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Few studies have examined the spatial and temporal migration patterns of snakes to and from active-season habitats. We conducted a year-long population-level analysis of cottonmouth Agkistrodon piscivorus migration patterns by monitoring snakes entering and leaving a Carolina bay wetland that was encircled by a continuous terrestrial drift fence. Cottonmouths used the wetland during the active season and left the bay in the fall to overwinter in other habitats. Adults and juveniles did not differ in time of arrival at the bay but juveniles left the bay earlier than adults. Spatially, captures of adult cottonmouths entering and leaving the bay were distributed non-randomly, with capture peaks corresponding to the directions to the nearest permanent aquatic habitats. Juveniles' immigration patterns in the spring were biased in the same directions as those of the adults, but they left non-directionally in the fall. This suggests that neonates do not rely on adult scent trailing to locate hibernacula, and that in a region with moderate winter temperatures, suitable overwintering sites may not be a limited resource. Additionally, our study demonstrates that cottonmouths make extensive use of upland habitats and underscores the importance of both critical upland habitat and forested corridors between wetlands and hibernacula for the conservation of wetlands herpetofauna. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a study which evaluated the efficacy of drift fences to capture Lower Keys marsh rabbits for wildlife research. The Lower Keys marsh rabbit were listed as federally endangered in 1990. The marsh rabbit was found in patchy freshwater wetlands, usually dominated by sawgrass, which occurred in the interior of some keys. The drift fences were constructed from 7.6 m x 0.3 m wire netting, at each end of the fence section, 0.5-m lengths of 1.3-cm rebar with self- locking cable ties was attached to provide vertical support. Both sides of the traps were reinforced with 0.6-cm plywood and doors with 0.6-cm hardware cloth to prevent raccoons from harassing trapped animals. The drift fences were set up in a variety of patterns depending on the Vegetation structure in a given habitat patch, the most common pattern was an array of 4 fence lines to form an X. In 182 drift-fence nights 14 marsh rabbits were captured. Though the trap success was low, the drift fences allowed the researchers to capture marsh rabbits in areas where conventional trapping had been unsuccessful and facilitated capture in open areas where conventional methods were unfeasible.