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Locality: Brazos Bend State Park, Falcon State Park Camera Equipment: Canon Digital Rebel |
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Brazos Bend SP An, Herper Bob & I met up with Dr. Hall's VNH class at Brazos Bend SP around 3:30 on 5/21/06. After setting up camp, the class went on a hike, after that it was dinner and then night driving for herps. An and I went with Amy's van for night driving. Students in the van asked me hard questions such as if I was to choose between a girlfriend or my collection of snakes. What would I choose? The latter, of course! Thats like asking Jane Goodall, to choose between studying Chimps or getting married. |
Night Driving Amy's van night drove Saw Mill Road (just alittle North of Brazos Bend SP). We caught a alive on road (AOR) Yellowbelly Water Snake (Nerodia erythrogaster flavigaster). We then headed to Cow Creek Road where we found a died on road (DOR) Mississippi Green Water Snake (Nerodia cyclopion). |
Birding On the morning of 5/22, we did some birding around Elm Lake. |
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Birding on Elm Dan's doing some solo birding along the pond's edge. |
Yellow-crowned Night-Heron (Family: Ardeidae) One of two Night Heron species that are native to the United States. The other is the Black-crowned Night Heron. Both are found year around along the Texas Gulf Coast. |
Yellow-crowned Night Heron Close up. |
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American Alligator (Alligator mississippiensis) Common sight at Brazos Bend. |
Spider Wasps (Family Pompilidae) Even though we are a Vertebrate Ccass, we still stop to look at cool Inverts. This female Spider Wasp has stung and paralyzed this spider. She is now in the process of dragging it into a burrow and laying eggs on the spider. Adults feed on nectar. |
Little Blue Heron (Family: Ardeidae) Found year around along the Texas Gulf Coast. Has a strongly bi-colored bill. |
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Anhinga (Family: Phalacrocoracidae) This anhinga is using gular fluttering to cool itself. |
Western Cottonmouth (Agkistrodon piscivorus leucostoma) Dan found this young Western Cottonmouth under a log. |
Western Cottonmouth Notice the dark band on its face. |
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Western Cottonmouth Dr. Hall "owned" this Cottonmouth, with his Gentle Giant Tongs. |
Western Cottonmouth An (to the left of Dr. Hall) is taking pictures, while the students of the class take natural history notices in their field notebooks. |
Hiking At the observation tower. Loads of Alligators were around there. |
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Southern Copperhead (Agkistrodon c. contortrix) While looking for a Five-lined skink , we found this Southern Copperhead under a log. |
Southern Copperhead Probably the prettiest of all North America Snakes. |
Bicycle Danger!!! Pretty funny sign. |
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The Bicycle Danger!!! Here is the bicycle danger. Any serious mountain biker wound find this sign funny. But I do see kids on Huffys falling over the handlebars on this one. . |
Show and Tell A DOR Texas Ratsnake that Dave's van found on Cow Creek Rd. |
Yellowbelly Water Snake The Yellowbelly Water Snake that Amy's van found on Sawmill Rd. |
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Water Snakes Dr. Hall explaining the differences between a Mississippi Green Water Snake and a Yellowbelly Water Snake. |
Diamondback Water Snake (Nerodia r. rhombifer) Dr. Hall showing us the pattern of this Diamondback Water Snake. Probably known as the most aggressive of all native water snakes. |
Diamondback Water Snake (Nerodia r. rhombifer) One of the first species of snakes that I caught when I moved to Texas from Connecticut. |
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The Copperhead and An An's do some closeup shots of the Southern Copperhead. |
Ashley Ashley the Australian Shepherd, enjoying some morning ball chasing. By the way, dogs are suppose to be on leashes at all times in state parks, so don't be a rule breaker, like myself |
A Pale-bordered field cockroach. A pretty unique roach species. Sure beats the usual German, American and Smokybrown Cockroaches. |
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