Gone Fishin'

We saw this Great Blue Heron one evening last week at Bur-Mil Park. We were riding our bikes along the greenway when we spotted the heron along the shore with a fish in its bill. It obliged us by moving to the middle of the pond where we were able to get several photos.

Snakes Alive!

The black rat snake was curled into the corner of the fireplace, minding its own business. It had likely eaten chimney swifts nesting in the home and was settling down to digest its meal.
The family that lives in the house in a rural area outside Asheboro has grown accustomed to snakes and other wildlife over the years. And while they don’t mind the rat snake hanging out in the crawl space, they draw the line at it taking up residence in the living room, next to the recliner and the magazine rack.
Housing inspectors are usually happy to find a rat snake in the crawl space under a house. It means there aren’t any rats or other rodents. Yet, most of us prefer not to think about what might be in the dark, dank corners under our houses. And most of us would probably prefer a mouse to a six-foot long snake even though a mouse can chew through wiring and cause a fire.
I’ve developed a fondest for snakes since I’ve been at the rehab center. I move them off biking and hiking trails. Where once I watched for them in fear, I now count myself lucky to see one in the wild.
Armed with a snake hook and a pillowcase, another volunteer and I went out to collect the snake. First we had to get it out of the fireplace. Then we had to check it for injuries.
The other volunteer has rescued at least one other snake, so of the two of us, he was the expert. My job was to hold the pillowcase open while he put the snake in, to either transport it to the rehab center or to release it outside the home.
Black rat snakes are extremely muscular, and, well, slippery. It took about 10 minutes to gently pull the snake from its corner. A quick examination showed it to be healthy.
With the snake heavy in the pillowcase, we walked through the backyard where the meadow meets a wooded area and turned the snake loose. A beautiful sight to see it moving through the tall grass, its bluish-black skin shimmering in the sunlight.