We got back to our starting point without seeing another snake, and after stowing the canoe on the vehicle we headed over to Ditch Six for a hike.  Ditch Six, an old logging canal, is one of my favorite places at Mingo; walking alongside the banks is usually a productive method of turning up serpents.  The ditch itself is also a good place for turtles and snakes, and you're high enough above the water to get a good look at critters.  Sure enough, right away I spotted a Mississippi Mud Turtle on a log.  I called Steve and Marty over for a look and they got a glimpse before it slipped into the water.  A few yards further and we found a Southern Painted Turtle, and several more after that, giving us some good looks (and pictures) of these pretty turtles.

Along the bank we scared up large numbers of Cricket and Leopard Frogs.  Our first snake was a mid-sized Yellowbelly Water Snake, hot and wary and quickly slithering into the ditch.  We also turned up a couple Cottonmouths, slowly swimming through the water in Ditch Six.  We were really hoping to see both Broadbanded and Diamondback Water Snakes, which would be new species for both Marty and Steve.  None turned up, however, and as the afternoon slipped away we turned around to walk back, having one more spot to visit.

We made the long drive around to the west side of Mingo, to the area overlooking Monopoly Marsh.  Normally, in the fall the rocky outcrops in this area are great places to spot snakes, but this year no leaves had fallen yet, and the rockpiles lay in green shadow.  Instead we walked down a closed-off road, turning up a small Midland Brown Snake along the way.  Our stopping point was an old wooden bridge over a small creek, more like a bayou than a creek really.  Reaching the bridge we heard the slither of a snake in the vegetation close by, which turned out to be a large Diamondback moving into the water.  It surfaced and watched us for a while, allowing us to make an identification but not giving us a very good look.  In the meantime a small cottonmouth swam slowly from somewhere under the bridge, giving us something to watch while taking a rest.

Sunset found us walking back to the vehicle, without having a good look at either a Diamondback or a Broadband.  Trudging up the hill I spotted a small snake on the side of the road and grabbed it up.  It turned out to be a neonate Diamondback, kind of dull and a bit scrawny, but at least we got our hands on one.  A hundred feet later I spotted another small snake.  This one was a neonate Broadband, in good shape but very dark in color and heading into shed.  We were glad to see it, running out of daylight and facing a couple hours of driving back to Illinois.  Like the day before, where are the snakes? was the question on our minds.  We had seen enough snakes to keep the day interesting, but not in the numbers we expected.

Next:  Herping the Tracks

Species Observed:

Cottonmouth (Agkistrodon piscivorus leucostoma)
Yellowbelly Water Snake (Nerodia erythrogaster flavigaster)
Diamondback Water Snake (Nerodia rhombifer)
Broadbanded Water Snake (Nerodia fasciata confluens)
Midland Brown Snake (Storeria dekayi wrightorum)
Fivelined Skink (Eumeces fasciata)
Ground Skink (Scincella laterale)
Southern Painted Turtle (Chrysemys picta dorsalis)
Redeared Slider (Trachemys scripta elegans)
Mississippi Mud Turtle (Kinosternon subrubrum hippocrepis)
Fowler's Toad (Bufo fowleri)
Blanchard's Cricket Frog (Acris crepitans blanchardi)
Southern Leopard Frog (Rana sphenocephala)