Welcoming New Neighbors with a Big Snake

Our new neighbor called to B early one morning last week that she had a snake on her driveway. We had noticed that we have actually had fewer snakes over all this year.  B called me on my cell phone to come outside with my camera. By the time I got out there the snake had cozied up to the utility box out in front of our house. This first glimpse was enough to show B and me that it was a moccasin. A big fat one.

Here is the business end.

That fella did an amazing 180 flip. 

But it knew a good spot when it found one.

And did not appreciate being urged out.

Unfortunately for the snake, we do not permit trespassing venomous snakes to continue to share our property. B was finally able to get it to move out into the grass and dispatched it with a hoe. It measured out just about three feet long. 

Note: These pictures were made using a zoom lens. I do not get up close at all to venomous snakes and I was pretty much a wreck watching B get close enough to kill it.