The warm temperatures and sun brought out the snakes at Willow on Thursday. They were swimming in the river under the bridge, but the real treat was the number at the base of the climbs. The first one was spotted at my feet as I lowered Ward. No idea how long it was there as I was being a good belayer (for a change) and watching the climber. Closer inspection of the area indicated that they were sunning themselves in and around all the rocks in the area. No huge ones. All were about 3 to 4 feet in length.
Betsey showed up to climb and was totally into seeing the snakes. She indicated that there is one day each year when they all come out. No good pictures I had a hard time getting close enough to get pictures with my phone. Maybe next year!
Mike, is this what you saw? I got this from the Wisconsin DNR site:
“Brown, or Dekay's, snakes will be on the move with warmer weather. These small, docile snakes that feed on worms, slugs, and snails generally exhibit a major migration from their winter hibernacula in late April.”
(Added by Richard 4/25/09)
2 comments:
looks similar but larger than a brown. I'm pretty sure they were bull snakes.
Don't hurt them or you'll be in trouble.
"Tim Wilder, Fort McCoy Endangered Species biologist, said the state of Wisconsin lists the snake as a protected species, meaning it is illegal to kill them. In Wisconsin, the snake is found in a range of land that runs along the southwest and western borders of the state."
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