{"id":3332,"date":"2011-10-15T07:05:18","date_gmt":"2011-10-15T13:05:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=3332"},"modified":"2024-07-16T03:46:56","modified_gmt":"2024-07-16T08:46:56","slug":"close-encounter-of-the-snake-kind","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2011\/10\/15\/close-encounter-of-the-snake-kind\/","title":{"rendered":"Close Encounter of the Snake Kind!"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"MidgetMidget Faded Rattlesnake full body – Nikon D200, handheld, f8, 1\/1000, ISO 320, Nikkor 70-300mm VR at 122mm, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

Yesterday I returned home from a camping and bird photography trip to the San Rafael Swell area located in Emery County in central Utah and even though there weren’t many birds to speak of in the area\u00a0I still had an awesome time. Normally we camp near the San Rafael Recreation area near the swinging bridge but when we scoped that area out we didn’t see or hear any birds so we headed to The Wedge Overlook hoping there might be some birds in that area, maybe migrants moving through\u00a0or raptors soaring on the thermals.<\/p>\n

We were checking out the campsites at the top of The Wedge to see if we could maneuver the camping trailer into the the one closest to the edge of the overlook and because getting in to a campsite is sometimes easier than getting out so we got out of the pickup to walk around the site.\u00a0\u00a0At one point I could not resist the urge to walk over to the peer down into the Little Grand Canyon and the San Rafael River 1200 feet below. The views are incredible.<\/p>\n

\"MidgetMidget Faded Rattlesnake headshot – Nikon D200, handheld, f10, 1\/500, ISO 320, Nikkor 70-300mm VR at 300mm, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

I was totally focused on the scenery in front of me as I walked between two gnarly old Junipers that might have been spaced about 12 feet apart and wasn’t watching my foot placement as closely as I should have been when I heard a very distinctive buzzing sound, it probably only took me 1\/100th of a second to realize that I had walked too close to an extremely well camouflaged rattlesnake. I estimate that I was within a mere 15 inches or so of stepping on it.<\/p>\n

Talk about an easy\u00a0way to get the adrenaline flowing, and it did!<\/p>\n

Now I have to tell you that I might have “squealed like a girl” as I jumped back away from the Rattlesnake which is something that I rarely do, I hadn’t even seen the snake clearly at that point because it blended into the habitat so well. It took me a few seconds to even form the words “It’s a rattlesnake”. The snake was only about 14 to 15 inches in length but even at that small size it had startled me quite sufficiently.<\/p>\n

\"MidgetMidget Faded Rattlesnake close up – Nikon D200, handheld, f10, 1\/64, ISO 320, Nikkor 70-300mm VR at 165mm, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

I scurried over to the pickup to grab my backup D200 with the 70-300mm VR lens attached so I could photograph my “find”. I took 46 images of the rattlesnake, probably half of them were sharp, the others were not so sharp thanks to taking them handheld with too much adrenaline coursing through my body which caused my hands to shake!<\/p>\n

I’m not certain about the identification of the snake, it may be a young Great Basin Rattlesnake –\u00a0Crotalus oreganus lutosus or a\u00a0Midget Faded Rattlesnake – Crotalus oreganus concolor. It might be another croatline subspecies too. If anyone reading this can identify the snake, I would certainly like to know.<\/p>\n

Edit: I’ve been informed by Jamison Hensley; who knows far more about rattlesnakes than I, that this is a Midget Faded Rattlesnake – Crotalus oreganus concolor<\/em>. Check his blog out here<\/a><\/span>.<\/p>\n

I spent the rest of the trip in the San Rafael Swell area very carefully watching where I put my feet because I didn’t want another Close Encounter of the Snake Kind!<\/p>\n

Life is <\/em>good.<\/p>\n

Mia<\/p>\n

Click here<\/span><\/a> to see more of my Midget Faded Rattlesnake photos plus facts and information about this species.<\/p>\n

PS. I did “squeal like a girl”, I was rather “rattled<\/em>“.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I spent the rest of the trip in the San Rafael Swell area very carefully watching where I put my feet because I didn’t want another Close Encounter of the Snake Kind!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":109355,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1010,1015,1011,26],"tags":[1014,1019,4252,1018,519,1013,4253,4251,30,102,4032],"class_list":["post-3332","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-rattlesnakes","category-san-rafael-swell-area","category-the-wedge","category-utah","tag-close-encounter","tag-crotalus-oreganus-concolor","tag-emery-county","tag-midget-faded-rattlesnake","tag-nature","tag-rattlesnake","tag-san-rafael-swell-area","tag-the-wedge","tag-utah-2","tag-wildlife","tag-wildlife-photography"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/midget-faded-rattlesnake-mia-mcpherson-emery-county-utah-0834.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p11Mom-RK","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":10127,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2013\/11\/04\/the-san-rafael-swell-blm-keep-oil-and-gas-drilling-out-and-keep-the-wilderness-intact\/","url_meta":{"origin":3332,"position":0},"title":"The San Rafael Swell – BLM Keep Oil And Gas Drilling Out And Keep The Wilderness Intact","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"November 4, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"More environmental studies are needed before these lands in the San Rafael Swell are leased, before a well is drilled. Before it is too late to save a species from extinction.","rel":"","context":"In "Rattlesnakes"","block_context":{"text":"Rattlesnakes","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/wildlife\/rattlesnakes\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Petrified sand dune in the San Rafael Swell, Emery County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/san-rafael-swell-sculpted-by-time-mia-mcpherson-2259.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/san-rafael-swell-sculpted-by-time-mia-mcpherson-2259.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/san-rafael-swell-sculpted-by-time-mia-mcpherson-2259.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/san-rafael-swell-sculpted-by-time-mia-mcpherson-2259.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":15239,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2014\/06\/20\/san-rafael-swell-state-park-or-national-monument-designation-in-the-future\/","url_meta":{"origin":3332,"position":1},"title":"San Rafael Swell – State Park or National Monument Designation In The Future?","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"June 20, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"I also felt trepidation about the San Rafael Swell area because nothing within this state that is filled with stones is written in stone except the ancient pictographs and petroglyphs.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"The San Rafael Swell, San Rafael Swell, Emery County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/san-rafael-swell-mia-mcpherson-1616.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/san-rafael-swell-mia-mcpherson-1616.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/san-rafael-swell-mia-mcpherson-1616.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/san-rafael-swell-mia-mcpherson-1616.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":15483,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2014\/07\/27\/posts-from-the-past-wildlife\/","url_meta":{"origin":3332,"position":2},"title":"Posts from the Past – Wildlife","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"July 27, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Today I am focusing on older posts that have wildlife in them starting with Loggerhead Turtles then going to a Moose, a Midget Faded Rattlesnake and Red Fox kits.","rel":"","context":"In "Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge"","block_context":{"text":"Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/utah\/bear-river-migratory-bird-refuge\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Pair of Red Fox kits, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Box Elder County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/red-fox-kit-pair-mia-mcpherson-1192.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/red-fox-kit-pair-mia-mcpherson-1192.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/red-fox-kit-pair-mia-mcpherson-1192.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/red-fox-kit-pair-mia-mcpherson-1192.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":6192,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2012\/09\/26\/lazuli-buntings-near-the-san-rafael-river\/","url_meta":{"origin":3332,"position":3},"title":"Lazuli Buntings Near The San Rafael River","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"September 26, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"I have enjoyed photographing Lazuli Buntings (Passerina amoena) near the San Rafael River at the San Rafael Swell Recreation Area. These images were taken in the spring when the males were high on perches singing to attract females.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Morning at the San Rafael River campground, San Rafael Swell, Emery County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/san-rafael-swell-mia-mcpherson-5166.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/san-rafael-swell-mia-mcpherson-5166.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/san-rafael-swell-mia-mcpherson-5166.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/san-rafael-swell-mia-mcpherson-5166.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1633,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2010\/12\/15\/lazuli-bunting-males\/","url_meta":{"origin":3332,"position":4},"title":"Lazuli Bunting Males","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"December 15, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"Male Lazuli Buntings resemble bluebirds but they are smaller and the blues are a different hue than the Mountain, Eastern and Western Bluebirds.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Lazuli Bunting male perched on Greasewood, San Rafael Swell, Emery County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/lazuli-bunting-male-mia-mcpherson-pigweed-4407.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/lazuli-bunting-male-mia-mcpherson-pigweed-4407.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/lazuli-bunting-male-mia-mcpherson-pigweed-4407.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/lazuli-bunting-male-mia-mcpherson-pigweed-4407.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1389,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2010\/11\/20\/utah-rocks-really\/","url_meta":{"origin":3332,"position":5},"title":"Utah Rocks – Really!","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"November 20, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"The Fremont and Barrier Canyon cultures created this rock art on the face of the rock wall at Buckhorn Wash in the San Rafael Swell area of Utah","rel":"","context":"In "Buckhorn Wash"","block_context":{"text":"Buckhorn Wash","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/utah\/buckhorn-wash\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Buckhorn Wash - 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