NW Florida beach snorkeling

While out surf fishing with a couple friends this week, I went out snorkeling to see what things looked like where we were casting our lines. Since we were mostly catching fish that we didn't care to eat, I wasn't missing out on anything too important.



Atlantic Mole Crab (Emerita talpoida)
"Sand flea"



Lettered Olive (Oliva sayana)



Shark Eye (Polinices duplicatus)



Roughtail Stingray (Dasyatis centroura)



Smooth Butterfly Ray (Gymnura micrura)



Gulf Kingfish (Menticirrhus littoralis)



Florida Pompano (Trachinotus carolinus)



Leatherjacket (Oligoplites saurus)



Hardhead Catfish (Ariopsis felis)



juvenile Great Barracuda (Sphyraena barracuda) and Ladyfish (Elops saurus)



Gulf Flounder (Paralichthys albigutta)



Sharksucker (Echeneis naucrates)

This little Sharksucker followed us for about a half hour and would almost stick onto me while I was swimming; occasionally venturing away from me just long enough to grab little morsels before returning. I had assumed there wouldn't be all that much to see along our sandy beaches, so was pleasantly surprised to see such an interesting variety of animal life.

Catching up with some half year highlights

Here are some memorable (for me) little gems from my past few months.



My friend Kirk spotted one of these Okefenokee Zale Moth larvae (Zale perculta) while we were out looking for other things. It turned out to represent a ~100 mile extension to their previously known range. They feed exclusively on Climbing Fetterbush (Pieris phyllyreifolia), which is a pretty neat plant that you can learn more about HERE.



This Portuguese Man-O-War (Physalia physalis) is doomed to be churned in the surf and washed up on the beach. They float at the surface, have no ability to propel themselves, and are completely at the mercy of where the wind and surface currents direct them.



I was fortunate to be involved in the capture of this Black-banded Sunfish (Enneacanthus chaetodon) while seining for Greater Sirens (Siren lacertina). This beautiful little species hadn't been documented in Florida for many years, and my friend John recognized it for the special find it was.



While following a group of Red-cockaded Woodpeckers (Picoides borealis), I flushed up this young Red-shouldered Hawk (Buteo lineatus) which had just caught a Southern Black Racer (Coluber constrictor priapus). I took this low quality photo through a scope mounted on a gun stock, so the quality isn't very good, but I still like it.



This Oldfield Mouse (Peromyscus polionotus) was caught in a funnel trap set out to sample herps. I rarely see more than a glimpse of small mammals unless they're being trapped for, so this was a treat to see.



I happened upon this domesticated Muscovy Duck hen tending her recently hatched young back in a swampy area while looking for sirens. I'm including this photo for my mother, who has a special place in her heart for domesticated waterfowl. Also, the cute factor is admittedly pretty high.

My first Florida pompano

I've been wanting to catch Florida pompano (Trachinotus carolinus) since I first tasted one that I bought at a fish market shortly after moving to Florida. My friend Steve is quite the fisherman, and he's taken me out a few times to try for fish like pompano. I've also been trying to shoot a turkey during this Spring turkey season, but have been quite unsuccessful. I decided to give up a morning hunt to go pompano fishing, and it was definitely the right call. I was fortunate to catch not just one, but four pompano! I have to give Steve props for helping me get a feel for the pompano scene. I also have to give Mark Walker props for pointing me in the right direction on using small tackle. I just did what the experts told me to do, and the fish had no chance.



me with pompano (great to catch; great on the table)


Steve with pompano (the real pompano fisherman)

A most excellent trip to WA and AK

In late February I went to Anchorage, Alaska for my good friend and college room mate, Kevin's wedding. On my way, I stopped in Seattle for a few days to visit some good friends that live there. I spent most of the time with my good friends Mark and Gaby, who Sarah and I knew from our time in Muncie, IN. Mark and I spent a few days birding, fishing, and camping on the Olympic peninsula.


This is my first Redtail Surfperch (Amphistichus rhodoterus), which Mark showed me how to catch on the beautiful west coast of the peninsula.



We tried for Steelhead (anadromous form of Rainbow) Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) in a few of the beautiful streams and rivers throughout the peninsula. Mark caught this one in a neat river where we had to use ropes to get down the steep ravine to the water.



I just liked this picture of the sun getting ready to set over the Pacific.



These River Otters (Lontra canadensis) were not shy at all. In fact, I got the feeling that it would not have been wise for me to get any closer than I did. These are probably one of my favorite North American mammals.



Here's a video of the two otters. I had to use Youtube because the video was too large to put directly on the blog. Acording to a friend of mine, the odd tail-shaking they do to each other in the video between seconds 25 and 37 is called sprainting, and has to do with scent marking.



This is Crescent Lake. It was formed long ago by a natural landslide, and is 624 feet deep.



I like how the smooth cobble on the water's edge looks in the early morning light. This is the Hoh River, about a mile upstream from where it empties into the Pacific.

It was great to spend time with Mark and Gaby, and I also enjoyed spending an evening with our friends Troy and Lisa from our time in Astoria. Now, on to Alaska.


I began my first full day in Alaska by heading north into Arctic Valley to do some snowshoeing and birding. It was beautiful in every direction, and the weather was perfect; 20 degrees F, and not windy.



This is a video of a cow Moose (Alces alces) and her calf. I had to include this iconic Alaskan animal.



I put in about 1.5 mi on snowshoes in the arctic valley. Everywhere else had shallow enough, or packed enough, snow to just use boots. Here, I saw an adult Northern Goshawk (Accipiter gentilis) flush a flock of male Rock Ptarmigan (Lagopus muta) off of a ridgetop.



I visited a couple other spots to hike, including the Eagle River Valley, which had a lot to offer in terms of scenery and wildlife. This is just a little side stream that flows into the Eagle River.



Sarah and I saw our first Black-backed and American Three-toed Woodpeckers (Picoides arcticus and dorsalis, respectively) in Northern MN over Christmas. Black-backed Woodpeckers are less common in the Western part of their range, so I felt fortunate to find this female.



It was neat to see this male American Three-toed Woodpecker drumming on this resonant piece of dead wood to warn other males not to mess with his territory. A neighboring male could be heard in the distance.



One great bonus of my trip to Anchorage was getting to spend some time with my cousin Sean and his wife Colleen, which was coincidentally the name of Kevin's bride to be. They took me to the Bear Tooth Theatre to eat and then attend the Alaska Ocean Film Festival, which was really a neat new experience for me. We also went for a really enjoyable night hike the next day, which is when this photo was taken.



I didn't get all the way down to the coast, but I did take the new Seward Highway South from Anchorage for a ways. One of the highlights of that trip, besides all the great scenery, was getting to see these Dall Sheep (Ovis dalli) foraging near the road. I could see their hoofprints leading back towards an almost vertical cliff from which they had descended. Being excellent climbers and having a thick coat of white fur, they are well adapted to an inhospitable and snowy alpine terrain.



After I had been in AK for a couple days, some of the guys started arriving. It's always great to see good friends. Here's Dave and me at Kaladi Brothers, looking sleep deprived and ready for some high quality Joe.



I enjoy going out hiking alone, but it's also nice to enjoy the outdoors with good friends. Here's Dave, Willy, and me on an outing before the rehearsal dinner. Not too shabby.



Kevin has made some excellent friends along the way. It was really a special time to get to know all these great guys from different stages of Kevin's life. Sometimes these times can be a bit awkward, but this felt almost like we already knew each other. Very cool.



A few of us shot out for a quick hike before the wedding. I already miss that place.



Not being the type to miss an opportunity at foosball, we all got in some quick play before the ceremony.



The actual wedding was beautiful but not drawn out. For all the planning that goes into these things, they sure come and go quickly.



I'll end with an icon of all places cold and rocky, the Common Raven (Corvus corax).

My first red drum

I've often seen Red Drum (Sciaenops ocellatus) while spearfishing, but they're only legal to catch with rod and reel, so I've never gotten one. I went surf fishing (standing on the beach, casting into the surf) this past weekend with my coworker and friend Steve, and among the fish we caught was this Red Drum.



I also caught a spiny puffer (Diodon sp.), and Steve caught a red drum and these three Florida Pampano (Trachinotus carolinus) below. I also went spearfishing this weekend, and shot a sheepshead, but it's cold and a little bit slow this time of year, so I think I'll try to do more fishing with rod and reel.

Shawn's visit

Our friend Shawn flew down to visit us this past weekend, and we fit in quite a bit in just a couple days. We all ate enough food to ensure that no one would lose any weight. We also did the beach thing, living out our "use it while you've got it" philosophy. We spent one evening out herping on Eglin. Of course I hate herping, but Shawn and Sarah talked me into it. Our friend Brandon came with us, and we started out the night by helping him track down some radio-tagged Florida Bog Frogs (Rana okaloosae) and Bronze Frogs (Rana clamitans).

By necessity, we stocked up on some pre-herping junk food.



In addition to the bog and bronze frogs, Shawn got to see and interact with some other fun species.


Southern Toad (Bufo terrestris) Do toads turn into princesses?


Banded Water Snake (Nerodia fasciata)


A highlight for me was that Shawn found and handled this Cottonmouth (Agkistrodon piscivorus), which was the first of three that we were to find that night.


I took Shawn out spearfishing on his last day here. I figured correctly that he would like it. Not only did he like it, he also did quite well, shooting the sheepshead (Archosargus probatocephalus) in the front right, a spadefish (Chaetodipterus faber) that is mostly hidden by the fish in front, and an impressive mangrove snapper (Lutjanus griseus) caught later that was never photographed. I shot the Jack crevalle (Caranx hippos) on the front left, even though I'd been told by many people (none of which had actually tried it for themselves) that they taste like crap, and that they have soft, bloody meat. I'm usually open to trying a lot of things at least once to form my own opinion. Interestingly, the meat was quite firm, not unusually bloody, and rather like the meat of tuna. So, if you think fresh tuna tastes like crap, don't eat Jack crevalle.

Spearfishing again

I finally got off my butt and spent an afternoon in the water. The fish on the left are mangrove (gray) snapper (Lutjanus griseus), and the ones on the right are sheepshead (Archosargus probatocephalus). They're both common, good on the table, and relatively easy to shoot.

A short reprieve from herpetofauna...

It may at times appear that I seem to be exclusively fixated on amphibians and reptiles. While this may not be completely false, it is not altogether true. I do pay attention to, and photograph, many other types of organisms. Many of these are nice to look at, and are worth sharing with you.


Great-horned Owl (Bubo virginianus) in defensive posture just out of the nest.


Early instar katydid (family Tettigoniidae) on spiderwort (Tradescantia sp).


Southeastern Spinyleg (Dromogomphus armatus)


Just a hole in a tree?


Actually a great location for a Tufted Titmouse (Baeolophus bicolor) nest.


White top Pitcher Plant (Sarracenia leucophylla) flower with crab spider (family Thomisidae) waiting to ambush any unsuspecting pollinators.



This Large-mouth Bass (Micropterus salmoides) and Virginia Opossum (Didelphis virginiana) represent the unexpected things I happen upon while out herping at night.


This Barred Owl (Strix varia) seemed almost curious about us. It stayed near and watched us for about 20 minutes.