This female Giant Garter Snake is about to give birth, judging by the looks of her mid-section. It’s pretty rare to find Giant Garter Snakes this exposed, and even more rare to find one that has coloration this beautiful. She was found on the Conservancy’s Frazer North tract, doing what scientists call “thermoregulating.” That is, trying to warm up her early-morning cold blood by sunning herself. Note also that there are no scars from otters, ibis or other creatures that like to rough these guys up. There is no sign of nematode problems either. Truly, this is about as perfect a specimen as you will find.
They’re back!
We are so pleased to see one of the NBHCP’s “Covered Species,” the Burrowing owl (Athene cunicularia), back on Conservancy property! Going back 15 years, the owl used to be seen frequently on Conservancy mitigation lands. At the time, we documented too-common depredation of them by dogs from nearby residential… Continue Reading They’re back!