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

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

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

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.