While visiting a small eastern Nebraska lake last Friday with my son, we saw numerous northern water snakes along a rocky dam. We decided to catch a few for some pictures. All were photographed and released unharmed. They were not amused though, and did not suffer the indignity of capture without a fight. That's what I like about them - they don't take crap from anyone(all of the blood in the pictures is mine 
).
Scrambling around quietly on hands and knees on unstable rocks to sneak up on them, making a desperate lunge trying not to fall into the water, and hopefully grabbing them at mid-body with one hand before they dive into the water or a rock crevice makes for an adventure. It also makes you look completly ridiculous. We got some very odd looks from people fishing on the bank. This one tagged me 3 times before I could stand up and get 2 hands on it to get it under control. If any of them had been bigger the carnage probably would have been much worse. Oh well, you gotta be willing to suffer for your art, and in the words of my old field biology professor, "herpin' ain't for sissies".
Here is a slightly blurry belly pic
Resting on a rock a few feet off shore
Also ran across a nice ~4.5' Pituophis. Tame as a kitten, unlike the Nerodia.
Not a bad haul for ditching an afternoon of work and spending 2 hours goofing off with your boy. I highly recommend putting it on your list of things to do this summer. It was the most fun I've had in a long time.
Cheers,
MZ
