They weren’t happy about that snake.
Three days ago my friend Shane and I found a couple of Say’s Phoebes that were repeatedly hovering in front of what I’m going to call a small ‘cave’ in the west desert. They would hover in front of the opening for perhaps five seconds or so, perch nearby to rest, and then hover in front of the cave again.
Documenting their hovering with photos I like was very difficult because the rocky background was so close to them and the contrast between the shade of the cave and the bright rocks in front was extreme. And of course when they were hovering they had their backs to me because they were looking at something in the cave that obviously upset them.
After a while Shane spotted what they were upset about. It was a gopher snake back in the dark depths of the small cave.
Only one time was one of the phoebes brave enough to land this close to the cave entrance. Here we see the top of the cave at the bottom of the frame, with the upset phoebe at upper right.
One of the very few sharp shots I got of a hovering phoebe. The bird is looking away from me because it’s concentrating on the cave and its menacing inhabitant.
Here one of the phoebes has just finished hovering and is beginning to accelerate away from the cave entrance at lower left. It’s the best phoebe flight shot I got where the bird is sharp and we can see its face and eye.
Between bouts of hovering they would perch in various places to rest. This one chose barbed wire very close to me.
It may look like the bird was calling but it wasn’t. It was panting (gular fluttering). Hovering is very hard work for songbirds and it didn’t help that it was beginning to get hot.
Notice that the phoebe in photo #1 is also panting.
After more than six minutes of bouts of hovering in front of the cave and then resting, both phoebes seemed to settle down a little. At this point they began to spend part of their time hunting bugs, before flying in front of the cave to check on the snake again. This bird is looking for insects in the grass below it.
I only had one brief look at the gopher snake, or at least most of it, in the cave. The next time I searched for it with my lens it had moved lower down where it was hidden by vegetation.
It was nice to see a gopher snake again, a living one at that. Usually when I see gopher snakes in that area, they’re roadkill.
Ron
Great shots and good eye, Shane! Glad the phoebes were eventually able to relax and forage. That’s one attractive snake too.
Marty, gopher snakes are strikingly handsome. I had a classroom gopher snake named Fred for years and he was a charmer. Usually…
That was my dad’s name! 😂 My classroom corn snake was named Bob.
Corn snakes are pretty neat too. Although I’ve never seen one in the wild. Rubber boas are my favorite snake of all time, but Fred was no slouch.
I am with the phoebes. Except that I give snakes a very wide berth – and unlike birds am at no risk from them unless I am careless or stupid.
“I give snakes a very wide berth”
You’re far from alone in that, EC.
Love the story! Would the Says have had their nest in that cave and it was too late? Beautiful pictures!
It’s possible but I’d say it was unlikely, Beth.
Say’s Phoebes sometimes nest in caves but it’s a stretch to say this was a cave. It was more like just a small alcove in a rocky face. Besides, if there had been a nest there I think one of us would have seen it.
Nice series and observation. I am glad you are sharing your knowledge with Shane. Between the two of you looking I imagine you will find great photo opportunities.
Thank you, April.
Shane most definitely has better eyesight than I do. He spotted the snake, and a Swainson’s Hawk in a tree, before I did. And he was sitting in the back seat where it’s much harder to see.
Sensational series!
Charlotte Norton
Thanks.
Very interesting, Ron! Do you think they might have had a nest nearby that caused them concern about the snake? It doesn’t seem like they themselves would be in danger from the snake. Pretty birds, with their cinnamon bellies.
Thanks, Carolyn. See my response to Kris, below.
Wonderful shots of the Phoebes, Ron! They have good reason to not like the snake that is, probably, interested in eggs or babies! We have an issue with them in the trees about the time the 2nd hatch of Robins is underway…….. That will attract every bird in the area….
Thanks, Judy. The only snakes we had on the MT farm, that I ever saw, were garter snakes.
Do you think the Phoebes had a nest nearby ? Did you spot it ?
It seems to me that they wouldn’t put such exhausting effort into
driving away just any random snake–it must have presented an imminent threat………..
Kris, they may have and I looked for one but didn’t see it.
If they did, neither bird went to it while I was there.
Love the shots and the info. Thanks as usual.
Good. Thanks, Burrdoo.