esrosedotblog

WILDLIFE

This guy showed up just outside the sun room.

I grabbed the camera quickly but not quite quickly enough. I also failed in sneaking up on him.

OK. Him or her.

Gone in a flash.

I don't think it is a redtail. But it surely is a raptor.

There are a lot of hawks around here. They make a regular feast off our doves, leaving just enough to breed out a new batch a few times a year.

Smart hawks.

Then the other day, Franklin was messing with something at the slider off the bedroom.

We just chased him.

Then later, I found that it was a small rattle snake. It had been dead awhile as the slider had decapitated it.

Should I have warned you about this?

A decapitated rattler that was probably inches from coming into the house.

So, I cleaned him/her out yesterday after a day in the heat.

There wasn't much left but liquid inside the skin.

And a great smell for a dog.

I guess I should have warned you.

We don't see many snakes but when we do it is dramatic.

Last year we had a racer in the house. We channeled him/her out the front door. Pillows and stuff.

There used to be king snakes outside the wall but we left the vegetation die out.

Rattlers are rare.

I will keep my eye peeled for more young or old, males or females.

Labels: nature