While I was at Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge yesterday, I took photos of my lifer adult Northern Cottonmouth, aka Water Moccasin, on one of the roads there.
Cottonmouth in the road at Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge – Nikon D810, hand held, f9, 1/5000, ISO 800, Nikkor 18-200mm VR at 200mm, natural light
I was looking for birds on the other side of the road when my dear friend and wildlife photographer, Steve Creek, spotted the snake and pointed it out to me.
I grabbed my backup camera, a Nikon D810 with a Nikkor 18-200mm VR lens attached, to photograph the cottonmouth. My bird and wildlife camera had way too much glass on it.
After getting out of Steve’s pickup, I knelt down in the road to get a low angle of the snake in front of me.
Water Moccasin showing their cottonmouth – Nikon D810, hand held, f9, 1/5000, ISO 800, Nikkor 18-200mm VR at 200mm, natural light
I was so excited to photograph the Water Moccasin that a few of my images were basically destined for the delete bin; I was shaking with excitement. I’d seen this snake species before, but these are my first photos of them and that is why I called this snake a lifer. I need a photo or photos to call a lifer a lifer.
I kept my distance from this snake and these images were all taken at 200mm and cropped.
Adult Northern Cottonmouth on the road – Nikon D810, hand held, f9, 1/4000, ISO 800, Nikkor 18-200mm VR at 200mm, natural light
Neither Steve nor I had ever seen a cottonmouth this color before. Any guidance on which subspecies this cottonmouth is would be greatly appreciated.
Northern Cottonmouth/Water Moccasin close up – Nikon D810, hand held, f9, 1/6400, ISO 800, Nikkor 18-200mm VR at 200mm, natural light
Unfortunately, we didn’t have much time with this fascinating Northern Cottonmouth because a vehicle was coming up the road behind us. I would have liked to have gotten more photos of this lifer snake than I did, but I am thrilled that I took the photos of it that I did.
Snakes are awesome and I am not freaked out by them. Giving venomous snakes the respect and room they need helps them and me stay safe.
Life is good.
Mia
See Steve’s photos of this snake and his thoughts on the odd color of it here.
Click here to see more of my reptile and amphibian photos in their galleries.
Thanks for sharing!
I treat snakes with extreme respect. Most of ours are venomous, and some very much so.
Amazing photos!! Thank you for sharing 🙂
Cool pictures! Shows the benefits of getting out of your neighborhood!
Great photos. Interesting color – all of the Moccasins that I’ve seen were very dark, nearly black.