Author | Lightnews

Stephen Barten

@stephenbarten.bsky.social

100 followers 55 following 220 posts

Veterinarian (retired), naturalist, wildlife photographer, field herper, habitat restoration volunteer, prescribed burn crew, bluebird monitor, frog monitor, bumblebee monitor. NE Illinois. All images on this page are mine.

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Stephen Barten @stephenbarten.bsky.social · 8d

Mole Salamanders
Johnson County IL 9.27.25
#molesalamander #fieldherping #insituherps

Stephen Barten @stephenbarten.bsky.social · 9d

Juvenile (first year) Cooper's Hawk patrolling the bird feeders yesterday evening.
Lake County, IL 10.14.25
#coopershawk #backyardbirding #birdphotography #birdingphotography

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Stephen Barten @stephenbarten.bsky.social · 10d

Plain-bellied Watersnake
Those vertical bars on the lips are one characteristic that differentiates harmless common water snakes from venomous Cottonmouths.
Jackson County, IL 9.26.25
#plainbelliedwatersnake #watersnake #fieldherping #insituherps

Stephen Barten @stephenbarten.bsky.social · 10d

Flying Squirrel antics early this morning.
#flyingsquirrel #backyardwildlife #trailcam #trailcamera

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Stephen Barten @stephenbarten.bsky.social · 11d

Peek a boo!
Timber Rattlesnake looking out from his den, high in the bluff some 10 to 12 feet above the ground.
Jackson County, IL 2.26.25
#timberrattlesnake #fieldherping #insituherps

Stephen Barten @stephenbarten.bsky.social · 12d

Two cooperative Northern Cottonmouths on the trail. Which one of these is the cell phone shot?
Jackson County, IL 9.26.25
#cottonmouth #fieldherping #insituherps

Stephen Barten @stephenbarten.bsky.social · 13d

Portraits of two Eastern Copperheads: an adult and a neonate. They tend to raise their heads when approached, but don't open their mouths like closely related Cottonmouths do.
Jackson County, IL 9.26.25
#copperhead #fieldherping #insituherps

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Stephen Barten @stephenbarten.bsky.social · 14d

Green Treefrog
Union County, IL, 9.25.25
#greentreefrog #fieldherping #insituherps

Stephen Barten @stephenbarten.bsky.social · 15d

Red-headed Woodpecker
Cook County, IL 10.05.25
#redheadedwoodpecker #birding #birdphotography #birdingphotography

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Stephen Barten @stephenbarten.bsky.social · 16d

Neonate Eastern Copperhead
Both Copperheads and closely related Cottonmouths have neon-yellow tails when they are first born, which they wiggle to lure small frogs and lizards to within striking range. The bright yellow color fades as they grow.
#copperhead #fieldherping #insituherps

Stephen Barten @stephenbarten.bsky.social · 17d

How not to be seen.
Plain-bellied Watersnake, Jackson County, IL 9.26.25
#plainbelliedwatersnake #fieldherping #insituherps

Stephen Barten @stephenbarten.bsky.social · 19d

Here's a habitat shot of yesterday's Rough Greensnake.
Union County, IL, 9.25.25.
#roughgreensnake #fieldherping #insituherps

Stephen Barten @stephenbarten.bsky.social · 20d

Rough Greensnake, Union County, IL 9.25.25
"Rough" because each scale has a longitudinal keel or ridge, unlike the Smooth Greensnakes found in Lake County, IL. Rough Greensnakes also are far more arboreal than Smooth Greensnakes.
#roughgreensnake #fieldherping #insituherps

Stephen Barten @stephenbarten.bsky.social · 21d

The only NATIVE mantis in Illinois: Carolina Mantid (Stagmomantis carolina, first image). Found in the southern 2/3 of IL.
The mantids we see in northern IL are not native:
Chinese Mantid (Tendodera sinensis, second image)and European Mantis (Mantis religiosa, third image).
#prayingmantis

Stephen Barten @stephenbarten.bsky.social · 22d

Neonate Cottonmouth (left) and neonate Copperhead (right). Compared to adults, juvenile Cottonmouths are brightly colored and people sometimes confuse them for Copperheads. When you see them side by side the differences are dramatic.
Jackson County, IL 9.26.25
#fieldherping #insituherps

Stephen Barten @stephenbarten.bsky.social · 23d

Snakes in unlikely places. Here's an Eastern Copperhead on a narrow ledge above a deep pool of water in a cave-like indent in a tall, vertical limestone bluff.
Jackson County, IL 9.26.25
#easterncopperhead #fieldherping #insituherps

Stephen Barten @stephenbarten.bsky.social · 24d

In the first 10 minutes of our arrival in southern IL, we hiked up this large Timber Rattlesnake with a squirrel-sized lump mid-body. What a beauty! The rest of the weekend only got better. 9.25.25
#timberrattlesnake #fieldherping #insituherps

Stephen Barten @stephenbarten.bsky.social · 25d

Did you have a nice weekend, Steve?
Why, yes. Yes I did.
Timber Rattlesnake #4, Jackson County, IL 9.26.25
#timberrattlesnake #fieldherping #insituherps

Stephen Barten @stephenbarten.bsky.social · Sep 24

Just a glimpse of an opossum carrying a bunch of leaves in her prehensile tail. She's bringing them back to line her nest hole, which must be close by.
#opossums #possum #backyardwildlife #trailcam #TrailCamera

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Stephen Barten @stephenbarten.bsky.social · Sep 24

Palm Wabler was camera shy
Crabtree Nature Center, Cook County, IL 9.19.25
#palmwarbler #birding #birdingphotography #birdphotography

Stephen Barten @stephenbarten.bsky.social · Sep 23

I think this Great Egret needs a morning coffee
McHenry Dam, McHenry County, IL 9.17.25
#greategret #birding #birdingphotography #birdphotography

Stephen Barten @stephenbarten.bsky.social · Sep 21

"Are my pits OK?" Sniff, sniff.
"Eeeeww, they're NOT!"
Green Heron, Crabtree Nature Center, Cook County, IL 9.19.25
#greenheron #birding #birdingphotography #birdphotography #Crabtreenaturecenter

Stephen Barten @stephenbarten.bsky.social · Sep 21

Turtles are great but frogs are pretty cool too.
American Bullfrogs can be invasive in some parts of the country but they are native here. They eat any prey they can fit into their mouths.
Cook and Lake County, IL
#americanbullfrog #fieldherping #insituherps

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Stephen Barten @stephenbarten.bsky.social · Sep 19

I like turtles.
Midland Painted Turtles at McHenry Dam yesterday.
Is that one levitating?
#midlandpaintedturtle #paintedturtle #fieldherping

Stephen Barten @stephenbarten.bsky.social · Sep 18

When danger reared it's ugly head,
He bravely turned his tail and fled.
("I never!")
Yes, brave Sir Robin turned about
And gallantly he chickened out.
Swiftly taking to his feet,
He beat a very brave retreat.
Bravest of the braaaave, Sir Robin!"
Wild Turkey, Lake County, IL, 7.8.25