Black snake and red squirrel.

[rmb...@istar.ca]

Got the photos downloaded from this afternoon's skirmish between red
squirrel and black snake.

When the snake fell on the ground it curled up and gave me "the look".
I said Snake, don't look at me, you did that to yourself. I was
thinking of going up to the kitchen and slicing off a couple strips of
the chicken that I had planned for supper, but the snake went up and
then into a hole in the tree and didn't come back out. I was worried
one of the young squirrels was in there but then saw both of them
scampering and chattering on the branches above.

Someday I'll figure out how to edit video to put onto my blog got a
couple minutes of the squirrel dancing around the snake.

Rose-Marie

[Bev Wigney]

Cool photos, Rose-Marie.  :)

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[V. Kirkwood]

Wow! I didn't realize that the snakes could climb the bark so well. I had in my mind a picture of them going up  branch to branch at the trunk, the way a child would. LOL

Valerie

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Visit my fine art photography page at http://valerie-kirkwood.fineartamerica.com/

[andrea...@sympatico.ca]

Great photos! There aren't that many rats about so a red squirrel would be
just the right size for a good meal. Too bad about the bushy tale though. I
assume they eat mice, voles, moles...? shrews ? I think not...

[rmb...@istar.ca]

Quoting andrea...@sympatico.ca:

> Great photos! There aren't that many rats about so a red squirrel would be
> just the right size for a good meal. Too bad about the bushy tale though. I
> assume they eat mice, voles, moles...? shrews ? I think not...

Black ratsnakes eat anything they can grab and swallow. I have a
couple that hang out in my garage in June and July and they clean the
mice right out. They climb up the trees and eat bird nestlings. I've
seen them eat frogs and field voles. One had caught a small rabbit
and squeezed it to death and then had to abandon it because it
couldn't swallow it. I just wish I had come across it before it had
killed the rabbit, it was only too obvious it couldn't handle
something that size. I don't interfere with nature but geez, what a
waste.

The one time I did interfere was rather comical. I was out at night
down by the lake taking photos of the stars and kept hearing this
squeaking. I shone my light into the "tree island" and saw something
rolling around. Here was this little wee mik snake about a foot long
or less that had taken hold of a full grown field vole and kept
wrapping itself around the vole. The vole would kick itself free and
try to run, and the snake would try wrapping around again. I grabbed
the vole by the scruff and held them both up and said "Really?!" and
pulled off the snake. I just wish I'd had my cellphone back then to
get some video of the struggle.

Rose-Marie