Hello tweeters,

The subject today is about a Snake I saw on Saturday in Schouweiler Chehalis Wildlife.I went back there again this for early Dragonflies.Since we had the Swift Forktail on the 4th there it was an early record since the last record was April 10th.
It was kind of windy and there was nothing out in front.I took the flooded road what is straight down.The water was quite high and Patrick forgot his rubber boots.All what I took was my net and the binoculars.I did not saw a single Dragonflies,and I was ready to turning back since the road ahead was more flooded yet.I had to stop,as I saw something so striking beautiful colorful snake I ever encountered in all my life.The Snake was large what was also amazing he stood on the edge of the road in good view.He stood silent no move at all the head and neck or partly of the body was straight up.It was so amazing and I stud and observed this creature to the fullest.On the head he had a reddish orange cup,the shin was green a light green he also had a big eye.The body was long and very thick.I also noticed that on one part of the body it was super thick and swollen.(It come to me later that the snake probable had a meal and trying to digesting the prey)What also stood out was the bright yellow stripe what was running from the middle of the body from head to all the end of his body The dark in the body was marked with single red dorsal.
I basically never looking at snakes but this snake was so brightly marked,that I stood there for the longest time.At one point I figured maybe I could catch this snake with my big net,but what it would be if I failed,this snake easily wiggled him out of this net.I was also scared for snakes since I never ever looked at snakes,I would not know how to handle them either.stupid Patrick finally responded to my calls,but refused to come, two other birders also was there no one want to going to the water.So I had no other choice to going back and maybe trying for a photo.Halve way back I looked back and the snake was in the same position neck and head straight up.But as I returned I could not find him.I looked all around the edges close to the march and I finally saw the bright yellow stripe on the body what was shining like neon lights follow the stripe I saw the head.But the vision was not so good since the snake was in tall grass.I took few photos but it was impossible to get the bright orange head right.Also the light condition was not in my favor.
At home I looked at two books ,one of them is "The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Reptiles &Amphibians." Dave The other is "National Audubon Society Fieldguide to the Pacific Northwest."One stood out in one of the books the bright head looks like this snake exactly on page 543 nr,541 in Reptiles and Amphibians.But the red dorsal all in one big stripe don't match my Snake where there more single dorsal.I looked the snake over at close range for the longest time .It will going under the Common Garter Snake where there have 9 subspecies for different areas.I hope even so the photos are not showing the whole snake that some one in tweeterland knowing snakes well come up with some ID. It is a good message and 3 photos of the snake on the website. The website is : http://www.pbase.com/godwit/april05photos/

Cheers Ruth Sullivan
Tacoma