Flicker
It was late in the winter and the weather was warming. The sun was out and the forest was alive with quiet sounds — the sounds of snakes slithering through the leaf clutter on the forest floor. After I saw my first red-spot — my first two red-spots actually since they were intertwined — I stood still and listened as others came slinking along, tongues actively flicking, looking for other snakes to meet and greet and possibly mate with.
Red-spotted Breakfast
Red-spotted garter snakes are almost too beautiful for words. They are not too beautiful for breakfast, apparently, at least not if you're a hungry bittern. I came across this bittern after it had captured a red-spotted garter snake early one morning. It mostly stayed in a sheltered area in the reeds where I couldn’t get a good look at it.
I came across the same bittern a little while later, and noticed it had just caught a second garter snake, this one even larger than the first. It killed the snakes by applying pressure with its beak, often to the snake’s head. Even so, it took the snakes a while to die, and the bittern made sure the snake was dead before swallowing it.
Probably a good idea when your breakfast can bite you back.