Fieldnotes is a monthly video blog hosted by Ben Stegenga, Research Assistant for our Longleaf Savannas projects. This video blog is designed to give viewers an inside look into the fieldwork components of our various conservation and research projects being conducted in the southeastern Coastal Plain. In addition to describing research and survey techniques, many of the episodes highlight species that Ben encounters in the field and delves into their unique ecology and role in the Longleaf Pine Ecosystem.
Hatchling Indigo Snakes and Camera Trap Surveys
Our indigo snake season is winding down, but it was a pretty good winter for snake surveys, and we collected...
Indigo Snake Surveys with Camera Traps & Soil Samples
We’re in the second half of the indigo snake survey season, and our field crew has been extra busy with...
Using DNA to Survey for Indigo Snakes
This past November we started a new indigo snake project, investigating the possibility of environmental DNA as a means of...
Eastern Diamondbacks and a Chance to Join Us in the Field!
This month Ben is joined by Noah Fields (NKFherping) for some early season indigo snake surveys. We are once again...
More Drift Fence Highlights
With the snake inventory fieldwork all wrapped up, all Ben has to do is remove his drift fences before moving...
Checking Artificial Cover for Snakes and Drift Fence Highlights
Ben’s beginning to wrap up the snake inventory project and remove survey equipment from the property. In this month’s episode...
Surveying for Snakes With Drift Fences
Ben has been working on a snake inventory project in southwest Georgia for the last 2 years, and one of...
Species Spotlight: The Spotted Salamander
Every winter we look forward to seeing our resident Spotted Salamanders as rain brings them to the surface for a...
Ornate Chorus Frogs
Ornate Chorus Frogs are some of the first pond breeding amphibians we see every winter in the Georgia Coastal Plain....
Catching Slender Glass Lizards while Trapping for Snakes
The eastern United States is home to a fascinating genus of lizards that is characterized by their lack of limbs....
Fieldnotes: June 2022
In this month’s episode of Fieldnotes, Ben has wrapped up Spotted Turtle monitoring for the year and has…
Fieldnotes: April 2022
With winter coming to a close, so does our Eastern Indigo Snake monitoring effort. On this month's episode of Fieldnotes,...