Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I'm planning to do some night roadcruising to hopefully see some snakes, etc. a few times. Can someone let me know any areas that might be more favorable than others? I can pick some areas, but it can be hit or miss if you are only there 4 or 5 days.

Thanks,
Terry

Road cruising at night is almost always unproductive here. The nights get too cold. Your best bet in terms of finding snakes is to go out hiking.

-Alice

Thanks for the info Alice. I was thinking it might be best to get out of the vehicle and hike around. That being the case,I am thinking of hopefully cruising a couple nice roads and look around for some places to get out and hike.

Terry

>>Road cruising at night is almost always unproductive here. The nights get too cold. Your best bet in terms of finding snakes is to go out hiking.
>>
>>-Alice

Look for some rocks aound lakes, dams and streams. You will probably be in zonata or charina habitat. Also turn carpet, plastic, tin and boards in other areas that do not have rocky streambeds.

Basically if you don't know where you are going look for trash to turn on the side or near the road. Hikng may be nice but nowhere near as fruitful.

Thanks for your reply and info. I was planning to possibly head to the area around Santa Margarita Lake as one place to try. The last paragraph in your post is a good response to cover most of the posts like mine.

Terry

Time of day is also HUGE. The days tend to be hot, and the nights cool, so during the hot part of the day the herps tend to go deeper under ground to maintain a not too hot temperature. So after things warm up you aren't likely to find anything on the surface, or under anything you could flip. BUT, since the nights are cool, it is very likely that snakes will come up long enough to get warm again, so you want to be out flipping boards and rocks in the morning. Most animals won't need to lay in direct sunlight the temp under a rock or board will be plenty, and that way they won't need to expose themselves to predators. Plan to be get out early (7:00 am?) and flip boards and rocks, carpet, trash, until it gets hot (> 80) After that you are can still find lizards, but most snakes will be deep. So either use that time to scout for good spots to try the next morning, look for lizards, or pack it in.

I appreciate the added info freediver. I tend to forget the cool summer nights of coastal Central California. That reminds me to pack a jacket. I live in Bakersfield and plan to be on the coast. That's a good idea to cruise around during the day and check out a couple spots visually near the road to try at night or early morning. I have had some success in the past herping from about 5am until 10-11am in areas towards Frazier Park.

Thanks,
Terry