Cobirds:
This does indeed relate to birds. Read on....
These are over the last four days in Boulder County:
Green racer (Coluber constrictor) - 1 adult - Gunbarrel CO - struggling to
get traction on a concrete slab
Green racer (Coluber constrictor) - another adult - devouring a mouse -
Gunbarrel CO
Bullsnake (Pituophis melanoleucus) - 1 - large adult over 5 feet at Teller
Lake 5
Wandering garter snake (Thamnophis elegans) - 1 - at Teller Lake
Northern water snake (Nerodia sipedon) - 1 - in canal between Twin Lakes,
Gunbarrel CO
Western rattlesnake (Crotalus viridis) - 1 - Singletree Bike Trail,
Superior CO
Yep, the snakes are out. And this will be the best week to see them, as
they are coming out of underground burrows after all the snow held them
back. They're hungry and looking for mates. And they are declining all
over Colorado due to habitat loss.
Bullsnakes are particularly good bird hunters - using their incredible
sense of smell to locate nestlings and bird eggs. They will climb right up
a tree trunk using friction and muscles to get to the branches. I've seen
them take chickadees, robins, and hairy woodpeckers.
Rattlesnakes and racers occasionally take birds also, but more so small
mammals like rats and mice.
I know for some it's hard to stay the urge to interfere when you see a
snake take a bird - but remember this is part of the balance. And we need
snakes more than ever, as they continue to decline everywhere. Give them a
chance and you may be rewarded in seeing some phenomenon few take that time
to observe. If you begin to relish finding snakes the way you might relish
looking for baby great horned owls, then your on to something. Hurray for
the snakes!
John T (Tumasonis) of Louisville CO
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