Joey's notes
I did get to spend some time outdoors this week, and it has been
a rather warm week. In fact, it hardly seems like October. We have
even had some temps getting into the low 90s. Pretty warm for this
time of year.
Monday (9-30-02), Nothing memorable.
Tuesday (10-1-02), Gathering feeder items outdoors, we found an
Eastern Worm Snake. Inside, we worked on getting some baby Eastern
Garters to eat some pinkie mice (scented with toads). Two accepted.
Fed the Glossy Crayfish Snake. Others call this a difficult species
to keep, but I have never seen this one refuse to eat.
Wednesday (10-2-02), DOR Spotted Skunk on the interstate near
work. While on an evening errand, I found an AOR baby Black
Ratsnake.
Thursday (10-3-02), With the day off, I was in Aiken County and
in the field (yes, literally in a field) by 8 AM. I was doing some
Tiger Beetle hunting, and some herping with my friend Tony Mills.
The beetle hunting yielded some Cicindela tranquebarica,
C. punctulata, C. scutellaris, and C. nigrior.
While herping, Tony and I flipped coverboards (tin and plywood) in
upland habitats and found only Lizards (Green Anoles, Fence Lizards,
Ground Skinks, Broadhead Skink, and Racerunners) and a Southern
Toad. Checking drift fences, we found 4 Southeastern Crowned Snakes
and a Redbellied Snake. Finally, in a wetland area, we checked
turtle traps (Musk Turtles and Yellow-Bellied Sliders), minnow traps
(one contained a beautiful Mud Snake!), and coverboards that were
half in, half out of the water. Under these we found Southern Red
Salamanders, Three Lined Salamander, and two eel-like salamanders
that could have been Sirens or Amphiuma. These slippery creatures
easily escaped my grip and disappeared into the muck. Of course,
Bronze Frogs and Cricket Frogs were common sights in and around the
water. Not to be omitted, we had lunch at DUKE's BBQ (between Aiken
and New Ellenton) and I must say it was wonderful! But then, the
whole day was really wonderful. Tony was an excellent host (Thanks
again) and I may have gotten him a bit hooked on Tiger Beetles!
Friday (10-4-02), Evening road cruise. I found nothing but a DOR
Copperhead.
Saturday (10-5-02), Mid-morning, I saw a small snake AOR, but
unable to return and catch it due to traffic. Did the family stuff,
attended a BBQ contest/festival in Laurens! A good week for BBQ!
Sunday (10-6-02), a colleague stopped by with a group of
Appalachian State students. They had been on a field trip to the SC
lowcountry. I offered them the chance to check my tin, but they all
seemed very tired. After they left, I checked the tin myself and
found a Southern Ringneck. After sunset, I went to the pond but saw
no snakes and very few frogs (BullFrogs and Green Frogs). On the way
home I road cruised a bit locally and found an AOR Copperhead.
That's all for now,
Joey
Holmes
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