been in the field, pardon... =) 2 rattlers, today!!

 
So, my fatty Nikon D50 is harder to carry around, yank out of my pack at a rattler, etc. BUT, it has the advantage of me knowing how to USE it to actually, you know, FOCUS. On the SUBJECT.

Today's BEST shot of a rattlesnake. (erg.)

The BIGGEST rattlesnake, of course, I did NOT get a picture of. My task was to grab it out of a burrow and move it to the happy side of the wildlife fencing (i.e. the side that does NOT lead to cars and squishing). Did not succeed 'cause it decided it did NOT want to move so glided further into a ground squirrel burrow complex (outtareach and undaground).

I will admit that it was HUGE, I was a little intimidated.

Here's a co-worker moving a very cranky gopher snake to the happy side of the fence.

Doin'

the go-fa-snake

shuf-fle.

Zoom in on me. The chick who took my photo cannot use her new camera, so every time she crops a shot, well, almost, the computer says the new shot is 0KB. And I'm handsome!

Honestly, I just ate a scone post dinner (what's up with that??) so I gotta get to the gym right now. More some other time. When?? Hard 2 say.

=) Back in the field next week, more snaky rescue, possibly with my bulky-yet-beloved Nikon fatty. =)

Hope y'all are well!

xobb

These boots brought to you by... rattlesnakes.

 

(apparently these 2-day-old boots already have some fascinating scents)

The first day of searching for burrowing owl and San Joaquin kit fox burrows, I wore cross trainers, having discovered (yet again and too late) that I don't have decent hiking boots. I've never figured out how this happened...

Anyhow, at the end of the first day, ankles raw from 10,000 dried grass seeds (despite wearing gaiters), having felt unfamiliarly insecure re: rattlesnakes, I looked down at co-workers' boots.

Ah.

100% all-leather hiking boots.

k.

So, headed straight for REI wherein I bought the above beauties, completely NOT on sale. Didn't care. I had another day of rattlesnakes and seeds ahead.

Day 2: confidently clomping around in my huge boots, I had NOT ONE seed in my skin, and felt 100x more confident should I encounter a rattlesnake. Didn't see one day two (day 1 we encountered 2), but did get to pet a lovely gopher snake (Pituophis catenifer).

Anyhow, thanks to rattlesnakes and grass seeds, I have made a small contribution to the health of the local economy. And my ankles are very happy.

biobabbler

P.S. The scat bandanna came in handy on several occasions, as we collectively tried to interpret "sign." Well, handy outside of it's more typical use as pollen shield (when worn bank-robber style) and general wipey.