We did a little exploring tonight West of Phoenix and found a new leg to our “close to home” route, as well as a few snakes! Totals:
2 Western Diamondbacks (Crotalus atrox)
3 Mojave Rattlesnakes (Crotalus scutulatus), 2 DOR
2 Sonoran Sidewinders (Crotalus cerastes cercobombus), 1 DOR
… nothing spectaular, but a good turnout for a first night out, down in the low 70’s.
When we found the first atrox, I moved it off the road for some photos. When we got to the side of the road, the bushes to my right also started buzzing with the second atrox of the evening! Obviously we were pretty excited that our first snake of the year ended up having a buddy. We got a few pictures of the first one, and then a few of the second, and left them alone.
#1:
#2:
A pretty, young Mojave Rattlesnake (Crotalus scutulatus) with an X on the tail:
A Very Calm Adult Sonoran Sidewinder (Crotalus cerastes cercobombus):
I’ve got some night-time practice to do with my camera, but otherwise a productive start to the year.
Tags: atrox, cerastes, Crotalus, Crotalus atrox, Crotalus cerastes, crotalus cerastes cercobombus, Crotalus scutulatus, Diamondback, mohave, mohave rattlesnake, mojave, mojave rattlesnake, rattlesnake, scut, scutulatus, sidewinder, sonoran sidewinder
