Western Diamond backed Rattlesnake

Posted by mlgray12 on Sun Jun 28, 2020 3:31 pm

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I love photographing snakes - they rarely if ever co-operate
Found this about 4 footer just resting on a rock above a pond on a friend's Ranch - when we approached it slowly went from stretched out warming on the rock to full defensive position and not once did it actually rattle (one suspected reason is ones that rattle get killed by us or eaten by feral hogs) so ones that don't rattle survive
Wish had more depth of field - but I managed to keep both tail and head in focus
Was super fun watching him slowly move into this position - after we left he headed back down into the rocks

D850, 500mm f/5.6 PF at 1/320 sec f/11 at ISO 1600

Michael L. Gray
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by Cynthia Crawford on Mon Jun 29, 2020 7:44 am

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You're brave to attempt this! It doesn't look too friendly! Nice to see the whole snake with tongue and rattle. Cool shot!

Cynthia (Cindy) Crawford-Moderator, Photo & Digital Art
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by Carol Clarke on Mon Jun 29, 2020 10:15 am

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Nice pose and detail of the colours and markings, I wish that tuft of grass wasn't there - but not a sensible spot to do any weed removal!

Carol.

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by mlgray12 on Mon Jun 29, 2020 12:21 pm

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Carol Clarke wrote:Nice pose and detail of the colours and markings, I wish that tuft of grass wasn't there - but not a sensible spot to do any weed removal!

Carol.

If I had a trimer with a minimum of 3' of length - the snake would probably let me cut those without leaving - he was actually appeared pretty calm ( I use 1/2 of snake length plus another foot for safety - typical assessment is snake can effectively strike about 1/3 its body length) No real reason to get that closer unless you need to catch the thing - good snake sticks are usually about 3 ft long- Would think twice about using a 3 ft snake stick if it was one of the Diamondbacks that get over 7 feet long - Not sure I am that brave
Thanks for your comments

Michael L. Gray
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by Ron Day on Mon Jun 29, 2020 2:09 pm

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Excellent pose and detail, Michael. And good timing to catch the tongue out.

Ron Day www.rondayphotography.com

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by Carol Clarke on Mon Jun 29, 2020 3:12 pm

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mlgray12 wrote:
Carol Clarke wrote:Nice pose and detail of the colours and markings, I wish that tuft of grass wasn't there - but not a sensible spot to do any weed removal!

Carol.
If I had a trimer with a minimum of 3' of length - the snake would probably let me cut those without leaving - he was actually appeared pretty calm ( I use 1/2 of snake length plus another foot for safety - typical assessment is snake can effectively strike about 1/3 its body length) No real reason to get that closer unless you need to catch the thing - good snake sticks are usually about 3 ft long- Would think twice about using a 3 ft snake stick if it was one of the Diamondbacks that get over 7 feet long - Not sure I am that brave
Thanks for your comments

Very interesting information, Michael. Thanks !

Carol.

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by Gene Gwin on Mon Aug 24, 2020 10:47 am

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Michael,
Interesting, in South Texas I've never seen one that did not rattle at some point. Once they know you're there, you're not a threat, and they're not agitated, they rarely if ever rattle. It's interesting how docile some Rattlesnakes are. It's a real shame, at least in Texas, that they have Rattlesnake roundups. A nice image.

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