Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I moved down here from Buffalo, NY last fall and I am anxious to get out and do some field herping down here in Alabama.

I have only done a little road cruising so far, which has only turned up several turtles and hundreds of frogs, but no snakes which is what im really after.

I am just wondering if there is anyone in this forum that is familiar with the area and can give me a general idea of areas to go without getting in trouble on someone's private property?

Basically, I try to go everywhere that doesn't have a fence or a "no trespassing sign." If you don't see either of those, then logically (or it seems logical to me) the worst they can do is say "This is my land...get off." Search near creeks and bayous and if you see trashpiles on the sides of roads, try them. I am not sure of any exact spots in Alabama, but I am sure if you find some lightly traveled roads and go out after a light shower one night you are bound to see something. Andy
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Andy Maddox
The Reptizone

Who are you who can say it's ok to live through me? Alice In Chains

Yeah, that is pretty much my current M.O., my only problem is im still learning the roads and things. Some people at a local pet store just gave me a few decent tips on at least some general directions or roads to get me started on.

I usually prefer to look during the day and see what i find under tins and garbage, rocks logs, whatever. But i hear a lot of people who prefer just after or before sunset. Is that because you want to catch the herps on the move? Or do you also go around looking under everything in the dark as well?

First get away from the city...If you can get a map which lists national parks, city parks, streams etc. The more detail the better. Do not collect in the parks but you may find roads bordering them. If you only want to photo parks are fine. Look for secondary or dirt roads. Drive the dirt roads in the mornings then again 1 hour to 30 minutes before dark. Try the paved after that until about 3 hours after dark.(In the Eastern U.S.)Some bridges are good areas to look. Especially those that have an expansion joint. ALWAYS ask before stepping on any property posted or otherwise. You'd be surprised how many houses in rural areas that look empty actually have people living there.
You'll have to hit tin and trash piles early in the mornings. Check around tree stumps and railroad ties but be careful for venomous. I know that's a little low on deatils but it should give you a start. Hope that helps. Raymond Goushaw Herpetological Breeding Research

Thanks Raymond! Those are all excellent suggestions. I have always had good success around railroad tracks and bridges in the past as well.

I am an experienced herper, but it has been some years since i set foot in the field. Now being in a different environment, it is really exciting getting back out there. I suppose i already knew that basically it will just take a little time to get familiar with the surroundings.

I think mainly i was interested in the best way to go about it without getting in trouble for tresspassing, since i dont know the lay of the land here very well yet but so far you guys have given some great advice!

Thanks again!

the odds of seeing snakes on the move at night goes up, and seeing them under tin goes down.

John

That is about what i would have thought, but i dont know if i am much for trying to find them on the move, since i was always used to turning tin and whatever else i could look under.

Also, the presumed necessity of a flashlight in the evening is just more equipment to tote, especially now since i am considering taking photos, which is not something i used to do in the past...

I figure some snakes will tend to freeze and let you shoot them if you find them under a tin, where if they are on the move, they may be next to impossible to photograph, especially in the dark...

Hi - That's where I'm from. Don't live there right now. The general suggestions everyone else has offered are mostly good. Here's some Mobile-specific stuff.

First, by this time of year, daytime cruising and "out in the open" searching is pretty much done. Road cruise early a.m., or near and after dusk. During the day, you'll have to look under tin, logs, boards, etc., and still won't do as well as you'd have done 30 days ago.

There are some Wildlife Management Areas, like Boykin, a little upstate. Gulf State Park and the Bon Secour Refuge over in South Baldwin can be good walking areas. Interestingly, in Mobile, if you find a King, it'll be a Speckled, but in South Baldwin it will be an Eastern (chained pattern). The Kings on Dauphin Island are also Easterns. Chickasabogue Park is really close to you if you're in Mobile. There, you have a little bit of several types of habitat - pineywoods, bottomland hardwoods, swamp, oldfield second growth, and an upland stream. You'll probably have to get off of the trails to see anything.

Wherever you go in South Alabama at this time of year, unless it is in the city, if you are outdoors you can count on getting chewed up by yellow flies, deer flies, and horse flies. Early and late in the day you can add skeeters to that lovely mix. And if you're anywhere near a salt marsh, those wonderful blood-sucking midges (called gnats down here, but they're really midges) will join in the fun too. That makes road cruising at night kind of an attractive option for the next few months.

I haven't done much road cruising around Mobile, well, not intentionally anyhow. I guess I would drive out west by Big Creek Lake or up near Citronelle and look for secondary, preferably ditchless, roads.

If you have a boat, you can see a lot of watersnakes up on the Alabama River Cut-off. Much more than in the delta. But watersnake spotting was also better a month or two ago.

Finally, I hate to disagree with other posters, but I'd have to tell you that, in Alabama and this part of the South in general, I'd start with the assumption that unless you know land is public or you have specific permission from the owner to enter, don't go hiking around on that land. I wouldn't rely on the absence of "no trespassing" signs or the absence of a fence as an indication that you are welcome. I'm not giving you a legal opinion here, I'm just giving you some practical info as a person who has lived down here all of my life. No one is going to get too cranked if, while road cruising, you get out and take a picture or look at a snake near the side of the road so long as you don't cross a fence or go past a "no trespassing" sign or stand in someone's front yard. But by the same token, if you go traipsing off into someone's woods or fields, even if there aren't any "posted" or "no trespassing" signs or fences, well, it can get a little uncomfortable dealing with some of the landowners.

Thanks!

That is EXACTLY the kind of info i was looking for when i posted originally.

And i think i kinda agree with you about the trespassing thing, which was really my biggest concern. I mean my common sense and experience in the north is that mostly if there are no signs or fences and the area is more or less desolate, no one will bother you for wandering around in a field looking at creatures. But i wasnt sure if i was just paranoid or if i was right in having an inclination that down here i might wind up somewhere diggin buckshot out of myself!

In my research on the area, i found that there are some grounds set aside for hunting (Boyken, Tensaw and Upper Delta i think) in Mobile and Baldwin counties. I find that there is maybe more game hunting that goes on down here than where im from in Western NY. Well, at least in the areas not too far from the city like those places i mentioned. I think that is great that they have those places, but i cant shake the thought of me getting my foot caught in a bear trap or some guy trying to explain to the police how I looked 'just like a rooster' in that light...

I think i will give the road cruising a try, im not as familiar with that method personally, and so far i have had a hard time getting myself on a road that is quiet enough to not have a lot of other traffic coming along and disturbing me while im trying to go slow.

Oh, and also thanks for the tip on the Kings. The eastern chain is one of my favorite snakes of all, and one (among many) species that you'd only see in a pet store or trade show where im from. In fact it is one of the ones i am most anxious to see. The specled king, however is not one i am too partial to, so it is good to note that little tidbit about the habitat division!

Excellent post, I really appreciate it and I am sure it will be invaluable!

One more thing, im curious to know about the seasonal thing down here. I mean winters are notoriously mild. Do snakes hibernate all winter here? Or just go dormant when a real cold spell is coming?

What are the best times of year for field herping without as much potential for being dismembered alive by the airborne insects?

I know it is summer now, but it hasnt really gotten to what i consider full-blown HOT down here just yet this year...hasnt cracked 90 more than once or twice. Mostly been in the 80's all year so far. So do the snakes' activities respond more to the heat, or the season, do you think?