Garter Snakes

I was heading home after photographing the crocuses (see yesterday's post) when I heard a familiar rustle in the dry grass. It sounds a bit far fetched, but I swear garter snakes make a recognizable sound as they move through the grass. I suspect they make a bit more noise when you've startled them and they are "running" away. I've been a fan of snakes, and garter snakes in particular, since I was a kid. I spent many happy hours searching for them at Cranberry Flats and Beaver Creek.



I managed to snap a few shots as it fled, but I had the closeup macro lens on the camera, which wasn't ideal. But I assumed it wasn't worth changing lenses since it was likely the only one I'd see. It was suitable conditions - a day that had started off cool but was warm in the sun. Those conditions bring them out to lie in the sun and raise their body temperature. (They're of course cold blooded like all reptiles.)



But then I saw a second one, and then a third. So I backed away and changed to my telephoto lens. It's a zoom and focuses quite close, so it would handle whether they were near or far.





I sat down to wait and see it any others would come along. My father always used to say the best way to see wildlife was to sit quietly and wait. He was talking about East Africa, but it applies anywhere. When he told me that, I was a kid and sitting patiently didn't sound like much fun. Now that I'm older I'm more amenable :-) Of course, now that I was ready, no snakes came along and the question became how long to wait? Thankfully, another one came along. They were still hard to photograph sliding quite rapidly through the grass. I've got hundreds (literally) of out of focus shots of glimpses of snakes.



Soon I saw where they were going, and why the unusual congregation. Right in front of me, under some small bushes and grass, was a tangled mass of mating garter snakes. Garter snakes mate in the first couple of weeks after emerging from hibernation, multiple males mobbing a single female. It was hard to tell how many were in the ball - maybe a dozen? Strangely, as more males arrived, the ball didn't get noticeably bigger. And I didn't see any leave. It wasn't like the hundreds or even thousands at the big hibernaculum. Although perhaps there was a smaller hibernaculum nearby? It was funny to see the males arrive in the vicinity. They were obviously following the scent of the female, and it took some circling before they found the mass. Even after the female "escaped" (with the males in hot pursuit) new males showed up following the scent.



I don't know if it was me moving or something else that triggered it, but all of a sudden the mass of snakes took off. I think the female might have tried to escape but didn't get far (a few feet) before the males mobbed her again.



It was nice to see that there are still quite a few garter snakes around. I almost never see more than one at a time, so it's very hard to judge the population.



I was only about 10 feet off the paved trail, which was busy on a sunny warm day. Humorously, everyone assumed that someone with a camera must be out taking photos of the crocuses. Multiple people "helpfully" told me I was in the wrong place. A few people saw I was taking pictures of something and looked curious, but people aren't always too friendly towards snakes and a lot of people had dogs so I didn't enlighten them. I don't think anyone actually noticed the snakes I was photographing.



When you see their bright orange and yellow stripes they don't seem very well camouflaged. You'd think they'd stand out clearly. But in practice, unless they're moving, they're very hard to spot. If you hear one and can't see it, it's often because it's frozen. Stepping towards it will often cause it to move and that's when you have a better chance at seeing it, albeit usually fleetingly. Of course, that makes them hard to photograph since they're either invisible or disappearing into the distance. And the photographs are a bit misleading because I obviously choose the ones where the snake is more visible. Some of them have much brighter colors than others. They do tend to have duller colors when they are getting ready to shed their skin. Also, I notice in the photos that the colors seem brighter towards the head and duller towards the tail.



I realized afterwards that I should have shot some video. I'm not sure why I didn't think of it since I just shot video of the salamander the other day.

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Crocus

The earliest I've photographed crocus flowers is April 3. It's not unusual for the flowers to get snowed on, or at least frost. With this years cold spring, they were late emerging, and there still aren't a lot of flowers open. It's also common for the bees and flies to be visiting the flowers since they are the first to be open. But I didn't spot any this time. I guess they must be late too, although there are a few insects appearing. I saw my first Mourning Cloak butterfly (they overwinter as adults) but it didn't cooperate to be photographed.



Once the snow is gone I start looking for them. I always think they should be preceded by leaves, but instead the flower stalks seem to emerge from nothing.



Although often in clumps. Occasionally there are signs of them being nibbled on, but their defense is that they are poisonous.



It's nice to see there are a few left on the riverbank in the city. I cherish the small remnants of nature left within walking distance. Usually once the ground is disturbed the crocuses are gone. This is likely because they require a partnership with fungi in the soil.

You would think that an early blooming flower would be found on south facing slopes, and apparently that is the case further north, but in the dryer south they are often found on north facing slopes. Maybe because they have more moisture? The spots I visit are mostly flat, but slope slightly to the north.



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Local Interest

I packed my camera gear and headed out to see if I could get some photos of emerging crocuses. As it turned out, I didn't see any crocuses, but of course, I found a few other things to photograph. (Including the salamander I posted about yesterday.)

I barely made it through our back gate when I saw the flock of Bohemian Waxwings. There seems to be a lot of them around this spring. They were feeding on berries in a neighbor's tree, perching in other trees, and swooping down to drink from puddles in the alley. And they didn't spook and all fly away when I appeared :-)







Drinking buddies :-)





Crossing the bridge I spotted an American Coot on the river. They are common, but I don't usually see them on the river. They prefer still water. I would like to see the bizarre chicks sometime. Their feet are also quite different.



From a distance, at first I thought these were Common Mergansers (similar females). Or maybe Common Goldeneye (black and white head with yellow eye). But looking at the photos afterward I'm pretty sure they were Hooded Mergansers. I don't see them on the river much either. The wind was blowing their feathers the wrong way and giving them a bad hair day.



The next subjects I see all the time, but they're still fun to photograph. Although they tend to be skittish when you stop and pay attention to them.





Alarm calls to let everyone know there's an intruder.





And a few abstracts to finish off. Anyone know what kind of bushes these are?





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Tiger Salamander

I caught a glimpse of movement out of the corner of my eye and my brain said "lizard". To which I replied, no lizards here. It was probably a leaf blowing in the wind. I went over to check it out anyway, because you just never know what you might find. I was glad I did, it was a tiger salamander!



I don't usually take a lot of video, but I wanted to give an idea of the slow but determined progress, albeit a bit awkward looking. David Attenborough narrating would have helped. For fun I searched for "David Attenborough salamander" and I found this recording where he talks about how his first pet was a salamander.



When I used to bike this route to work every day I saw them a couple of times. (see here and here) Both of those times were in the late summer, although also in cool conditions. This is the first time I've seen one in the spring. I've only spotted them because they stand out crossing the paved trail. This time it was right at the edge of the trail. A few seconds later and I would have missed it. They are supposed to be mostly nocturnal, but it would be too cold at night currently. My guess is that the adults live on the river bank where they won't be disturbed, but travel across the path to get to the pools of water where they  breed. And then the juveniles travel back.



I had gone out with my camera to see if the crocuses were out, but I didn't see any sign of them due to the wintry April we've had so far. Surprisingly, the weather hadn't stopped the salamander from coming out.Salamanders are amphibians, like frogs, and they're cold blooded. It was about +1c and cloudy - not even the sun to warm it up. It's amazing that it could be walking around when so cold. There were still patches of snow on the ground.



Amphibians are declining due to habitat loss, pollution, and disease so it was nice to see there are still some here.

Backyard Visitors

One of the advantages of working from home is that my office window looks over the backyard and I see the birds that come to visit. Mostly it's the usual suspects, sparrows, chickadees, magpies, and crows. Last summer a white pigeon perched in a tree in our backyard most days. The other day it was the neighborhood Merlin with breakfast (looked like a sparrow).

Yesterday was a pair of Blue Jays. Usually I hear them before I see them, but this pair was being quiet for a change. They hung around for a while so I got my camera and opened my window (thankfully the weather has warmed up!) However, they weren't very cooperative subjects. They'd perch in a perfect position, I'd line up for a shot, and they'd move. Patience is the name of the game, but theoretically I was working, so how long do I wait for the stars to align? I compromised, alternating watching and working. Finally I got a few shots. They really are quite beautiful birds. And they seem to be getting more common these days.







Of course, since I was watching, I noticed other birds, like this bright red robin. I realize the one I photographed the other day must have been a juvenile with its lighter mottled breast.



There were also some House Sparrows around. They may be common and non-native (introduced from Europe in the 1800's), but I still like them.



Of course, spring is the time for raising a family. And this pair of sparrows appeared to be moving into one of our birdhouses. Do you think she's impressed by his singing?











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Riverside

It's was a beautiful sunny warm day (rare lately), so I headed out for another walk along the riverbank with my camera.

I was going out through our backyard to get to the alley when I saw movement out of the corner of my eye. I turned and it was one of our neighborhood jackrabbits. We see their tracks in our yard all the time, but seldom see them in person. I wasn't really ready to start taking photos, but luckily it stayed frozen in place long enough for me to get a few shots before it dashed out the back gate and down the alley at high speed. It was a bit unusual to see one in the middle of the day, usually it's morning or evening when I see them.



I continued on down to the river. Just as I got there I slipped on some ice and sat down in the snow. I've been running in these icy conditions for the last two months and haven't fallen yet. Of course, then I'm paying attention to my footing, whereas here I was paying more attention to looking for birds. It was a soft landing and I was fine, but my camera also landed in the snow! It's theoretically weather-proof but I would prefer not to test that. I wiped off the snow and cleaned the lens as best I could with a handkerchief that wasn't the cleanest. Not the most auspicious start to a photography session!

I heard my first subject before I saw it. A crow was caw'ing loudly in a tree above my head.



There were some of the winter Goldeneyes still on the river but they were too far away even for my telephoto lens. But it didn't take long to find some closer Mallards and Canada Geese. The problem was that I was headed south, almost straight into the sun. So I couldn't see the birds very well with them silhouetted, whereas they could easily see me coming. I needed to turn the tables so I headed back to the path, walked up river a ways and then worked my way north with the sun at my back.

I found one pair of Mallards sleeping next to shore. I gradually worked my way closer to them, stopping every few feet to take more shots and let them get accustomed to me. A couple of times they got a little nervous, but they must have decided I wasn't a threat. They did open their eyes to look at me each time I moved. But then they'd slowly close again. Curiously, it looked like they had a white eyelid.



Sometimes I felt it was a stare down. But they can't have very good vision straight ahead since it's looking out the edge of each eye. On the other hand, it's the only way they'd get stereo vision which might help judge how close I was.



They seemed like a close couple, never getting very far apart.



Although the males have the flashy iridescent green heads, the females are almost prettier. (I'm sure the males agree.) If you saw them separately there wouldn't be many clues (to me, at least) that they were the same species.





Of course, there were also Canada Geese around. I hate to admit it, but I've taken so many photographs of them that it's hard to get excited about taking more. They are a bit challenging with the mix of white and black on their heads. It's hard to get a good exposure of both.







The smooth water and partial clouds made good background reflections.

It was also good to see the buds developing on some of the trees. The sap must be starting to flow since you could see tiny drops oozing around the buds.



I could hear the chickadees but they were hard to spot, even with the bare tree. And even when you did spot them, they seldom sat still long enough to photograph, and they were often obscured in the bushes. I caught this one just as it was flying away, with his beak open, probably making its distinctive "chick a dee dee dee" call.



I was back on the paved trail and putting my camera away when I saw movement in the tree beside me. It was a robin, the first I'd seen this spring. And it even cooperatively stayed in one spot while I got my camera back out and took its photo.



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