First Field Herping Trip - Rattlesnake Research

[Marica]

Last weekend my bf and I participated in a local reptile society event where we joined a Rattlesnake and Bull Snake researcher for a day. For the past few years he has been collecting, tagging, recording info (such as sex, length, weight, etc.) and releasing both Rattlesnakes and Bull Snakes in Dinosaur Provincial Park in southern Alberta and then submitting the info to the local Fish & Wildlife database. Below are a few snapshots and here's a slideshow (http://s902.photobucket.com/albums/ac226/Marica12/TARAS%20Rattlesnake%20Researcher%20Fall%202011/?albumview=slideshow) of all my photos.

Setting up
http://i902.photobucket.com/albums/ac226/Marica12/TARAS%20Rattlesnake%20Researcher%20Fall%202011/001.jpg

Rattlesnake going up a tube for safe handling
http://i902.photobucket.com/albums/ac226/Marica12/TARAS%20Rattlesnake%20Researcher%20Fall%202011/016.jpg

Scanning for a tag. Of the 5 Rattlesnakes caught that day none had been tagged.
http://i902.photobucket.com/albums/ac226/Marica12/TARAS%20Rattlesnake%20Researcher%20Fall%202011/018.jpg

Injecting tag
http://i902.photobucket.com/albums/ac226/Marica12/TARAS%20Rattlesnake%20Researcher%20Fall%202011/007.jpg

Probing
http://i902.photobucket.com/albums/ac226/Marica12/TARAS%20Rattlesnake%20Researcher%20Fall%202011/008.jpg

Measuring
http://i902.photobucket.com/albums/ac226/Marica12/TARAS%20Rattlesnake%20Researcher%20Fall%202011/024.jpg

Releasing
http://i902.photobucket.com/albums/ac226/Marica12/TARAS%20Rattlesnake%20Researcher%20Fall%202011/080.jpg

http://i902.photobucket.com/albums/ac226/Marica12/TARAS%20Rattlesnake%20Researcher%20Fall%202011/084.jpg

Thanks for looking.

[youngster]

Sounds like fun! I did a similar thing but with Black Racers.

[redsided]

Awesome stuff.

[UwabamiReptiles]

Looks like a good time, I bet that was tons of fun!

[millertime89]

wish there was something like that around here. Out west maybe, but nothing in the immediate vicinity.

[stephanbakir]

Sounds like fun.

[Kayla90]

I wish I had the opportunity to do something like that.. I would love to see a rattlesnake that up close (and have it be in a controlled setting)

[Marica]

Yeah, it was a pretty amazing experience, especially for my first real field herping expedition. They've been doing these trips every spring and fall for the past two years. We didn't see any Bulls this time, and since they usually find some out in the spring I think we'll definitely be going again next year.