Did i mention it was raining? Like pouring water out of a boot. Did not start out that way though ...... got online and saw about a two hour break in the weather fronts coming and whined and pleaded and finally conned Kelly into her and my son going out with me to look at a spot i suspect harbors mudsnakes. VERY swampy habitat, holds water year round and comes right up to a paved road out in the boonies. The only disappointment was NO mudsnakes .... 

We did find: 4 AOR plainbelly watersnake(2 DOR)
                    1 AOR broadbanded watersnake(1 DOR and one being eaten)
                    1 AOR cottonmouth
                    1 DOR diamondbacked watersnake
                    1 AOR yellowbelly watersnake
                    1 AOR speckled kingsnake
                    1 DOR juvi ratsnake ---- technically DOR i guess, was being eaten by speckled king
                    TMTC rana and bufo
                    1 AOR grey treefrog
                    1 AOR pickerel frog
                    1 AOR common snapping turtle
                    1 AOR red ear (2 DOR)
                    TMTC leopard frogs

The road was ALIVE with critters, and everyone of them was trying to eat something else. The bullfrogs were chasing crawfish (all over the road in some spots), the speckled kingsnake was chomping down on a juvi ratsnake, a broadbanded watersnake was being enthusiastically eaten by a fair sized mink and the nerodia were chasing everything in sight. Pulled up to one large plainbelly that was working on a DOR bullfrog. Grabbed it by the tail and moved it off the road and it never quit swallowing the bullfrog. One specific 1/4 mile stretch of road had something new going on everytime i turned around and cruised back down it. By this time the heavy rain had caught us and the 6yr old announced he had been out long enough by becoming VERY cranky. Sadly, i was forced to do my daddy duty and head home, stopping only occasionally for something in the road. The grey treefrog proved to be the only thing i could not catch, it was as big as my thumb and could really, really jump 

Last edited by everythingoutdoors (2010-05-03 09:04 am)