It was not a good day save for this Western Gopher Snake scurrying toward the sound of a frog in the rushes at the base of of my usual damselfly stream. Unfortunately, there were too many reeds, and I couldn't see if he caught its prey, but I didn't hear any more croaking and realized where the phrase, "He croaked" came from.
My bad day was from people littering and letting their kids litter by throwing garbage from their picnics on the ground, into the pond and streams, and tossing water bottles on the ground when there were recycling and garbage bins within 50 feet of them!
Forget about a segue... Pituophis is a genus of nonvenomous colubrid snakes commonly referred to as gopher snakes, pine snakes, and bullsnakes, which are endemic to North America. Species and subspecies within the genus Pituophis are found throughout Mexico, the Southern and Western United States and Western Canada. There are seven species of gopher snake, some called pine snakes, others middle-American Gopher snakes, so I decided to name this one a Western Gopher snake. It's beautiful, powerful, harmless to people and, unfortunately, completely disinterested in gophers that are ruining my piddling 1/4 acre estate!
Tags: Western Gopher Snake Pituophis Heather Farm Reserve Northern California Canon SX50 Copyright by me.
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It really seems appropriate to find a distant relative of a dinosaur in what I've designated as "The Swamp" where I find as many as a third of all my odonates which predate the dinosaurs.
Before dinosaurs and birds came on the scene, dragonflies were king, with wingspans of about two and a half feet. That was 330 million years ago, during the late Paleozoic period. Dinosaurs, on the other hand, are a varied group of reptiles which first appeared during the Triassic period, between 243 and 230 million years ago. BUT, lizards appeared about 320 million years ago, in the swamps of the late Carboniferous period.
Our Western Fence Lizard in this photo appeared about a year ago. As of Thursday, it was perhaps 10 inches from tail to snout. It's doubtful that my little friend preys on dragonflies. the latter being too large, but he might well feed on damselflies which are smaller. However, as I mentioned yesterday, Odonata can see 360° and even the stealthy lizard can't sneak up on a damsel no matter how well camouflaged it may be in this lagoon part of the swamp. And in the 13 years that I've been watching both, I've never seen a Western Fence Lizard catch any wee beastie other than a number flies, beetles, and mosquitoes. Unfortunately, I've never been fast enough to photograph a lizard catch anything.
Tags: Western Fence Lizard Predates Dinosaurs But Evolved 15 Million Years After Odonata Swamps Are Ideal Habitats Heather Farm Reserve Northern California Canon SX50 Copyright Ethan A. Winning
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To quote Charles Dickens, "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times." For the Great Egret, it was a good day. For the Western Fence Lizard, short life span wasn't it!
For me, it was a good day, well certainly better than this lizard. I got three pretty good images. This was the last shot I took. I saw the egret strolling the banks of the stream. Then, he'd stop and look. A few more steps. Stop. And then his neck got realllly long. He had spotted something and was about to strike. And I was ready. For only the fifth time in 15 years I got an image of a heron or egret that caught its prey. I was a little sorry for the Fence lizard ... especially when I got this image on the monitor. It was probably in its second year. Way too long to be a juvenile, way too short to be a full-fledged (so to speak) adult. I do like these little lizards that also feed on mosquitoes and other insect pests. But it's a egret-eat-lizard-eat-insect world out there. If only it was an Egret-Eat-Gopher world! Well they do, but more likely the Great Blue Heron and the byproduct of such a catch on my patio might be worse than the pests burrowing under patio and house.
Tags: Great Egret Western Fence Lizard The Beak Is Quicker Than the Feet Predator/Prey Foothills Pond of Mt. Diablo Northern California Canon SX50 Copyright Ethan A. Winning
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I was concentrating on a female Flame Skimmer, hoping she was going to lay eggs. I don't know whether she did or not because, out of the corner of my eye, I saw movement. This Western Fence Lizard was just too ... cute ... and got my full attention. I love these reptiles. Often, as adults, they're as curious about us as we about them. (When they're less than a year or two old, they will scurry off rather than sit and watch the two legged beast.
The Western Fence Lizard (Sceloporus occidentalis) is a common lizard of Arizona, California, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington, Northern Mexico, and the surrounding area. As the ventral abdomen of an adult is characteristically blue, it is also known as the blue-belly. (You can just make out the blue on this ... probably 2-3 year old breeding male, about 7" long.) It is a member of the genus Sceloporus (the spiny lizards).
Although California is the heart of the range of this lizard, it is also found in eastern and southwestern Oregon, southwestern Idaho, Nevada, and some of the islands off the coast of both California and Baja California. Not one book tells why it's called a "Fence" lizard. I've never seen one on a fence...
However, at least what I related with the image below is now being mentioned regularly, the very important reason why these are important animals! Studies have shown Lyme disease is lower in areas where the lizards occur. When ticks carrying Lyme disease feed on these lizards' blood (which they commonly do, especially around their ears), a protein in the lizard's blood kills the bacterium in the tick that causes Lyme disease. The infection inside the ticks' gut is therefore cleared and the tick no longer carries Lyme disease!
Tags: Western Fence Lizard Sceloporus occidentalis Primarily California and Southern Oregon But Found All Over The Place, Important In Lowering the Incidence of Lyme Tick Disease Heather Farm Reserve Butterfly Garden Path Canon SX50 Copyright Ethan A. Winning Lyme Tick Disease Preventer
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Back in my hiking days, I would pass three rattlesnake dens every time I passed by Bullfrog Pond, Sulphur Springs Pond, and Mustard Field Trail leading to the acorn woodpecker families. I knew enough about rattlers and, more important, I had emergency hospital in memory dial in the car and in my cell.
Still, when I look back, eight feet is a bit close to a pit viper. On a hot day, however, even vipers need a break and would prefer to sit in a nest - like this one excavated into the wall of a trail and holding six rattlers - than come after me plus a rattler would rather give notice and rattle than waste venom on something he's not going to eat. Besides, I am known to be high in sugar and salt, and that is unhealthy for humans and snakes alike.
The western diamondback rattlesnake or Texas diamond-back (Crotalus atrox) is a venomous rattlesnake species found in the southwestern United States and Mexico. It is likely responsible for the majority of snakebite fatalities in northern Mexico and the greatest number of snakebites in the U.S. It lives in elevations from below sea level up to 6,500 feet (2,000 m). This species ranges throughout the southwestern United States (Arizona, California, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas) and northern half of Mexico. Other common names for this species include western diamond-backed rattlesnake,[3] adobe snake, Arizona diamond rattlesnake, coon tail, desert diamond-back, desert diamond rattlesnake, fierce rattlesnake, spitting rattlesnake, buzz tail, Texan rattlesnake, Texas diamond-back, and Texas rattler.
Adults grow to four feet and are rather "stubby." The greatest number of buttons on the rattle is eight to ten. And, again, the rattlesnake would prefer not to bite, and although there's no rule, but I have yet to come too close to a diamondback where I didn't get sufficient warning ... like a heart attack or BP that went from 120/60 to 220/180. There are four or five species of snakes on Mt. Diablo. The diamondback is the only viper. The Western Kingsnake is a constrictor (please do not buy Kingsnakes for pets unless you realize their value to the habitat and the responsibility for care and feeding for 20-30 years!!! (Same advice goes double for parrots. I have been to too many places where people have let their pets "loose" or, frankly, abandoned them, and they are not adapted to a natural environment. Western Diamondbacks live 15-25 years.
Well, I've already started, so here's a brief list of the snakes on Mt. Diablo: Gopher Snake, Pacific Gopher Snake to the venomous Western Rattlesnake (subspecies = Northern Pacific Rattlesnake), to the endangered Alameda Whipsnake, of which Mount Diablo is one of the last remaining safe habitats. Lizards include Western Fence Lizard, Western Skink, California Whiptail, Horned Lizard. I have never seen a whipsnake and it's looking like I never will.
P.S. It took over 20 minutes to get this shot with the tongue flicking. The tongue, btw, is purple.
Tags: Western Diamondback Rattlesnake Snakes Reptiles Mt. Diablo - Walnut Creek, CA Canon SX20 Copyright Ethan Winning First SX 20 Images
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