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Snake Tracks Field Update for 8-31-12

Posted on by Stevo

Due to continued technical difficulties this post is late.

Utsanati is still sheltering in the remote forest at the edge of the power line access way  far from human habitation and activity areas.  He has recently shed his skin and is beautiful!  Today he participated in a special photo shoot (see photos and video) for the Blue Turtle/Turtle of Change project that is working to make a difference and a change all over the world. That is Utsanati with the Turtle of Change “Turtle Grupo Tortuguero” below.

If you have not had a chance to read my blog posts on the Turtle of Change blog then here’s another chance:

Post 1: Travels with a Naturalist (didgeridoo concert and rattlesnake surgery)

Post 2: The Continued Travels with a Naturalist (turtles, rattlesnakes, campers, a goat, Wild South and Turtle Dogs!)

Today I found Zoe in the same small clearing near the top of the waterfall sheltering under the same tangle of brush/logs where I found her about two weeks ago!  She obviously has some sort of special attachment to this spot be it a good thermo-regulation location or a possible maternity site–we may never know.  Because I have found her in this exact location on three separate times this spring and summer I now know that this is an important site for this rattlesnake.  To a human this site would look unremarkable but to this snake it is all important and may make all the difference in the world to her life and her success.  This is why we need to learn all that we can about wildlife–especially sensitive and threatened creatures like the Timber Rattlesnake.  The more we know the more we will be able to help conserve and protect nature and wildlife from us.

With the cooler nights and shorter days I believe that Zoe will soon be making her trek back up the ridge toward her over-wintering location.  To do this she will need to cross a dangerous road construction zone where a driveway is being cut into the forest so I fear for her safety.  I only hope that she decides to move after the workers “punch out” at the end of the day or late at night.

Zoe also participated in the photo shoot for the Turtles of Change project–see if you can find her in the photo below.

Take a look at the latest video of the Snake Tracks project below:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CQBqCbBKHG4

If the video does not show or play then follow this link to view the video: http://youtu.be/CQBqCbBKHG4

I am not paid to do this research–this is a volunteer project that I am undertaking to learn all that I can about these amazing animals to further educate you about their beauty, uniqueness and value to a healthy forest ecosystem. If you would like to support the Snake Tracks Timber Rattlesnake wildlife conservation, research, and education project and/or Earthshine Nature Programs please feel free to donate using this link. Receipts available upon request. THANK YOU to all of you who have donated to ENP!!  Without you this important work would not happen.

Eastern Hellbender Survey with the NC Wildlife Resources Commission

Posted on by Stevo

In Late July I assisted NCWRC Field Biologist Lori Williams, “Salamander Whisperer” Alan Cameron and a crew of volunteers, students and interns in a survey of Hellbenders in a remote stream in Western North Carolina.

Lori Williams with a juvenile hellbender

The survey was greatly successful in that we found several Hellbenders of several different ages classes in a very short section of the stream.  All animals were carefully captured, measured, weighed and released as close as possible to where they were found.

Lori Williams, Alan Cameron and crew work up a hellbender.

Data from this survey day and others will help the NCWRC biologists better understand and protect the greatly misunderstood Eastern Hellbender.

A juvenile Eastern Hellbender

Watch the video below for the highlights of my adventure with the “Hellbender Hunters!”

If you ever catch a Hellbender while fishing please do not harm it. Although they can bite, they are non venomous and harmless to humans. Gently remove the hook and release the animal back into the stream. Please do not try to capture a Hellbender and keep it as a “pet.” They are threatened or endangered in all parts of their range and therefore they are protected by law from collection or harm.

Hellbender by Lori Williams

If you would like to know more about the Hellbender visit the Hellbender Homepage.

Hellbender in moss

Photos by Lori Williams and Jason Butler.  Use by permission only.

Turtle of Change and Didgeridoo

Posted on by Stevo

A few posts back I told you about the Turtle of Change award that was presented to me by my friend Alan Cameron aka: “The Salamander Whisperer.” It was a great honor to have the Turtle of Change for a short time and then to pass it on to John Rucker–another person who is working to make a difference in wildlife and nature conservation. During the short time that I held the turtle it followed me in my daily duties as a naturalist and outdoor educator and along the way visited some amazing places, people and creatures.  Read the full blog post here on the Blue Turtle website.  If you missed my first posting about the Turtle of Change you can read it here.

One of the stops the turtle and I made was at a remote rock outcrop with large rock shelter underneath located on the top of a distant mountain near Brevard, NC. The top of the rock and rock shelter was undoubtedly used by ancient Native Americans as a sacred site as evidenced by the petroglyphs present on the rocks. I met my friend and Didgeridoo master John Vorus at the site for a special musical tribute to the Turtle of Change. We stood on top of the rock, took in the grand view of the surrounding mountains and felt the ancient energy of the rocks and the Earth. Then we made our way down under the rocks into the large rock shelter beneath. There we played our yidaki (aka: didgeridoo) into the turtle giving it a positive vibration and energy in a way that only the yidaki can do.

It was a very powerful and special experience.

Watch the video for the details.

Special thanks to John Vorus for sharing his talent with the Turtle of Change project.

Learn more about John at www.johnvorus.com

Snake Tracks Field Update for 8-19-12

Posted on by Stevo

Both Zoe and Utsanati are in remote locations far from human habitation and activity areas.  However, if you are lucky enough to share habitat with them and you decide to take a walk to the waterfall–keep your eyes open for Zoe.  Her last location on 8-15-12 was a few hundred yards NW of the waterfall at the edge of a clearing near a trail.  I found her sheltering under a jumble of logs and limbs in an exact same location where I had founder her earlier in the summer.  This just shows that the Timber rattlesnake, like the Eastern box turtle, knows exactly where they are in their environment–and they do not need a GPS to navigate.

Take a look at a photo of Zoe before she moved to the waterfall location.  Notice the small inch-worm on her face.  Photo by Steve Atkins.

Here’s is another photo of Zoe–this time she has a spider on her head.  Photo by Steve Atkins.

Me and Zoe–can you find her?   Photo by Steve Atkins.

I found Utsanati sheltering under some thick vegetation in the middle of the power line access-way.  He was pre-molt as evidenced by his opaque eyes.  He was uncomfortable with my presence and moved off to hide under a nearby log.

Take a look at this photo of Utsanati. The opaqueness of his eyes indicate that he will be shedding soon.  The bright spot on his head is a droplet of water reflecting the flash.

For all the details of this snake hunt take a look at the video below.  This video covers three locate days: 8-10, 8-15 and 8-19.

I am not paid to do this research–this is a volunteer project that I am undertaking to learn all that I can about these amazing animals to further educate you about their beauty, uniqueness and value to a healthy forest ecosystem. If you would like to support the Snake Tracks Timber Rattlesnake wildlife conservation, research, and education project and/or Earthshine Nature Programs please feel free to donate using this link. Receipts available upon request. THANK YOU!!

Snake Tracks Update for 7.14.12

Posted on by Stevo

Great News!  Utsanati has recovered from his transmitter adjustment surgery and I have released him back into his habitat!  After spending the last month in captivity, having minor surgery, teaching over 200 children and adults about the beautiful and greatly misunderstood Timber rattlesnake and eating six mice and one small rabbit (not all at the same time) he was really ready to go home yesterday when I released him at his June capture location–the woodpile.  Upon his release I could tell that he knew exactly where he was as he quickly moved off into the hidden depths of the woodpile.  I do not know if he will stay around the area of the woodpile since the protective tarp has been removed.  I will locate him again in a day or so to verify his position.

Zoe has moved down off the ridge above the waterfall, moved across the abandoned fields and creek and was sheltering under a collapsed pole barn shed.  I have not seen Zoe in over a month due to the fact that on the last three or four locate days she has been under various types of cover that I could not safely navigate through to find her for two reasons: I did not want to disturb her and I did not want to risk getting bitten.  I believe that she has been laying low due to the record setting heat wave that the area has been subjected to over the last few weeks.

Watch the video below for details and vision of the last locate day for Zoe and Utsanati.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=25HLegWNWwc

If you would like to support the Snake Tracks Timber Rattlesnake wildlife conservation, research, and education project and/or Earthshine Nature Programs please feel free to donate using this link. Receipts available upon request. THANK YOU!!

Paint marking a Timber Rattlesnake

Posted on by Stevo

A few days ago we discovered a new Timber Rattlesnake near Earthshine.  It is a healthy dark phase female with a rather large rattle string. Fortunately she was found in the same are where Utsanati was found a little over a year ago. This area is visited only occasionally by lodge staff members and never by guests.  I captured and relocated the snake to a location a short distance away from the capture site.  Hopefully the snake will remember being captured and not return to the site.  In order to know if the snake returns I have paint marked three lower segments of its rattle with red acrylic paint so that if the snake returns or is ever seen again we will be able to visually ID it from a safe distance. If the snake is seen frequently, its movements, and eventually its home range can be plotted on a map.

Watch the video of the paint marking and release below.