Here is another of my snake collection…..
I have always been fascinated by snakes. So far, I have seen Red Rat Snakes, Black Rat Snakes, Black Racers, Blue Indigos (I think), Coral Snakes, a Pigmy Rattler and the Yellow Rat Snake. I’ve managed to photograph some of them, but not all.
These have all been in my yard at one time or another. I even saw a beautiful blue-ish green snake that was about a ft and a half long and very thick. I’ve never seen it again and haven't been able to find a picture of anything like it.
They don’t usually hang around long once they’ve been spotted. This Yellow Rat Snake was sitting on the edge of the birdbath. It has a full belly.
It didn’t seem concerned by my camera. Maybe it was sluggish because it was digesting a meal. Hopefully it was a rat or one of the gopher like critters digging up my lawn, and not a bird or baby rabbit.
I was surprised to learn they are active at night. I’d always thought snakes liked the warmth of daylight. Sometimes you will see this zig zaggy pattern the whole length of the snake.
I really like this photo.
It finally moved off the birdbath and into a bush.
I just kept following it around. It looked at me…but wasn’t a bit aggressive.
You gotta love this face. Looks like he’s whistling “yoo hoo …I’m over here”
The next photo was taken a month ago. It is in the same area. I’ve seen it on my porch twice now. It’s not stretched out but it looks longer than the one above. 
I heard the squirrels chattering madly and looked out to see what the problem was. One of the squirrels was on the railing…very agitated..and aggressively advancing on the snake. 
My dog went out the doggie door and scared the squirrel away. I was interested in seeing what the squirrel would do. It had already traveled at least 5’ on the railing to get this close.
I may have a pair….or more?
My washer and dryer are on the back porch with a railing similar to this one. I was sorting clothes into the washer and a Yellow Rat Snake fell out of the rafters and bounced from my shoulder to the railing. I picked it up by the tail and dropped it to the ground. I now check overhead whenever I’m out there. They are very good climbers and are most likely after the Anoles that spend time up there.
These are great shots of the snake Carol. Even though harmless, I'm not sure how close I'd get to any snake.
ReplyDeleteYou have a very nice series of photos there. I have a coupld decent shots of a huge Rattle Snake that I took a few years ago outside of town. I'll post it one of these days so you can see it.
ReplyDeleteExcellent picturs Carol.
ReplyDeleteNot something I get much of here, unfortunatley. It must be really good to have so much wildlife around you all the time.
Those yellow rats are beautiful! It's funny to see what will go after a snake. I once saw a cottontail rabbit attack a black rat snake.
ReplyDeleteI like snakes too and enjoy your pictures. The birdbath was probably warm from the sun and a nice place to stretch out after a big meal -- like the guys in the recliners after Thanksgiving dinner!
ReplyDeleteWhen I was in the 3rd grade I suprised a beautiful, vibrant blue snake sunning on a big rock. When it heard me it was outta there in a flash.
I think I'll take in a couple more posts. Loving your blog!