It's that time of year again...

...when the snakes come back out.  With all the woods around us, the rocky terrace, and plenty of lizards and woodland rodents for food, our snake population is healthy.  We've identified garter snakes, rough green snakes, king snakes, and copperheads over the years.  This year, the rat snakes are the first ones we've seen. 

Joel noticed this fellow in a shrub over by the fence.  He was probably 4 feet long but it was hard to tell as he just hung out in the branches, his body all curled up.

Then, early this past Sunday morning, I looked up from the porch swing and saw this sight.  I'm afraid this fellow, smaller than the one in the photo above, may have eaten a phoebe baby from the nest above the outside porch light for breakfast.  Or he may have feasted on one of the lizards or skinks that frequent the sunny deck.  Whatever he'd eaten, it had filled his belly and made him quite sluggish.  He was still on his perch later when we returned from church.  Coty dislodged him from his spot with a broom handle and returned him to the brush.  I don't mind most of the snakes that share our property.  Actually, I appreciate that they eat mice and other pests, but I'd prefer they do their hunting outside and leave the porch to me!