Reptiles at Risk

Field Trips

Posted by Jeff Hathaway on July 19, 2008 at 7:05 PM

Hello Everyone! Heather here. So I've been editing everyone else's entries and I've finally decided that it's about time that I write one for myself. So far we've had an excellent trip; we're all getting along extremely well and the shows are awesome.

The last few days in Manitoba have been a little less hectic than they were at the beginning of our trip. This means we've had more time to enjoy some of the sights and herping opportunities available here. Our first outing of this type was to Narcisse. This is a herpetologists' Mecca at certain times of the year. Garter snakes gather here in the hundreds of thousands in the fall to take advantage of many natural caves and rock falls in the area. They use these to get down below the frost line to hibernate. Not all snakes hibernate in groups, but the garter snakes here are famous for gathering in large groups to spend the winter. The best times to see the snakes at Narcisse are in the fall when they're gathering to go into hibernation and then in the spring when they are coming out of hibernation. Usually there are at least a few that hang around the area during the summer, so even though we were not arriving at the right time to see the really cool huge numbers of snakes we were hopeful about seeing at least a few Red-Sided Garter snakes. Unfortunately the day we passed into the area was rainy and cool, not the best for seeing snakes. Add to this the clouds of hungry mosquitoes and our trip was not quite as we had hoped. In fact, as soon as we left the van we realized we might have issues. We started walking towards the first interpretive signs. We didn't get more than 50 metres before we started running to get away from the bugs. A quick run around the signs and to the first cave was all we could manage before sprinting back to the van while laughing and yelling at the bugs. We unfortunately didn't see any snakes at all. We were excited later on in the day when after our show at Hecla Provincial Park some local children brought us to where there were Red Sided Garter snakes and we all got to see them for the first time. Surprisingly, these Red Sided Garter Snakes actually have less red on their sides than some of the Eastern Garter Snakes that we have in Ontario.

Our next expedition was with some researchers from the University of Brandon in Manitoba. Dr. Pamela Rutherford and her team of graduate students and helpers brought us to a site near CFB Shilo where we were hoping to see some endangered Prairie Skinks. Within a few minutes of arriving at the site we quickly found two skinks. These small lizards are the only lizards found in Manitoba. They are confined to a small area around Spruce Woods Provincial Park. They depend on clear sandy prairie areas to survive. These areas are becoming less and less abundant as land is developed for farms and cities and fires are suppressed allowing trees to grow in on the remaining areas. The skinks we found were juveniles however they did not have the bright blue tails young skinks are famous for. Dr. Rutherford told us that 50% of the skinks they find have dropped their tails and grown back new ones, and when they grow back they usually don't keep the blue colour. Skinks can drop their tails at will and do so to get away from predators- it leaves the predator a tasty meal but lets the skink live another day. We learned a lot about skinks from our companions. They also helped us find a couple of new species for us in Manitoba. We found Red-Bellied snakes as well as our first Plains Garter Snake. We spent a while looking for Western Hognose Snakes, but couldn't find any. We did see a Snapping Turtle in the river, though!

After our exciting day in the field we had a great show at Spruce Woods Provincial Park, with over 200 people attending. Still on the search for the apparently elusive Western Hognose, we took a night walk to the Spirit Sands area in the park. This area is a large sand dune intermixed with spruce trees which grow in the dune where groundwater comes closer to the surface - giving the park its name. The night was a full moon night (or close to, plus or minus a night or two) and we were hoping for moonlight for which to use to see the snakes. Unfortunately
the sky had clouded over a little and though we could walk without our flashlights, we did not see any snakes. This morning, after an early thunderstorm we woke up and got ready slowly, hoping for it to clear. It cleared just as we finished getting ready so we headed back to the Spirit Sands. It was great walking through the dunes in the sun, but yet again we were foiled by the hiding snakes. We're now on our way to our last show in Manitoba at Turtle Mountain Provincial Park. We're still hoping to see the Western Hognose snakes sometime soon. We'll be in their
area for a little while longer and hopefully one will show itself.

After a couple restful mornings with great trips out to the field we're feeling a little recharged (maybe these lingering colds that we've been sharing will disappear soon) and ready to head into a slightly busier schedule in Saskatchewan.

- Heather