And then I noticed Mr. (or Mrs.) Black Rat Snake heading across the horse trail toward the bike trail.
This snake is getting ready to shed its skin, else it wouldn't have stuck around. As it was, the bike trail is very busy (I much prefer to walk on the horse trail) and a pretty bad destination for a snake. So I stomped my feet to try to get it turned around.
Mr. Rat Snake was all, "You're not the boss of me!" And proceeded across the trail.
So I picked him up by the tail and put him back in the grass on the other side. (There was some disgruntlement, as you can see.)
And that was the end of that.
P.S. I plan to contribute to Anni's I'd Rather B Birdin', too, but I have to head back to D.C. first. P.P.S. Here are a couple more shots of the Red-bellied Woodpecker visit to the porch in W.V. early in April.
Mouse over pics for captions, and click them for larger versions.
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23 comments:
I love the horses. It was cool seeing the snake as well.
laughing at your 'end' shot. the snake is a beauty! :)
I also see all the photos in large format. That snake is a large snake! Very good that you saw this snake on time. Now you had and horses and a snake Eileen critters :-)
What a gorgeous snake. Last weekend, an attendee of our Spring fundraiser walked up to one of my co-workers and asked, "Do you know that there's a snake in your field?"
Now, I'm a city boy, and I'm even aware that there are snakes in the city's parks, but our workplace is in a wide-open suburban area. It's a safe bet that there are plenty of snakes, and that makes me very happy.
Bless you for caring about a snake; and for these cool pics!
Loved the horses, the rat snake (he was NOT happy with you!) and the red-bellied woody! Great post!
Hello, you are brave picking up the snake. The horses are pretty and I love the woodpecker. Thank you for linking up and sharing your post. Happy Saturday, enjoy your weekend!
That woodpecker looks very contented. I know many snakes are good but I don't like to encounter any of them. They creep me out. lol Enjoy your weekend! Hugs, Diane
Good sightings!
Maybe my title should have been "A Rat Snake Tail Tale."
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You are braver than I am! I have chased a snake out of the house with a broom but pick it up... no-o-o-o!
I´m glad you did not kill Mr snake. :) I hope it thrived after your meeting. In Sweden all snaked are protected by law.
The Rat Snake - rather you than me.
PS. Someday, your owl will come. Keep the faith.
I agree with Phil's comment. That snake in the grass...better YOU than me. I hate snakes. Snake-0-phobia for me, truly.
LOVED THE Woodpecker images.
Thanks for stopping by to add your post link to today's I'd Rather B Birdin' linking tool. Much appreciated as always.
Great shots of the snakes and birds.
Read recently that rat snakes are faster strikers than vipers. Found one a fat one a few years stretched out in my garage. Gravid (i.e., with baby snakes). Had to call animal control. They sent a snake handler to capture & relocate. Darned thing struck at her like lightning as she put it in its box to take it to the country.
Beautiful birds & horses. Wouldn't want to be on a horse when encountering snake. I have a scene in my novel where a horseback rider comes across one, horse gets spooked, rider gets thrown. Fun to write!
Such beautiful woodpeckers! And i think I'm glad we don't have snakes like that in the uk!
Such beautiful woodpeckers! And i think I'm glad we don't have snakes like that in the uk!
I'm ecstatic you aren't the kind that sees a snake and grabs a tree limb to club it. They are so beautiful...just one of Mother's lovely creatures. I see a lot of black racers on my treks around here.
Great horse photos and capture of the snake ~ What a big woodpecker ~ Wow
Happy Week to you ~ ^_^
Quite a single-minded snake. It must have been partially blinded by the old skin. I stay off the horse trails as they are usually very muddy.Beautiful Red-bellied WP!
I would not have picked up that snake!! lol
These are great photos. I have never seen a snake shedding but have seen the snake skin. I once opened up my garage door and a whole shedded skin fell and hung from the middle of the door. I just put the door back down and backed back into the house, lol.
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