today's visitor - a rattle snake in the chicken coop

Just passing through.....

Honey, we've got a visitor

two too many snakes

 
Here's one of two snakes on my drive way last night.  They were within 15 feet of each other.

coachwhip

It looked like a sun faded red hose on the side of the path.  As I approached it slithered off into the brush.  It really was a pretty snake. 

snake print

This is a snake print I found in some soft dirt.  He looks to have been pretty healthy.  It's snake season, for sure.

King of the road

A small California King Snake flatened on the pavement

Lampropeltis getula californiae

AKA:   The California King Snake

It was really hard getting the snake to pose for this picture, but I finally convinced him!   I caught him crossing the road while on my walk this afternoon.  He paused for a second when he saw me and then he quickly slithered off the road.  I figured he was some kind of garter or king snake - I had to view a lot of pictures on the internet before I found a picture that looked just like him.  I read up on the California King Snake and this is what I found:

 

California Kingsnakes eat almost any vertebrate they can overpower such as rodents, other reptiles, birds, and ampohibians. All kingsnakes are non-venomous but are powerful constrictors and generally kill their prey through suffocation. The "king" in their name refers to their propensity to hunt and consume other snakes, including venomous rattlesnakes. California Kingsnakes are naturally impervious to the  venom of rattlesnakes but are not totally immune. They feed on rattlesnakes when the opportunity arises and a rattlesnake will make an easy meal for a hungry kingsnake, but they don't seek out rattlesnakes specifically nor consume them on a regular basis. Rattlesnakes and California Kingsnakes are not enemies and may be found sharing the same piece of cover (i.e. plywood, tin, rocks, crevice, etc.) in the wild while completely ignoring the presence of the other.

When disturbed, California Kingsnakes will often coil their bodies to hide their heads, hiss, and rattle their tails, which, if done in dry vegetation, can produce a sound somewhat resembling that of a rattlesnake's rattle. They are considered harmless to humans, but if handled it is common for this species to bite as well as excrete musk and fecal contents from their cloaca.  Kingsnakes shed four to six times per year at which point they go "opaque", meaning the snake's skin becomes dull and its eyes will turn a milky color. Like all snakes, they usually shed in one long piece, which includes their eye scales. Juvenile snakes will shed more frequently, up to once a month, than adult snakes because of their faster rate of growth. The California Kingsnake lays eggs as opposed to giving live birth like some other snakes.

Western Diamondback Rattlesnake

Unfortunately I came across this snake while hiking last week.  Except for a long black flickering toungue, it never moved.  I spotted it at 15'.   Check out the black and white rings at the tail just before the rattle. I took a few photos and then retreated.  The next day I very carefully retraced my steps and found a dead rattlesnake 30' from the first encounter.  I didn't have the courage to inspect it.  I'm not convinced it was the same one although it did have a diamond pattern.  Ugh....this is really bothering me. I know sooner or later I'm going to see another one.   

Here are some facts about the Western Diamondback Rattlesnake:
Life expectancy is more than 20 years but is typically shorter because of hunting and human expansion. Solitary outside of mating season, they are one of the more aggressive rattlesnake species because they rarely back away from confrontation. When threatened they usually coil and rattle to warn aggressors.

 

In the winter they hibernate sometimes with other species of snakes.  Usually inactive between October and March, although occasionally they may be seen sunning themselves on warm winter days.  These snakes can go for up to two years without food in the wild. A 5½ month starvation study showed that the snakes reduced energy expenditures by an average of 80% over the length of the study. The most interesting finding was that the snakes grew during the study, indicating that while the snake's mass was shrinking, it was putting its resources into skeletal muscles and bone.

This snake is key participant in the food chain and it is an important predator of many small rodents, rabbits, and birds. In turn it is preyed upon by a variety of larger mammals and birds, such as coyotes, foxes, and hawks. It is primarily a nocturnal animal, hunting for its prey on warm summer nights.

Gestation period lasts six or seven months and broods average about a dozen young. The young only stay with the mother for a few hours before they set off on their own to hunt and find recluse, thus the mortality rate is very high. Mating occurs in the spring and the females give birth to as many as 25 young, which may be as long as 12 inches in length. The young are fully capable of delivering a venomous bite from the moment they are born.

what's been in the garage

We keep glue paper down in the corners of the garage to catch whatever manages to get inside.  As you can see, we caught a small king snake this weekend. 

dead snake

We found and killed this the first few days we lived in Gavilan Hills.  It was before I knew the differences between snakes.  This is a "good" snake.  This is a California King snake.   It can grow to 48" with a girth of 5". Even though the name suggests they are common in California they're also found in Oregon, Colorado, New Mexico and Arizona.  This snake species usually lives in a desert-like habitat as well as coastal areas and pine forests. The California King snake tends to hide away during very hot days despite living in the desert, and instead comes out at night.  When seasonal temperatures drop they become more active during the day. They eat small reptiles including frogs, lizards, small birds and rodents; however they are known to also eat other snake species. In addition, if they are surprised or get disturbed they can produce a similar rattle to a rattle snake.

snake eating lizard

 We found this at the gate.  I decided to let the snake live but to move it farther away from the house.  While using a rake to shoo the snake away, I found out that snakes find it difficult to move with prey in their mouth.  After more encouragement from me to move, the snake regurgitated the lizard and quickly slithered off.  Meanwhile the lizard lay still and bloody on the driveway.  I went to scoop up the fellow to toss him away and suddenly he moved.  I helped him to the grass and he recovered enough to run away. 
Can you imagine being half dead in a snakes mouth then to be pulled out and survive?

Gross or interesting?

Do you know what this is? 

It's the rattle off of a rattlesnake.  And yes, it really rattles. 
Unfortunately, I unknowingly ran him over on the road. 
This is all that was salvageable.  Would you save it or toss it? 

This just in...

This afternoon I looked overhead and spotted one of my red tail hawks circling above.  Legs were extended out and both claws were clutching a GIANT snake.  The hawk was quite high and the snake looked HUGE.  Thick and long (that's what she said) !!   I am so glad the hawk caught the snake because if I crossed it's path I would have gone into serious freak-out mode.  Unfortunately I didn't have my camera on me and the hawk quickly glided over to the other side of the hill behind us.  I can't emphasize the SIZE enough.  Anywho, this is my first post without pictures but my excitement needed to be recorded immediately.   Ciao.

night snake

The nephews came over to visit and went snake and lizard hunting.  This is what they came back with.   Small little guy - about 5 inches.  At first we thought it was a rattler but it's not.