Yesterday on the Albuquerque news they announced that the city of Los Alamos is experiencing a 300% increase in the number of rattlesnakes found in backyards, etc. The reason is obvious, above normal precipitation and an explosion in the rodent populations leads to the same increase in the snake populations that feed on them. Well, the mice have been obvious for a few weeks now and the snakes are starting to appear in town (my brother sees several every day in the oilfield).
A few minutes ago I was taking out the trash and went the back way so I could check the watering system. Right in the middle of the pathway between the vegetable garden and the flower garden was a fairly large rattlesnake. It was just over 2' long but extremely thick and when I attacked, it attacked back (no big surprise). It was so hard to see I almost stepped on it, and after it was disposed of I started shaking from the possibilities. Camron had ridden through there earlier on his bicycle (in pajamas with no shoes) and he generally falls at about that spot. I have to watch him and the dogs more closely. This is sort of the price we pay for having the only water source for miles around, and we knew it from the beginning, but reality is sometimes more shocking than my imagination. I already walk around every morning checking the bushy areas but plan to spend the rest of the day snake-proofing some more.