Nature: Rattlesnakes are not something to be greatly feared

 

A timber rattlesnake is coiled in a greenbrier thicket/Jim McCormac

Nature: Rattlesnakes are not something to be greatly feared

July 6, 2025

Ophidiophobia (fear of snakes) is very common, and people take that to extremes with rattlesnakes, which are much persecuted.

Essentially, people and timber rattlesnakes do not mix, although the failure to abide one another is mostly the fault of humans. In essence, to conserve a fascinating part of Ohio’s biodiversity, we must have very large spaces mostly free of humans, and fortunately we do, thanks in major part to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources and The Nature Conservancy.

On June 21, Shauna Weyrauch and I met up with snake researcher John Howard in a remote southern Ohio locale. Our mission? Tracking a big old timber rattlesnake that had been fitted with a radio transmitter. It was uphill all the way as we gradually ascended to a dry oak-hickory ridgetop via switchback trails.

After maybe three-quarters of a mile, Howard fired up his receiver to check for feedback from the snake. Nothing, so we moved ever higher up the trail. Finally, nearly a mile in, we picked up faint beeps and honed in on our quarry. Nearly a mile and half from our starting point, we reached ground zero.

The transmitter beeps came loud and fast, and Howard pointed to a brushy tangle about 12 feet away and said, “There it is.”

We glanced over to see a 4-foot rattler slowly slithering away and moved in. The snake froze, as they usually do when they know they’ve been made by people. Timber rattlesnakes rely on excellent camouflage patterning to blend in with their surroundings.

In this case, we had no need to capture or handle the snake; the mission was purely to monitor its whereabouts. Howard had earlier relocated the animal to this locale, as it was headed to some habitations where residents were known to be decidedly unfriendly to rattlers. He was pleased to see that it was remaining in the wildlands.

This was about the 15th timber rattlesnake that I’ve seen, and it was one of the most impressive. It measured about 4 feet in length and probably weighed over 3 pounds. Howard estimated its age at 30 years or so.

One of the most impressive aspects of an old rattlesnake is the girth. The middle section of its body had a greater circumference than Arnold Schwarzenegger’s forearms at his prime.

After a bit, the snake, in a rare show of agitation, began rattling. From my experience, if not unduly bothered, they seldom do this. It gave us an opportunity to hear the surprisingly loud buzzing created by the rattles.

We soon decided our reptilian buddy had enough of our act and back down the mountain we went, pleased the snake was staying in unpeopled hinterlands.

There are only three venomous (not poisonous) snakes in the state, and only the copperhead can be locally common in parts of southern and eastern Ohio. Our other rattlesnake, the eastern massasauga, is a rare inhabitant of wet prairies, fens and other high-quality wetlands.

Deaths from venomous snake bites are virtually unheard of, especially in this day and age, due to better medical care and antivenoms. While the larger timber rattlesnake packs more of a punch than copperheads or massasaugas, bites are exceedingly rare.

One case happened on July 12, 1947, near Chillicothe in Ross County. Mary Ann Butterbaugh was struck by a rattlesnake that had hidden in her garden. She received prompt medical treatment, seemed to be recovering, but died six days later. Hers is the last known death by a venomous snake in Ohio.

Unlike people, chipmunks, mice, squirrels and other small mammals are justified in worrying about timber rattlesnake bites. Such animals are the snakes’ stock in trade.

Prior to European settlement, when Ohio was 95% forested, timber rattlesnakes would have been common nearly statewide. With the advent of settlement and ever more people, the snakes and their habitat suffered greatly. Now, only relict populations persist in a half-dozen southcentral counties.

I suppose many people would wonder why we would even want to conserve an animal like the timber rattlesnake. As I have heard more than a few times, when speaking of lesser-loved creatures, “What good is it?”

I always want to reply, “What good are you?” The time is long past for people to persecute those things they don’t like, or for which they see no personal value for and accept that other creatures have intrinsic value in addition to ecological value.

We have laid waste to enormous swaths of habitat and caused the disappearance or endangerment of scores of plants and animals. Over 99% of the original prairies are gone.

Well over 90% of Ohio’s original wetlands have been drained or otherwise destroyed. Most of our woodlands have been cut and developed, and most that remain are badly fragmented.

Intact large-scale vestiges of our forested past are all too rare, and there is no better symbol of wooded wilderness than the timber rattlesnake.

Naturalist Jim McCormac writes a column for The Dispatch on the first and third Sundays of the month. He also writes about nature at jim mccormac.blogspot.com.

Reddish-brown Stag Beetles: A Boom Year?

 

Needless to say, we were quite pleased with the appearance of this Reddish-brown Stag Beetle (Lucanus capreolus) on the evening of June 21, 2025. A group of us were at John Howard's place in Adams County, Ohio, mothing, and the beetle came into the illuminated sheet, as they sometimes do.

Face on with the formidable bug. Stag beetles are among our more impressive coleopterans and generally garner a reaction when they appear. I've heard from a number of people regarding sightings this summer, and it would seem that the beetles may be experiencing a boom year, as they sometimes do.

CLICK HERE to read a column I wrote about an irruption of stag beetles back in 2017.

And if you want to see the holy grail of stag beetles, at least in this part of the world, CLICK HERE.

Stygian Shadowdragons

As always, click the image to enlarge

A Stygian Shadowdragon (Neurocordulia yamaskensis) dangles from a branch. This dragonfly - and our other two shadowdragon species - are amongst our most enigmatic dragonflies. Well-named, shadowdragons do not commence flying until it is nearly dark and it's very tough to see them, let alone make photos.

Shauna, me and a number of friends went mothing at John Howard's place in Adams County (Ohio) last Saturday night (June 21, 2025) and were amazed to see up to eight Stygian Shadowdragons at the sheet at once. While some literature states that shadowdragons are crepuscular and fly only for brief periods at dawn and dusk, they almost certainly hunt throughout the night. Or they wouldn't appear at an illuminated mothing station far from the stream in such numbers. And this event wasn't a once-off - shadowdragons regular appear at night at illuminated mothing sheets. Note the damage to the lower right wing of the individual on the right. It looks like the result of a bat attack, and bats would be a real threat to these strange nocturnal dragons.

Face on with a Stygian Shadowdragon. I wonder what specialized adaptations those eyes have to see well in the gloom of night. Most dragonflies are very much creatures of the sun, but shadowdragons buck the dominant odonata paradigm.

It was a real treat to work with these normally hard to photograph dragonflies. I have seen them before, but imagery was impossible, as it was nearly dark by the time they commenced flight.

Thanks to John for hosting us, and for luring these amazing dragons. Oh, the mothing was quite good, too, but for me, they were overshadowed by the shadowdragons.

A hodge-podge of plants from recent weeks

 

As always, click the photo to enlarge

Devil's-bit (Chamaelirium luteum), Shawnee State Forest, Scioto County, Ohio. June 1, 2025.

Deerberry (Vaccinium stamineum), Shawnee State Forest, Scioto County, Ohio. May 7, 2025.

Philadelphia Fleabane (Erigeron philadelphicus), Shawnee State Forest, Scioto County, Ohio. May 7, 2025.

Robin's-plantain (Erigeron pulchellus), Shawnee State Forest, Scioto County, Ohio. May 7, 2025.

Seaside Arrowgrass (Triglochin maritimum), Cedar Bog, Champaign County, Ohio. June 13, 2025.

Southern Blue Flag (Iris virginica), St. Marys River, Mercer County, Ohio. June 17, 2025.

White Milkweed (Asclepias variegata), Shawnee State Forest, Scioto County, Ohio, June 1, 2025.

Nature: The beauty of a red-shouldered hawk

 

The adult female red-shouldered hawk perches near her nest.

Columbus Dispatch

Nature: The beauty of a red-shouldered hawk

June 15, 2025

Before European settlement, when 95% of Ohio was blanketed in forests, red-shouldered hawks were common. But rampant deforestation that left only 10% of the state tree-covered by the early 1900s sent hawk numbers plummeting.

Ohio’s forests have rebounded, both in expanse and age. More and bigger timber means more red-shouldered hawks, even in urban Columbus and its suburbs. As the trees in our older neighborhoods, such as Clintonville and Worthington (founded in 1803), have matured, red-shoulders have moved in and are steadily increasing.

Adult birds are conspicuously barred with stripes of rich brick-red color below. The colorful underparts are set off nicely by zebra-like black-and-white barring on the upper parts.

A red-shouldered hawk chick in its nest. Its two nest mates are hunkered down.

While red-shouldered hawks don’t sing like songbirds, they do deliver a loud piercing scream. Blue jays mimic the call to perfection and use it to scatter birds at the feeder, thus eliminating the competition.

I live in Worthington, and unknowingly, I was driving nearly daily right past an active, red-shouldered hawk nest less than half a block up the street. A friend and neighbor, Mark Granger, told me about it back in early May. The nest is high in a lofty honey locust tree and easy to miss, at least from a vehicle.

I eventually introduced myself to Dave and Sara, the homeowners. You couldn’t meet two nicer people, and the suburban hawks have great landlords. The nest is nearly over their driveway, and their two boys, Caleb and Isaac, spend much time out front shooting baskets nearly under the nest.

When Shauna and I visited to get photos, I chatted with Caleb and his friend Charlie, who are quite interested in the birds. The raptors are utterly unfazed by the young hoopsters practicing below and couldn’t have selected a safer location for their nest, which is home to three chicks.

Indeed, I wonder if red-shouldered hawks sometimes intentionally choose sites with plenty of human activity. While the male is part of the nesting process during the nest-building and incubation period — even helping to incubate eggs — he largely vanishes once the chicks hatch. Thus, the female spends long periods away hunting, and the presence of people certainly would help to deter would-be predators in her absence.

Red-shouldered hawks have a varied diet: everything from snakes to frogs to small mammals.

While red-shoulders don’t generally have huge territories, this bird probably ranges as far as the nearby Olentangy River. Its streamside forests would provide plenty of prey, and the neighborhood chipmunks best beware. They are often a dietary staple. The female will rip prey into manageable pieces for the chicks.

Dave and Sara’s red-shouldered hawk chicks look to be about two weeks or so from taking their first flight. The youngsters that make it are likely to return to the same general area next year to start nests of their own, thus further increasing Franklin County’s suburban, red-shouldered hawk population.

The red-shouldered hawk longevity record is 26 years. Dave, Sara, Caleb and Isaac might be the lucky landlords of red-shouldered hawks for some time to come.

Naturalist Jim McCormac writes a column for The Dispatch on the first and third Sundays of the month. He also writes about nature at jim mccormac.blogspot.com.

Barn Owl owlets hiss and sway

 

A nest box with four baby American Barn Owls (Tyto furcata). Buster Banish and I led a fabulous group of people around Mohican State Forest and nearby spots last Saturday, June 7, as part of Time & Optics' Optics Fling event. The group - 18 Amish folks, many of them teens - didn't really need our help, other than the driving It was one of the most expert groups I've helped "lead" a trip for, and they probably first found most of the birds. When Buster or I found something, it took no time at all to get everyone on it, and some of the young men had an incredible knowledge of songs, and call notes. What a treat to bird with them.

We also saw a whopper Spiny Softshell Turtle, a Gray Petaltail dragonfly (always notable and a specialist of wooded seepages), saw many interesting plants, got to watch a male Yellow-breasted Chat performing his aerial display flight at close range, and much more. In all, we tallied 90 bird species during this six-hour foray.

Our last hurrah was a visit to an Amish farm that has produced many Barn Owls over the years. I got to peek into the box and get hissed at. There are certainly more Barn Owls nesting in the Holmes County region than anywhere else in Ohio, due to at least two primary reasons: One, the farms are not saturated with chemicals, and there is plenty of fencerows, scruffy edge habitat, and meadows, and 2) the Amish have placed dozens of owl boxes in barns. The video follows and be sure to turn your volume up.

©Jim McCormac

NOTE about Barn Owl taxonomy: Some of you may have noticed I used the name American Barn Owl, and Tyto furcata, to refer to this species. It was long known as Barn Owl (Tyto alba). The Barn Owl is the most widely distributed owl, occurring on every continent but Antarctica, including remote islands such as the Galapagos.

The Barn Owl, until recently, had been divvied into 28 or 32 subspecies, depending on the authority, based on notable morphological differences between populations. DNA sequencing and molecular studies have recently led to the Barn Owl being cleaved into three species. Tyto alba, the Barn Owl of North America, becomes the American Barn Owl (Tyto furcata) (the subject of this post). Our former Tyto alba is now applied to the birds of Europe and Africa, which is now known as the Western Barn Owl. The third species split from the Tyto alba complex is the Eastern Barn Owl (Tyto javanica), which occurs in the East Indies, Australia, and elsewhere in the Western Pacific.

Cedar Waxwings plundering fruit, courting

 

My front yard Downy Serviceberry (Amelanchier arborea). It's an older plant and may be on the far side of middle age. But it still has seasons where it produces a bounty of sugary berries, and this is one of those years. And lots of serviceberry fruit means lots of birds.

Yes! Says a Cedar Waxwing as it enters the tree. Such an environment, to a waxwing, is akin to a kid falling into a giant bowl of M & M's. And it isn't just waxwings that visit. American Robins, Eastern Bluebirds, Gray Catbirds and others drop in for snacks. But I must confess that the suave waxwings are my favorite.

As always, click the photo to enlarge

A waxwing ponders which tasty fruit to pluck. The crop is just beginning to ripen, and from my observations, they like them ripe and red. Given the amount of fruit on this treelet, I should have waxwing visitors for some time to come.

A waxwing with freshly plucked berry. It'll be down his/her hatch soon. Fortunately, waxwings are pretty tame, and I can stand in one of my garage bays with door open and shoot them from there. They know I'm there but aren't bothered a bit. Even people walking by on the sidewalk - closer than my position - often don't flush them.

A pair in the act of passing a berry. This courtship feeding is a pair-bonding ritual, and I've seen it a number of times over the past few days, but it is difficult to photograph, usually because the birds are obstructed by branches and foliage when they do it. I'll keep at it and try for better material. Anyway, the fruit exchange is usually just once - probably mostly male to female - but this case was unusual in that they swapped the fruit back and forth five times, with the initial recipient (her, I assume) finally eating it.

Cedar Waxwings are effective frugivores, with an insatiable appetite for sugary fruit like these serviceberries. While they efficiently digest the soft parts of the fruit, the seeds probably mostly pass through their systems intact, to be expelled elsewhere - probably, in many cases, a long distance from where they were harvested. So, in addition to pleasing us with their suave elegance (certainly the least important thing that waxwings do), they are important agents of dispersal for plants.