Ben Stegenga, Author at The Orianne Society

1 minute read

Fieldnotes

Checking Artificial Cover for Snakes and Drift Fence Highlights

ByBen Stegenga
September 13, 2023

Ben’s beginning to wrap up the snake inventory project and remove survey equipment from the property. In this month’s episode of Fieldnotes, he checks some cover boards and tin one last time as he gathers them up, and then revisits some highlights from the project.

1 minute read

Fieldnotes

Surveying for Snakes With Drift Fences

ByBen Stegenga
August 14, 2023

Ben has been working on a snake inventory project in southwest Georgia for the last 2 years, and one of his main survey methods has been running drift fences with funnel traps. In this month’s episode of Fieldnotes, Ben checks some of those traps and highlights a colorful yet secretive snake species with a very specialized diet.

1 minute read

Fieldnotes

Species Spotlight: The Spotted Salamander

ByBen Stegenga
March 15, 2023

Every winter we look forward to seeing our resident Spotted Salamanders as rain brings them to the surface for a couple weeks. Not only are they beautiful salamanders, but they also have fascinating life histories. In this month’s episode of Fieldnotes, Ben talks about Spotted Salamander ecology and their unique symbiotic relationship with algae.

1 minute read

Fieldnotes

Ornate Chorus Frogs

ByBen Stegenga
January 16, 2023

Ornate Chorus Frogs are some of the first pond breeding amphibians we see every winter in the Georgia Coastal Plain. Join Ben on a cool January night as he encounters this colorful species.

1 minute read

Fieldnotes

Catching Slender Glass Lizards while Trapping for Snakes

ByBen Stegenga
November 18, 2022

The eastern United States is home to a fascinating genus of lizards that is characterized by their lack of limbs. In this month’s episode of Fieldnotes, Ben captures one of these unique lizards while conducting some fall drift fence surveys, and discusses their unique biology.