Have camera, will travel...

Things, they are changin'....

2010-12-01T16:42:00.000-08:00

After a solid run on Blogger, I have decided to move things over to a wordpress account that will share the same domain as my website. You can find future posts at rphphoto.wordpress.com.

This content will remain in place, just not updated any longer.

Shoving off...

2010-11-07T07:15:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow I'm flying out to rendezvous with the NOAA research vessel Ronald Brown for a two week deep sea coral mission. I'll be assisting with the research efforts and photo documenting the various life encountered during the trip.

I won't be able to update this blog or post any photos due to security issues. However, one of my work colleagues will be updating the mission's blog for the NC Museum of Natural Sciences,which you can follow here:

http://deepcoral.wordpress.com

Chasing the light...

2010-10-26T17:02:00.001-07:00

Every time you trek out to capture an image you hope that it may land on the cover of the next hot issue of a local magazine or orders will flock in hand over fist. But the unfortunate fact is that many times the weather just doesn't come together as you want it to.

I've been fighting for good light over the past year and I've only had a few occasions in which it has actually worked in my favor. Not to say that those images are immediately destined for the computer trashcan, but more so that it becomes a personal learning tool.

Below are two examples from this past fall that have failed to come together as I imagined. First off is my trek with fellow photographer Scott Hotaling of Light of the Wild Photography to the top of Chimney Tops on the Tennessee side of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The skies were almost completely overcast and it was beginning to thunder on our way up and the trail. As we climbed tot he top, it looked as if the cloud bank to the west would begin to break up.

Shortly before sunset, the clouds hadn't changed much and we noticed a fog beginning to roll through the valley and heading our way. As the light began to dwindle, we were overcome by the fog racing up the hillside and significantly decreasing our visibility. Within a few minutes of packing up our gear the skies opened up we navigated down the rock face and walked the entire trail in the rain.

The next situation was on our way into GSMNP for sunrise when we noticed the cloud breaks in and around the Newfound Gap area. We made a quick decision and headed up to Clingman's Dome, a popular and iconic spot within the park. We drove as fast as we could up the 8 mile winding road to the parking lot. As soon as we arrived, we made a few quick arrangements and made a dash up the hill to the observation tower.

The mixed cloud cover helped create a scene and things were looking promising as civil twilight began. As I searched for compositions along the horizon, the side light was mediocre and things from straight on were tough to compose given our location.

Here are two good shots taken from this location, but they are not what I would call 'the next level.' Creating images of the next level is what every photographer should be seeking to accomplish.

The Canon EOS 7D

2010-10-24T17:05:00.000-07:00

I'd long ditched crop sensor cameras. My first Canon DSLR was a 40D and it was great, especially since I was shooting a whole lot of macro. Then, I made the move to a 5D and even though owning a 50D for a short period, I've been exclusively shooting the 5D for over a year now.

I decided that with the advent of HD video, advanced AF features and weather-sealing that I'd bite the bullet and pick up a 7D. My first impression is that it fits in your hand as well as a 5D, and its roughly the same weight. Of course the big and clear LCD is something that will spoil you when you've been using a much older version.

The AF is really grand (although I've never thoroughly tested a 1-D series camera) and you cant go wrong with 8fps in good light with a high percentage of keeper shots. I do think that the 18mp is a bit much, but it seems the megapixel war is never ending.

The ISO performance of the 7D is nice, a bit better than my old 50D and quite usable up to around ISO 1600. This is no low light monster, and from the results I see from the 5D mark II, I long to try one out

The video option is very cool and just through my hand-held adventures I like the added feature. One thing I've recently found out through discussion is that the 7D has a full time auto-gain feature, meaning it will hone in on the loudest thing in the vicinity. This can be a pain if you're trying to focus on something specific or use it for dedicated HD video purposes. You can offset this by recording sound separately, but that gets pricey. This is not an issue with the other HD DSLRs , the 5D Mark II and the 1D Mark IV.

In the end, I really like having this camera in my bag, I think mainly because I was missing a second body. However, I think what is likely to happen is that I'll be trading the 7D in towards a purchase of a 5D mark II for the better image quality, larger sensor and slightly more tuned video functions.

I strongly believe it is true what they say - once you go full frame, you'll never want to go back!

Impressions....

2010-10-24T16:59:00.000-07:00

Its nice to dabble with new ideas and techniques. One thing I stumbled some nature and landscape photographers doing was using the zoom out motion on their lenses during a long exposure to create some dramatic effects. It almost appears to be warping time and space, as if you expect a wormhole or some other astronomical anomaly to occur as you look at the image.

Fall color presents a great time to play around with this technique, and here is just one of the images I captured while experimenting in the Smokies. This one is aptly titled Autumn Impressions.

Next time you're out and about and are looking for something different, break out your zoom lens (it works best with a 70-200 or something similar) and twist away.

Autumn in the Smokies

2010-10-23T09:50:00.000-07:00

I've been traveling in my days off back to western North Carolina to photograph fall color in the Smokies and the surrounding areas. This year's weather conditions led to a rapid change in color and less than superb color in many areas. However, I was able to get out and find some interesting compositions and begin formulating a plan for next year.

Stay tuned for various images from the trip, I'll be posting more with details behind the shots.

This image titled Tree of Life is from the Cataloochee Valley of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Fog filled the valley, and elk roamed through the grassy fields. Its the rut for them, and males are competing for females. Although the elk weren't very cooperative for photo ops, I enjoyed capturing this star-burst through this very charismatic tree.

Canon 5D, 70-200 f/4L IS, @70mm, f/22 1/40 sec, ISO 200 Tripod

I've had a chance to try out the Canon 7D, and I'll be posting a small review of this camera. So far, i've been impressed, but I will say once you've used a full frame camera, its hard to go back to anything else.

Stay tuned for more!

Still playing catchup...

2010-09-13T06:45:00.000-07:00

I never thought I'd get this far behind on photography related items, but oh wow things have been very busy as of late.

The website is up, but I forsee some significant changes coming in the future. But for now, its a basic source for some sample work regarding my nature/landscape photography. Check it out at http://www.rphphoto.com

I have just signed on as an independent contractor with the company F-Stop Gear, makers of adventure photography packs and accessories. I've had my F-Stop Tilopa for 6 months or so, and love it more and more each opportunity I'm out in the field. They've recently released a new pack called the Loka, which I'll likely be picking up as well.

I'm currently flirting with the idea of adding in a Canon 7D to my bag since I'm getting more interested in capturing outdoor recreation to broaden my portfolio and shooting experiences.

Here are a few recent shots from outings in the Pacific Northwest, hopefully I'll be doing some live updates as I venture out for fall color in North Carolina.

Where have I been ?!?!

2010-07-11T07:16:00.000-07:00

its been a while but I've been super busy and I'm currently in Colorado wrapping up a visit with friends and checking out a few photo ops. Here are some quick edits from this trip (whatcha think of the photo borders ? I'm trying something new):

The clouds above Long's Peak (above photo) finally opened up as I thought my hike up Ute's trail was a complete wash. The winds were around 20-30mph and the air temp was a toasty 43F. A Singh Ray Vari-ND and a 3 stop grad ND allowed me to capture a 'growing' effect from the slow moving clouds.

The first time I ever laid eyes on a capture from Dream Lake I told myself that was one of the must see spots for my personal 'list' (I think I'm too young for a bucket list, but maybe its on that one too). This was from early July, but I hear that its a great snowshoe hike in for an icy lake with the alpenglow on Hallet's Peak.

I was fortunate to get to Alberta Falls after hitting Dream Lake earlier in the morning with the light not glaring down. I worked my way down the embankment along the rushing river to get a better perspective. A mix of hand-holding a 3 stop grad ND, trying to block water spray, keeping a sure footing and actually snapping a usable photo was damn near impossible, but I was a very happy shutterbug when I downloaded this one.

So I flopped on the Bluebird Lake hike - we arrived much later than expected and the winds were absolutely unbearable for photography. On the way back out, I was able to capture some cuddly yellow-bellied marmot playtime on the boulders near the trail.

The Roan Highlands

2010-05-31T16:28:00.000-07:00

A preliminary edit of the predawn light along Engine Gap in the Roan Highlands. This was my first visit to this area, but I can definitely say I'll be back. The middle of June boasts the best time to visit the area when the rhododendron are blooming on the balds. For those up for the adventure, I'm told wintertime holds its own treasures here...

Rushing Water

2010-05-25T12:38:00.000-07:00

lush moss encompasses a large river rock as water flows quickly through a series of cascades on the Oconaluftee in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. I was first unsure how I liked this image, but its definitely going on the wall in the apartment. I'm looking forward to my return to this river during the fall of the year, I can imagine the effects of fallen leaves in the water under long exposures.

Fluid Serenity

2010-05-20T05:21:00.001-07:00

An intimate perspective of one of the two cascades at Soco Falls near Cherokee, NC. I really love this shot, and another reason why I love carrying my 70-200L lens. The area all around this set of falls was slick and washed out, which made it tough to maneuver around for a different perspective. Although Scott Hotaling was able to work his way to a very unique perspective to showcase both tiers of the falls, I was happy with this capture.

Islands in the Sky II

2010-05-19T17:51:00.000-07:00

as the light shifts with the rising sun, an orange hue is cast over the mountains and the rising fog. Such a classic scene from the park, but I never get tired of seeing it.

Bridgeview - Oconaluftee River

2010-05-18T17:05:00.000-07:00

Water flows downstream on the Oconaluftee River in GSMNP after a light rain. This is a well known bridge location in the Smokemont region of the park, and I believe this is a similar capture from one of Nye Simmons' photos. He's a phenomenal nature photographer who has done extensive work up and down the Appalachian Mountains.

Springtime on the Oconaluftee

2010-05-17T10:20:00.000-07:00

Water flows smoothly after a light spring rain on the Oconaluftee River in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. I could have honestly spent days on this river, the greens were so lush and overcast conditions were playing into our favor. This is such a lush, pristine waterway untouched by the never ending progress of the world today.

Islands in the sky....

2010-05-16T07:04:00.001-07:00

At sunrise clouds break and fog rolls through the Appalachian Mountains along the Blue Ridge Parkway. The site we originally wanted to visit was fogged in heavy, and remained so for the entire time we stopped to shoot (we could see our first choice location from the spot we ended up...)

Not too shabby, although a bit more mountain breaking through would have made a more complete image.

Waterrock Knob

2010-05-14T18:19:00.000-07:00

an early morning capture from the Waterrock Knob overlook of the Blue Ridge Parkway on a cold spring morning. The clouds didn't build to the point of creating a truly dynamic sunrise, but I'll take it for now. Hopefully this fall there will be a return to this vicinity, and I hear the sunsets here are much more impressive!

Many more images to come from my recent trip, stay tuned!

Return to Hanging Rock

2010-04-27T18:26:00.000-07:00

I waited until the greens were really in before coming back to this very cool site. Here are a few shots from the trip.

quick snapshot

2010-04-11T18:29:00.001-07:00

Did some scouting along the Blue Ridge Parkway - still about 3 weeks out from some nice green foliage showing up, but I plan on returning to this site during better 'conditions' to shoot this section of the falls

It's been a while!

2010-03-29T10:00:00.000-07:00

Wow, things have been very busy and I've been caught up in so much the past few weeks. I am still waiting to get my computer back from Dell, but I was able to have the data recovered for free from my HD. Unfortunately because of all of this, the website and printing has been on hold.

I've been working to get my prints featured in a local gallery back in my home town. Things should be a go for my prints, both framed and sleeved, to be available at Bohemia (http://bohemianc.com) in West Jefferson, North Carolina. I will likely feature 8x12 and 12x18 inch prints in white mats.

I will attempt to post a few recent photo edits (the old computer is somehow still able to run CS3) from Stone Mountain, Hanging Rock and Cullasaja Gorge.

If you are interested in any prints, peyton.hale@gmail.com is the best method of reaching me.

Off trekking & updates...

2010-03-07T07:25:00.000-08:00

I'm headed out in the AM to Stone Mountain State Park, North Carolina's largest state park and one of the eastern most sites for waterfalls. I'll be putting my Singh Ray Vari-ND filter to work on some of the more famous waterfall sites and maybe trekking into some areas for some sunrise/sunset and night time photography. I plan on stopping through Hanging Rock State Park to shoot the upper and lower Cascades and maybe a final stop on my way back to Raleigh to shoot the sunset from atop Hanging Rock :).

Look for updates next week after I get back and begin processing some of the images.

Looks like I'll be taking a quick trip to Culesaja Gorge in southwestern NC in a few weeks to meet up with a few friends and shoot some of the remote streams in the area. Colorado is in the works for June (although late July in the San Juan Mountains is a great time for wildflowers) and August may hold a week in Washington state exploring in and around Mount Rainer.

Keep checking in for more!

"Red Pyg"

2010-03-02T06:08:00.000-08:00

an 8x10 print, matted and sealed, will be donated to the NC Herpetological Society to raffle off for the upcoming Reptile & Amphibian Day 2010 at the NC Museum of Natural Sciences March 13, 2010. All proceeds will go to benefit this non-profit society geared towards education, research and conservation of North Carolina's diverse herpetofauna.

Website in the making and more...

2010-02-24T19:05:00.000-08:00

A friend has graciously offered to work on a custom website for my photography, so I hope to have this up and going sooner than later. Although, this means I need to get myself out and taking more photos.

I also plan on donating some prints, either 11x17s or 13x19s to some upcoming events to be raffled off to raise money for various organizations. More to come on this soon.

New gear on the way...

2010-02-24T10:34:00.000-08:00

After much deliberation, confusion, and scratching my head for an weeks on end I made the plunge for the Singh Ray Vari-ND 77mm filter to use in my landscape photography. This filter gives you up to 8 stops, allowing you to blur aspects of motion in your photos. This will work exceptionally well in shooting waterfalls, oceanscapes, and so forth. I decided to go with the Vari-ND rather than the Vari-N-Duo for both price (~$100 difference) and the fact I can mount my thin circular polarizer to it and control glare as needed.

I hope to post a full review on this filter after I get back from Stone Mountain State Park shooting the Cascades and Hidden Falls at that location.

Canon EOS 50D w/grip - Sold.

2010-02-19T13:33:00.000-08:00

Enjoy Josh!

I think I'm going to focus on full frame for now until I get some revenue built up to work with wildlife. under 10k clicks (probably about 7k), slight scratch around the ISO button from loading/unloading the camera with the 500L back in January. perfect otherwise. I'll include a 2GB Sandisk Extreme III card with it as well.

More photo stuff...

2010-02-18T10:46:00.000-08:00

Just letting everyone know that photos are now available in the store at the NC Museum of Natural Sciences. Select 8x10 prints are there now, with more hopefully to be featured and I should be expanding to 11x14s for the store.

Prints - Soon available!

2010-02-11T04:58:00.000-08:00

Finally, I've got the Canon PIXMA Pro9000 Mark II printer up and running with good proofing results. I am planning to begin cranking out 8x10", 11x17", and 13x19" prints. All will come in a precut mat w/ backing board in a clear sleeve. I can negotiate prices if you are ordering multiple prints.

Base prices* for now will run as follows (does not include shipping costs):

8x10" - $25
11x17" - $50
13x19" - $70

*these prices are standards and do not reflect the price of each print - please inquire about any select piece of work until the site is up and functional.

B|W images – Eno River

2010-02-08T13:25:00.001-08:00

Made a quick trip to the Eno River State Park today to check out some new parts of the park. The water level was up and a bit dingy, and the light wasn’t playing in my favor. I started playing around with B/W in camera settings and liked what I was getting.

Here are a few images from today. I had to work at the smallest apertures the 24-70L and 70-200L would give me plus my Heliopan circular polarizer. I can’t wait to get a Singh Ray Vari-N-Duo filter!

Enjoy

Canon releases new Rebel T2i with 1080 video and 18MP

2010-02-08T06:52:00.000-08:00

DPreview has an initial report with photos of this new camera. More can be seen here:

Canon Rebel T2i at DPreview.com

Vista's blogger...

2010-02-04T13:23:00.001-08:00

I blame this crap-o-la program for a lot of grammatical errors....from now on I'll be doing this exclusively from the web or with plenty of review time....

ugh, going back to make some structural changes on the more recent posts...stay tuned folks.

End rant.

Inspirations…

2010-02-03T17:25:00.001-08:00

Ever wonder what drives a person to do what they do? World renowned photographer Art Wolfe has stated that Ansel Adams was a big inspiration in his work as a nature photographer. Ansel laid down a foundation for nature photography today, meticulously working in a darkroom dodging and burning his exposures to create incredible images during his era. Today we are able to merely plug in our memory card and in a few hours we can upload, process, post and print a day’s work.

From my few years behind a camera, I owe a lot of my inspiration to groups of nature photographers that readily post their adventures and photographic tinkering to online forums. I can say with confidence that my learning curve in all aspects of photography has increased exponentially with my time spent reading and interacting at FredMiranda.com. This site has to be one of the most well rounded sources of information for all genres of photographers at various skill levels.

Recently I picked up a copy of Outdoor Photographer Magazine, thumbing through and stumbled upon a great article featuring photographer Ian Plant (www.ianplant.com). Ian’s work is a collection of once in a lifetime photographs that wow and awe their viewers. I’ve become particularly interested in the way he’s captured the landscapes along the Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia. Along with Ian, his colleague Jerry Greer is a very inspirational contributor to their nature photography community Mountain Trail Photo (www.mountaintrailphoto.com). This site is a phenomenal resource for photographers interested in creating stunning images of the natural world. Although their photo workshops can carry a hefty fee, I think in all regards it would be worth it.

It has been nice having friends and coworkers that have been involved in the hobby for some time or working towards pursuing photography as a career. They have been those folks I turn to for answers, for the ability to interact with new equipment hands on, and to help me in the pursuit of regional photo opportunities. I still have to say the one person that I owe thanks to for me picking up a camera is a local wildlife photographer with a knack for working with reptiles and amphibians. The next time you come across a copy of Wildlife in North Carolina, you may find one Todd Pusser with the cover shot or writing and photographing for an article on the natural history of North Carolina’s wonderful wildlife.

Thanks Todd, for inspiring me to adopt a serious hobby and strive to become better day by day. My bank account however, scorns our friendship!

"Negative ghostrider, the pattern is full"

2010-02-02T17:23:00.000-08:00

Ugh, still processing photos and finding more that I like. A leftover from the snow geese session - these two were on the approach to the flooded fields. Crappy light that day, but its one of the better selections during my opportunity with these awesome birds.

Moving forward

2010-02-02T16:43:00.000-08:00

I hope to purchase a professional photography account soon, likely from the folks at Zenfolio (http://www.zenfolio.com) so that I can begin showcasing my work in a more professional manner and allow interested parties to actually purchase photos through the site - Thus the banner added to the top of the blog :)

I've also been debating on migrating this blog over to Tumblr, seems to be a bit more user friendly and I like what I've seen so far. Not guaranteed, I'm just thinking about it....

I am currently working to plan a 2 or 3 day waterfall trip to western North Carolina this spring, primarily one site in Ashe county, a few sites in Wilkes and Watauga counties that are in close proximity to one another and accessible. This may potentially turn into a workshop if it works out well, but no promises. If you're interested and serious about putting in some significant shutter time and some early mornings, please contact me.

¡Bienvenidios Panama! – Part VII – End of the mainland

2010-02-02T07:02:00.001-08:00

We stood at 430m, looking up into a steep hillside with dense vegetation and seemingly endless darkness just beyond the tree line. Welding a machete, Lalo took up the hill, our guide telling us that he wanted to explore this area, that maybe there would be better habitat and the chance to find our bushmaster. My feet weren’t looking forward to this hike – the undergrowth restricted us in our direction, ducking and sometimes nearly crawling through the leaf litter to avoid thick vines and low branches. In any environment in North America, I wouldn’t have thought twice about what I was doing. This being my first time in Central America, it was constantly running through my mind that anywhere I put my hand could potentially be a resting place for one of the common venomous species, the eyelash viper, Bothriechis schlegelii.

Eyelash vipers are a polymorphic species, ranging from a brilliant solid yellow, reddish green, to a mottled brown. They easily disappear in their surroundings, often residing 1-2 meters above the ground waiting to ambush lizards and frogs. The majority of human encounters with this species seems to be from trudging through the rainforests. Although the venom from these vipers isn’t known to be life threatening, bites to the hands, arms and even the face have been reported resulting in necrosis of the tissue around the bite location.

I think I would have had a difficult time weaving through this labyrinth of trees and vines without any gear, but I was cursing my choice to bring a small camera store with me. My pack created a very high center of gravity on these hillsides, and trying to limbo under branches just made things worse. I was slipping, sliding, damn near falling down in an area I could barely see 10 feet in front of me. Our guides and the rest of our group kept trudging on, I was doing all I could to keep up with them. Between the trail coming up and this horrific hillside, I’d probably rolled my ankles a dozen times by now. Still, the only thing racing through my mind was that the next limb I grabbed while slipping or my fumbling through the forest was going to lead to a bad introduction between me and an eyelash viper in the trees or a fer-de-lance on the ground.

just as we were trying to navigate our way around a steep hillside, our guide was flipping small debris on the ground and he paused and took a step back. He’d caught a glimpse of something under a leaf, took a step back and flipped it again. Lying there in a wonderful example of camouflage was a juvenile hognosed viper, Porthidium nasatum. These small vipers are somewhat common in Central America and are one of the contributors to envenomations. This find as a very cool encounter and pretty much worth all the agony I had just put myself through. We kept on searching after a few moments of relishing our late night find, but nothing else turned up.

I was thoroughly relieved when we decided to make our way back down to the trail we’d ascended on. Although some of the group and our guides were still searching out snakes and frogs along the trail, I was very eager to get back to the SUV. I worked my way down the trail, waiting for the others to catch up. Fortunately, the finds that I missed out on were more common species, but I still regret not taking more time that evening to contribute to the searching and photographing. We all began to move down the trail, only pausing to search the large rocks along the path.

By the time we made it back to the car, I nearly collapsed. My ankles has swollen so much I had to loosen my boots before getting into the car. I think we all were spent, obviously me more than others. After shedding my pack and each of us throwing back about a gallon of water, we all began to crack smiles and laugh about our hike. We hadn’t found what we’d hoped for, but the experience was a great one and was one of the best parts of the trip.

Green eyes don't lie...

2010-02-01T18:33:00.001-08:00

It's nice to see wildlife that doesn't have an outstanding fear of humans. This cormorant was cooperative on a cold morning at Lake Mattamuskeet NWR. Gotta love those emerald eyes!

Rewards....

2010-01-27T12:44:00.001-08:00

That's what you get for putting in the extra effort, going the extra mile, getting up earlier than you want.

An American avocet wading in the shallow edge of North Pond at Pea Island NWR in the early morning light:

A semipalmated plover on a small beach near Oregon Inlet in the warm morning light on a very cold day:

you can click on each image to enlarge them. Enjoy the rewards.

Double starbursts

2010-01-26T17:50:00.000-08:00

I was fortunate enough to capture the double starburst effect while trying to photograph the iced over Lake Mattamuskeet.

It was well worth standing in 30F water for an hour and a half to photograph this shot and some others I'll be posting below:

The "anti-sunset"...

2010-01-18T17:55:00.000-08:00

A fun new term learned today from some seasoned landscape photographers....

Thought I would quickly share a recent photo from my coastal NC trip from the Pea Island area showcasing beauty often ignored...this was opposite the setting sun along NC 12.

Once I have some more time I will be posting (I promise!) more Panama info and then a summary of my recent winter excursion.

Until then, keep shooting!

Upcoming trip and updates

2009-12-21T08:19:00.000-08:00

I am currently working on part VII of the running Panama series, which should be the last portion for this story. I will be doing a separate posting for our visit to the Bocas del Toro archipelago to highlight the various morphs of Oophaga pumilio found on different islands, etc.

I will be traveling to the coast of North Carolina in early January to do some wildlife photography for about 5 days, highlighting the visiting tundra swan, snow geese, and other winter migrants. I hope to catch some raptors in action and maybe some bobcats, bears, or if I'm lucky, a red wolf.

This will be my first extended hands on experience with one of Canon's most phenomenal lenses, the EF 500mm f/4L IS super telephoto. I will hopefully get 2,000+ shots with this incredible piece of glass.

So keep and eye out for the updates to come!

The above was taken with an EOS 40D, 400 DO + 1.4x extender for a focal length of 560mm @ an aperture of f/5.6

¡Bienvenidios Panama! – Part VI

2009-12-17T16:22:00.001-08:00

We spend some time after our meeting with Lalo in town, buying goods for our upcoming trek and as a good gesture to the family that was permitting us to stay with them. The area around Changuinola was a large scale banana plantation – sometimes trees stretching for nearly a mile alongside the road. In the markets fresh fruits and vegetables were plentiful and very inexpensive. We gathered up numerous items per our guide’s suggestions – three bags full of groceries were presented at the makeshift counter – a whopping $10 for all the things we’d picked out. With all of our shopping completed in the busy streets of Changuinola, we returned back to our host family to share our surprise for them. After all of the many thanks and getting treated to another wonderful meal from our new friends, we started organizing the things we would need for the evening.

This hike would take us up the mountainsides into a somewhat remote portion of this area in the Bocas Del Toro province. We packed our lights and headlamps, spare batteries and plenty of water. I opted to bring the majority of my photo gear since we wouldn’t be returning to this location. I wish I’d realized what I was really in for prior to setting out on this little ‘expedition.’ We picked up Lalo a few hours before sunset and headed off for our night hike. We began traveling higher up a remote hillside – a small dirt road led us to our stopping point. We were at a small remote residence amongst the hillside, friends of Lalo lived here. We met with them briefly and our guide explained to them what we were doing. The people who lived here informed us they’d seen a bushmaster in the vicinity a few weeks back, an individual upwards of 6 feet or more from their account. We were all thrilled, hoping that we’d encounter something of the sort. From what our guide told us, the area should yield some nice finds during the course of our hike.

A short walk lead us to a gated pathway that looks to head into a grazing pasture. We begin walking up this narrow, winding pathway cut through the hillside, taking us across the ride side of a small valley dotted with a few large trees and remnant stumps. As we reach the top the trail cuts into the forest and a more familiar scene presents itself - lush green vegetation and the sounds of birds and frogs calling in the distance. The trail was very narrow, often the pathway was cleared as a result of torrential rainfall, leaving deep crevices and large rocks jutting out from time to time. In the edge of the vegetation along our path, male red pumilio were posted up on leaves asserting dominance over their territory with a familiar chattering call. To my astonishment, these little frogs were vocalizing from about a meter above the ground for up to an hour past sunset, something I didn’t expect from a species that is known to be exclusively diurnal. Along the way we began finding a few more frogs from the genera Smilisca, Scinax, and Eleutherodactylus, poised from 1-2 meters above the ground or hopping under our feet as we walk along the path and in the low lying vegetation. About half an hour later we are still trekking along but nothing more than the same species we’d been seeing since we had started. As I was searching along the edge of the trail and the beginning of the hillside, I caught a glimpse that made me do a double-take. Red, yellow, and black reflected in the LED beam of my Maglite and I yell out, ‘Coral!, Coral!’ Central America has the greatest diversity of coral snakes in the world and with that almost as many mimics to this highly venomous species. I knew in that moment what I was looking at was the real thing.

Three people in front of me had just walked over top of a nearly 1 meter long Central American coral snake, Micrurus nigrocinctus. One of our party quickly runs back to my location with the snake tongs and retrains the animal to prevent it from escaping. We took a few moments to grab some quick photos and rejoice in our awesome find. After we settled down from the adrenaline rush, we bagged the snake left it secured on the trail in a tree to photograph and release later. Now, we were all excited and eagerly searching for what might lie ahead of us. At this point the hike is starting to take a bit of strain on my body – between the 35-40lbs of gear on my back and the unpredictable terrain, I’m starting to pace myself and take occasional breaks along the way. The snake find was a chance to disrupt the pace of our ascent, and not too far up we paused at the start of a large waterfall to figure out how to navigate across also to look for any amphibians that may be out and about. Just minutes before our coral snake find and beyond that location we were able to start exploring these very large, rocky outcrops along the hillsides and areas were small streams or erosion channels had been cut. This is the perfect resting place for a large predatory pitviper such as the bushmaster, known to the locals as veragosa or matabuey, the ‘ox killer.’ We keep searching every large outcropping we came across, but nothing yet. We continued on up the trail, climbing in elevation. Our trek started out somewhere around 200m and we began to reach areas that were over 400m in elevation, areas that we felt were more suitable bushmaster habitat.

At this point I’m really beginning to dislike the fact I packed the majority of my gear. On top of that, I’m in a pair of field boots that have been worn a few times but definitely aren’t broken in yet. Maneuvering back and forth across rocky sections in the road and climbing up hillsides to search rocky outcroppings began to take it out of me. My counterparts are holding up fine, lacking the off balancing weight of my camera pack on their backs. Finally, after a lull in activity, we spot a very cool creature along the trailside. A fine specimen of the blunt headed tree snake, Imatodes cenchoa, is hanging from some low brush.. Surprisingly, this squirmy species cooperated to our moving it about and posing for a few photographs. The animal is adorned with a remarkable light tan background with a dark chocolate pattern, almost like chevrons along the dorsal ridge. We joke that this is our ‘mini bushmaster’ since the pattern closely resembles that of the magnificent animal we are so hoping to find this night. After turning our subject loose into the night, we headed on a bit further until our guide decides that an alternative path may lead us to what we seek. I soon find out that the rugged path we’ve been on has been a luxury, and the hard part is yet to come.

¡Bienvenidios Panama! – Part V

2009-12-15T09:41:00.001-08:00

I sat down to a cup of coffee this morning, and for some reason it really took me back to thoughts of sitting on the patio in Farrion after a successful night in the jungle, watching flocks of parrots and ever so often a frigate bird in the distance….I had to start writing these again.

The next day, I awake in a fury of heat….the sun had risen high enough that it was radiating directly into our tent. I roll out to find breakfast being prepared for us, a traditional Panamainan breakfast composed of patacones (plantains pounded into pancake like discs and fried), home made bread, and meat fried with onions and peppers. To top it all off, some amazing, fresh Panamanian coffee. I’ve always been a cream and sugar type of guy – that will change when you have truly fresh coffee.

After taking some time to wake up and digest our wonderful meal we start to discuss our options for the rest of the day. The area we spent exploring the night before would be promising, but our guide advised us that he had a contact that might be able to direct us to a bushmaster. We decided to go and setup our trek for that evening and see what we could find along the way. Piling in the car we head back southeast from Changuinola a few miles, through the ragged highway system that links these Caribbean towns to the rest of Panama. After some time of waiting on the road construction, traffic holdups and trying to locate the proper road, we finally turn down a small unmarked two lane road that begins winding sharply around a hillside. From the car on this overcast day we spot a three-toed sloth in the treetops (what will be one of ten (yes ten!) individuals), slowly making its way from one limb to the next. The road is terribly washed out from a few of the initial rains signaling the end of the dry season. We navigate around large rocks lying in the road, severe cracks in the pavement until we come to a more lowland area. At one point, we’re trying to traverse a washout in our Nissan XTrail that would likely need more ground clearance, a suspension lift, and maybe some all terrain tires. Finally we get onto what looks like a normal looking dirt road with far less issues. As we drive past the lowland fields and scattered forests, there is an ever present chattering coming from the trees. I know I’ve heard this sound before and it takes me a few moments to realize the sound broadcasting from the forest edge is that of the strawberry or flaming poison dart frog, Oophaga pumilio .

We eventually arrive at a small, elevated house in the middle of the jungle. I’m introduced to a man named Lalo, who was an acquaintance of our guide, familiar with the area and the animals we were interested in seeing. His wife and two children also come to greet us, and we sit down to discuss the plan for our evening hike. His wife offers us coffee, a strong aroma and as fresh as you could ever imagine coffee being in a place like this. His son is playing with a box of young parrots, rescued from an area that was being cleared for agricultural purposes. Our guide begins to explain why we are visiting the country, what we’ve encountered so far, and what we would like to attempt to find on our night hike. In the background we hear the same chattering of pumilio, some of which appear to be very close. We tell him that we also are interested in the small frogs from the area. He steps away for a moment and returns with something that astounds me. He presents us with a few laminated sheets, with various forms of dendrobatid frogs and venomous snakes, with short descriptions of each species.

Visitors apparently years prior to our visit had left these guides with him, explaining that they would offer him money for these species of interest. His impression was that we were there to collect or buy various herps to take back with us! We explained to him that we only wanted to photograph such animals. He recognized that our attention repeatedly shifted back across the road to the sounds of the frogs. He got up and told us to ‘follow me.’

Within 20 feet of the road, opposite to his house, Lalo began pointing out frogs…..there were Dendrobates auratus amongst the leaf litter unlike any I had ever seen. Flaunting the well known green and black coloration, these frogs were enormous, bigger than any dendrobatid frog I’d seen in captivity. Side by side with the auratus were little red and orange Oophaga pumilio that we encountered – hopping about. These frogs are known as the ‘Alimarante’ morph, named for a town just southeast of Changuinola. I was amazed at the amount of variation found within the dozen or so frogs in such a small area - red with grey

legs, orange with black legs, solid orange with black flecks, all the same morph. After running around and photographing our first pumilio, we went back over to Lalo’s house to avoid the sudden downpour of rain and discuss our evening plans. Lalo knew of some local areas that would be probable bushmaster habitat, and that there had been sightings in the recent weeks prior to our arrival.

With our plan set and some cool finds already that day, we headed back to Changuinola to prepare for what would be one of the most memorable experiences of my life – for many reasons…

Must love travel resources...

2009-11-29T09:32:00.000-08:00

For those of you who might be considering some travel options in the coming year, I thought I'd share some of the places I use to book flights and find gear for my adventures.

First off, your time should be spent searching Kayak.com for booking flights - you can really modify, tweak, and pick all the little details for travel and it will link you to the best results. It was a great way to minimize the time comparing all sorts of other sites in multiple windows, looking at fees, etc.

Next, if you are trekking for any photo adventures, I must recommend Lensrentals.com. Richard Cicala and his staff are top notch when it comes to customer service and meeting your needs. Just be sure to book your gear in advance if it's a hot ticket item. I would highly suggest getting the insurance coverage - takes care of everything except theft (that's on you). I took a Canon 100-400L with me on 10 days in Panama and my fall trip to Colorado this year. My Canon 500L and Wimberley Sidekick show up in January for my eastern North Carolina adventure.

Lastly, I would suggest looking into deals for travel bags, camping/hiking accessories through sites such as Backcountry.com or O2Gearshop.com (REI.com is great too, don't get me wrong - I just like options). Both of these sites were very helpful in last minute items, often with little or no shipping costs. Whether it be a LED headlamp, 456 tool option multiplier, or eco-friendly toilet paper, they have it covered.

Updates coming soon!

2009-11-22T11:48:00.000-08:00

I'm working on some more of my Panama stories as well as a few other things to plop on into this online blog. Please check back in the coming week or so for some new info!

¡Bienvenidios Panama! - Part IV

2009-10-12T17:01:00.000-07:00

It isn't long before we find critters in the jungle. within 5 minutes of walking into the full canopy, we here the calls of Agalychinus calidryas, the red eyed tree frog. With the added reach provided by a snake hook, we were able to pull down overhanging branches where the calling males were perched. We took a moment to grab a few photos of our charismatic find, then placed him back upon his perch to continue serenading the females close by. On the lower vegetation, anoles were sleeping on top of and in between the leaves. Despite our rustling, they remained frozen in place while our flashes filled the forest vicinity with white light.

Eyes were always searching, hoping to catch a glimpse of one of the forests common inhabitants, the eyelash viper (Bothriecis schlegleii) named for the exaggerated scalation above the eyes. These small vipers are polymorphic, ranging in colors that conceal their presence amongst the bark and vegetation to vivid yellow or orange that blend in with the brilliant floral and fruit ensembles of tropical plants . They frequently inhabit the 1-2m height of the vertical vegetation structure waiting to ambush lizards or frogs. Bites from this species are not fatal, but due to their behavior bites to extremities and the face are common. This has been one of the species I have longed to see in the wild and photograph in detail, so I'm very anxious as I walk around peering at every limb while trying to keep up and the shine of lights in my view. Huntsmen spiders were frequent on the vegetation as well, and other large types similar to the orb-weavers found in the U.S. - but MUCH bigger. It wasn't til this time I realized that my friend was terrified of bugs...which made the trip all the more interesting!

As we continued on, we came across an interesting find - mannequin birds sleeping in the low trees. These birds are moderately colored with shades of yellow, white and brown, but make up for it with an outstanding call. They tolerated our flashes, grabbing a couple photos of both the male and female and we moved on to see what else we could find. At the bottom of the hill we came to a small creek with shallow depression pools off to the sides. Above the pools were more red eyed tree frogs hanging on to palm-like fronds. In the creek, there were larger ranid type frogs hopping into the shadows. One of the better finds in the creek was a large adult smokey jungle frog - this bullfrog sized amphibian is colored with contrasting shades of brown and vocalizes with a call that resembles a low hooting that gives an eerie feel to the darkness of the jungle.

We turned back after the creek and was planning on calling it an evening. We were all a bit disappointed that we hadn't come across any snakes, but still satisfied with our numerous finds that night. Just as we got close to the cottage our guide spotted a fruiting tree along the path. The tree was filled with naranjillos - fruit of the Inca, a citrus like fruit that had the exterior texture of a tomato. Mario's smile suggested that this would make for an excellent addition to breakfast. At 2:30AM we called it a night, a looong day of travel behind us, and the anticipation of what awaited us tomorrow....

¡Bienvenidios Panama! - Part III

2009-10-12T15:08:00.000-07:00

One major highway snakes its way through the countryside transecting whats left of tropical dry forests. Small two lane divergences in the western portion split off and direct you westward towards Costa Rica or north through the cloud forests and onto the Caribbean coast. We stop in Penonome for a quick meal - Pio Pio is our dining option and a chance for me to dig deep in the memory bank, babble out some broken Spanish and hope to order something appetizing. With a couple of attempts and chuckles from the ladies behind the counter, I pay for my meal and soda. In my periphery I catch lots of stares our way as we enjoy our hard earned meal - two Canadians, an American, and a Panamanian - a ragtag bunch out of place in a corner booth.

From the backseat I'm enjoying the view of the countryside, snapping away some shots as we zip by farmland, mountains, and small towns. All of a sudden I notice a police officer on a motorbike along the road side and he begins to wave us over to the shoulder. I was told by my travel companions that government on the lower levels in the country was often corrupt, and that on many occasions money exchanged hands in lieu of citations. The officer begins rattling off in Spanish and we're having a difficult time keeping up. Mario begins to inform us that the officer is citing us for driving too fast near the pedestrian overpass, driving continuously in the left lane, and for some other minor issue. The more Mario talks with him, the more calm the officer becomes, and then asks to talk with Mario. After a few minutes, he brings his book of rules & regs over to the car and hands it to us, showing us the infractions we've committed. Mario tells us in English "I think this cop likes money." I shove $20 in his regulation book and hand it back to him. He informs Mario that it would be beneficial to ride in the front seat while traveling with us to avoid any other enforcement issues and sends us on our way.

It's late in the afternoon on our drive and we're keeping our eyes out for any significant wildlife, reptiles especially. So far the only highlight was seeing a roadkill silky anteater on the highway. A few minutes later and we notice a snake on the road, unfortunately already clipped by passing traffic. We stop to take a quick look.... it's a parrot snake (Leptophis ahaetulla), similar to the green snakes found in North America These long, slender serpents are primarily arboreal and feed upon tree frogs. They possess small rear fangs and are mildly venomous, more so an irritant to a larger animal, however reactions tend to vary and can cause some significant swelling. Excited for finding an actual reptile we hop back in and continue on towards our destination.

We begin the ascent into the mountains near Fortuna just around dark. This area is characterized by sharp winding roads that are continuously under attack by the elements and significant elevation changes. This is cloud forest habitat, home to such species as solitary eagles, quetzals, mountain vipers and black milksnakes. It begins to rain, periodically heavy at times, making the drive a bit challenging. The temperatures begin to plummet as we climb from 60m above sea level, going from roughly 85 degrees in the late evening to the lower 60s as we reach about 1.1km in elevation. We begin seeing one of the more common inhabitants of the country, cane toads, hopping along the roadsides. About 20 minutes after the rain began, we're slamming on brakes as our driver cries out "snake!" I grab my camera and pile out to find disappointed faces. In my friend's hands is a spectacular species that I was hoping to see, Rhinobothryum bovallii - the banded snake, writhing from being clipped by a car ahead of us. It was a bittersweet moment, seeing such a wonderful animal that is not a common find in the area in its last moments of life. As the rain picks up, we get back into the car, mixed expressions still on our faces and continue on to our destination in Changuinola.

We arrive late into the night, with sounds of a siesta rising up from the town. Baseball is the national sport of Panama, with the NY Yankees being the team of choice. Pitcher Mariano Rivera is a Panamanian native and has spent his entire MLB career with the team. The streets are crowded with people all around the town's center where the baseball stadium is located. Bright lights, kids on bicycles, and stereos blasting on every corner - it was quite a sight after driving through remote regions with spotted homesteads along the way. We make our way on to the place we'll be staying - land belonging to friends of Mario where we'd planned to setup a tent and camp for the next few days. Mario suggests we explore the hillsides behind the cottage, so we grab lights, hooks, and camera gear to explore this coastal jungle habitat....

¡Bienvenidios Panama! - Part II

2009-10-12T14:06:00.000-07:00

We called the Resort Decameron our 'center of operations' for our trip. My friend's aunt and uncle owned a vacation property within the resort and were exceptionally generous in offering us a place to stay and feeding us periodically during our 10 day adventure. Located in Farrion, a small coastal town on the central Pacific side of the country, Decameron resort was built near the center of Manuel Norega's operation while he was in power. There were artillery bunkers scattered about the lush landscaping and luxurious homes on the golf course. Just down the road, the main highway of Panama transected the derelict personal runway of Norega.

Our previous night in Gamboa had been a fun adventure - I'll admit it took me a bit to adjust to the sounds of the jungle at night, but quickly I found myself right at home with all the rustlings in the dark, the leaf cutter ant highways, and distant calls of unknown creatures. We trekked for what seemed to be 2 or so miles round trip through the forest, looking for any wildlife that we might encounter - especially snakes. Searching, searching, searching - nothing. We did happen to spy a kinkajou navigating the treetops with the aid of my LED mag lite. On our way out, we did happen across one ground dwelling frog, uniform and dull in color, unappealing to capture in a photograph (after all the travel that day + hiking in the humidity, my greatest priority was finding a place to sleep).

Daylight comes quite early in Panama - by 6:30AM everything is lit with a golden hue from the sun rising up over the Caribbean Sea. My counterpart had been in touch with a local friend and guide, Mario, prior to our arrival. Mario runs a local serpentarium in El Valle, leads various outings in search of birds, reptiles and other critters for tourists. He is a frequent visitor to local schools to talk with children about the snakes of Panama and why they are beneficial creatures. In Panama, many locals believe that if they kill a snake, they will survive their next snakebite encounter. The usual attention snakes receive in local villages is mutilation by the blade.

After finding out Mario's schedule for the week, our plans shift and we decide to sort our gear and head northwest to the province of Bocas del Toro (mainland) and the mountains around Changuinola. Mario explains we have the opportunity to encounter Central American bushmasters (Lachesis stenophrys), coral snakes, pit vipers, and a bounty of amphibian diversity. With a quick stop in El Valle, we set out on the Pan-American Highway on a 14 hour drive....

¡Bienvenidios Panama! - Part I of ???

2009-10-10T13:28:00.000-07:00

April 2009. Months of planning, hours on the telephone, hundreds of dollars spent at REI and other stores like it. I've been on an airplane three times in my life at this point, all of those occasions flying with friends to continental US destinations. I'm alone, laid over in the Miami International Airport waiting to climb onto an American Airlines flight bound for thee Tocuemen International Airport just east of Panama City, Panama. Upon my arrival, I'll be joining up with a friend from Canada and spending 10 days crossing central and western portions of the country.

Two and a half hours in the air the wheels come down and the stewardess comes over the PA system welcoming visitors to Panama, first in Spanish then following her greeting in English. I haven't used Spanish on a regular basis since high school so I really begin asking 'what the hell am I about to get myself into?' I depart the plane and fill out the necessary paperwork for entering the country, pay the 'entrance fees' and pick up my baggage. Somehow I got away with stashing about 60 lbs. of photography equipment into the overhead compartments as my 'carry on' bag, leaving all of my field gear to be piled into a travel duffel nearly my size. I find a place to plop down and wait for my Canadian counterparts - I power up my cell phone for the hell of it and get word that my friends are delayed due to snow and missing flights, so I have hours of waiting by myself where I speak a handful of Spanish phrases at best....

Panama's culture is a influential mixture of native tribes (7 of roughly 20+ still exist in the country), descendants of the Caribbean slave trade and Spanish explorers . The majority of the country is relatively remote and eastward into the Darien province (click on map photo for a larger view!), travel conditions are difficult - underdeveloped roads, guerrilla insurgents filtering in from South America trafficking narcotics, and disease issues to name a few. However, in recent years development as a tourist destination has taken lead, and things are becoming more accessible. Laws in the country bring down double the penalty if an act of injustice is taken against a tourist. It is a fabulous escape if you don't like cold weather - temperatures tend to stay around 90 degrees year round with the rainy season running from April until about September.

I sit curled up in an uncomfortable row of chairs in the airport, looking over my Nat Geo guide to Panama for the 37th time hoping my iPod doesn't die before my counterparts arrive. Finally, after about 5 hours of waiting around I see a familiar face dragging luggage through a mix of locals. We proceed to then bounce from rental car stations to try and find the best rate on a 4x4 SUV that will be our means to seeing this wonderful place. At roughly 7:30PM, we grab our keys, pack in all our gear, and set out for the forests of Gamboa in central Panama....

In search of the red rattler....Part III

2009-10-08T17:08:00.000-07:00

Our day was filled with running road transects, hoping that something would be slithering out in front of us as we made a pass. We stop late morning after having no such luck to search out a rocky shoreline in the hopes we might encounter a Carolina salt marsh snake (Nerodia sipedon williamengelsi) - a valid subspecies endemic to coastal North Carolina and protected due to that significance. Luckily this section of shoreline was the only site any of us could receive phone service, something that for this trip was nice to be lacking. We were able to follow up with a couple of friends who were driving down for the day to join us in our search. We set out to rendezvous with them, and just as we were meeting up we happened upon a interesting find (to me at least!) - a nice rough green snake. This species is very common throughout its distribution and often feeds upon invertebrates. For me, this was the first live individual I'd ever come across. After taking some time to enjoy that moment, we piled in and headed north to a small private preserve to check out anything that might be out and about during the hottest portion of the day. After walking along the shoreline in the preserve and spending time out on the swampy boardwalks, we decided to head back south rather than battle the mosquitoes any longer - this area was saturated with mosquitoes, enough that any unattended portions of skin was an all you can eat buffet for the thirsty bloodsuckers.

Upon our return to our familiar back country roads, we decided to split up and utilize two vehicles to cover more ground efficiently. It was mid evening, and the sun was starting to get that golden tint, beginning to cast longer shadows with the passing moments. Rounding the curves amongst a managed pine stand the brakes bring us to a screeching halt. In front of us, just as we'd rounded the curve, laid a foot and a half of red pit viper crawling upon the road. I think you could have compared the moment to unwrapping presents on Christmas morning or the first day of spring break. For there in front of us, laid our red rattler....

In search of the red rattler....Part II

2009-10-08T16:38:00.000-07:00

We meet for lunch at a local spot that we found in college. Pam's Farmhouse is one of those great places we take advantages of when we get together. For our company, this is an awesome treat - down home country cookin' at its best. After loading up on heavy sides and sweet tea, we set out east bound, 3.5 hours to our coastal destination.
Only in a small area in coastal North Carolina do Carolina pigmy rattlesnakes (Sistrurus miliarius miliarius) exhibit a deep red coloration throughout their body, replacing the standard dark grey background and rusty stripes between blotches. In Georgia they come close, exhibiting a pinkish-red hue, but what I've seen from North Carolina reminds me of the paint used by local fire districts to adorn their emergency vehicles.
After a long evening in the loaded down SUV we roll into the area we've been anxiously awaiting - endless cotton fields, thick pocosins, and blackwater canals paralleling the roadside. The clouds are rolling in for what the weather forecast calls a overcast evening with a 30 chance of rain. We decide to begin immediately traversing the back country roads in hopes of coming across our species of interest and anything else we can find along the way. It seems it isn't no time that the brakes are locking up and we're stopping to inspect something along the roadside. There it lays, dead - an adult red pigmy that met its demise exiting a well maintained front yard and attempting to cross into an overgrown field. All of us call out in disgust, seeing how we may have missed this animal only by an hour or so. GPS coordinates noted, we roll on in search of more, hoping we get to it before the tires of an unaware driver does.
As we get further into our road transects, the weather doesn't look promising. Our plans of setting up camp that evening are starting to dwindle as light rain begins to fall and nigh fall is fast approaching. After some discussion, we decide to travel back north and find vacancy in one of the two local motels in the area. We find space available to accommodate the four of us, dragging loads of snacks and camera equipment out of the SUV and getting settled. Conveniently, there is a seafood and steakhouse beside our hotel, so sampling the local fodder to waste away the evening hours is a must. After bellies full of scallops and flounder, four sleepy herpers call it a night and wait out the rainfall.
The next morning we roll early, hoping to catch a glimpse of a warm sun rising in at least partly cloudy skies. As the alarm goes off and one of us rolls out to check the conditions, we find that the cloud bank is still with us, and the snooze button gets put to good use. When we finally roll out of bed, we wonder outside and find that our overnight abode is actually a herper's delight. A metamorphed squirrel treefrog awaits us beside our door, posing for a few quick photos. A narrowmouth toad has setup shop by the edge of the covered walkway while a southern toad is nestled in behind a brick adjacent to the motel's Coca-Cola machine. We all new then it was going to be a great day.

In search of the red rattler...Part I

2009-10-01T15:55:00.000-07:00

It's October. Days are getting shorter, mornings are much cooler, and the leaves are starting to come 'alive' with color. Those legless and scaly wonders that I have such an appreciation for are beginning to slow down and take advantage of the peak warmth cast out by the fall sun.

Eastward we travel, a few days away from our normal lives. No studying. No work. No real world worries. Best friends, old acquaintances, snake hooks and cameras in tow, we set out to find our quarry, and anything else we run into along the way.

What awaits us? Maybe the snakes we so eagerly seek, or a family of black bears taking in the benefits of the last corn in the fields. Maybe the harriers have started their descent from up north to hunt the open fields of Pungo, or the millions of red winged blackbirds finding that familiar winter refuge.

We pile in for the adventure that awaits, hoping that the mosquitoes have gone for the year, that luck is on our side, and we'll return with a sense of renewal - memories that will forever be etched in our minds, and stories to share with those we left behind.