Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Fall Herping Conclusion

***AN ENTIRELY FISHLESS POST***

Hyla versicolor

Things are rather cold now. Well before the time I'm writing this the chances of going out and finding much in the way of amphibians and reptiles had already predictably diminished. For the first time in years I'm feeling pretty depressed about that. When I was little, the distinct lack of bugs and snakes and frogs made the winter months a drag. Now I have fishing, which is perfectly wonderful though sometimes physically uncomfortable here in New England in the winter months. But I'd found my way back to herping, gradually at first but then quite suddenly this year, and I'm feeling deprived to the extent that my planning of possible winter trips is taking snake finding opportunities into consideration rather than just fish. But it wasn't a bad fall for me here in CT looking for herps, especially considering I'm basically starting from scratch with this pastime. Though I've always been a habitual roller of rock and logs and catcher of snakes and turtles, my technical knowledge when it comes to finding snakes is still limited.

Pantherophis alleghaniensis
This fall got me into the swing of things. I saw more timber rattlesnakes than in the previous six years total, found my first Eastern hognose snake, and caught and photographed plenty of other species of snake, salamander, and frog that I have plenty of times previously.

Ambystoma opacum
Instead of just rolling the occasional log or lifting the odd board, I went out specifically to find new locations with discarded boards or tin, collapsed structures, and other trash and some natural sight where careful lifting could reveal any number of species. It payed off to some degree. I found snakes, though none of the species I was really seeking.

Storeria dekayi



More often that not I only found the typical assortment of local salamanders, the most abundant two species being red backed and northern two lined.

Eurycea bislineata

Plethodon cinereus
Milk snakes remained elusive. Smooth green snakes remained elusive. And I never saw a copperhead this year. But I saw at least one timber rattlesnake every time I went looking for them, and I do not get tired of being around these animals. They are so incredible. Just to sit next to one for a few moments absolutely makes my day every time.

Crotalus horridus



This winter, perhaps more than any other I can remember, I'll be antsy for the days to get longer and warmer and the ground to thaw.
I love winter fishing.
But not enough to pretend I wouldn't rather tomorrow be the first day of March.
Until next time.
Fish for the love of fish.
Fish for the love of places fish live.
Fish for you.


Thank you to my Patrons; Erin, David, john, Elizabeth, Chris, Brandon, and Christopher, for supporting this blog on Patreon.

4 comments:

  1. Short daylight and cold winds are hard to indoor. It's a good time to tie and plan. Love these photos.
    Tie, fish, write, conserve and photo on...

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    1. Make no mistake, I don't care about the cold when it comes to fishing. Bring it on, winter, I will just keep fishing. Tie always, plan always, fish always.
      But herp when and where it isn't cold enough to send them underground all day.

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  2. Whoa - that Eastern Ratsnake is AWESOME! I think I saw one when I was a kid, a solid 30-32 or so years ago around 8-10 years old... But that's it. They were always a favorite and that is a great image of that animal!

    All the images are great, and it's really cool you are "on to" rattlesnakes so consistently. Have you seen copperheads this year? I just LOVE that rat snake though...

    Enjoy
    Will

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    Replies
    1. I'm with you on that, I adore rat snakes. They tick so many of the boxes: beautiful coloration, get pretty big, usually very willing to be handled, not too stinky.
      No copperheads this year. I will find some next year though, I'm confident of that.

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