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Sunday, May 18, 2008
SNAKE!
Today we came upon the little fella you see below. We were driving along, minding our own business when we spotted this 3 1/2 foot-plus snake sunning himself on the warm asphalt of the road right in front of us. At first we were thinking he might be a rattlesnake, but, upon closer (yikes!) inspection, we saw he was a bull snake.
I did NOT take these photos. I "guarded" the car while Mr. CarolForPeace got out and got too close for MY comfort.
When we first saw him, he was all stretched out, but the presence of a human-looking giant nearby started to make him nervous.
Did you know that red-tailed hawks live an average of 21 years?
I did NOT take these photos. I "guarded" the car while Mr. CarolForPeace got out and got too close for MY comfort.
When we first saw him, he was all stretched out, but the presence of a human-looking giant nearby started to make him nervous.
Here he's thinking a big, clothed animal might be stalking him, so he's positioning himself to exit stage left. He was stunningly beautiful as he slithered off; his markings undulating in perfect grace.
Two rattlesnake experiences:
I was hiking with a friend one early fall morning. We were bushwhacking on a grassy mountainside. My dog needed a drink, so I turned to put my pack down and to pull out the doggy bowl and water. Right before I put my foot all the way down, I saw that I was putting it down on a RATTLESNAKE!!! Because it was still very cool outside, the snake was slow and I got away before it moved.
Another time, Mr. CarolForPeace and I were hiking a local trail when Mr. Buddha dog stepped over a rattler that was stretched out across the trail. Buddha was on leash - the snake hanging out between him and me. I had to make the decision to call him back, meaning he'd have to step over the snake again, but fortunately, that worked out. Then Mr. CarolForPeace didn't believe me that it was a rattler, so he dropped a blade of grass on the snake, which immediately coiled and rattled that threatening tail of his. (Hubby wants me to tell you that he's not proud of this.)
So anyway, this morning, when we had our snake encounter, we were on our way to visit Mr. and Mrs. Owl's abandoned home. Sure enough, when we got there, everyone was gone. The "For Sale" sign was up and everything. The kids were probably practicing their flying lessons. I'll miss them...
BUT, baby Hawk was sitting on his nest. He's getting so big! Through the binoculars, I could tell that he still has that "sweetest little baby face".
I was hiking with a friend one early fall morning. We were bushwhacking on a grassy mountainside. My dog needed a drink, so I turned to put my pack down and to pull out the doggy bowl and water. Right before I put my foot all the way down, I saw that I was putting it down on a RATTLESNAKE!!! Because it was still very cool outside, the snake was slow and I got away before it moved.
Another time, Mr. CarolForPeace and I were hiking a local trail when Mr. Buddha dog stepped over a rattler that was stretched out across the trail. Buddha was on leash - the snake hanging out between him and me. I had to make the decision to call him back, meaning he'd have to step over the snake again, but fortunately, that worked out. Then Mr. CarolForPeace didn't believe me that it was a rattler, so he dropped a blade of grass on the snake, which immediately coiled and rattled that threatening tail of his. (Hubby wants me to tell you that he's not proud of this.)
So anyway, this morning, when we had our snake encounter, we were on our way to visit Mr. and Mrs. Owl's abandoned home. Sure enough, when we got there, everyone was gone. The "For Sale" sign was up and everything. The kids were probably practicing their flying lessons. I'll miss them...
BUT, baby Hawk was sitting on his nest. He's getting so big! Through the binoculars, I could tell that he still has that "sweetest little baby face".
Did you know that red-tailed hawks live an average of 21 years?Labels: bull snake, hawks, owls, rattlesnake
posted by Carol at 5:28 PM
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