Bali 2017

For your reports/images, made outside Europe and the "Mediterranean" countries. Not to be too narrow minded and limited to our European/Mediterranean herps.

Bali 2017

Postby Bastien Comment » Thu Jan 18, 2018 4:10 pm

Hey guys,

It's been quite a while I haven't posted anything so I hope you'll enjoy a few pictures taken during my holidays in Bali (end of August - beginning of September 2017). It was definitely not a herping holiday as I was there with my wife and I've made only 1 night session with a very cool fellow from there, Agus Putra (some of you know him already maybe but for sure if you go to Bali once, please don't hesitate to contact him, he's very nice and knows his stuff pretty well). We managed to find over 10 snakes in 3 different places within about 3 hours (driving from one place to another included).

Sorry for the not so good picture quality, I'm suspecting my camera to be a bit ill... :D

sans titre (1 sur 33).jpg
An elegant monkey from Monkey Forest in Ubud


A few pictures from our hotel in Seminyak. Agus told us that he was regularly called there to remove snakes and while we were doing the check-in, we heard a couple informing the concierge that they had seen a big black snake in front of the fitness...needless to say that I've checked the area carefully but unfortunately no luck finding that snake ;)

sans titre (2 sur 33).jpg


sans titre (3 sur 33).jpg


sans titre (4 sur 33).jpg


sans titre (5 sur 33).jpg


sans titre (6 sur 33).jpg
Varanus salvator were everywhere around the ponds of the hotel


sans titre (7 sur 33).jpg


sans titre (8 sur 33).jpg
Periscope mode


And now the herping night:

sans titre (9 sur 33).jpg
Tokay


sans titre (10 sur 33).jpg
In-situ Boiga dendrophilia


sans titre (11 sur 33).jpg
A beautiful black and white specimen (I'm talking about the snake obviously...)


sans titre (12 sur 33).jpg


sans titre (13 sur 33).jpg


sans titre (14 sur 33).jpg


sans titre (15 sur 33).jpg
In-situ Dendrelaphis pictus, by far the most common snake here


sans titre (16 sur 33).jpg
Very difficult to spot in the vegetation at night


sans titre (17 sur 33).jpg
In-situ Ahaetulla prasina


sans titre (18 sur 33).jpg


sans titre (1 sur 2).jpg
Pareas carinatus


sans titre (2 sur 2).jpg
A big spider


sans titre (19 sur 33).jpg
In-situ Pytas korros


sans titre (20 sur 33).jpg


sans titre (21 sur 33).jpg
In-situ pretty cool lizard


sans titre (22 sur 33).jpg
Couldn't get the head on camera though


sans titre (23 sur 33).jpg
Trimereserus insularis obviously the highlight


sans titre (24 sur 33).jpg


sans titre (26 sur 33).jpg
Another one in-situ


sans titre (25 sur 33).jpg


sans titre (27 sur 33).jpg


sans titre (28 sur 33).jpg
A young Ahaetulla prasina


sans titre (29 sur 33).jpg


sans titre (30 sur 33).jpg
In-situ Dendrelaphis pictus


sans titre (31 sur 33).jpg
Ahaetulla prasina


sans titre (33 sur 33).jpg
Laticauda colubrina


sans titre (32 sur 33).jpg
Bastien Comment
 
Posts: 192
Joined: Mon Nov 08, 2010 10:12 pm
Hometown: Lausanne
country: Switzerland

Re: Bali 2017

Postby Ruggero M. » Thu Jan 18, 2018 6:42 pm

The dendrophila seems to have already the intention to jump down. Was it over water? Was it difficult to capture?
Some years ago I contacted Duncan McRea (if I remember well his name) in order to have the possibility to spot king cobras on the island: but then I did not travel there and lost the contact. Have you heard there about this guy?
Ruggero M.
 
Posts: 673
Joined: Tue May 13, 2014 7:15 pm
Hometown: Pavia
country: Italy

Re: Bali 2017

Postby Bastien Comment » Thu Jan 18, 2018 7:34 pm

Actually it was not too difficult to capture. There was a small river next to that tree indeed. Agus shook the tree, he needed to do it for maybe 5 seconds before the snake decided to jump in the river precisely. Then I jumped in that river and managed to catch it at the second try (the first moved some sediments in the water and I couldn't see anything for a few seconds).

I haven't heard of Duncan McRea but I can tell you that Agus is also very much into king cobras. He even guided Romulus Whitaker some time ago :D
Bastien Comment
 
Posts: 192
Joined: Mon Nov 08, 2010 10:12 pm
Hometown: Lausanne
country: Switzerland

Re: Bali 2017

Postby Ruggero M. » Thu Jan 18, 2018 8:01 pm

Thanks!

In fact you have seen "too many" snakes in one night: without a good help it is normally impossible or very difficult, and even with help not guaranteed... :lol:

Even a big expert as Rom obviously needs help to find snakes in short times in an unknown island: no surprise! ;)
Ruggero M.
 
Posts: 673
Joined: Tue May 13, 2014 7:15 pm
Hometown: Pavia
country: Italy

Re: Bali 2017

Postby Tim Leerschool » Fri Jan 19, 2018 1:11 pm

Hi Ruggero,

now I feel sad as I went there last summer and did not have such nice results, though it also was no herping trip or have a guide. Still very cool to see your succes, especially the Laticauda! I am planning a trip this summer especially for this species! Hope to see it in the wild (and in the water :lol: )

Thanks for sharing!

Tim
User avatar
Tim Leerschool
 
Posts: 93
Joined: Tue May 17, 2011 11:30 am
Location: Netherlands
Hometown: Limburg
country: Netherlands

Re: Bali 2017

Postby Jeroen Speybroeck » Fri Jan 19, 2018 1:49 pm

Nice! What's the story with the sea snake? How was it found?
Jeroen Speybroeck
Site Admin
 
Posts: 3161
Joined: Wed Nov 18, 2009 10:18 am
Hometown: Merelbeke
country: Belgium

Re: Bali 2017

Postby Ruggero M. » Fri Jan 19, 2018 1:58 pm

:o
Jeroen Speybroeck wrote:Nice! What's the story with the sea snake? How was it found?


I don't know the facts about this particular specimen, but I know, also from direct experience in a small island of Borneo, that the right way to see those snakes at shore is to wait until dark in the evening, and then to watch at the shore with a torch.
The island were I made this experience is the island of Mabul, near the well known divers' paradise island of Sipadan.
Ruggero M.
 
Posts: 673
Joined: Tue May 13, 2014 7:15 pm
Hometown: Pavia
country: Italy

Re: Bali 2017

Postby Bastien Comment » Fri Jan 19, 2018 5:24 pm

Ruggero: agreed, without a good help it's impossible to find so many snakes within so less time. The same rule applies all around the world actually, when I go herping in Switzerland, it's not rare that I see more than 20 snakes but if you just go here and there and count on luck, it'll be more challenging for sure.

Tim: as said, if you need to, I can gladly give you the contact of Agus Putra. You can actually find him on Facebook and he confirmed me that he was open to get contacted by other people. Just note that he charges something for his time (but in my opinion it's well deserved and it included the rental car for me). Regarding the possibility to find sea snakes in the sea, it seems to be a bit more difficult as I'll explain below...

Jeroen: the story behind the sea snake is that from what I've understood, it's more difficult to find them in the water (it also obviously implies another equipment than a pair of good shoes). So the easiest is to go at night walk next to the sea and look in the rocks. On the picture below, you'll see those rocks on the left of the picture. The snake we've found was hiding underneath a rock and Agus spotted the shed. As he wanted to show it to me, he realized that the snake was actually right there :D

sans titre (1 sur 1).jpg


By the way, looking at my trousers, you can easily measure the depth of the river in which I jumped to catch the Boiga dendrophilia earlier that evening ;)
Bastien Comment
 
Posts: 192
Joined: Mon Nov 08, 2010 10:12 pm
Hometown: Lausanne
country: Switzerland


Return to Herping in the rest of the world

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 17 guests