Nature Trails & Tales

So I'm out for an early morning walk a few weeks ago when I came upon the sound of a distressed bird. I don't know how a commoner like me would know the difference between a contented bird and a distressed one, but somehow I did.
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I stopped and looked into the stand of Acacia trees adjacent to the sidewalk. Within seconds I spotted him her. Creating both the sound of a ruckus and a flapping wing commotion, the bird was not happy with whatever was beneath her on the ground below.
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My eyes followed her gaze, and at once I was distressed too! With no wings to flap or squawking sound to utter, I merely gazed in astonishment. A red snake was slightly coiled, appearing all-too-ready to gulp something.
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Morbid sort that I am, I watched for a long time. It seemed the snake was dead. No flicking tongue. No eye movement. No sign of breathing (what was I thinking?).
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I tossed a small pebble to see if it would react. Nothing. I tossed a slightly larger pebble, and to my utter amazement it stretched it's full length of some two feet (which, at the time, looked a lot more like four feet) and scrammed with such speed I was incredulous. I've never seen a snake move so fast! (Or a human, for that matter!)
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I was overcome with gratitude that his/her retreat was in the direction opposite my own.
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Since that day I've learned a wee bit about the Arizona Ground Snake. I'd like to say I'm relieved to know it's venom is only "mildly toxic" (huh? meaning you don't die if bit?). But the fact that it crawls faster than I walk (or run) isn't so comforting.
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Do I still walk? You betcha! I'll just be listening (and watching) a whole lot more closely to the sounds of bird squawk!
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