Here's a few from my day and a half and two half nights herping before the big show last weekend. My wife Charlotte and I planned to get to Daytona a week before the show for some much needed r and r but once a herper, always a herper, lol! She kindly agreed to letting me have a day off from the beach, (we are from Corpus Christi, Texas, lived here most of my life) I had had enough fun in the sun! I will relate the findings but post them in no particular order 'cause that's how I roll! First she and I visited Ponce Inlet lighthouse about 10 miles south of Daytona, a great side trip! She struck true gold first, but I did see many brown anoles on the buildings there and on the boardwalk by our hotel. I didn't count them as they are abundant in small populations in Corpus and Rockport. She saw a Florida box turtle on the other side of the fence along a hiking trail at the lighthouse. Dang! (but good on her!) We enjoyed the sites and the view was awesome from the top!
Next day after our obligatory swim, she released me for the day to pursue truely important things! The night before I did a preemptive strike out of Daytona along HWY 92 looking for dor's and possibilities. I did see a nice Florida water snake and turned around for it to see Tiger Bay WMA. I bagged the snake for photos and saw a dor, darker and larger water snake. I assumed it was another Florida. Next day I go to Tiger Bay and have a looksee, and to photo and release the water snake, he bit me like 10 times and I bled freely! Next herp seen was a garter or ribbon, I say ribbon, and death had turned it blue, so I have no clue as to what it was. I didn't even have a field guide with me, DOH! The ants were having their way with it so i moseyed on. The habitat was just like out of the books, the one lane dirt road through pines and swampy vegetation. I was hoping to see an indigo but after about an hour was only able to scrounge a very large orange skink that hauled @$$. Five lined or broadhead? Didn;t get the shot, dangit! It was under a broken down blind and I was really hoping it would produce a king or something but no such luck. The frogs were croaking the night before so I knew all sorts of beasties were nearby, but I guess it was too hot, as I saw no turtles basking. No pine bark yielded scarlet anythings, and I was getting ready to leave when something caught my eye. Another set of 4x4's from a downed blind. I left the road to investigate and seeing no plywood, I lifted each post. Then, as some of you may have felt before in your experiences, the hackles rose on the back of my neck...for me it is always a premonition of danger, there is a venomous snake very close! I slowly turn around to find an awesome 4 1/2-5' female Eastern diamond-backed rattlesnake half out of a hole at the base of a pine tree! I had walked right by her and she was either dozing or didn't feel the need to blow her disguise. Man! I love/hate it when that happens! I was stoked and got 4 shots before she slid back into the hole. Man, I felt like this day, anyting was possible! I took some habitat shots and decided to go for the gold, to head to Okeechobee to look for the fabled king. That was a real high point I can tell you! So I head out and go the looooong way through DeLand and had to stop at a likely looking trash pile, the first one I had seen. I dug through a small portion and whaddya know, a Brahminy blind snake, another lifer! (Everything was a lifer as this was my first trip through Florida!) Now this was Thursday the 17th, and I was supposed to help Tom Stevens set up for the Daytona Expo so I had to boogey. I didn't make it south to the cane fields and stopped one to many times at a few abandoned buildings with no luck. I did see a shed next to a railroad bridge that looked like a racer or coachwhip of some kind, man the briars are just as thick here as east Texas! I was running out of time so I headed back up and near New Smyrna saw a large female turtle crossing the road. Pulling over to help her out, I noticed someone else with the same idea. Turned out to be one of the keepers at the Central Florida Zoo. He told me it was a Florida peninsular ? cooter and held her for photos before ushering her into the canal for which she was heading. That ended the day and I made it back in time to help with the setup. I did one more half night of road cruising with Carston "ZEE" Zoldy and we saw only small nerodia that were dor. I did see a fox, and many birds. Had a great time and have an excuse for a return trip. The show was fantastic, with many colubrids on display, and many faces were put to forum names. I can't wait to do it again!
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Todd Hughes
