Things started off cold and wet for Easter weekend. On Monday it was partly sunny (but it still rained) and in the upper 50s. I decided to herp the Santa Cruz Mountains and found 8 different types of herps.
A Pacific Chorus Frog and Western Fence Lizard were found underneath the same small rock:
I found more Western Skinks on that day than all of my other California trips (9) combined.
Ensatinas weren't that hard to come by either.
The highlight of the day was this California Night Snake (a lifer) found under a branch by the side of the road.
Slender Salamanders were the most commonly seen herp.
A "golden" Western Fence Lizard.
This Pacific Gopher Snake was found under artificial cover. It looks like one of last year's babies.
Perhaps the largest Southern Alligator Lizard I've ever seen.
On Tuesday I went to Mount Hamilton.
It was in the upper 40s when I got there. I flipped this California Whipsnake on my way up the mountain.
This well-marked Northern Pacific Rattlesnake was found as well.
I'd say that this is the largest Ensatina I've even seen.
Another Northern Pacific Rattlesnake - a frequently encountered snake on the trip.
Several Arboreal Salamanders were seen throughout the week.
On Wednesday I drove up the coast. I started at Santa Cruz and headed north.
I found my second "lifer" of the year near a creek - Coast Garter Snake:
I was pretty happy with the find and drove north for a few more miles, where I encountered this large female Santa Cruz Garter Snake.
While catching the snake, I noticed a male nearby, so I caught him too. Most likely he was courting her.
The coolest find of the day was this "high red" Coast Garter - even its ventral surface had red markings.
On Thursday I did some sightseeing in San Francisco and Berkely. A quick visit to the shore yeilded 5 Coast Garters in an hour. They all had well defined checkered patterns. A typical example looked like this.
On Friday I decided to revisit Mount Hamilton, with the idea that warmer, rainless weather would yield good results. At this point in time there were three days in a row of temperatures reaching 70 degrees. A huge California Newt:
This Pacific Gopher Snake has almost no black pigment.
A total of 6 Northern Pacific Rattlesnakes were seen on the trip - all of them on Mount Hamilton.
Here is a three-striped version of the Santa Cruz Garter found on the mountain.
This rattlesnake posed calmly for a few pictures then went haywire.
While persuing the snake above, I ran into this little one.
The final snake of the trip was also the largest - a gigantic Pacific Gopher.
A total of 23 snakes were found - 7 Coast Garters, 6 Rattlesnakes, 4 Gophers, 4 Santa Cruz Garters, a Whipsnake and a Night Snake.
Third Eye
