Snakes still scare the heck out of me when I find them in the wild. Yesterday we were exploring a nature trail, focusing on finding Southestern Five-lined Skinks when the grass moved more than it should have.
Snake!
I asked the children to step back and I inspected the area carefully. Within moments this Black Racer came slithering out of the shrubline.
The Black Racer was in hunting mode, tongue sliding in and out, hyper aware and focusing on finding food.
I was ready to move away quick if needed, but tried to walk the line of being close enough to get some good shots but not so close that I might not have time to react from an attack.
He turned out to be a decent size, perhaps 2.5 feet.
He came further out than I would have expected with me standing nearby. It turns out he was in the hunting zone.
Here is a nice shot with his tongue out.
The end of the photoshoot was exciting. It looks like the Black Racer may have also been looking for Skinks. He found one and lashed out - the Skink jumped into the air and took off faster than any Skink I have ever seen move. My daughter followed that Skink and his tail was gone, and the release (they drop them when in danger) was fresh.
All pictures taken by 