Getting excited for the spring in Jersey...
 

I'm trying to make a point of being more active seeking out native herps this year and taking photos of what I come across. The frogs, toads, and turtles will start showing their faces soon enough, shortly followed by the colubrids. Fortunately, I live in a fairly rural, reptile rich(for jersey) area of my state...only 20 minutes from the Delaware Water Gap and Appalachian Trail. Anyone else from Jersey looking forward to going out to see what you can find? Any suggestions for good spots that may be worth a day trip? I know the Pine Barrens are supposed to be probably the best herping area in the state, but that's a huge place. What would be your "ultimate" find? For me it would be a coastal plains milk snake, a corn snake, and a queen snake.

I thought everything in New Jersey was protected with enforcement agents behind nearly every tree? :rofl:

Hahaha Rich, everything in Jersey is protected, so I don't plan on taking anything, just looking...

I moved a huge snapper across out of the road once and some guy saw me, probably thought I was going to keep it, drove by my house half a dozen times and told me he was going to call Fish and Game. Nothing ever transpired, but I wasn't too worried, because I was really just helping a turtle across the road.

Haha good story, I am surprised I live in the stick of South Jersey and people don't understand anything about nature,I tend to give the dirty looks for questioning what I am doing as they more nosey then of any help. Enough of the rambling while I was on the quad today, this nice first snake of 2012 (black racer) caught my eye and I grabbed a few pics before releasing him back where I found him.
http://i664.photobucket.com/albums/v...an64/002-4.jpg
I set him down to let him go and to snap a few last pics but he was pretty intent on hiding, cant blame him:yesnod:
http://i664.photobucket.com/albums/v...an64/004-5.jpg