Been A While…
Wow. It’s been quite some time. A lot has happened. Initially, I was unemployed for a little bit, and anyone that has ever been there knows that priorities change. The internet had to go. Time was spent looking for a job, pounding the pavement, rather than walking the streets looking for photographs waiting to be taken. Money got tight, gas prices rose, and activity in my life ran down to a minimum.
But I’m back. I’m working, making money, and putting my camera back in hand, and priorities back in line. So by way of a re-introduction, here’s just a few random shots that have helped pass the time…
Zayne and Great Basin Gophersnake
My son and his girlfriend hunting for petroglyphs in the Volcanic Tablelands.
Goldfinch
Zayne enjoying Hot Ditch. Natural reflection from the water cured backlight shadows nicely.
Random front yard flower
1982 Shovelhead Custom Rigid. She will be mine. VERY soon…
So…yea…just a few shots to say, I’m back. And things are getting better. Thanks for stopping by!!
Cruising for Snakes
I went out last night for a short snake cruise, hoping to scare up some Sidewinders and Panamints, but alas, the rattlers didn’t want to come out and play with me. I did find a couple of other snakes, though…
California Kingsnake--Lampropeltis getula californiae
This king was absolutely gorgeous! He was about 4-4 1/2 feet in length, very healthy and crisply colored with jet black and pure white bands. This is a true “Desert Phase” California Kingsnake. Quintessential in color, size, and attitude, but he did settle down and stop trying to bite for long enough to get a few pictures…
Further down the road I found this guy…
Great Basin Gophersnake--Pituophis catenifer deserticola
I have found and played with a ton of Great Basin Gophersnakes over the years. This species is always fun to find, because you never know what kind of attitude they are going to have. Some are incredibly calm, content to be picked up, held, and moved out of the road, and others…well…not so much. This was one of the most defensive Gophersnakes I’ve ever had the pleasure of encountering. He was medium size, about 3 1/2 feet in length, but he was absolutely FULL of piss and hatred for me. He was easily one of the loudest hissers I’ve ever encountered, and he struck at me more times than I could possibly count. Not little strikes…2/3 body length, almost aerial, lunges towards me, the flashlight, the camera…anything that moved in front of him. Of course, he was determined to convince me that he was gonna kill me, but that’s what I like to see. If a snake is that angry at me, it means he will treat every other human he encounters the same way. When this dude reaches 6 feet or more in length, he will be one helluva snake to deal with. Hopefully, I will get the opportunity to meet him at that point. Think he’ll remember me? 
Here’s another shot of the same Gophersnake. Notice the similarity of pose and attitude? He didn’t stop for a second…
Even after picking him up, moving him across the road in his intended direction of travel, and calmly setting him down inches from the cover of sagebrush, he had his sights on me. What a great little snake!
Thanks for taking the time to look!
Mojave Desert Sidewinder
I like Sidewinders. They are a fairly small rattlesnake, with males topping out around 2-2 1/2 feet in length, and females reaching a massive 3 feet, but what they lack in body size, they typically make up for in attitude and venom production. This little girl was fast asleep in the middle of the road. She’s lucky my daughter and I found her first…
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- Mojave Desert Sidewinder–Crotalus cerastes cerastes
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- Mojave Desert Sidewinder–Crotalus cerastes cerastes
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- Mojave Desert Sidewinder–Crotalus cerastes cerastes
Birds and a Panamint
Yup…more birds, and a BEAUTIFUL Panamint I found with my daughter…
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- Panamint rattler-Crotalus stephensi
That little Panamint was awesome. He was being harassed by a Raven that was evidently trying to keep him in the road to be run over. Lucky for the snake, not so much for the Raven, we were the first car to come along, so I scared off the raven, grabbed my snake hook, and moved the little guy out of the road.
Thanks for looking!
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 GORGEOUS Day!!
Ahh…it felt like Spring. Hell, it almost felt like summer! Woke up to a gorgeous sunrise, and had my first cup of coffee on the front porch listening to the sparrows as the sun crept up over the hills…
Sparrow at Sunrise
I got home from work and the Sphinx moths were back out, only this time they were after the freshly blossomed lilacs…
I had to go down to Big Pine to water some animals for a friend who is out of town. For giggles, I cruised up one of my favorite roads to see if by chance the snakes were awake, and wouldn’t you know it…
Panamint Rattlesnake--Crotalus stephensi
This little juvenile Panamint was very cool, chilling in the road on the way back down. So it’s official. First snake of the year means spring is officially here! I don’t care the weather thinks…
Thanks for looking!
Great Basin Gophersnakes
Found 5 or 6 Great Basin Gophersnake hatchlings this evening between sunset and moonrise. All of them were very young, probably only a few days to a couple weeks old, and all were out warming themselves on the pavement for what could very well be their first meal…
Anyhow, I got some decent pictures of a couple of them, so here they are!
Time for your closeup!
Heading for the bushes...
My favorite shot of the night...
Anyhow…it was a really nice night. I took a new Eastern Sierra Herpetology Club member out for his first roadcruise, and we were lucky enough to find several hatchlings. Not bad, if you ask me.
Thanks for taking the time to look!
Wounded Coachwhip
I got a call about 2 weeks ago. A friend of mine caught a Red Coachwhip (Masticophis flagellum piceus) in his backyard, and wanted to know if I could help it. It had a small, but fairly deep skin injury. Kind of looked like he got stuck on a thorn, and it ripped him open, and pushed the skin up underneath itself. So I brought this thing home to see if I could help. He ate a live hopper mouse straight away, so the first hurdle was past…getting him to eat.
I pulled the flapper out using tweezers, and tried to let it heal back down in place, but it didn’t work. After 3 days, it was dry, and curling back underneath, so I moistened it with some betadine, straightened out the flapper, and cut it off.
This morning, he ate a frozen and then thawed hopper mouse, which is a fantastic sign of recuperation and adapting to captivity, and the wound is showing signs of healing.
You can see the wound site there below the markings on his neck...
Closeup of the wound
You can see in the closeup that the remaining healthy skin has started to heal and form scarring where it has re-attached to the underlying flesh. You can also see signs of scale definition beginning to re-develope in the flesh, itself. Luckily, it wasn’t an injury that was deep enough to cause muscle damage, and while it will be a decent scar…he should have a complete recovery, and make a fantastic addition to the collection. It is, afterall, illegal to release them from captivity once they have been captured…
Thanks for taking the time to look!
Bishop Creek Canyon
I went camping with my daughter, my girlfriend, and her daughter up in Bishop Creek Canyon over the weekend. It was quite nice to get outta town and get out with a camera in hand…
Looking east
Baby Mountain Gartersnake that Annette spotted--Thamnophis elegans elegans
One of the many species of blue damselfly
Butterfly taking a morning "coffee break"
Mother Nature's Garden
Orange Mallow
Mojave Prickly Pear Blossom
Not sure on an ID for this Damselfly yet...
That’s about it for now. I took a bazillion pictures of the fire last night, too, but I haven’t processed them yet.
Anyhow…I really enjoyed the weekend. I hope you enjoyed seeing the photos!
Great Basin Gophersnake
Found an absolutely outstanding specimen of gophersnake last night. At about 4 foot long, this guy was fairly calm and posed very nicely for me in a pile of rocks. Outstanding coloration, and just a gorgeous snake in general–
Great Basin Gophersnake--Pituophis catenifer deserticola
I love these snakes. You never know what kind of attitude you are going to get with them. Some are large, angry, and ready to bite, and others, like this one, are quite gentle and content to pose. Whatever you get, it will be a wonderfully adapted desert species, and a natural beauty.
Thanks for looking!
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!
Road Cruising
Went out for a quick road cruise last night with my friends John and James. It was a decent night…1 snake and a toad. But james hadn’t been cruising in far too long so really…anything was fine by us, as long as it was alive…
Western Longnose
Rhinocheilus lecontei
Great Basin Spadefoot Toad
Spea intermontana
The Spadefoot was actually quite the treat. I have never seen one in the wild before last night, and frankly…they aren’t that common. The fact that I spotted it hopping along the side of the road was amazing enough. To actually locate it and get some photos…that was the bonus!
Thanks for looking!
New Kingsnake
So…I got a new thayeri kingsnake today. I have been wanting a Variable Kingsnake for a very, very longtime, and now I finally have an adult male. So let me introduce you all to Leonidas, the Leonis Phase Variable Kingsnake(Lampropeltis mexicana thayeri)
So yea…that’s what a Leonis Phase Varibale Kingsnake looks like. Purty ain’t he?
Backyard Macros
So…I’m in the process of moving out of my tiny-ass apartment, and in to a large house. For the past 4 years, my daughter and I have shared a 2-bedroom apartment with a room mate, which means I have been sleeping on the couch for longer than I care to remember. We are finally moving in to a large 4-bedroom, 2-bathroom house with my girlfriend and her daughter. What a fantastic change!
However…this leaves me very little time to go out and shoot. So…backyard “wilderness” will have to suffice…
Western Longnose-Rhinocheilus lecontei
Make A Wish
Looking at the world through a Fly's Eyes
The Nucleus
One more great aspect of our new house…PLENTY of open habitat to explore. I haven’t walked around too much to explore the property in depth, but I know there are about 1,000 acres or so of public land surrounding us. I also know that I received 3 different rattlesnake removal calls from this area last year, and all 3 were very nice Panamint Rattlers. Rarely are removal calls actually for rattlesnakes. Most of the time, they are big gophersnakes, occasionally a kingsnake, and even a few garter snakes. But in this area, they have all been actual rattlers, and that makes me very happy, contrary to what one might think, considering there are 2 young girls running around. But my daughter is well trained in identification, and my girlfriend’s daughter is quickly learning…
Thanks for taking the time to look!
More Flowers…and Snakes…
Yup…it’s that time of year. The time we photographers live for. The time of year when everywhere you look there is something worth shooting…
Cultivated Honeysuckle
Cultivated Columbine
Cultivated and monsterous flower of some sort...
Sub-adult Panamint Rattlesnake
Thanks for taking the time to look!
Panamint Alley
Took a cruise with John to Old Faithful last night. We thought it was about time to play with a rattlesnake, so we went to one of my favorite Panamint cruising roads. As luck would have it, we found 3 juvenile Panamint Rattlesnakes (Crotalus stephensi)!
Over the last few years, this road has been quite predictable and consistent in it’s Panamint offerings. I think I’m gonna continue cruising here, because frankly…I love me some Panamints!
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!
Practice Makes Perfect…??
So…I got my new 105mm f/2.8 macro lens. I got my new FL-36r flash unit. I got my flash mounting bracket. Now all I need is for the weather to warm up and the snakes to start crawling.
Until that time, I decided to practice on some closeups of a small greyband kingsnake named Spot…
Obviously, I am a lot closer to this little guy than I would be to a rattlesnake. But it’s nice to know that I can get in this close, if I want too. That was the hardest thing to deal with last season…the limitations of the 40-150mm tele.
Well..Problem Solved. Thanks for coming by!
More Snake Shots
Can you tell I’m jonesing to find some snakes? I can’t wait for roadcruising season to begin. If I don’t find a rattler soon, I might shoot someone.
Boa is a fair replacement, however…
My Boy Diamond
Pretty Boy
This is my male Colombian Boa. He is pretty cool. I haven’t had him long, but he is a litter-mate to a boa I had a few years ago, and the two were identical in every way. Ain’t he purty?
Anyhow…I’ll have to satisfy my needs by shooting some of my captive critters until the wild ones start crawling. Thanks for looking!
Some Serpent Snapshots…
Well…anyone that has looked in the last week or so, knows that I got a new lens and flash unit. The main reason for getting these 2 items is anticipation of the coming Road Cruising season. I can’t wait to find some rattlers with this puppy. But to cool me out, and play a little bit…I shot some of the pets this morning…
Blair--Blair's Phase Greyband--Langtry, TX
Sammy Snake-Cornsnake
Sammy Snake
Spot--Blair's Phase Greyband--Langtry, TX
Cali--California Desert Tortoise--Captive Bred
Thanks for looking!
New Buddy…
I got a new buddy. His name is Diamond. He’s a very handsome boy…
Diamond is the full brother from the same litter as a boa I had some time ago named Simon. Simon was the coolest boa ever. I made a huge mistake and sold Simon to an individual that did not take very good care of him. Simon died. I have missed Simon ever since.
Yesterday, a friend of mine came into the shop with this snake. He looks exactly like Simon. And he has the exact same casual attitude. I fell in love immediately. I brought Diamond home from the shop. I just couldn’t resist. He is absolutely gorgeous, and at about 2 1/2 years old he is a very strong and stout 4′ long. He’s puppy-dog tame, and just a sweetheart…
Ain’t he purty? Thanks for looking!
Quest for Falls…
Anyone that has visited the Eastern Sierra knows that we have a lot of streams. Big mountains, with steep slopes, and high average snowfall combine to produce an amazing array of rivers, creeks, streams and lakes. Most of these bodies of water eventually find a way to empty their contents into the desert floor. What the LADWP doesn’t siphon off and irrigate away as drinking water, settles in as groundwater beneath the sand and sagebrush of the desert. We won’t talk about the fact that it wasn’t a desert before the LADWP…that will be another post…
Anyhow…
One of my hobbies is finding waterfalls. I like to photograph them, and I like to sit by them, have a cigarette, and just relax. They are magical in their presence… Aural bliss from their falling molecules of Hydrogen and Oxygen. Visual perfection in their flexability and splendor. Glorious in their sustenance. But I digress…
Went for a walk up around Pine Creek yesterday. I know of many beautiful runs and riffles on Pine Creek…it’s one of my favorite fishing creeks in the entire Eastern Sierra. But there aren’t any fish there, so don’t bother…
Found this guy chillin’ in my path to the creek’s edge…
This was a feisty son of a bitch. Sure…he’s one of the prettiest deserticola I’ve ever encountered…but the bastard tried to bite me at least a dozen times in the span of 5 minutes. I like ‘em like that though. Let’s me know they got some fight in ‘em. The bastards will be just fine.
I had to hang onto him for a couple minutes because I was with Rose and Annette, and I’m not sure Rose has had a positive experience with a wild snake before, and I wanted her to see this guy. Anyhow…on to the water…
It was pretty blown out…hazy, mid-day sun with little saturation and WAY to stark in the shadows. So We went up above the road, and just listened. Sure enough, within a few minutes of walking quietly…
Hidden Falls
Jumbled Falls
Little Falls
These were all in one small area, and there were many, many other little falls and cascades scattered about. They were on the main creek and on small feeder streams coming into the creek on both sides. Most of them ended in beautiful little runs and cascades, and there were a few little plunge pools.
I’m going back up there. Better lighting would make this place spectacular. Expect an update on this spot…soon…
As always, Thanks for taking the time!
Old Shots Re-visited
I got a new monitor. YAY for ME!! It is WAY better than the old piece of shit I was using. Since getting it, I have been able to properly calibrate it, so that I can actually view my images the way everyone else sees them!
See…up until now…when I’ve been processing photos, I have been acutely aware of my monitor’s shortcomings, and “guessing” where the photos needed to be to ook right to other people. Well…them days are over!
I remembered taking a bunch of photos that I never processed because I simply couldn’t get them to look good on the old monitor. SO I have re-visited some of these images, and managed to properly process them. So here they are!
Great Basin Gophersnake
Great Basin Gophersnake
Panamint Rattlesnake
Desert Nightsnake
And a closeup shot of a REALLY creepy Dobson Fly I took last night:
Creepy, creepy face. Must be an alien...
Thanks for taking the time to look!!
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!
