Snakes in the Basement, Bird in the Gutter
Finding the occasional snake in our basement is fairly routine, nearly always on the floor. I did once find one coiled behind some conduit descending from the ceiling to a light switch I was reaching towards but that was exceptional. Today was even more exciting. A pair of four-foot fox snakes tangled together in a ball, falling from the basement ceiling. Had they been making baby snakes somewhere in the rafters and effectively fallen out of bed? Don't snake balls usually contain more than two snakes? Luckily I happened to be far enough away and looking in the right direction to see them drop. Even more luckily my beloved was far from the action behind some shelving units. They were evicted per usual procedure.
And then there is the mourning dove we discovered tending her nest with two eggs in our gutters.We are unsure whether to chase her off for her own sake or leave her to take her chances. She is no particular problem for us since she is at the end farthest from the downspout but it does not seem an ideal location for her. We will probably leave her be.
[ETA 2012-Apr-09]
And the next day we had to give the bum's rush to some three-foot black snake before the workday began. Our impression was that of a melanistic massasauga rattler but the tail tapered and had no rattles. We did not think to look for the pits.
This was originally posted on Dreamwidth.
And then there is the mourning dove we discovered tending her nest with two eggs in our gutters.We are unsure whether to chase her off for her own sake or leave her to take her chances. She is no particular problem for us since she is at the end farthest from the downspout but it does not seem an ideal location for her. We will probably leave her be.
[ETA 2012-Apr-09]
And the next day we had to give the bum's rush to some three-foot black snake before the workday began. Our impression was that of a melanistic massasauga rattler but the tail tapered and had no rattles. We did not think to look for the pits.
This was originally posted on Dreamwidth.