Backyard Snake #1
There was some excitement in our yard yesterday, and excitement in the house as well, as we got to watch this snake for about 15 minutes.
Although we get a lot of birds, rabbits, and lizards in our small urban yard this is our first snake. Frankly we’re surprised we haven’t had a rattlesnake yet as we know a few folks who have had them.
My wife called me out to see our visitor with great excitement: she’d noticed movement on the cinder block wall that separates us from our closest neighbor and was surprised when it turned out to be a snake instead of an expected lizard. After grabbing the my binoculars to get a look I also grabbed the camera and 300/2.8 plus 2x converter and got the tripod up in a hurry. Light is always an issue in this area: the houses are close and the large tree on our lot between the houses blocks a lot of the light. I started shooting at ISO 400 but quickly stepped up to ISO 800, and even with the lens wide open at f/5.6 I could only manage a shutter speed of 1/80th to 1/100th of a second. I was also forced to shoot through the dirty non optical quality window glass here, so image quality isn’t the best for this sequence.
Backyard Snake #2
I estimate the snake was three to four feet in length – we never did get to see it fully in the open or stretched out completely on top of the wall. At first it kept much of the body hidden in the leaves of a shrub that just barely tops the wall. It was very alert and kept checking down both sides of the wall. AS shown in the second image it sometimes lifted its head above the wall for a better view ahead.
Backyard Snake #3
It reversed direction at one point, giving us a view of the other side of its head, and went back towards the shrub.
Then it was discovered by a Northern Mockingbird who immediately went on the attack. The mockingbird flew towards the snake and it looked like it actually hit it once or twice, all the time flaring its wings and squawking. The snake rapidly retreated, turned around, and dropped off the walltop into the shrub, quickly reached the ground, passed behind the trunk of the tree, and disappeared into the green stuff growing at the base of the wall. Although we watched closely for some time we never saw the snake again.
I dug out my copies of A Field Guide to Amphibians and Reptiles in Arizona, and A Field Guide to Amphibians and Reptiles of Maricopa County, both by Thomas C. Brennan and Andrew T. Holycross and available from the Arizona Game and Fish Department. I also checked out the snake section on Thomas Brennan’s web site. But I confess I find snake ID a lot harder than bird ID, and I am at a loss as to the identity of our backyard visitor.
So, if anyone viewing this blog post can tell me exactly what this snake is please leave a comment and let all of us know.
Update 7/4/09:
After alerting the AZ/NM birding listserv to this blog post and asking for input I received replies from a number of people, both in the comments here and as personal or public email messages. The responses were overwhelming for coachwhip, as seen in this summary:
- Coachwhip (aka Masticophis flagellum, aka Coluber flagellum) 15
- Red Racer (a form of coachwhip) 1
- Striped Whipsnake 2
- Sonoran Whipsnake 4
- Whipsnake 1
- Garter Snake 1
- Long-nosed Snake 1
- Bull Snake 1
Here’s one of the public messages:
Just to put this issue to rest. It is a Coachwhip. I have observed this species from all over the Southwest for 40 years, and have seen many resembling this critter. This is a very typical-looking Coachwhip in color, pattern and gestalt. Being the herpetology collections manager at the University of Arizona, I have access to over 500 specimens, many of which are dead ringers for the subject snake.
Thanks
George Bradley
I am always impressed by the strong interest in all things natural to be found in the realms of birding, and by the extensive knowledge possessed by so many “birders.”
