Long, Winding Road to Short, Winding Rattlesnake

I learned several years ago that every hobby has its risks. Birding is no exception and my first encounter with a Mojave Rattlesnake last week in Nevada's Kane Springs Valley drove that reality home again. It turned out to be a safe and fascinating experience, but wearing short pants, not being familiar with the sound of a rattler vs an insect, taking one more step or any combination of the above circumstances could have drastically altered the experience and entire weekend. Mojave Rattlesnakes are reported to be one of the most dangerous pit vipers in North America. Their venom is not just hemotoxic, but is neurotoxic as well, attacking the central nervous system.

My friend, Eric Peterson, and I had planned a trip from northern Utah to Las Vegas last weekend so we could find and photograph some fun desert birds. Massive amounts of rain and subsequent flooding days prior to our scheduled departure wiped out parts of I-15 near Moapa, Nevada. The interstate was shut down so traffic was being diverted between Las Vegas and southern Utah. Eric and I are adventurous so we welcomed a good reason to create our own detour that took us west toward Great Basin National Park in Nevada from Delta, Utah. We saw Wheeler Peak, the highest peak in Nevada as we passed north of Great Basin National Park. We wandered through the eastern part of central Nevada on what is known as The Loneliest Road in America, US 50. We headed south from US 50 on US 93.

After passing through the small town of Caliente we spent some time looking for birds at Kershaw-Ryan State Park. From there we decided to detour from US 93 to State Road 317. A "Road Closed" sign caused me some hesitation at first, but a local whom we happened upon told us the road would take us back to a more southern point of US 93. We were told it would save time over following 93 all the way down to I-15 north of Vegas, but we also knew the road would turn to dirt and gravel and did have "some rough spots". It was a road less traveled so we also realized we'd likely stop and explore for wildlife along the way so "short cut" was not really our purpose for taking the road. 

We saw a small wash that was bordered by trees as we were passing through Kane Springs Valley so we stopped to explore. Eric and I often separate slightly as we traverse desert terrain in order to increase our odds of finding something interesting. Eric flushed an accipiter (Cooper's or Sharp-shinned Hawk) at one point. I decided to move quickly toward him to get a glimpse of the hawk as it was flying away. That's when the real fun began for me. I was just about to approach and round a sagebrush when I heard a sound I had locked into my memory when I had a previous rattlesnake encounter while birding. I stopped immediately and looked toward the ground to find a young Mojave Rattlesnake positioned just under and at the edge of the sagebrush. It was facing me and poised for a strike if necessary. Boy was I grateful for the timely warning the snake gave me. Another step in that direction might have ruined my whole weekend and then some. I called Eric over and we began a short photo session. I studied it's pattern since I had never seen one before. The snake was about 18-20" long.

Mojave Rattlesnake, Kane Springs Valley, Nevada

Mojave Rattlesnake, Kane Springs Valley, Nevada 

Mojave Rattlesnake, Kane Springs Valley, Nevada

The snake eventually became accustomed to our presence as we captured some images. The thought occurred to me that for a snake in this location we may be the only humans it will ever encounter. We didn't have an actual snake hook or tongs so we located a makeshift hook in a dried-out juniper branch. I asked Eric to capture the image below as the snake was resting on the curve of the branch. It looks crazy, but I was being careful in handling this situation. I still want to say, "Don't try this at home, kids!"

Mojave Rattlesnake on Makeshift Snake Hook, Kane Springs Valley, Nevada

The full pattern of the snake's scales can be seen from head to tip of tail in the image below. We captured this image as we were releasing the snake from our brief encounter.

The Patterns From Head to Tail of a Mojave Rattlesnake, Kane Springs Valley, Nevada

The sun was setting quickly so we made our way back to the truck to continue our journey. I stopped momentarily to capture this image from where we studied and photographed the rattlesnake. The landscapes, sunrises, and sunsets we encounter during our birding adventures amplify the beauty of the world we love to discover.

A View of the Southern Sky as the Sun Set Over Kane Springs Valley in Nevada

And just before we reached the truck I was impressed by the scene before me. My truck was parked on the side of an open road that I was travelling for my first time. I was in the middle of nowhere, so to speak, and I felt gratitude for the freedom to explore a beautiful world in a nice truck with a good friend. The southern sky was painted beautifully by the setting sun, the road was open ahead of us, and mountains and valleys were yet to be discovered. Scenes like this make me wish every weekend could be an extended weekend dedicated to exploring new places on our amazing planet.

The View Ahead After Stopping and Discovering a Mojave Rattlesnake in Kane Springs Valley in Nevada