Reptile & Amphibian Forums

For those of you who like reading field accounts and looking at pics, here's an article that I did recently for our herp society. Hope you enjoy! - Phil
King of the Kentucky forest

I really enjoyed reading your article. The passion that you and Will have for your native herps really comes across in your writing. It was great to see some of my first nigra in the field with you guys this year.

You and Will should really consider writing a book together!
Chris

Glad you enjoyed Chris. We have actually had discussion on that very topic and maybe down the road a bit we might well do that. In the mean time we hope to continue learning all we can while out and having fun. Will's an English major so he should be able to keep me in line on my run on sentences and dangling participles lol! Phil

AWESOME, Phil! I really like the different looks that the nigra have. One day, you'll have to show me some,LOL! I might be up for a trip east next spring. Good work!
Todd Hughes

Thanks Todd. It's always fun to hook up with a fellow king snake devotee in the field. Let me know when you pass through next. - Phil

Will do Phil, looking forward to it.
Todd

thats awsome stuff phil thanks for sharin sure makes this texas boy wanna come stomp around some kentucky tin fields! nigra are great kings and definately one of my faves thats a great article and pics as well!you should submit it to reptiles magazine,it would be nice to see as the great american king!(lil rag on deans great american serpent,indigo article in reptiles mag.) anyway it rocks! thanks again,,,,,,,,thomas davis
here is a pic of a n.ala locale i used to own that i regret gettin rid of they are great snakes

Thanks Thomas. I'm just glad there are folks that appreciate the field experience. I could do without keeping snakes if need be but I would have a hard time if I wasn't able to at least get out and search for them. Thats a great looking nigra in your photo. I wonder how many keepers out there are keeping black kings these days. - Phil

I agree with Thomas. I love the field work you and Will Bird have done in Ky. and would love to see you, Will, or both in Reptile Mag with one of your articles on Nigra, or even maybe something on those large "woodland" Prairie Kings or Ky. corns.
Something also I thought that would be neat is to have a Nigra website, or even an obsoleta website with info, submitted pictures of all the different localities, Ky. Va. Tenn. etc. articles, etc. Kind of like what Keith Hillson has done with the Eastern Kings, which I must say Keith has done a wonderful job with that site on the majestic eastern. But anyway, great job on that article Phil, and I also must say the new webpage setup on the Ky Herp society is top notch. I read the KHS message board quite a bit. You guys have one of the best societies going. If I still lived in Ky. I'd no doubt be a member.

Steve

Thanks Steve. Well, if you ever travel back to KY you know you can look me up! Thanks for the kind word about our herp soc and the field work that Will and I are doing. I have herped in many places but I think that KY is one of the best kept secrets in the field herping world. We haven't been victimized (yet!) by over population and there are many wild areas still left. We can still have days here in which we find 50+ snakes of over a dozen species. Keiths site is indeed awesome and has been an inspiration! Very soon we will have a website launched devoted to the Black King snake. There is some final tweaking to do that should be done within a very short time. I will be sure to announce it here on this site. Phil