[texbirds] FW: Re: FW: Laffite's Cove Saturday & Sunday
- From: Clay Taylor <Clay.Taylor@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: "texbirds@xxxxxxxxxxxxx" <Texbirds@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Mon, 16 Sep 2013 23:02:30 -0400
I concur with Lee - you really have to tick off a Cottonmouth before they get
nasty.
True Cottonmouth Story - in 1982, I was leading my second birding tour for
National Audubon - it was 11 Dutch birders in FL for two weeks.
The very first stop we made was alongside US 1 in the keys, to look at an
Osprey nest on a telephone pole alongside the road. There was a dirt road
alongside Rt 1, so I stopped the van well away from the highway, and the crew
got out. The leader had a 400mm telephoto lens, so he wandered away from the
van to get a better angle on the nest.
He stepped into the grasses, and a second later he called out "hey, I just
stepped on a snake!" I went over to see what it was, and sure enough there
was a coiled up Cottonmouth! It did not crawl away or act aggressively, but
it did open its mouth wide to show that bright white lining, as if to say "I
gave you your chance, now leave me alone!" We did.
Boy, was I glad we didn't have to make a trip back to Miami with a snakebite
victim!
Clay Taylor
TOS Life Member
Calallen (Corpus Christi), TX
Clay.taylor@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
-----Original Message-----
From: texbirds-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:texbirds-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On
Behalf Of Lee Hoy
Sent: Monday, September 16, 2013 9:07 PM
To: brushfreeman@xxxxxxxxx; adewittpatton@xxxxxxx
Cc: spkelley@xxxxxxxxx; Dean.Silvers@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx; texbirds
(texbirds@xxxxxxxxxxxxx)
Subject: [texbirds] Re: FW: Laffite's Cove Saturday & Sunday
Texbirders,
Well, fact is, having worked with cottonmouths extensively for past 15 years, I
can honestly say they are one of the most mild-mannered snakes you will ever
encounter (and most other experienced herpers will tell you the same). A
normal water snake species (Nerodia sp.) are much more likely to bite and do
NOT like being handled. Cottonmouths are the least aggressive of all the
venomous snakes in the state. You would probably have to handle, step on or
harass to get bit. I have kept several and never had a problem with any of
them. If you are out birding and encounter one, do not panic (true for all our
venomous snakes), you are not going to be bit, it wants to get away from you.
For bird watching, the only venomous snake you really need to worry about is
the Western-diamondback Rattlesnake. Keep in mind they can only strike about
1/3 the length of their body when coiled, even less when crawling.
The Prairie Rattlesnake is a bit hyper compared to WDB.
Over 1/2 of all envenomations are to males age 20 to 40 who are inebriated.
Yea, go figure.
Birders, just beware of where you step and where you place your hands.
Statistically, and yes, you can verify this, you are more likely to be killed
by a vending machine than a venomous snake.
If anyone encounters a snake while birding, please feel free to text me a photo
(512.635.6925) and I will be happy to ID for you.
Lee Hoy
Georgetown, TX
On 9/16/13 8:57 PM, "Brush Freeman" <brushfreeman@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>Yeah, freaks me out too...I can find a bird any day of the week, a nice
>Cottonmouth hardly ever...Assuming the ID is correct given all the
>harmless look alikes.
>**********************************************************************
>Brush Freeman
>503-551-5150 Cell
>http://texasnaturenotes.blogspot.com/
>Finca Alacranes., Utley,Texas
>
>
>On Mon, Sep 16, 2013 at 8:47 PM, Alton Patton <adewittpatton@xxxxxxx>
>wrote:
>
>> If you have ever encountered a cottonmouth you know that they are
>>very bad tempered and aggressive . Those drips where the snakes are
>>are too close for comfort. Somebody is likely to get bit. But I guess
>>that is also nature
>> at work. Personally I'll take a bird over a cottonmouth any day.
>>
>> Sent from my iPhone
>>
>> On Sep 16, 2013, at 8:19 PM, "Sean Paul Kelley" <spkelley@xxxxxxxxx>
>> wrote:
>>
>> > Dean, et. al:
>> > Not trying to troll you but asking a serious question: why would
>> > you
>>want
>> > to harm the snake? It's natural that the bird is its prey. It's the
>> circle
>> > of life. This is something I don't understand about birders and
>>birding.
>> > The death of a bird is marked as a tragedy, but of other animals
>>little
>> is
>> > said, especially such animals that humans find abhorrent or fear?
>>Does a
>> > bird, because of its color, or feather, or light bones have some
>> intrinsic
>> > value that makes it more worthy than the snake? Aren't all the
>> > animals essential portions of an ecosystem?
>> >
>> > If we are all there to enjoy the fullness of nature, then which one
>> > is
>> the
>> > worse death: the bird preying on the poor innocent worm or
>> > caterpillar
>> just
>> > chilling around munching on leaves, or the snake eating the bird?
>> > Or
>>the
>> > Red-tailed Hawk eating the snake?
>> >
>> > I'm genuinely curious about this. Or perhaps your concerns for the
>>snakes
>> > were for the health of the human observers?
>> >
>> > Lastly, if I have interpreted your email incorrectly, my apologies,
>>but
>> yet
>> > I have seen other birders react in similar ways and am genuinely
>>curious
>> as
>> > to why?
>> >
>> > Regards,
>> >
>> > Sean Paul Kelley
>> > Central San Antonio
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >> As the mosquitos have abated, the only drawback was the several
>> >> large Cottonmouth Water Moccasins. On Saturday morning two large
>> >> snakes, intertwined with each other and raised up off the ground.
>> >> We assume
>>they
>> >> were mating. On Sunday, the snakes were in and around the drips.
>> >> It
>>was
>> a
>> >> tense experience watching beautiful warblers coming to the drips
>> >> when
>> the
>> >> snakes were there. Until late Sunday afternoon, no warblers were
>>taken,
>> but
>> >> around 6:30 we saw a snake, with a warbler in its mouth, at the
>>second
>> >> drip. Obviously, we are not allowed off the trails to intervene.
>> >> So,
>>I
>> am
>> >> hoping this e-mail helps bring attention to the matter.
>> >
>> >
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