(copy and pasted from Field Herp Forum)
Santa Clara County 4/19/2013
I was fortunate enough to spend a great day out in the field with Owen this weekend in Santa Clara County. The sun was shining, the rocks were warm, and the snakes were out. Getting out in the field early, we managed quite a few different species by the end of the day.
First snake spotted was an enormous (well, to me at least...apparently it was a "medium" one per Owen haha) California Red-sided Gartersnake. Previously, I have only seen the coastal variant up in Marin County (blue infernalis), so this "inland" infernalis was quite the treat. I love how bulky and red these guys are:
Moving away from garter habitat, Owen flipped a gorgeous Ringnecked that bolted while I managed a yearling California Kingsnake under a rock! I was beyond stoked.
Within the same rock outcropping were two Northern Pacific Rattlesnakes. Catching a glimpse of these guys on the crawl was awesome. Unfortunately, no pictures...maybe Owen can chime in?
We moved up in elevation where Owen pointed out a log where he last flipped a king....guess these guys don't move much:
We continued on and managed a couple of Rattlesnakes under artificial cover (I forgot to upload pics...will add later tonight).
Many Western Yellow-bellied Racers were also found (again, forgot to upload...at work...ugh).
Two fat California Toads later I flipped a nice looking rock and produced the third kingsnake of the day:
If the day couldn't get any better, we soon ventured to a rocky stream bed where I caught a glimpse of a "Lizard Lifer"- Tiger Whiptail!
After chasing the lizard around, it wedged itself under a huge rock....I snapped a really crappy picture of its tail....I'll post that later.
Over all, had a great day out in the South Bay. Great snakes and great company makes for a great times.
