Mustangrde1
04-02-04, 05:51 PM
When we start out it’s at a young age. We grow and progress in to adults having adult lives adult worries. We sometimes forget about childish things that made life easier.
Field collecting to me is the child in me getting back out. You’re out late afternoon driving back roads and farm roads. As the car drives along you hear small pebbles hitting the underside of the car as the hum of the tires rolls along. In the rearview mirror you see a light dust behind you and smell alfalfa fields freshly plowed. Your eyes watching the road and shoulders for any signs of life, but you can’t help but to glance up and watch the Hawks in the air and the cattle grazing in the fields.
You see a fast moving skink run before you and notice a view anoles sitting on fence post as you slowly drive down the road. Turkeys and Deer are running around in an open field and you can hear the faint sounds of quail calling in the distance. The sun is low in the sky and its beginning to illuminate it in the pastels of sunset.
On the side of the road up a ways you see what from years of running roads you know to be a snake but what kind. Your heart starts to beat a little faster a smile comes over your face as you know your about to make your first catch of the night. You pull up on it and see this beautiful reptile not to big not to small just right.
It has been a long cold winter your first find is as precious to you as a diamond ring. You pick up this precious gem of the reptile world and admire its natural beauty. Alas it is but a simple water snake normally an animal you would just move off the road. But this is not any animal it is the first animal of the New Year.
You have a smile a mile wide on your face out here there is no bills no phones and no worries. You take in the moment noticing a Barn owl catching bugs on the road in your faint headlight glow. You see fire flies twinkling about a marsh you can hear bats high pitched squeals as they forage for prey. The humidity you can feel it in the air and a distance thunderstorm lights up the sky with natures wrath. The smell of its rain is faint in the air as you get back in your car.
You continue your nights drive wondering what wonders are to be seen next. As you ponder this a deer runs out in front of you and you can not help but to wonder where it is going or where it has been. A family of raccoon’s eyes is illuminated in your headlights a distance up the road. Your mind starts to wonder what they may be doing in their nightly routine. You see a couple large frogs hoping out on the road.
A turn in the road is coming and you slow as to not end up in the ditch on the side of the road. As you make it your headlights again bring a familiar site to your eyes. This is at first glance a very large bodied reptile with four legs and powerful jaws about 6 feet you guess it to be. An Alligator what a treat to see you stop the car and get out with camera in hand you start taking pictures quickly so as to not miss one second of this encounter. Strange but this gator appears to not mind you being so near. Now you start thinking about the perfect picture and pose. You start angling yourself to get a shot of it near the water hoping to catch some firefly twinkles in the shot.
After spending a great deal of time with this animal this dinosaur of the swamp you get back in you car and proceed on. When a large heavy bodied snake is seen crossing in front of you. No doubt in your mind about this old gal it’s a Moccasin about 5 feet in length. You grab the camera and hook. No way can you pass up some great defensive pictures with her mouth wide open showing their name sake of Cotton Mouth. You get some of the best pictures your night is going great.
You notice the same car that has past you a few times is stopped ahead and they are out taking pictures of something on the ground. Your curiosity causes you to stop. You walk up and see a little Pigmy Rattler has caused this traffic jam of the back roads. Everyone introduces themselves including the little buzzer who is now a celebrity of sorts. Picture flashes are lighting up the night just like the fire flies. When you have all had your fill you help the little ambassador of the venomous world off the road.
A conversation amongst fellow Herpers takes place and last several hours as common loves and passions take over. Roads so closely guarded from the casual person are given out as a mutual respect has taken hold. Stories of jumping in to marshes for a capture of a reptile and other stories some as tall as the best fishing tails being told. New friends made on this dark road with only the flash of lightning to illuminate the faces every so often and the smell of pending rain growing stronger as the night goes on.
Oh what a wonderful time on the roads a chance to get back to our childhood loves and joys. A chance to forget the worries of being an adult but for a short time. Time to take in the simplest of natures joys. Your senses are keen to the sounds and smells around you. This is when the adult again meets the child in us all. A chance again to remember why we love this hobby and the animals of it.
Winter is past spring is here once again. The joys of the back roads from the swamps to the forest its time to be kids again. If only at heart. Good luck and let’s see those field shots.
Field collecting to me is the child in me getting back out. You’re out late afternoon driving back roads and farm roads. As the car drives along you hear small pebbles hitting the underside of the car as the hum of the tires rolls along. In the rearview mirror you see a light dust behind you and smell alfalfa fields freshly plowed. Your eyes watching the road and shoulders for any signs of life, but you can’t help but to glance up and watch the Hawks in the air and the cattle grazing in the fields.
You see a fast moving skink run before you and notice a view anoles sitting on fence post as you slowly drive down the road. Turkeys and Deer are running around in an open field and you can hear the faint sounds of quail calling in the distance. The sun is low in the sky and its beginning to illuminate it in the pastels of sunset.
On the side of the road up a ways you see what from years of running roads you know to be a snake but what kind. Your heart starts to beat a little faster a smile comes over your face as you know your about to make your first catch of the night. You pull up on it and see this beautiful reptile not to big not to small just right.
It has been a long cold winter your first find is as precious to you as a diamond ring. You pick up this precious gem of the reptile world and admire its natural beauty. Alas it is but a simple water snake normally an animal you would just move off the road. But this is not any animal it is the first animal of the New Year.
You have a smile a mile wide on your face out here there is no bills no phones and no worries. You take in the moment noticing a Barn owl catching bugs on the road in your faint headlight glow. You see fire flies twinkling about a marsh you can hear bats high pitched squeals as they forage for prey. The humidity you can feel it in the air and a distance thunderstorm lights up the sky with natures wrath. The smell of its rain is faint in the air as you get back in your car.
You continue your nights drive wondering what wonders are to be seen next. As you ponder this a deer runs out in front of you and you can not help but to wonder where it is going or where it has been. A family of raccoon’s eyes is illuminated in your headlights a distance up the road. Your mind starts to wonder what they may be doing in their nightly routine. You see a couple large frogs hoping out on the road.
A turn in the road is coming and you slow as to not end up in the ditch on the side of the road. As you make it your headlights again bring a familiar site to your eyes. This is at first glance a very large bodied reptile with four legs and powerful jaws about 6 feet you guess it to be. An Alligator what a treat to see you stop the car and get out with camera in hand you start taking pictures quickly so as to not miss one second of this encounter. Strange but this gator appears to not mind you being so near. Now you start thinking about the perfect picture and pose. You start angling yourself to get a shot of it near the water hoping to catch some firefly twinkles in the shot.
After spending a great deal of time with this animal this dinosaur of the swamp you get back in you car and proceed on. When a large heavy bodied snake is seen crossing in front of you. No doubt in your mind about this old gal it’s a Moccasin about 5 feet in length. You grab the camera and hook. No way can you pass up some great defensive pictures with her mouth wide open showing their name sake of Cotton Mouth. You get some of the best pictures your night is going great.
You notice the same car that has past you a few times is stopped ahead and they are out taking pictures of something on the ground. Your curiosity causes you to stop. You walk up and see a little Pigmy Rattler has caused this traffic jam of the back roads. Everyone introduces themselves including the little buzzer who is now a celebrity of sorts. Picture flashes are lighting up the night just like the fire flies. When you have all had your fill you help the little ambassador of the venomous world off the road.
A conversation amongst fellow Herpers takes place and last several hours as common loves and passions take over. Roads so closely guarded from the casual person are given out as a mutual respect has taken hold. Stories of jumping in to marshes for a capture of a reptile and other stories some as tall as the best fishing tails being told. New friends made on this dark road with only the flash of lightning to illuminate the faces every so often and the smell of pending rain growing stronger as the night goes on.
Oh what a wonderful time on the roads a chance to get back to our childhood loves and joys. A chance to forget the worries of being an adult but for a short time. Time to take in the simplest of natures joys. Your senses are keen to the sounds and smells around you. This is when the adult again meets the child in us all. A chance again to remember why we love this hobby and the animals of it.
Winter is past spring is here once again. The joys of the back roads from the swamps to the forest its time to be kids again. If only at heart. Good luck and let’s see those field shots.