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Topic: 2007 First Finds

Post your first finds here.  I will update information on the Yearly Firsts page.

Kory Roberts: Email | Facebook | Flickr | Last.fm | YouTube

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Re: 2007 First Finds

FIRST LIZARD = GONE

Everything else is still open.  You guys are slow!   mad

Kory Roberts: Email | Facebook | Flickr | Last.fm | YouTube

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Re: 2007 First Finds

What ya find Kory?

Braithre Thar Gach Ni

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Re: 2007 First Finds

These past few warmer days have brought some out...I think i saw a glimpse of a five lined skink while workin out in the yard...Dont think that warrants anything, but that just tells you things have been sturring...

-Ryan

Mark 10:27

"Sympathy is no substitute for action." -  David Livingstone

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Re: 2007 First Finds

Copperheadman309 wrote:

What ya find Kory?

I didn't.  - [url=http://www.herpsofarkansas.com/Main/YearlyFirstsYearly Firsts[/url] -

I flipped a log or 2 last weekend, but gave up pretty quickly.  I'm sure a sallie  would turn up if I put in a little effort.  But there's the rub, isn't it? ...effort.   roll

Kory Roberts: Email | Facebook | Flickr | Last.fm | YouTube

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Re: 2007 First Finds

Maybe it is just me, but when I follow that link I get:

PmWiki can't process your request

?invalid page name

We are sorry for any inconvenience.

The Flying Spaghetti Monster is TRUTH

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Re: 2007 First Finds

Bobby it is not just you. I got the same message.


Glennnnnnnnnnnn

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Re: 2007 First Finds

Fixed (I hope).  Try it now.

Kory Roberts: Email | Facebook | Flickr | Last.fm | YouTube

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Re: 2007 First Finds

kaptainkory wrote:

Fixed (I hope).  Try it now.

IT WORKS!

Now if only we can get some bloody warm weather....yes out of season, but i can dream can't I?

-Ryan

Mark 10:27

"Sympathy is no substitute for action." -  David Livingstone

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Re: 2007 First Finds

Got frogs and salamanders covered. We went out this weekend. Saw about 200 spotted salamanders. We also got spring peepers and cricket frogs.

The date was 1-13-07, the time for the peepers was about 3:30pm. The salamanders were seen all afternoon. Location was HEA WMA in Sharp county.


Josh

Josh Engelbert
Copan, OK

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Re: 2007 First Finds

Forgot to mention that we also saw probably 30 or 40 Newts.

Josh

Josh Engelbert
Copan, OK

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Re: 2007 First Finds

Lizard = GONE
Frog = GONE
Salamander = GONE

Snake = OPEN
Nonvenomous Snake = OPEN
Venomous Snake = OPEN
Turtle = OPEN
Alligator = OPEN
With Special Status = OPEN
New County Record = OPEN

Link: Yearly Firsts

Kory Roberts: Email | Facebook | Flickr | Last.fm | YouTube

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Re: 2007 First Finds

Do DOR's count? Because I have seen one adult rhombifer DOR....

-Ryan

Mark 10:27

"Sympathy is no substitute for action." -  David Livingstone

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Re: 2007 First Finds

Rules

Kory Roberts: Email | Facebook | Flickr | Last.fm | YouTube

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Re: 2007 First Finds

Clarification? "Specimen MUST be alive or DOR at time of observation."

So in what sort of circumstance would it not be dead or alive at the time of observation?--- does this mean it cant be a skeleton or some weird loophole like that?

.... it could be DOR and still from the previous year, depending on the weather conditions preserving it...I've seen some pretty papery critters roadside for many months and never seem to go away...

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Re: 2007 First Finds

Mystic-B wrote:

Clarification? "Specimen MUST be alive or DOR at time of observation."

So in what sort of circumstance would it not be dead or alive at the time of observation?--- does this mean it cant be a skeleton or some weird loophole like that?

Can't be a specimen pulled from the freezer and slapped on the counter-top: "Oh look, my first snake of 2007."  (I could do that 20 times over by the way!  HA!)

Mystic-B wrote:

.... it could be DOR and still from the previous year, depending on the weather conditions preserving it...I've seen some pretty papery critters roadside for many months and never seem to go away...

I guess we could say "fresh DOR", but since it also has to be identified to the species level, I think it's pretty much covered.

Look, these "rules" are subject to discussion and revision.  Other input?

Kory Roberts: Email | Facebook | Flickr | Last.fm | YouTube

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Re: 2007 First Finds

Well...I think the first snake of the year should be a live specimen....I dunno...A DOR doesnt seem like much of an accomplishment. Just my opinion.

-Ryan

Mark 10:27

"Sympathy is no substitute for action." -  David Livingstone

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Re: 2007 First Finds

photographer_24/7 wrote:

I dunno...A DOR doesnt seem like much of an accomplishment.

It accomplishes that a particular species is active (if unfortunate) at a particular time of year.  I know this little "contest" straddles the fence anyway, but I guess the difference is whether it matters more what was found, or whether it's who found something.  Regardless, you should go ahead and submit the DOR since it doesn't seem fair to change the rules right in the middle of everything for this year.  Any rule changes are in consideration for next year (unless something is just glaringly bad)...I know I didn't make that exactly clear before.

Kory Roberts: Email | Facebook | Flickr | Last.fm | YouTube

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Re: 2007 First Finds

kaptainkory wrote:
photographer_24/7 wrote:

I dunno...A DOR doesnt seem like much of an accomplishment.

It accomplishes that a particular species is active (if unfortunate) at a particular time of year.  I know this little "contest" straddles the fence anyway, but I guess the difference is whether it matters more what was found, or whether it's who found something.  Regardless, you should go ahead and submit the DOR since it doesn't seem fair to change the rules right in the middle of everything for this year.  Any rule changes are in consideration for next year (unless something is just glaringly bad)...I know I didn't make that exactly clear before.

Right-o Kap'n! cool


EDIT: I added DB Watersnake to first snake find...I don't know how to attach the link to the gallery/wiki for the snake....I'll need some help with that...

-Ryan

Mark 10:27

"Sympathy is no substitute for action." -  David Livingstone

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Re: 2007 First Finds

As far as the discussion goes, I agree that slapping something on the counter from the freezer would be CHEATING and I dont think we'd do that. To me, it has little bearing on WHO found something first, but rather WHAT is found first and the fact that its active, like you say. Obviously none of us currently would cheat or feel the need- but the rule that it must be wild and not in our collections, covers anything that might be in our homes or freezer on 1-1-whatever year.

Im just saying, some exceptionally warm late December COULD bring out some species and that species COULD be found after the first of the year DOR-- particularly if its under snow or ice, the decomp may not be so much to tell that it was the previous year.

Maybe for fun we could add (next year) First DOR - haha!

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Re: 2007 First Finds

Good points.  I think the DOR issue is the one to sort out for next year, but I'm afraid if we take out that line from the rules, someone inevitably is going to ask whether DORs are allowed.  It seems good to me that the rules stay as simple as possible and yet answer as many situations as possible.  If we revise it to say "FRESH DOR", that could further minimize the already unlikely scenario where a herp is plastered prior to the first and observed after.  So long as we accept DORs at all, I don't see how we can eliminate this possibility entirely.  The other option, as you suggest, is to take anything about DORs out of the rules, but add it as a category.  I still wonder if this would bring up the question as to whether a road-kill herp would count for multiple categories...

And although I know "we" wouldn't cheat, the contest--as far as I'm concerned--is open to anyone.  The first lizard for this year was submitted by someone who saw one and was researching it when they came across our contest.

Kory Roberts: Email | Facebook | Flickr | Last.fm | YouTube

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Re: 2007 First Finds

OK I got the turtle! Yesterday (1/14/07) afternoon I moved a Eastern River Cooter,
*Pseudemys concinna* off the road over in Furlow (Lonoke County) by my aunt's house. She was walking down the middle of the road and I had to look twice to make sure my eye's werent deceiving me! LOL This was during the heavy downfalls of rains and both sides of the road were flooded. This is an area on this road that is a bit swampy anyways year round.


Didnt have the camera with me, so no pics unfortunately.

Anja Buffalo

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Re: 2007 First Finds

Lizard = GONE
Frog = GONE
Salamander = GONE
Snake = GONE
Nonvenomous Snake = GONE
Turtle = GONE

Venomous Snake = OPEN
Alligator = OPEN
With Special Status = OPEN
New County Record = OPEN

Link: Yearly Firsts

I must be lazy this year.  Doesn't look like I'm gonna make the list.   sad  sad  sad

Kory Roberts: Email | Facebook | Flickr | Last.fm | YouTube

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Re: 2007 First Finds

We got several Mole Salamanders (Ambystoma talpoideum) yesterday to fill in the special status slot. We were in Greene county. The finders were the ASU Natural History of the Vertebrates class (AHS members included me, Melissa, Jonathan, and Mauricio. The time was roughly 3:30.

On a side note, we also caught about 30 (haven't counted them yet) Western Lesser Sirens (Siren intermedia nettingi). They will be marked, processed and released (another grad students project).

One of us will try to post some pics in a couple of days.

Josh

Josh Engelbert
Copan, OK

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Re: 2007 First Finds

Okay, here are some pics from our class outing...


Bucket full of sirens...
http://i138.photobucket.com/albums/q260/_Stan99/26Jan2007041Small.jpg


Siren pouring...
http://i138.photobucket.com/albums/q260/_Stan99/26Jan2007043Small.jpg


Mole salamanders and spotted salamander egg mass...
http://i138.photobucket.com/albums/q260/_Stan99/26Jan2007019Small.jpg

Unfortunately, I didn't get a photo of the Dr. Trauth in the sheriff's vehicle (someone thought we were hunting on private land and called the sheriff. just a misunderstanding, though.)

We're planning to go back to the same site weekly and monitor the pond.

It's never worth it to communicate with people. --Jacob

The only difference between the government and the mafia is that the government calls its bill collector the “IRS” and the mafia calls its bill collector “Big Louie.” 

NOBAMA:  Keep the change.