Well, after herping all Spring Break and coming up with nothin but a couple peepers, some sliders and the faint sighting of a rather large worm snake....I FINALLY HAD SOME LUCK!!!!!

I decided to go out behind my neighboring uncle's pond in a boggy area after the rains we got. I wasnt expecting to find much as it was a bit nippy. But I found my rubber boots, a spotlight and a bucket and started out towards the pond. I waded through some of the front swampy parts only to find lots of jumpy little minnows that did great frog impressions with their movements. I then trapesed around the levi and encountered a herp-haven of sorts....Bullfrogs leaped from nowhere at the first sight of me, not to be seen again. Upon closer inspection of the water i found this particular area was INFESTED WITH LEECHES!!! I mean everywhere!!! I walked cautiously careful to not let any parasite-inundated water into my boots. It was then I noticed the little things scootin away at a crazy speed were actually very fast peepers....I then realized I failed to bring my dip-net. So as I was kicking myself over and over again for being the sole reason of a possible failed herp-walk, I noticed some movement in the water under my beam of light. I looked closer and saw it was a snake of some kind. Fortunatley the weather, like I said, was a little cool...mid to upper 50s making the water undoubtedly chilly. This helped me usher the little snake into my bucket along with some water and those God-forsaken leeches. I knew it was some sort of nerodia, but I checked him over and turns out he is a rhombifer....I swear Hempstead county is over-ran with those little buggers.

I brought him back to the house and shot some pics. I will try and get those on here sometime tonite.

(Wow...I typed alot for the itty bitty amount I herped....)

As of right now he is cruising his 7 in. body around an aquarium occasionaly taking to the dry side to look particularly awesome. I was wondering if anyone has ever kept nerodia before though...Maybe someone can give me some insight....