ENOUGH WITH THE BIRDS ALREADY...

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Of course, the ultimate reason for ever going in the field is to see reptiles, and more specifically, snakes.  I had an intuition that Area 3 was going to be snakey on my first visit in late December, 1999, when upon leaving from the Wood Duck parking area, I saw a red-shouldered hawk eating a small snake.  I tentatively identified it as a ribbon snake as it disappeared down his gullet.  Not my favorite way to see a snake, but hey...

My intuition seems to be right - on February 26 I saw my first snakes crossing the levee roads, including a yellow rat snake, a black racer, and a ribbon.  Since then I've seen several more yellow rats (left), a rough green, and a banded water snake.  Can the mud snakes and indigos be far behind?

Of course, as in nearly every aquatic or semi-aquatic habitat in Florida, gators are thick.  Below are a couple.    Gators in the Everglades have been found recently to eat A LOT of snakes.   I hope Griffin Flow-way gators are better behaved. 

It is my fondest hope that this page will expand significantly in the near future as legions of snakes begin to emerge from winter dormancy.  Keep your fingers crossed. 

Below are a couple of the smaller snakes I've seen crossing dikes so far - a rough green on the left, and a ribbon snake on the right.

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