Nest Robbers

Yesterday was Laurie’s day to collect the eggs laid by our jointly-owned hens, but to her dismay she found a black rat snake in the nest. She could see that it had just swallowed an egg. Her photo shows a swallowed egg as a light-colored lump just to the right of the snake’s head.

The snake was coiled around two more eggs, but Laurie left the snake and uneaten eggs, being unprepared to deal with either retrieving the eggs or getting rid of the snake.

By the time Dennis went to the chicken house three hours later, the snake had consumed all the eggs and was feeling lively. As Dennis approached the nest with weapon in hand, the four-foot-long snake slithered from the nest and raced out the door.

Dennis vowed to catch the evil-doer but didn’t expect to see it again soon. After all, adult snakes are supposed to eat about once a week. But today when he went to gather the eggs, there was a black snake in the nest, stuffed with eggs. This one Dennis quickly dispatched to meet its ancestors, using a few good whacks with an oak garden stake. He claims there was no reasoning with the serpent.

It looks like we have a black snake epidemic. Knowing my good man, I’d say those snakes better git while the gittin’s good.

Photos courtesy of Laurie Comstock.

Copyright 2013 by Shirley Domer