SSSnake – Eastern Rat Snake Scotophis alleghaniensis

This afternoon I was getting ready to sit down in the yard to take some bird pictures and this guy slithered up alongside me.

Eastern Rat snakes can grow up to 8 feet long, this one is between 5 and 6 feet.

Usually they are pretty slow moving, but this one didn’t want to be caught.

They like to come indoors this time of year and also early fall.

I always try and catch them when they are close to the house so my wife doesn’t get any surprises when doing laundry in the basement.

Another reason I catch and relocate them is my dog Betty. She is a curious pup and I wouldn’t want her to get bit while trying to take a closer look.

Although not venomous, a bite from one of these guys can be nasty. Remember to wash your hands after handling too. This one looks like he’s trying to whistle.

After this photo op I walked him back to the woods and released him far from our house, but I’ll probably see him again before the summer is up. Watch your step!

The 25th Day of August 2011

Our newest tower. This is the rear range light tower at Tide Point. It is one of 2 towers that have navigational lights to guide ships into the harbor from the Key bridge. We tore down the old one here and erected this one making it taller and sturdier. The front range tower is located on Fort McHenry.

Touching up the Ravens logo with paint.

Some of our workers getting ready to run cable near the stadium suites.

More artistic paint work.

This small snake was an unwelcome surprise included in a bag of mulch. My son Mike used a small hole in the bag to open it up to pour on a flowerbed. As soon as he stuck his finger in there and tore the bag open, this snake slithered out with a frog in its mouth. By the time I gave him my camera, it had already swallowed the amphibian whole. The frog is that first bump in the snake’s body next to its head.

Shy from all the picture taking, the snake seeks shelter in a nearby boxwood.