This is a cautionary note.
Today we traveled to Skyline Drive for what has become an annual "the
day-before-Father's Day outing." Dense fog eventually lifted and by late
morning temps had climbed into the low 60's at the higher elevations.
At a popular overlook a short distance north of the Afton entrance we pulled
in to take in the scenery. A male towhee was singing on an exposed branch
close to the stone wall along the outer edge of the parking lot, providing a
wonderful photo op. Grabbing up camera, I got out of the van and slowly
moved round toward the passenger side. For the next few minutes I tried to
photograph the towhee, including taking a few short steps back to van to
switch out lenses. The towhee flew down and I walked back up to the wall to
set camera on top of the stone wall. I happened to look down and saw it
stretched out along the base of the wall directly in front of my feet less
6" away - a snake, about 3 feet long. I remained calm and may have softly
said "snake" to alert my husband and dad still inside the van. We both
remained motionless, me taking in the details and the snake flicking it's
black forked tongue. The snake was very dark, almost blackish, with a
darker pattern along back. Black snake? Then I noticed the pale tan tail
tip held upright. I tried to recall junior high school biology lesson on
"How to identify a poisonous snake?" I remember telling the instructor I
had no intention to get that close to see if it had pits under the eyes.
Head, what's the shape of the head? Wide triangular-shaped! Holy !~@#!!
Then the tail, with approximately 10 buttons rattled. I managed to remain
calm and slowly backed up as the Timber Rattler moved into the "coiled and
ready to strike" stance while rattling its tail. A few other vehicles
pulled up and from a safe distance several of us took photographs.
Timber Rattlers are typically secretive in nature, preferring to remain
quiet and reluctant to rattle. They are considered notably docile when
compared to other rattler species but can become defensive if disturbed and
when vision is impaired during molting cycle. Photographs revealed the eyes
of the rattler were glazed over, indicating the start of a molting cycle.
Concerned for the safety of other park visitors, we maintained a vigil until
the snake eventually moved a very short distance away, disappearing inside a
good sized opening in the stone wall right behind the right post of the
overlook's information billboard! From what images show, the hollowed out
section of the stone wall made the perfect snake den!
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Brenda Tekin
Charlottesville, VA
"Leave behind what you find; if you must take something, take pictures."
Digital Photography, including Birds of Virginia:
http://www.birdsofvirginia.com
