billarbon's Favourites

Mound at base of pine

Walking around between my blacklighting sheets at night. I had set up two, each lit by several cheapy DJ blacklights powered by portable USB battery packs. You can learn more about these lights and my typical setups here: https://youtu.be/tavmTa7WoPk

All of my observations from the area:
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?nelat=30.40086405201385&nelng=-84.19923906546497&on=2023-08-12&order=asc&order_by=observed_on&place_id=any&swlat=30.198369244802098&swlng=-84.40132742148303&user_id=joemdo

My blacklighting observations:
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?nelat=30.40086405201385&nelng=-84.19923906546497&on=2023-08-12&order=asc&order_by=observed_on&place_id=any&project_id=blacklighting-florida&swlat=30.198369244802098&swlng=-84.40132742148303&user_id=joemdo

Blacklighting project for Florida on iNaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/blacklighting-florida

I am going back in my field journals to resurrect some of my old data. This observation came as part of a field herpetology class I took at Texas A&M with Dr. James (Jim) Dixon as an undergraduate student. We spend the weekend at a ranch of another faculty member (Klussman) just west of Enchanted Rock State Park.

I apologize for the poor quality of the photo but I was taking the picture with a poor camera and a poor eye to detail at that time.

Very large Texas Indigo snake who spent 2 days trying to pull another snake, who was laying eggs, out of this tree by my mom's house. It killed the other snake, but gave up after the 2nd day of trying to get it out... was seen leaving through a hole under the house (located on a private lake). It was very cool!

Large adult male (~ 7 feet in TL) collected by Kendall County Animal Control officer Jody Dicks from local resident (who asked for its removal from his property). Reported to TPWD. Specimen transferred to the care of Blaine Eaton. Several other unverified Kendall County reports of this species but this is the only one I am aware of that I have personally seen, interviewed the collector, and Blaine Eaton. Image taken in November of the same year.

Taken during the Great Texas Birding Classic on the Mustang Migrants team's Big Day with Warren Pulich and Beau Hardegree.

We ended our day at the south jetty where a large flock of Blue-winged Teal was in the surf! It looked like they were preparing to cross the ship channel and continue their northward migration. I've seen these ducks flying over the surf, but I've never seen them in the surf.