Red-sided Garter Snake

Yesterday was the start of Snake Monitoring in a local park. We get both the Red-sided Garter Snake and the Wandering Garter Snake - thankfully, not the size seen in my macro photo, lol! Each snake is measured and, starting this year, weighed (i.e. gently placed in a tall plastic container which is then placed on a scale). They are also marked behind the head with green felt marker of some kind, so that we can tell if we get a recaptured snake. The monitoring season started late this year because of the endless winter. I didn't check how many snakes were found and recorded (my guess would be about a dozen+), but just as we were leaving the area, one of the team members did a great job of spotting two mating balls high on the slope, barely visible amongst the trees, shrubs and dead leaves. We left them alone, of course. On our first day of monitoring last year, we had 107 snakes to catch (not me, I only take a few photos if I get the chance!) and record!!