Baby Rattler at Camp Tejas

While birding at Camp Tejas on Lake Georgetown this afternoon, Danielle came across this little baby Western Diamondback rattle snake sunning itself on the path. Threatened, it slithered off to the side of the trail and assumed a defensive posture. I have read that the number of rattles cannot be used to age a snake since the end can wear off. This one, however, still has the "button" on the end and only a couple of additional rings. The snake was about 1/2" in diameter and perhaps 14" long. Seems like it is probably still in its first year.  We left the snake in peace and continued looking for late afternoon birds.

Danielle posted a video at https://youtu.be/T-HbBLlUCts.

Oh, and there were some birds to be seen too, though they pale in comparison. We spent some time watching this American Kestrel perching and hunting from across the river. This very magnified sequence is the bird just after a kill. Even with the spotting scope, we were not sure what its prey was.

We also saw both White-crowned and White-throated sparrows but no other species of "winter sparrows." We got a few nice shots of the White-crowned sparrow.