers, mostly curious and a little freaked that a “wild animal” was in the shop. Mind you…we live in the High Desert. Lizards and snakes are literally all around us, and calls for snake removals from a house are fairly common. Needless to say, I wasn’t shocked that a lizard was in the store.
But I was shocked to see this guy…
Panamint Alligator Lizard
This is a Panamint Alligator Lizard, also known as Elgaria panamintina. They are an increasingly rare lizard that only occurs in a small area of eastern California, in Inyo and Mono counties. This is only the second one I have ever seen, and the first…I’m still not positive it was a Panamint. This one…I’m almost positive…
Elgaria panamintina
Now…I’m not a biologist, or a herpetologst, or any kind of ologist to be perfectly honest. I can’t be 100% certain that this is a Panamint Alligator lizard. It could also be a Sierra Alligator Lizard (Elgaria coerulea palmeri), but those don’t typically have distinct banding. This guy also has a distinct, white, rear border against the black bands, which is characteristic of the Panamint.
Regardless, he is a really cool lizard, and I’m stoked to have rescued him!
Reptiles and Flowers
Went for a short walk in the desert behind my house, and found a few cool flowers and a neat little lizard…
Some pretty purple flowers. Anyone know?
No idea what these are. They look like octopus tentacles, to me...
Common Sideblotch--Uta stansburiana
California Kingsnake--Lampropeltis getula californiae
The Cali king was just a little thing. We found him crawling out into the road on the way home from picking up my daughter.
Thanks for taking the time to look!
Eastern Sierra Herpetology Club
The ESHC is well into it’s second year of existence, and today was one of the most exciting days for the membership, and for me, personally, as a founding member.
Some may remember last year at about this time, I posted that the club was going to ask for seasonal closures of a specific road to help protect a breeding population of the incredibly rare California Black Toad (Bufo exuls). We successful in getting a Memorandum of Understanding with the Department of Fish and Game. As part of that MOU, the club is obligated to volunteer time and man-hours for maintenance of the habitat in the breeding location. That’s just fine by us.
We met with a leading DFG biologist that has been working to protect these toads for a long time. We had a great day installing blockades, cleaning the area, and of course…documenting animals and flowers…
James and Ceale working to install a T-post at one of the stream crossings
The gang, observation a swarm of bees. I stayed far away from that nonsense.
Great Basin Whiptail--Aspidocelis tigris tigris
Barrel Cactus in bloom
Beavertail Cactus blossom
California Black Toad--Bufo exuls
Black Neck Hummingbird eggs
All in all it was a fantastic day! We were asked by the DFG to participate in a few studies in specific areas, looking for and documenting, various reptiles and amphibians for inclusion in a variety of environmental reports and studies. Hopefully, you will start seeing some great improvements to the habitat and conservation efforts of the reptiles and amphibians that inhabit the Eastern Sierra!
Thanks for looking!
Brave Little Lizards
I’ve come to the conclusion that the lizards that hang out in my new backyard have seen many, many people, and have lost their natural fear. They just sit still, assuming that I don’t see them…
Common Sideblotch--Uta stansburiana
Western Sagebrush-Sceloporus graciosus gracilis
Of course, there also flowering weeds…
Anyone know what this is? Maybe some sort of mustard...??
And we have LOADS of little songbirds flitting about. They always come close enough to see, but rarely close enough for me to get them with my 105mm lens. I need to invest in a 300mm…
Anyone know what he is? He is very pretty and has a great little song...
Thanks for taking the time to look!
More Backyard Wildlife
So…I just got back from moving a bunch of empty cages over to the new house, and just for shits and giggles, I took a quick walk around the backyard, seeing what I could see. And I saw TONS of lizards…more Barred Spiny Lizards than one could possibly hope to count or photograph, a few Great Basin Whiptails(which are always near impossible to get good shots of), and even a bunch of babies and juveniles running around. I think I’m gonna like living here…
Barred Spiny Lizard hanging out on a nice warm tire--Sceloporus magister transversus
Juvenile Barred Spiny--Sceloporus magister transversus
The little guy in hand was hiding under an old board I flipped, hoping for a rattler. I didn’t see a snake, but this little one ran around in circles at my feet, until I finally managed to get my hands on him for a closeup. The Spiny Lizards in my new backyard are just LOADED with brilliant oranges and yellows. Very pretty, indeed…
Thanks for looking!
Leapin’ Lizards!
Went for a walk in The Volcanic Tablelands of Inyo National Forest this morning…
Northern Desert Horned Lizard--Phrynosoma platyrhinos platyrhinos
Western Sagebrush--Sceloporus graciosus gracilis
Great Basin Collared Lizard--Crotophytus bicinctores
Great Basin Whiptail--Aspidoscelis tigris tigris
This last shot, of the Whiptail, is one I have been trying to get for a looooooong time now. These lizards are so fast and so alert, I can rarely get within 100 feet before they are gone like a shot. Today I got lucky, and my friend John and I had this one trapped under a bush. Finally got a decent shot of one, but I am still hoping for better…
Thanks for looking!
Just a Walk in the Desert
Yup…went for a walk in the desert today, looking for lizards and such. Had a fantastic day walking around with fellow members of the Eastern Sierra Herpetology Club. Saw loads of lizards, and even a “lifer”…
Barred Spiny Lizard-Sceloperus magister transversus
Northern Desert Horned--Phrynosoma platyrhinos platyrhinos
Common Sideblotch--Uta stansburiana
Mating pair of Zebratails--Callisaurus dracoinides
And for the find of the day, a lifer for me…
View from Above
Red Coachwhip--Masticophis flagellum piceus
I’ve seen 2 others of this snake in the wild and alive. One of those was early this morning. I never got my hands or my camera on either of those. This one was sprawled out basking on a dirt road after the club trip officially ended. I “suffered” a dozen or more bites, but it was WELL worth it for this gorgeous snake.
Thanks for looking!
It’s ALMOST Summer…
You wouldn’t know it, considering it actually snowed in the town of Bishop today. Ok…it only snowed for about 3 minutes, but still…it’s friggin’ cold…
But, the lizards are out, and they are ready to pose pretty for the camera…
Barred Spiny Lizard hiding in a crack
Melanistic Fence Lizard basking in the sun
Northern Sagebrush that swears I can't see him...
Pretty purple flowers. Anyone know what they are?
I’m going out to the Tablelands again this Sunday. Hopefully it warms up before then…
Thanks for looking!
A Herping I will Go…
Jesus, it seems like a long time between posts, recently. I’ve gone out shooting, I just haven’t gotten anything worth sharing. The weather has not been cooperative, being too cold for road cruising, and too bright and clear with blown light during the day, which makes even macro work difficult. But, John and I wanted to go scout the location of the next Eastern Sierra Herpetology Club Field Trip, and see if the big lizards were up.
We got there and found a great variety of wildflowers, though many were still closed, waiting for the warming rays of the New Day’s sun. We got some good shots of the few that were open, though…
Scalebud
Scalebud and...Afid? In the desert?
Scalebud Butterfly
I'm stumped. How about you?
There was plenty of Wooly Daisey, Paintbrush, White Tidy Tips, Fiddleneck and Showy Gilia around, but this trip wasn’t really about the flowers. It was all about the lizards…
Great Basin Fence Lizard--Sceloperus occidentalis longipes
Same Fence Lizard
Another Fence Lizard
Barred Spiny Lizard--Sceloperus magister transversus
Western Sagebrush--Sceloperus graciosus gracilis--Female showing breeding coloration
Graet Basin Collared Lizard--Crotophystu bicinctores--Male
Same Collared Lizard in defensive posture
You wouldn’t believe how close we were able to get to these lizards today. They happily deemed us non-threatening and posed for pictures, a couple of them allowing me to get my lens less than a foot away!! It was really awesome!
Thanks for coming along!!
Field Trip!!
So…went on the first field trip of 2010 for the Eastern Sierra Herpetology Club. Now, anyone that has followed this blog for a little while remembers the pictures from last year’s first field trip. We spent 3 hours driving south trying to outrun the heavy winds and snow. We never did, but we had a great time.
Good thing about that was I knew anyone that attended last year’s first trip…wouldn’t be scared off by the weather forecast for this year’s trip. The forecast called for cool temperatures in the low 60′s and heavy winds of 35-45mph, and gusts reaching as much as 65mph in the valleys. As my luck would have it…the trip was scheduled for Death Valley. We decided to head out to Darwin Falls, and to be honest, the wind was pretty blustery, but once we got up in the canyon…it was a really, really nice day…
Lower Darwin Falls
This is the lower falls. there was a really neat hike up to the upper falls which had quite a few hard 3rd class scrambles and even some intermediate 4th class climbing, which was a ton of fun. The upper falls is about 120′ tall or so, but I didn’t get a decent shot.
We didn’t find any California Toads (Bufo boreas halophilus), which was a main reason for going there, but I definitely heard one jump in the water and swim away, and we know there is a ton of habitat, they were just hiding. There were a LOT of people walking in to see the falls.
We did find a TON of wildflowers and lizards, however…
Yellow Desert Poppy
Mating Damselflies
Sagebrush Lizard
Sagebrush Lizard
Showy Gilia
Sticky Yellow Throats
Tiny Blazing Star
Yellow Monkey Flower
Yellow Monkey Flower
These following two presumed female Zebratail Lizards, were both very content to sit perfectly still in the sun and let all of us walk up to take their pictures…
Zebratail 1
Zebratail 2
On the way out, John and I were half-heartedly looking for snakes crossing the road. The storm clouds were building up, and as John pulled over to let some cars pass, I couldn’t resist switching to the 14mm lens, and shooting this B&W of the storm…
Storm Over Death Valley
All in all it was a fantastic day. The weather wasn’t perfect, but it was a pleasant day filled with good times and great company, so…who could complain?
Oh and…it snowed Sunday night…in Bishop. It was gone by Monday evening, but we got a few inches that night. I’m just glad I didn’t wake up to a few inches on Sunday morning like we did last year…
As always, thanks for taking the time to look!
More Random Macros…
Yea…you know…I’ve been spending a lot of time with my wide angle lens and some closeup filters…plodding around town, bothering the bees and butterflies, and stealing the light from the flowers. But I’ve taken so many macro shots over the last 2 weeks, that I simply have not had the time (or the inclination, to be frank…) to share them.
So…here it is. Another “Random” post, only this time…with macros.
Bearded Dragon from the shop
African Hingeback Tortoise from the shop
So there you have it. Just a bunch o’ randomness and photographs from the last couple weeks. Hope you enjoyed them!
“…with a little help from my friends…”
So…I was invited on a hike this morning with 3 other local photographers. They are all part of the Eastern Sierra Photographers, as I am. We decided to take a hike up around Lake Sabrina, above Bishop, and boy, did we pick a spectacular day.
Tungsten Hills
On the way up to Sabrina, there was some fantastic light coming through a wonderful stormfront ni the Tungsten Hills area, so we decided to stop and take some shots…
Mt. Tom...sorta...
Of course…whilst in the Tungsten Hills, I am obligated to put on the 150mm tele and find some lizards. It would be sacreligious if I didn’t…
Fence Lizard trying to grow a new tail...
Sagebrush Lizard
Onwards and upwards, we hopped back in the car and continued up to Lake Sabrina at the top of Bishop Creek Canyon…
Lake Sabrina
Tell me those clouds aren’t amazing…
Beautiful time and place to be me...
Faraway Falls
This GORGEOUS waterfall is incredibly far away from me. I used my 150mm lens, and I cropped this way down in processing. I vow to get closer to this fall. Maybe not before the snow falls up there this year…but I WILL get close to those falls for decent shots…
Anyhow…I decided to head back down to the car earlier than the others. We were parked alongside Middle Fork Bishop Creek, and I wanted to get some photos of the creek.
Middle Fork Upper
Nornmally…on a Sunday in August…this place is literally assholes to elbows with fisherman. You can’t get a line in edgewise…which is why I typically avoid the middle fork. But when the rains come, and it clouds up, the fisherman head for cover. Fortunately, as a photographer…i LOVE overcast days. Gives you wonderful light…
Middle Fork Lower
I love how the heavy flow of water gave everything a surreal look to everything. So much movement…
The Stump
This is my favorite shot of the day. Don’t know how you feel about it, but I think this is the best of the day.
Anyhow…Thanks for taking the time to read!
Cruising for a Lifer
Well…cruising season has definitely slowed down, as it always does this time of year. With night time temperatures rarely dipping below 80*F, the snajkes simply do not need the warmer blacktop surface to thermoregulate, so we see fewer of them. It’s ironic, really…as the weather gets warmer and more snakes become even more active…we actualy see fewer because they don’t come to the roads for warmth. Ah well…C’est la vie…
There are still a gfew higher elevation areas withtemperatures that are much lower, and still provide opportunities to cruise up snakes. So with this in mind, my friend John and I decided to hit a mountain pass in Mono County last night, in search of a snake I have never seen in the wild before…and neither has John..
But…the East Side being what it is…we had taken some wonderful photographs that made the night worthwhile, long before we ever found a single snake…
Golden Sunset
Rainbow Sunset
Alpenglow Sunset
We have lived in the Eastern Sierra for long enough to know that a cloudy day that clears towards evening will almost always providwe a wonderful sunset. And sure enough, as the sun went down behind the Sierra Nevada Mountains to our west…the White Mountains to our east created a wonderful display of light and color to photograph…
Further on down the road and much later in the evening…
Great Basin Rattlesnake
The Eastern Sierra is the western border for the Great Basin of the United States. In my area, we find the Great Basin Gophersnake, Great Basin Collared Lizard, and the Great Basin Rattlesnake. Of these, the most stunningly beautiful is the Great Basin Rattlesnake…Crotalus oreganus lutosus. And up until last night…I had never seen on in the wild…
Claifornia King
Having found my lifer, and satisfied with the night, we headed home. Of course…for a couple of road cruising addicts like John and myself…”heading home” involves a long, slow drive down the OTHER back roads…just to see if we can find anything. Sure enough, this adult California Kingsnake popped up his head to say hello. He bit me too…bastard…;).
That’s it for the road cruise. Earlier in the day, John and I went for a walk in the desert, looking for snakes and lizards. We found a bunch of lizards…no snakes…
Northern Sagebrush Lizard
Northern Sagebrush Lizard
Common Sideblotch
Common Sideblotch
Thanks for taking the time to look!
Lifer Patchnose
Went for a drive with my friend John this evening…again…
Anyhow…tha plan was to leave a little earlier than normal, and hit a road I had seen DOR patchnose on, and see if we could find us one that was still breathing. As luck would have it…we were succesful. This is a “Lifer” snake for me. That means one I have been actively looking for and never found. Truth be known, I have seen 5 or 6 dead ones, and one live one before tonight. DOR snakes don’t count as “lifers” in my book, and neither does a snake that I couldn’t interact with at least on some level, either via photographing, hooking, holding…something… Tonight is the first time I actually had my hands on a living NMojave Patchnose snake…So here it is!!
Salvadora hexalepis mojavensis--Mojave Patchnose
As luck would have it…I got my hands on my first Great Basin Collared Lizard, as well. Now…I don’t really keep track of all the lizards I find, because of two reasons…Number one…I see them everywhere and don’t know much about them, and number two…they simply don’t excite me. There are a few exceptions, however, and Collard Lizards are one of them…
So here is the first Great Basin Collared Lizard I have ever interacted with:
Croaphytus bicinctores--Great Basin Collared Lizard
Now…these are the only living reptiles we saw all night. But anytime you can score 2 lifers in one night…it’s a good night.
Thanks for coming along!
