Anne Elliott's photos with the keyword: Garter Snake

May 1st, 2011 was the start of Snake Monitoring in a local park. We get both the Red-sided Garter Snake and the Wandering Garter Snake - thankfully, not the size seen in my macro photo, lol! Each snake was measured and, starting that year, weighed (i.e. gently placed in a tall plastic container which was then placed on a scale). They were also marked behind the head with green felt marker of some kind, so that we could tell if we got a recaptured snake. The monitoring season started late that year because of the endless winter. I didn't check how many snakes were found and recorded (my guess would be about a dozen+), but just as we were leaving the area, one of the team members did a great job of spotting two mating balls high on the slope, barely visible amongst the trees, shrubs and dead leaves. We left them alone, of course. On our first day of monitoring the previous year, we had 107 snakes to catch (not me, I only took photos, if I got the chance!) and record!! The reason that I originally joined this program was to see if it would help me be less fearful of snakes - they are most definitely not my favourite things. Just imagine being afraid and having 107 snakes slithering down the hillside towards where you were standing, ha!

NOT my hand, I can assure you! Taken in a local park when we were snake monitoring on May 30th. Rules (from higher up) were changed this year - including not needing to wear plastic gloves, which surprised me. Pretty much impossible to get even one photo, as a standing rule is to handle the snakes (never by ME!) absolutely only as long as it takes to measure them. Common but localized populations; least abundant among the three Thamnophis species. Adults: 45 cm - 107 cm. Watch where you step : ) I don't know about you, but my knees always go weak when I unexpectedly come across one of these when I'm on a walk! Unfortunately, some snakes are killed by bicycles on the bike paths within the park.

Didn't manage to get a good shot of this Plains Garter Snake, but wanted to post the "best" one as this was the first time I had ever seen this species of Garter Snake - I think we only get the Wandering and the Red-sided Garter Snakes in and around Calgary. One of the people who were on a walk at Purple Spring Sand Dunes, near Taber (southern Alberta) yesterday, spotted this snake slithering through the grass. Almost impossible to get my camera to focus on the snake and not the blades of grass : ) Alberta has just these three kinds of Garter Snake, so it's a good feeling to have now seen all three. As you can see, the orange/yellow stripe starts at the head and goes all the way along the back of the snake. It was a three-hour drive down there and three hours back home, plus the driving we did when we were down that way, and of course the walking we did. Much too hot for me! The area doesn't really live up to its beautiful name - basically, it just looks like prairie grassland, though we did see some plant-covered sand. Saw some good plants, including several new ones, though all my photos turned out to be very disappointing. The glaring afternoon sun made it quite a challenge - plus the fact that I was absolutely wilting in the heat! Also, my biggest concern was that I kept an eye on it, to make sure I moved fast if it started slithering in my direction (which it did, once)!

This was just one really tiny Wandering Garter Snake that we found, measured, recorded and released two weeks ago, when we did our Snake Monitoring in Fish Creek Park. By the way, not MY hand, LOL!

LOL, we recorded about 105 Garter Snakes on Monday in roughly a two-hour period. Unfortunately, they were almost all at the top of a small hill, and I found the crumbling climb just too risky. So, this was the only photo I was able to take, of a Red-sided Garter Snake that was found at the bottom of the hill - and I'm going to post it, even though I think I would normally delete it! Hope I get somewhat better luck next time! Just about all the snakes were male Wandering Garter Snakes.

Thought I had "better" post a couple of photos of things out in the wild, to give you all a break from my Zoo photos : ) This is a Wandering Garter Snake, seen down at Shannon Terrace, Fish Creek Park. They tend to blend in really well with their leafy surroundings.

This is a beautiful (can't believe I can actually call a snake "beautiful"!) Red-sided Garter Snake that has slithered into a wooden trap through the wire cone. Several of these boxes are placed in a hibernaculum and people record the number of snakes and their length and then the snakes are free to go on their merry way.

We came across this young, male Wandering Garter Snake yesterday afternoon, when several of us went to 12 Mile Coulee. It's quite a tough walk, being steeply uphill and downhill for the most part. The weather was cold and overcast, apart from a short bit of sun, and it started snowing part way throughour walk. This snake was tightly coiled to keep warm and was tucked under a small bush. I had NO intention of getting any closer, to remove the slightly annoying dry blades of grass! I saw the tail end of a second snake slithering through the grass right next to this snake.

A Red-sided Garter Snake being held so that it could be measured, marked and recorded. These really are attractive snakes - and those are words coming from someone with a fear of snakes, LOL! The Wandering Garter Snakes are a different matter - I just cannot get comfortable with those AT ALL, especially the larger, fat females - ugh! We saw about 57 snakes yesterday, a mixture of both species of Garter Snake. For anyone who has never tried to photograph a snake, you (or at least I) have to take lots of shots in the hope of getting one half decent image. These reptiles do not like being held and they writhe and twist. Every once in a while, one will be a bit calmer, thank goodness.

We saw this single Red-sided Garter Snake yesterday morning at Confluence Park, while on a Botany walk. Yes, it was being gently held, but NOT by me!!! That will NEVER happen, LOL!

Another composition of the beautiful Red-sided Garter Snake that we saw on Monday during our Snake Monitoring.