Well, we just got back from 12 nights in the Trans-Pecos. It was a very successful trip for Marla & I although we only got to hunt where we wanted 3 nights out of the 12!
The focus of this trip was originally intended to be pairing up various Alpine and Fort Davis area alterna that I have here at the house. To save cash, instead of staying in a motel, we had my Dad pull his travel trailer out, and we stayed at an RV Park 6.5 mi South of Alpine (La Vista RV Park) for a total of $160 for 11 nights.
In our efforts to pair up the Alpine/Ft. Davis area animals, we were only partly successful. Rain and cool temperatures forced us out the the higher elevations all but three nights (and one of those was a push). We ended up spending far more money in gas than expected, driving down to the River Road and Xmas. But we did get that "bonus" animal down there LOL.
So, here is the recap of each night's efforts - pix will follow in individual posts once I get them processed from digital later today.
7/26 - we arrived late at the RV Park, and didn't get completely set up until almost 10 p.m. Marla & I headed out to the cut south of Alpine. Conditions seemed ideal. I put Marla out to walk the top of the cut, and I parked in the middle, and walked down hill. I told Marla to keep walking downhill until she met up with me. At 10:50, we met up. As we were exchanging "have you found one yets?" she suddenly shouts out "here's one!" - a nice medium-to-light alterna morph with no orange and heavy black bands, last's year's baby male. Only other snakes seen that night were a DOR atrox and a Blackneck garter (west of Alpine).
7/27 - rain rain go away - the entire area was completely socked in. We went south in search of warmer temperatures, and it had rained - lots - everywhere. Found 2 glossies on the River Road and 1 baby Mojave north of the Xmas. Lots of toads and spadefoots.
7/28 - Hunted the River Road again - on way down, found 2 neonate Coachwhips in the Xmas. On the river, found: 1 Suboc, 1 Lepidus, 1 checkered garter, 1 Atrox, 1 Longnose, and 5 Night Snakes.
7/29 - wanted to hunt the river, but it was a rain out again. Ended up hunting the Xmas. Found: 1 Blacktail, 2 Mojaves, 4 Night Snakes, 2 DOR atrox, 1 Spotted Chirping Frog
7/30 - Dave & Jane came by and ate dinner with us, then we all headed down to the River. We found: 1 Lepidus, 1 Suboc, 3 atrox, 1 Blacktail, 9 Night Snakes, 1 Big Bend Gecko
7/31 - Dave & Jane left us for a successful evening in Sanderson. We went back to the River. Found: 1 Checkered Garter (on way down), 4 atrox, 1 Longnose, and 4 night snakes. On the way back, Marla decided we had to spotlight the Xmas (gotta love that Women's intuition!). Just before we dropped off the north end of the north hill at 3:21 am, I spotted a small, light alterna morph male about 10 feet up on an ash cut. He's got pin-striped black bands with orange bleed throughs, has a broken-banded but not-quite-speckled area on his neck, and several irregular bands. I never thought I'd catch a Xmas (mostly because I hate hunting it LOL).
8/1 - We decided it was warm enough to hunt around Alpine tonight, but we were really pushing things a bit. By 10:30 pm, it was already below 70 on the south hill. Now I know that the local guys find alterna there in the 60s, but not with my wife freezing her parts off as she's trying to do it! LOL We did find a few snakes on the roads: 3 live & 1 DOR Mojave, 1 live and 2 DOR atrox
8/2 - Tim and Dave & Jane showed up for lunch. Dave & Jane headed off for the Huecos on their way home, while the rest of us went back to the River. Took Tim to look for Shark's teeth at dusk, before heading out. Found: 1 live & 1 DOR Gopher snake (on way down), 2 subocs (including gravid female), 1 Mojave, 2 live & 1 DOR atrox, 2 Longnose, & 2 night snakes. Tim B, however, found his first alterna. He had been talking like he wasn't that interested in finding one, but seemed a bit excited by his find - it was a 40" buckskinish male, regular alterna morph.
8/3 - Finally a warm night at elevation! Marla & I split up our efforts - I hunted 118 in the Davis, while she hunted the Big Hill 6 mi South of Alpine. Tim went back to the River. Up in the Davis, it had rained in Musquiz and up on the Observatory. I got a lepidus on the Observatory cut at dusk, made a couple of passes even though it was wet, then dropped down to hunt "my" cuts closer to Fort Davis. Made a pass through the cuts, then turned around and headed back towards the Observatory. On the cut just to the west of the one where I caught my female last month, I spotted a small, light gray snake crawling rapidly along a crevice just about knee high - headed for a hole. I raced over to grab what I can only describe as the nicest Davis I've ever seen - lots of speckles, bright orange slits, some irregular bands - but (not that big of a "but"
its another female! Continuing on, found a 40" baird's rat on a cut just beyond the Prude Ranch, then I ran up Limpia (on 17), found a DOR Gopher and a DOR Checkered garter, then back up 118 and found 2 more lepidus on cuts (one on the same cut as the alterna, one the next cut up).
Cruising back, found 2 AOR atrox. Got back up to the south Hill. I'd told Marla to mark her site of capture (providing she found anything) with a small cairn of rocks on the shoulder. About 10 yards up the hill from where she found the male on the 26th, I come around the bend to find a cairn of rocks . . . and an entire cholla cactus . . . and some sticks. I'm thinking "I guess she found one" LOL. And she did, she found a light, boldly patterened 24" alterna female with reduced orange. (She also found a Blindsnake and a Night snake).
Back at the trailer, we've just gotten the lights out after showing each other our snakes, when Tim drives up. So I go out to see what he's found. He say's "just 2 snakes", so I go into details about what Marla & I found. Then Tim hands me his bag - "One of my snakes was an alterna". I dump it out of the bag, expecting a light River (like he's been saying he wanted to find) and into my hands falls a black and orange Xmas snake like everyone dreams of finding. Holy $#! says I LOL. It seems, he bailed on the River after getting skunked, then headed back to the Xmas (his other snake was - I think - an atrox at Terlingua) and found this beast on the same cut I found my male earlier.
8/4 - Dammit! It rained again. Marla, Dad, and I went to the Gap, Tim back to the Xmas. At the gap, I spent several hours walking, only finding 1 Big Bend gecko and several Texas banded geckos. On the way down, we did find 3 atrox and 1 DOR Mojave, on 2627, we found 2 atox and 2 night snakes. Dad & Marla found (while I was walking) 1 Lyre Snake and another atrox.
Back at the Trailer, Tim is already there. He wakes up and hands me a bag - "I only found 1 snake, but its an alterna". Out comes this light, tripled alterna morph male. I tell Tim that henceforth, he shall be known only as the "Xmas Kid"!
8/5 - our last night, we decide to hunt the Xmas and River (considering its raining again at elevation). In the Xmas, we found 1 atrox and 1 longnose, on the river we found 1 atrox and 1 night snake. Even Tim's streak came to an end, so there must not have been any alterna moving at all! LOL
8/6 - Marla and Dad took the trailer home. I decided to hunt Sanderson for awhile, and then hunt Palma/Lozier/Langtry/etc on the way back home. Arrived home at about 5 am. Found: 1 atrox on 9 mile hill, 1 atrox just west of Dryden, and 1 suboc on a cut at Lozier. Conditions seemed perfect throughout the area, but I didn't see anything with orange or gray bands.
I'll get the pix up over the next hour or so.
Troy
