Spring Highlights from Washington and a little bit of Oregon

[Travis K]

Greetings fellow ABers,


This thread, for me, starts in Eastern Washington.
(Please note, I am learning to DSLR and tried to take most of my pictures on manual mode, so some of them aren't the best but it is forcing me to get better. So bare with me on the noobish pics I take with a decent camera setup.)

Ambystoma macrodactylum - First herp of the year for me.


Ambystoma macrodactylum (4) by Travy_Trav, on Flickr


Erethizon dorsatum - This was the closest I have ever gotten to a Porcupine. I walked right by it and didn't even notice it holed up under a sage until my dog decided to alert me to it. I usually only see them as DOR or AOR so being on foot and off the beaten trail made it a real treat to see.


Erethizon dorsatum (4) by Travy_Trav, on Flickr


Chrysemys picta - you might remember this from http://www.fieldherpforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=15889&hilit


Chrysemys picta (3) by Travy_Trav, on Flickr


Coluber constrictor mormon - I hardly ever see these as DOR up here but this was my first snake of the year.


Coluber constrictor mormon by Travy_Trav, on Flickr


Polygonia gracilis zephyrus


Polygonia gracilis zephyrus by Travy_Trav, on Flickr


Lethocerus americanus


Lethocerus americanus (4) by Travy_Trav, on Flickr


Lontra Canadensis - I was so excited to see these three River Otters at a local wetlands area.


Lontra canadensis (6) by Travy_Trav, on Flickr
Lontra canadensis (2) by Travy_Trav, on Flickr


Agelaius phoeniceus


Agelaius phoeniceus by Travy_Trav, on Flickr


Branta canadensis & Castor canadensis


IMG_5363 by Travy_Trav, on Flickr


Hyla regilla - This first H. regilla was very dark. I don't think I have ever seen one this dark before.


hyla regilla (32) by Travy_Trav, on Flickr
hyla regilla (29) by Travy_Trav, on Flickr
hyla regilla (33) by Travy_Trav, on Flickr
hyla regilla (9) by Travy_Trav, on Flickr


Bubo virginianus

Bubo virginianus (8) by Travy_Trav, on Flickr
Bubo virginianus (16) by Travy_Trav, on Flickr


Eumeces skiltonianus

Eumeces skiltonianus (3) by Travy_Trav, on Flickr


Charina bottae

Charina bottae (4) by Travy_Trav, on Flickr
Charina bottae (10) by Travy_Trav, on Flickr


Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus

Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus (5) by Travy_Trav, on Flickr


Rana luteiventris

Rana luteiventris (5) by Travy_Trav, on Flickr
Rana luteiventris (3) by Travy_Trav, on Flickr


Eastern Washington Landscapes (Liberty Lake/Spokane Valley)

My buddy Pulk flew into Spokane to do a WA/OR trip with me to celebrate him graduating from Stanford. CONGRATULATIONS JACOB!


pelvis pose by Travy_Trav, on Flickr


After I took Jacob to see some of the above places and animals we got up early the next morning and headed over to Central Washington to meet up with some herping friends, Fil and Randy.


Pituophis catenifer deserticola (this was actually the best picture I got of the most common snake in Central WA :s)


Pituophis catenifer deserticola by Travy_Trav, on Flickr


Myrmeleontidae (species unknown)


Myrmeleontidae sp (13) by Travy_Trav, on Flickr
Myrmeleontidae sp (6) by Travy_Trav, on Flickr

This species of Myrmeleontidae curiously doesn't make the typical cone hole sand traps I am used to but rather was observed hunting beetle larva just below the surface of the sand in a large dune system. See below track and habitat...


Myrmeleontidae sp (9) by Travy_Trav, on Flickr


Spea intermontana - One of the nights we went road cruising the conditions were just right and these spade foots were just about everywhere! It was like dodging construction cones at the DMV, next night... nothing.


Spea intermontana (61) by Travy_Trav, on Flickr
Spea intermontana (9) by Travy_Trav, on Flickr

Crotalus oreganus


Crotalus oreganus (25) by Travy_Trav, on Flickr
Crotalus oreganus (26) by Travy_Trav, on Flickr


Bufo woodhousei


Bufo woodhousei (13) by Travy_Trav, on Flickr


Fil, doing what he does best... in quicksand. Here he is getting Bufo woodhousei track data for his up and coming book.


Epic Tracker by Travy_Trav, on Flickr
Epic Tracker by Travy_Trav, on Flickr


Central Washington Landscapes

Spot the Mule Deer...

 

[Travis K]

We then headed down to South Central Washington and North Central Oregon.


On the Washington side

Elgaria multicarinata


Elgaria multicarinata (12) by Travy_Trav, on Flickr


Sceloporus occidentalis


Sceloporus occidentalis by Travy_Trav, on Flickr


And then the Oregon Side

Waterfalls


Waterfall by Travy_Trav, on Flickr
Waterfall by Travy_Trav, on Flickr
Waterfall by Travy_Trav, on Flickr
Waterfall by Travy_Trav, on Flickr
Waterfall by Travy_Trav, on Flickr
Waterfall by Travy_Trav, on Flickr


Plethodon larselli


Plethodon larselli (1) by Travy_Trav, on Flickr


Ascaphus truei


Ascaphus truei (2) by Travy_Trav, on Flickr


Dicamptodon tenebrosus


Dicamptodon tenebrosus by Travy_Trav, on Flickr
Dicamptodon tenebrosus by Travy_Trav, on Flickr
Dicamptodon tenebrosus by Travy_Trav, on Flickr
Dicamptodon tenebrosus ( by Travy_Trav, on Flickr
Dicamptodon tenebrosus (29) by Travy_Trav, on Flickr



On the way to drop Pulk off at PDX I wanted to bring him by the Sturgeon Center. If you are ever East of Portland it is a must see.


Acipenser transmontanus


Acipenser transmontanus (29) by Travy_Trav, on Flickr
Acipenser transmontanus (31) by Travy_Trav, on Flickr

Don't hate... These last two pictures I took by putting the end of one of my kit lenses in the water O.O


Acipenser transmontanus (7) by Travy_Trav, on Flickr
Acipenser transmontanus by Travy_Trav, on Flickr


That's it from me, but Pulk might add some pictures to this thread as well.


Cheers,

TK

 

[zonbonzovi]

Hey, Travis...some cool shots of the the Motherland. I'm esp. jealous of the Dicamptodon finds. Hopefully I can get out there with you lads before the "dark time" returns...

 

[Travis K]

Hey, Travis...some cool shots of the the Motherland. I'm esp. jealous of the Dicamptodon finds. Hopefully I can get out there with you lads before the "dark time" returns...

Yeah I wish you were able to join us on this one. Definitely need to try and do something before the cold puts us in a choke hold.

 

[josh_r]

really nice post! The owl fly larva is really cool! I have to agree that I have never seen a regilla that black as well. and that very first picture of a dicamptodon larva... Are you sure that is not copei?? It looks like it has the slightly more elongate and slender head with a slightly more squared of snout. It also has the really nice gold flecking that is a common trait of copei, where tenebrosus larvae rarely have such nice gold flecking.The area you were in, you should be able to find both species.

Josh

 

[Travis K]

and that very first picture of a dicamptodon larva... Are you sure that is not copei?? It looks like it has the slightly more elongate and slender head with a slightly more squared of snout. It also has the really nice gold flecking that is a common trait of copei, where tenebrosus larvae rarely have such nice gold flecking.The area you were in, you should be able to find both species.

Josh

I am not sure to be honest. Do you have guaranteed examples?

Also are you from/in the PNW?

 

[josh_r]

Hey Travis

I don't have guaranteed examples, but they are very well documented from south of Mt St Helens to the Gorge on the oregon side. You can find copei and tenebrosus in the same streams in some localities in the Gorge. It wouldn't surprise me if it was copei.

I am from the PNW. I lived there for about 15 years. I no longer live there however. I live in Peru now. Most of my herping when I lived there was actually done in southern Oregon and northern California. I did do a bit of hunting in the Olympics, Willipah hills, and the Gorge on both sides though... Mainly going after salamanders.

 

[Shrike]

Great stuff! Love the variety. I'm very jealous of your encounter with the rubber boa.

 

[Travis K]

Hey Travis

I don't have guaranteed examples, but they are very well documented from south of Mt St Helens to the Gorge on the oregon side. You can find copei and tenebrosus in the same streams in some localities in the Gorge. It wouldn't surprise me if it was copei.

I am from the PNW. I lived there for about 15 years. I no longer live there however. I live in Peru now. Most of my herping when I lived there was actually done in southern Oregon and northern California. I did do a bit of hunting in the Olympics, Willipah hills, and the Gorge on both sides though... Mainly going after salamanders.

Interesting, I will have to do a little bit more research. I am so jealous that you got to escape the winters here for Peru!

Great stuff! Love the variety. I'm very jealous of your encounter with the rubber boa.

Thanks! Just so you know the rubber boa was found at a local park right next to some wood private property. It was also the very first board I flipped! I was very happy that day.

 

[josh_r]

Well, if it makes you feel any better, right now I am in Lima and it is FRIGID!!! I may as well be back in washington with these temps and constant gloomy skies! And you guys are just going into summer there... Now I'm a bit jealous... hahaha! It's ok, I'll be escaping off to the jungle next month