OK--I'm leaving the original posting in place below, but we are now pretty sure, after researching numerous web pages and talking to several officials, including a Forest Service officer, that we have a Fox Snake and not a Massasauga. I guess we over-reacted. The officer said that Fox Snakes are very good at making a sound somewhat like a rattle or buzz and that this is one of their standard defense mechanisms. That this is a Fox Snake is reassuring, and in fact, a good thing, because a Fox Snake is welcome to live around our lower deck area and eat all those pesky mice and extra chipmunks that show up under there from time to time. (I still stand by my last sentence below, however.)
---------------------
Actually, it is more of a buzz than a rattle. Tighe started barking at the rock wall at one end of the yard on the lake side of our cabin. When Kathie investigated, she discovered this guy/gal tucked away in one of the nooks between the large rocks. We looked it up, and we are pretty sure it is an Eastern Massasauga rattlesnake, about which you can read more by clicking here. I took pictures with my telephoto camera lens and present the best of them below. They do make it look sinister, but the sad thing is it is an endangered species, and we don't want to see it destroyed. We also don't want to simply chase it away, because then we won't know where it is! The best thing would be for it to be relocated, but so far we are having trouble locating someone to do that, especially on the weekend. Stay tuned to this channel for additional information in the future. Meanwhile, I think I'm going to call it Donald Trump, because this is another living entity I would like to see relocated.
1 comment:
Your resident snake is probably a good friend of Trump already. Two of a kind...they both make a lot of scary noises. Unfortunately, Trump's rattling could do great harm if he somehow is elected President! 🐉🐉🐉
Post a Comment