Puerco Mountains Report #7
Roger Repp's Puerco Mountains Report
Howdy Herpers,
Well, I have several reports in the hopper, but we'll just have to let them rot a while longer.
Last Saturday, the Peach surfaced on our plot. It was like old times again. Those of us who remained in the Sonoran Desert over Memorial Weekend were treated to Arizona perfect weather all three days. We speak of about 80 degree highs and 60 degree lows. Awesome!
WendyWe first tracked female diamondback CA47, Wendy. She was coiled against a fairy duster, looking a bit on the thin side.
We next tracked tiger CT6, Gracie. She has been down in a man-made talus pile since October of 07. We still did not get a visual on her, but we remain hopeful that she is still alive.
A Gila monster on the prowlThe next signal on the list indicated that CT1, Tony, had finally made his first major move of the spring. I was just telling Gordo that we were being led right toward Gila monster central, when a gorgeous Gila was viewed frozen in place. I include an in situ shot of the situation. I am hoping to somehow get a transmitter into this animal in the days ahead.
Tony the tiger was hanging out at the uppermost center part of Iron Mine Hill. He was out of sight, under some triangular shaped boulders at the edge of a boulder field. He had moved about 50 meters since my last visit two weeks earlier.
A desert toroise baskingWe next tracked blacktail CM10, Frankie. We could see him, sitting in a gash-like crevice beneath a line of ground hugging boulders and looking good. He was up high on the north side of Iron Mine Hill. I couldn't get a good photo of him.
We moved on to CT4, the tiger named Blakie. Just as we were zeroing in on his boulder tomb, the Peach gooned up a tortoise. It was a tortoise with an all-black carapace; I don't see many of the black tortoises, but they occasionally show up around the valley.
Blakie was not visible. Like Gracie, he moved into his hibernaculum in October of 2007 and has not been seen since. I fear the worst for him (hence my reference to his tomb.) I'll give both Gracie and him until mid-June, and then I dig.
Best to all, Roger
