Keeping some distance, Greg turned off the receiver and set it off to one side.  It was time for him to gather some data, including the GPS coordinates for this animal.  I readied my camera, and when Greg gave me the all-clear, I moved in to take some shots.  We would not be moving, touching or disturbing any of the snakes we tracked today, so I was very slow and deliberate in my approach.

This was a stunningly beautiful Timber Rattlesnake!  The pale tan ground color contrasted sharply with the darker chevrons and vertebral stripe.  Kyle was in a classic 'predatory wait' coil, with the head retracted in a tight S-curve, ready to reach out and put a bite on warm-blooded prey.  It was facing the tree, which I thought was interesting - any animal coming around the tree on either side would be momentarily distracted, giving the snake an opportunity.  If a squirrel should come down the tree, it could find itself in big trouble as well.  "That's not an uncommon position," Greg said.

I took more pictures as Greg recorded temperature, humidity, wind and other conditions.  I could not get over how lovely this snake was - browns, tans, and yellows, from pastel to dark.  This was a far cry from the 'gray phase' Timbers from the southern portion of my home state.