Mood:
energeticTopic: Out in the Field
Its been a while since I made it out in the field, it felt great to get out, and what a terrific day! My family (Me, Peggy, Taylor, Dylan and Kadison) met up with other Hoosier Herpetological Society members "Snakehead Ed" Ferrer, Roger Carter, Barry Hammer and Rick Marrs and the DNR Natralist at the Brown County State Park Nature Center. While waiting for others to arrive, we looked around the Nature Center as well as on the viewing deck behind it. What a breathtaking view! Rolling hills with fog rising up and the sun just peaking through. Inside the Nature Center, there was fantastic displays of live herps. Copperhead, Timber Rattler, Hognose, Black Rat Snake and a Spiny Softshell turtle. Before the others had even arrived, Brittany Davis, the Interpretive Naturalist to lead our hike was called to a snake in the road. Sadly, it was a very large male copperhead that had been hit by a car. She started off the day by showing us the gravid copperheads she had collected for research and the neonates. One brood was one day old, born during a program the previous day. The other eight days old, eating and to be released later. Then we ventured out to a trail and soon found our first live wild copperhead of the day. After pictures, we ventured to a small "wildlife pond". Apparently 100 of these were constructed at the park and many have still not been marked. We saw green frogs, Kadison found a wood frog metamorph, and a northern watersnake. My son Taylor spotted a slimy salamander over 5 feet up a tree! Slimy Salamanders are rarely seen during the day in the open, and I have found no literature about them ever being found up a tree. This tree was vertical, not a slanting tree. Along the trail, we also saw an adult wood frog that Dylan spotted, and an Eastern Box Turtle. A five lined skink was also observed, a young one with the bright blue tail. Sadly, I forgot the spare batteries, so the camera only lasted about half way throught he trail. At the next location we drove to, another watersnake, a box turtle shell and several green frogs and a large bullfrog. On the road to the next spot was a beautiful box turtle. A couple of northern fence lizards were also seen, one caught by Barry, and Dylan carried it around to show everyone for pictures. Britanny showed us many edible plants as well. We saw many interesting catapillars and colorful fungus. We also saw one other copperhead and several toads (both American and Fowlers) and another five lined skink. One of the Fowler's toads was captured for a last supper for the captive hognose in the Nature center before its release. It made no haste in swallowing this large toad. A rat was also fed to the Timber Rattlesnake, and while I left before it was consumed, there should be some good video of this by HHS members Rick Marrs and Barry Hammer. It was a wonderful day, the rain that was supposed to be there held off for a day and the temps were not too hot, though for an out of shape guy like me, that was still a lot of hiking. Thanks to Brittany and to the BCSP for a great day!
