Janet Brien's photos with the keyword: hatchling

(4 more pictures in notes above) One day in October of 2012, Steve came into the house with a plastic box and asked in excitement, "Guess what I found in the shop?!" I had no idea, so it was a wonderful surprise to discover that he'd captured a baby Gopher snake! He knew I'd like to see it before he released it, and naturally, pictures were in order! After a few minutes of happy clicking, we brought the box outside, tipped it on its side in the meadow, and quick as a flash, our young friend slipped out of sight in the bushes!

+ 10 more inset images above in notes! :) "Killer" is also slang for "cool", which is what this stunning, beautiful, gentle and non-venomous snake is! I found this amazing California Mountain Kingsnake on our property 1.5 years ago and when I discovered that this reclusive species is actually quite common in this area, we decided it would be ok to keep him as a pet. Affectionately named "Snakey McSnakerton", he's doing great and growing larger with each passing month. When I found him (we don't actually know the gender, but call it a male!), Snakey was about 10" long, and is now about 16". There are about 45 species of Kingsnakes, which also include Milksnakes. They come in a large number of colors from solid black to almost white, with a dizzying variety of patterns. In fact, some species, such as this one, mimic the highly venomous coral snake , which only lives in the southern States. (NEVER approach a snake unless you are SURE it's harmless!) Kingsnakes are among the most popular pet snakes due to their docile, friendly dispositions and ease of care. In the wild, they are secretive, usually moving about during the day, and eat rodents, reptiles and birds. If you would like to know more about Kingsnakes, Wiki has a nice page here: Wiki: Kingsnake This picture uses some texture in the background, courtesy of Jerry Jones: Soft-Faux-n-Grunge-Bokeh Explored on April 18, 2014. Highest placement, #2.

I went over to check out the group of almost-dead milkweed plants today which are growing at the edge of our yearly burn pile, and I saw some motion on the ash and charcoal. I found myself staring at a baby Fence Lizard, otherwise known as a "Blue-belly Lizard"! It had a 1" long body with another inch for its little tail. Can you say cute?!! SO ADORABLE!!!! I managed to get some pictures, including this one! The light direction was harsh and contrast wasn't the best but thanks to using RAW format, I was able to correct many of the problems in the image! :)

A couple of weeks ago, Steve came into the game room where we have our computers and announced, "Look what I found in the shop!!" I looked into the plastic box and found a Pacific Gopher Snake hatchling looking up at me! Naturally, I exclaimed, "COOL!! Let's take pictures!!" After I took a series of images, we leaned the box on its side outside, and in a flash, he disappeared into the bushes and was gone! What fun!! :) Pacific Gopher Snakes are a fairly common snake which is found along the western coast of North America, from British Columbia to Baja, California. It can grow to be 7 feet long and is harmless to humans. In fact, it is one of the best pet snakes, due to its gentle nature and ease of care. If you would like to know more about Pacific Gopher Snakes, Wiki has a page here: Wiki: Pacific Gopher Snake . For more information and lots of pictures, CaliforniaHerps.com has a great page here: Californiaherps: Pacific Gopher Snake By the way, I've uploaded two other pictures today and I hope you'll visit them too! Thanks to all of you who have visited and have left comments and favorites! I try to go to all of your pages within a day or two and is a highlight for me to see your beautiful photography! :)

Look what I found yesterday!! I went for an autumn photo walk along our ridgeline with hopes of finding some new mushrooms. As I walked, I peeked under logs and peered into stumps. I came to the log which once had a scorpion under it, and to my utter amazement I found this magnificent hatchling California Mountain Kingsnake curled into a compact ball! So exciting, a dream come true!! I simply LOVE snakes, and this particular species is one that I have long admired in pictures and vivariums (reptile store) but never imagined I would actually see in the wild! Given the fact that the sun was down and it was getting dark, I had to set my ISO to 1250 and my aperture to 3.5, and though most of my pictures were blurry, I did get a few nice ones! The lovely, gentle California Mountain Kingsnake is native to California but can be found in Oregon and southern Washington as well. I was surprised to find that they're not uncommon, but are secretive, which is probably why I've only seen garter snakes for the most part. There are 7 subspecies, but I'm not sure which this is. Hatchlings are 6"-7" in size and adults can grow to be as large as 4' in length with a lifespan of up to 15 years. They eat lizards, rodents, birds and eggs. If you would like more information about this stunning snake, Wiki has a page here: Wiki: California Mountain Kingsnake By the way, I've uploaded two other pictures today and I hope you'll visit them too! Explored on Flickr on October 18, 2012. Highest placement: #220.

A few days ago, I found this gorgeous hatchling under a log while hunting for mushrooms. I knew that Steve would go crazy if he saw this lovely guy, so I gently captured him and took him home for a visit. As I suspected, Steve was enchanted! There are about 45 species of Kingsnakes, which also include Milksnakes. They come in a large number of colors from solid black to almost white, with a dizzying variety of patterns. In fact, some species, such as this one, mimic the highly venomous coral snake , which only lives in the southern States. (NEVER approach a snake unless you are SURE it's harmless!) Kingsnakes are among the most popular pet snakes due to their docile, friendly dispositions and ease of care. In the wild, they are secretive, usually moving about during the day, and eat rodents, reptiles and birds. If you would like to know more about Kingsnakes, Wiki has a nice page here: Wiki: Kingsnake

What do you think of his original name?! We kept calling her "Snakey" and it stuck. Besides, we think it's cute! As for the other part of her name, Snakey loves to cruise all over her tank and up into the branches. She often hangs out at the top, and if she's eaten recently, it's obvious because you can see her so well on the branch, basking like a king on her throne! :) We are extremely excited today because Snakey has completed her first shed!! Last week she became very secretive, retiring to her hide for many days. We weren't surprised because her skin had started to get a blue sheen to it, indicating an eminent shed, but we were still a little worried since we haven't had her very long. However, last night Steve discovered that Snakey had been out earlier and left her shed skin rubbed off onto one of her rocks, and this morning she came out, glistening and shiny and looking absolutely gorgeous! HOORAY!!! (This picture was taken a few weeks ago, but we hope to take new ones today and show off her lovely new "suit"!) :D YAY, SNAKEY!!