It is no secret that baby season is upon us in California. The week of rain that had washed the Bay Area finally let up and resulted in a mild temperature, beautiful, sunny Friday in the hills of San Mateo and Santa Clara county. I went out today with the thought of hundreds of baby herps littering the field. This was not the case, as only 4 snakes were found. However, as I have always believed in, quality certainly surpasses quantity.
The first snake found today was a gorgeous, yet in-shed, baby Western Yellow Bellied Racer (Coluber constrictor mormon). This particular specimen must have been from last year, as the brilliant neonate pattern has started to fade. A beautiful find, none the less.
Western Yellow Bellied Racer (C.constrictor mormon)- San Mateo County
Following the little speedster was a rather large baby Pacific Gophersnake (Pituophis catenifer catenifer). Again, probably a young of last year, as this fiesty little fellow was quite large at about 10 inches long.
Pacific Gophersnake (P.catenifer catenifer)- San Mateo County
Not satisfied with just two snakes (albiet stunning individuals), I traveled south to Santa Clara county. The weather was heating up...the race was on!
First snake of the county was a TINY Pacific Ringnecked Snake (Diadophis punctatus amabilis). This snake was seriously tiny. I wish I had a dime as a reference to its size.
Pacific Ringnecked Snake (D.punctatus amabilis)- Santa Clara county
Now for the finale of my outting.
A flash of red/black/white amongst a sea of pine-needles and oak leaves is what I have dreamt about constantly ever since my first encounter with these jewels of the mountains. That very image became a reality again today...
"My name is Zach and I am a zonata-holic"
Coast Mountain Kingsnake (Lampropeltis zonata multifasciata)- Santa Clara County
As I marveled at this tiny treasure, my good friend yells from the distance- "Z!". Yup. Another zonata. however, this one was super heated by the midday sun and retreated into a crack! Well, atleast I was able to snap a few pictures of my first zonata of the year!
Nothing in my mind beats finding a zonata (well, nothing beats my first encounter of a breeding pair found in San Mateo county last year). I was beyond happy today.
Actually, nothing beats field herping. The smell and sound of nature. The birds. The warm air. The musk of the most beautiful snake in all of California.
