Preperations for Snake Road Trip

 So as it gets colder and all of the reptiles and amphibians disappear from our sight in Ontario it makes sense to go elsewhere to find them. Friends of mine annually head down to Southern Illinois on Thanksgiving weekend just for this reason. This year I am lucky enough to go with them and a large group of us will be making the long journey from various places across Ontario all the way down to Snake Road. Here the reptiles and amphibians are still active and likely making their way to sites for hibernation over the winter.

 Thanksgiving will be a great one this year since I plan on being thankful to see all of these creatures in one weekend! [List from previous snake rd. trips]

1. Central Newt
2. Spotted Salamander
3. Longtailed Salamander
4. Cave Salamander
5. Northern Slimy Salamander
6. Marbled Salamander
7. Mole Salamander
8. Zig Zag Salamander

9. Southern Leopard Frog
10. Dwarf American Toad
11. Fowler's Toad
12. Blanchard’s Cricket Frog
13. Green Tree Frog
14. Cope’s Gray Tree Frog
15. Bird-Voiced Tree Frog
16. Bronze Frog
17. Spring Peeper
18. Bullfrog
19. Upland Chorus Frog
20. Western Chorus Frog

21. Mississippi Green Water Snake
22. Yellowbelly Water Snake
23. Copperbelly Water Snake
24. Black Rat Snake
25. Southern Black Racer
26. Rough Green Snake
27. Redbelly Snake
28. Midland Brown Snake
29. Eastern Hognose Snake
30. Eastern Garter Snake
31. Smooth Earth Snake
32. Eastern Ribbon Snake
33. Western Ribbon Snake
34. Plains X Mississippi Ringneck Snake
35. Speckled X Black (Shawnee) Kingsnake
36. Western Mud Snake
37. Western Cottonmouth
38. Northern X Southern Copperhead
39. Timber Rattlesnake

40. Red-eared Sliders
41. Eastern Box Turtle
42. River Cooter
43. Southern X Midland Painted Turtles
44. Stinkpot
45. Snapping Turtle

46. Northern Fence Lizard
47. Six-lined Racerunner
48. Ground Skink
49. Five-lined Skink
50. Broadhead Skink

My first week of banding at Long Point

My days here are now numbered and I as I wrap up the season of reptile and amphibian work I am moving my attention specifically to birds. My contract ended Monday. For the next week I will be volunteering at Old Cut field station as a bird bander.

I have already banded a fair number of Magnolia warbler, Swainson's thrush, gray cheeked thrush and gray catbird. The most interesting birds I have banded were Tennessee warbler, Wilson's warbler and a Sharp-shinned hawk.

Although the herping season is coming to a close Old Cut was visited by a group of Queensnake researchers who were surveying the area around Norfolk County. As much as I have enjoyed the birding and banding it was a great opportunity that I couldn't resist. I went out with them for three days and showed them around the tip on their second last day here. We had no luck despite finding some actual nice flowing creeks for them east of Port Dover.  This snake continues to elude me.

The herping trip to the tip wasn't a complete loss though. Two peregrines were seen at the tip where the gulls kept a far (and wise) distance. A few garters and painted turtles were still holding on despite the weather getting colder. On the way there and the way back we stopped at Bluff bar which is a sandbar in Lake Erie on the North side of Long Point. This bar is quite the pain to boaters which frequently get stuck on it but right now is surprisingly visible standing a foot out of water. Here we saw many gulls, peeps, Sanderling, Black-bellied plover, Baird's sandpiper, Bald eagle, Rudy turnstone and a Hudsonian godwit! The Hudsonian godwit was a lifer for me so I was quite pleased but unfortunately I didn't have my camera with me that day. 

Jamaican Herptofauna

I am not writing this post from Jamaican unfortunately but I wanted to go through all of my Jamaican herp pictures and try to get them all in one place and properly sort out  what they were.This has proven to be quite difficult since the only guide to Caribbean herps is about 300 dollars. 

Geckos: 1 Species

Tropical House Gecko- Hemidactylus mabouia

Tropical House Gecko- Hemidactylus mabouia

Toads: 1 Species

Cane Toad- Bufo marina

Cane toad -Bufo marina

Cane toad head shot

Frogs: 4-5 Species

Jamaican Yellow-bellied Frog- Eleutherodactylus pantoni

Jamaican Yellow-bellied Frog- Eleutherodactylus pantoni

Jamaican Rock Frog- Eleutherodactylus cundalli

Jamaican rock frog- Eleutherodactylus cundalli

Jamaican rock frog- Eleutherodactylus cundalli

 Lesser Antillean Frog- Eleutherodactylus johnstonei

Lesser Antillean Frog- Eleutherodactylus johnstonei

Lesser Antillean Frog- Eleutherodactylus johnstonei

Jamaican Masked Frog- Eleutherodactylus luteolus

Jamaican Masked Frog- Elutherodactylus luteolus

Jamaican Masked Frog- Elutherodactylus luteolus

Jamaican Masked Frog- Elutherodactylus luteolus

Jamaican Masked Frog- Elutherodactylus luteolus

 Cuban Flathead Frog- Eleutherodactylus planirostris

Cuban flathead frog- Eleutherodactylus planirostris

Cuban flathead frog- Eleutherodactylus planirostris

 Anoles:  God knows how many species... at least 3.

Graham's Anole- Anolis grahami

Graham's Anole- Anolis grahami

Mating?

Species 2

 

 Species 3

 

 Jamican Brown Anole (Anolis lineatopus)

Jamican Brown Anole (Anolis lineatopus)

Jamican Brown Anole (Anolis lineatopus)

Jamican Brown Anole (Anolis lineatopus)

Anole found at YS Falls possibly Anoliso sagrei