Vocabulary

The first picture is one of the traps we use. We hang the bait in the back door, put some fluff inside and set the door. The trigger platform is in the back near the bait. There are two sizes, this one is the bigger size, I think a 7" diagonal. The smaller has a 4" diagonal. These traps are for small mammals but we have caught snakes in them every once in a while. This next picture is of a chipmunk we caught in one of the large traps. This next picture is of one arm of a reptile array. The five gallon bucket in the center is called the pitfall for obvious reasons. Then there are three arms of black, heavy plastic going out from the pitfall in direction 120 degrees from each other. Each of the arms ends in a reptile trap made of chicken wire. When I say "area" I only mean the next location I am to go to, and "plot" is the hexagon with 200 m sides and 10 traps per side and 19 down the middle. A burrowing owl has been caught in the reptile trap but they are supposed to catch reptiles. This is where I catch the snakes, lizards and scorpions.

Canyon Plot

I am currently working on getting photos to help explain some of the phrases I have been using, however, in the meantime I will show some pictures of the plot I just finished last week. It was a canyon setting which was very pretty but at the same there were some scary moments since the canyon side is so steep.

Rattle Snakes

Yesterday was a very exciting day for me! It was my turn to go check the reptile arrays while everyone else was doing the mammal traps. By the way we only have six traps to check since two of them had to be closed up until the road improves. The first couple of traps were okay, there were about 6 scorpions in one of the pit fall traps and a baby leopard lizard in the other. Then the next area I got to had some white-tailed antelope ground squirrels (very cute and while searching for them online I found out one of my profs has some copyrighted pics of them, Mark Chappell). As I made my way to the traps there were quite a few lizards just running around. When the trap came into view I saw the infamous dragon that we caught, then while looking in the "dragon" trap I noticed a small snake sitting on the outside of the trap near the entrance. It didn't look like a gopher snake so I was sure to use the snake tongs, it turned out to be a baby rattle snake. I took some pictures and moved on to the next traps. Here I came across what I thought was a hugmongous rattle snake but left to go check the rest of the traps before dealing with the rattle snake. The only other thing there was a very feisty western whiptail. So back to the rattler I went, he knew I was there and made all the noise he could. I put my gloves on and proceeded to grab his head with the snake tongs and lift him out with the snake hook. Low and behold there was another rattle snake all snug and comfy under him! This one was not quite as big but all the same a surprise. Actually I was a little relieved to find the second one since this meant I was not dealing with one ginormous rattle snake just with two hefty size ones. In the picture I took before taking the first one out you can vaguely see the second rattle right next to the cover board. I can not help but continue looking at the picture again and again, this very large rattle snake is one of the most beautiful snakes I have seen since I got here. Or ever for that matter. Anyway, back to the story, I let the snake out of the trap but I guess not far enough because he proceeded to slither right back into the trap. So, I went for the smaller unagitaed snake and got her out of the trap and put her a little farther away, then went back for the other one. With both of them out I stood there looking at them with a huge grin on my face and just kept thinking, "That is SOOOO cool!" (I refer to them as him and her only because that is how they struck me. The bigger one was aggressive, very big the smaller one hardly rattled at all and they seemed to be a pair. I mean with one covering the other, the one going right back into the trap and when I put them together outside the trap the coiled around each other and slithered off as a braid of sorts.) Two more traps to go. Down the road a ways I get to the first of the last two arrays and nothing so I continue to the last one. Here I regret not getting a picture. I go to all the traps and only one has something in it. I lifted up the cover board and moved the plants and I see a little coiled snake. Then right next to it is another about the same size. One was another rattle snake and the other is a gopher snake, both babies. The amazing part of this is that the gopher snake was the one hissing and striking at me not the rattle snake. Oh, believe me the rattle snake was none to happy to see me but the gopher snake was having an absolute temper tantrum. I let them go and continued back to the field office feeling very happy and content since there are days we go out and not catch anything.

Back From Cali and All Moved In

I am finally back from California and have moved all my things into our new house, and when I say new I mean brand new! This house was just built so we might have some new house problems to deal with but as of yet everything is just fine. I got the master bedroom just like I was told I would but now there are too many empty walls. I do have a few things to put up, like the cool wolf picture my cousin gave me (thank you Shawn), and the wolf calendar pages from the pictures of my old room but those do not by any means fill the walls. Having the master bathroom is great too, however, for the next month I will still be sharing the bathroom with one of the other girls here. The sharing is not the problem, it is the horrible color combos we are making in the bathroom. Her stuff is purple and teal, mine are dark true blue and happy face yellow. It makes me want to twitch when I walk in there. I do have to go to the Salvation Army store though so I can buy some shelves since for the time being all my books and CD's are on my closet shelves. Speaking of closets, mine is huge. Not even half of it is used and that includes storing everyone's empty boxes. The backyard has no grass or a fence but that's okay since we are outside all day and don't really go in the backyard when we are home. I will be posting some pictures of the newness on my next blog so keep an eye out.