Posted by:
regalringneck
at Sat Sep 10 02:05:35 2005 [ Email Message ] [ Show All Posts by regalringneck ]
I send the lad, I mean Lat, the freeking file & he just posts the pics! HaHa...I guess the poor boy is as technologically challenged as I am...I dont for instance understand why that coachwhip doesnt fully load in this mode...???
anyway...heres what he was supposed to post...zzzzz
Heres athe results of a fun trip Brett Daniels & I made down to the border area...after the rest of our team chickened out on the great 2005 mexican-madrean...sojourn...we also tag teamed this post w/ Brett doing the jpg loading...me taking care of most of this txt.
9.1.05; Lateralis & I depart for the frontera arriving in the first madrean area @ ~ 1900. Conditions are perfect but wind is steadily increasing to gusty...floral conditions look green & optimal.
First spot is a good one....one that I completely missed; a juvenile tiger @ 4000' & 2000 hrs.
#2 is an adult atrox @ ~ 2500' & 2100 hrs.
#3 is a neonate atrox @ ~ 2500' & 2110 hrs.
#4 is an adult pituophis @ ~ 5750' & 2150 hrs.
#5 is a young adult molossus @ ~ 6000' & 2200 hrs.
Strong wind, cooling T, crew fatigue & perhaps 1 too many brews...for Gunn... cause a 2230 flame-out.
9.2.05;
Dawn cruise reveals no late night DoR's or torpid live snakes on the road. We did find 2 DoR molossus that we missed the previous night, one of which was quite aged & not computed into the trip summary statistic.
The other is entered below.
#1 is a previous days adult molossus @ ~ 3500'.
#2 is a sub-adult female tortuga on SR 86 @ ~ 2950' & 0800 hrs. Who can be so dim as to miss seeing a freeking tuga on a blacktop rd???
#3 is an adult Salvadora (grahamiae?) on the Ruby rd. @ ~ 4750' & 12:00 hrs.
#4 is an adult Masticophis dying on the Madera rd. @ ~ 3250' & 17:00 hrs.
#5 is a young adult molossus on the Madera rd. @ ~ 4000' & 19:00 hrs.
Multiple passes until 2230 on the xy canyon Rd. reveal nothing despite perfect conditions, few rodents in evidence either??? Cooling T, fatigue, & copious brews cause a 2230 cessation. Perhaps we should have stayed out later or shifted to the observatory rd...?
9.3.05
AM dawns pleasant and fully overcast, ~ 72-75*, am cruise reveals no late night DoR's nor torpid live snakes on the road or its perfect sidecuts. We move over to the Huachucas & see nada on the hiway enroute.
Hike Ramsey canyon that AM, find Yarrows abundant on the talus slides, conditions are perfect; first sun splashes....one lepidus shed discovered in a crevice.
Drive xx canyon early afternoon;
#1 is a neonate Son Whip at a possible elev record of on the xx canyon rd. & 14:00 hrs.
We drift over to other areas of the Huachucas that late afternoon; very nice habitat conditions, lateral rds look very good too, we also worked south on the Canelo Hills Rd after dark. ...surprisingly little was to be seen, few rodents in evidence either???
#2 is a young adult Blk-neck garter on the xy rd. near the w. boundary, @ ~ 5000' & 17:00 hrs. . Head about a molossus from folks at the w boundary.
#3 is a beautiful dark splendida at a possible elev record of 5150' on SR 83 ~ 5 mi. S of Sonoita @ 20:30 hrs.
Nothing of note seen on our run over to Nogales & west; the paved portion of the xx Rd yeilded nothing, camped @ the lake overlook w/ the jaguar scrape! . Again we give in to the cramps & fatigue by 22:30 hrs.
9.4.05
AM dawns pleasant and clear, ~ 72-75*, am cruise reveals no late night DoR's nor torpid live snakes on the xx Rd. nor the sidecuts.
#1 is a young Son whipsnake in the ditch, @ ~ 4750' & 10:00 hrs. Escapes easily!
#2 is a young adult Blk-neck garter fd hiking up a lateral drainage, @ ~ 5000' & 11:00 hrs.
#3 is an adult Son whipsnake in the ditch, @ ~ 4750' & 14:00 hrs. Escapes easily!
Arrive in Mesa by 17:00 hrs., Poor Lat-man has another 4.5 hrs pull on I-10 west to get home....damnit.
Trip Stats:
~ 815 miles of Az travel w/ 37.5 g of fuel .
~ 465 non-inter-state miles yield ~ 15 noteworthy herps, representing 10 spps.; ~ 31 mi/herp.
~ 3 miles & 3-4 hrs hiking = 3 noteworthy herps representing 3 spps.; ~ 1hr/herp.
Comments:
Lack of DoR's on 2 lane highways & back roads; probably indicates a general lack of surface movement in addition to generally supressed populations adjacent to well traveled roads.
2 DoR's retained for feeders.
Mid-day road cruising & driving higher elevation woodlands after dark seemed particularly non-productive (as usual). We should have done less of this & more canyon hiking.
A small # of surface debris items were lifted for examination; nothing was found using this method.
Several other apparent herp hunters & deer scouts were encountered, fewer border patrols than most trips, one "Game Ranger" was spotted on the highway <>!
2 other collectors talked to were reporting less luck than we.
Few Cnemis were in evidence anywhere, many, many small insects were observed, thus the food web has a solid base. Significant recent ppt in most places, range/floral conditions were generally good except for the abundant exotic lehmans lovegrass. Took a gr8t jpg of a roadside edge comprised of a pure stand of native grasses (w/ no bufflegrass in sight) and then a near mono-culture of exotic Lehmans Lovegrass running back past the RoW fence into the mesquites flats beyond.
A Papago ranger, 1 cranky rancher & a crazy kamikaze dirt biker made us joke, smile, & curse!
Dr Spec was dodging & weaving w/ the best of them...damn them all...
We hope that Matt fellow got lucky...he met an elderly Indian woman in 3-points...we also hope his wife/grlfren doesnt follow these forums...mebbe he'll post a jpg....LoL...LoL!
The usual chigger bites & pollen allergies make me wonder if Iitoi or any other god... has any sense of decency...aarrgghhhh...."Dr Cerastes" feels abandoned by his Santeria gods as well, Chango where were you in his hour of need!
Cheers n Beers....Lateralis n' RxR
[ Hide Replies ]
 ....Jesus de Cristo.... Lat man... - regalringneck, Sat Sep 10 02:05:35 2005
|
