It’s beginning July. The Winter had not been, meaning we had had hardly any snowfall. The landscape was parched and the temperatures were going up. The creek near which I live had had no water in it for quite some time. I decided to put out water for the critters.
One morning, preparing breakfast, I heard the Scrub Jays being agitated. This was not their usual banter back and forth. It had an undertone of danger to it. Naturally curious what got them so upset, I went into the living room to look out. Surprise, surprise. There was a snake at the bowl I had just put new water in. As I looked closer, I saw that the snake was not just at the bowl, it was drinking water!
I like snakes and so I had to go out onto the porch and be closer. You could clearly see how the snake swallowed. It had the markings that told me it was a bull snake. Having a chair nearby, I sat down and enjoyed the presence, feeling excited to see a snake drink. I didn’t think this is a common occurrence. In the 8 years I had living in this place, I had seen snakes, yet never once one drinking water. It made my day.