There was this great idea I had and was going to write about today. Now I can't remember what it was. I like to sit here with our garage door open, staring out into the canyon below. Neighbors stroll past on their daily walks providing an opportunity to say hello.
Other than the cars coming in to park from our neighbors around us, it's a peaceful place to sit and write. A cool breeze blows by and I can think. Our kids like to come out of the back to run or play outside. It's safer than the front with all the cars that speed by too fast. Or so we thought until today.
I Want My Baby Diamond Back
There were a couple posts on the neighborhood (Nextdoor) App showing some rattlers in the area. It's funny, cause this got me thinking a day or two back that we could very well see a rattle next in our backyard.
Besides the cars and the people passing by on their walks, we do have some other kids nearby. They set up their caution signs for drivers and play out back. I can see them from where I sit.
As I sat down to write about my lost idea today, I noticed our neighbors looking at something in the grass. It was the dad from a couple units down with his little boy, acting kinda strange.
I didn't think much of it until he walked up and showed me what they had found. This, my friends, is a baby Southern Pacific Rattlesnake.
AKA A Gray Diamond Back
Finding one of these snakes behind our townhouse is a cause for concern, but not that uncommon of an occurrence. Considering the amount of undeveloped square footage in the canyon beyond us, I'm surprised it hasn't happened already.
We had a pet Black Hooded Rat seek shelter in our garage last weekend who we have now adopted. With the coyotes, hawks, and rattlers out there, it's a good thing he did.
Other names for this snake are the Mountain Rattler, Pacific Rattler, San Diegan Rattler, and the Black Diamond Rattler. They go by the scientific name, Crotalus oreganus helleri
Interesting Tid Bits
For those that don't have to worry about extremely venomous snakes in the vicinity, we are rather used to them in San Diego. The ones we worry about are the juveniles, just like this guy.
We have a couple good reasons for our concerns:
Baby rattlers have undeveloped rattles making them impossible to hear. They aren't very big either, which makes them harder to spot.
Young rattlers don't have control over the release of their venom. When they bite, they don't deliver a small shot. They release all the venom in their glands.
A healthy adult would have a good chance of surviving a bite from this little reptile. But a young child or an elderly person could be in real trouble, fighting for their lives.
Captured & Released
With each passing day I grow more fond of our new pet rat. That doesn't make me a fan of the wild rodent population around us. It didn't make sense to kill this snake because they control the rodents. The hawks and coyotes do their part as well.
Our neighbor was worried about releasing the rattler anywhere close to our homes. I was glad he let it go and happy that he took a walk far down into the canyon below to do so.
He was cool enough to let me take these photos on his way. As I walked back home through the grass, I couldn't help but think how helpful the forsaken dog poop 💩 really was. It keeps me on my toes enough to also watch out for baby rattlers! 🤣
Hope you enjoyed the Sunday reptile show!
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