{"id":2777,"date":"2012-04-16T06:52:02","date_gmt":"2012-04-16T10:52:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/p4td.lightshedder.com\/?p=2777"},"modified":"2012-04-16T06:52:02","modified_gmt":"2012-04-16T10:52:02","slug":"4162012-garter-snake-wonder-brook-park","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/psnp.info\/p4td_\/?p=2777","title":{"rendered":"4\/16\/2012: Garter Snake, Wonder Brook Park"},"content":{"rendered":"

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I mentioned in yesterday\u2019s post that I had walked up on a Garter Snake on the Wonder Brook trails. We don\u2019t, (or at least I don\u2019t) see many snakes in Maine. I am sure they are here, all around us, but my encounters over the past 17 years can be counted on the fingers of both hands, with a couple of fingers left over. This specimen was abut 2 feet long. It is most likely the Common Garter Snake, which you can see, in one of its sub-species, pretty much anywhere in the US except the desert Southwest. <\/p>\n

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When I first saw it its head was buried under the pine needles which obscure part of the body in these shots. I thought it might be dead, so I touched it with the tip of my hiking stick and, very much alive, it slithered out to this position, which it held while I took all the pics I wanted. <\/p>\n

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The close ups were taken at 1680mm equivalent field of view (840mm optical plus 2x digital tel-extender function on the Canon SX40HS) so I was no where near as close as it might look. After a few shots from above, I moved off the side of the trail and got down lower, using the flip out LCD on the Canon, to get the side on views from about 5 feet. I especially like the eye\u2026that big pupil and the metalic copper iris\u2026very striking. If you look closely in either of the closest shots you will see me, reflected in the pupil. <\/p>\n

The last shot is at the normal long end of the zoom, without the 2x digital extender function. <\/p>\n

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Like I said, the snake was so cooperative, I got all the shots I could want\u2026then I stepped over it and went on down the trail. <\/p>\n

Canon SX40HS. Program with iContrast and \u20131\/3EV exposure compensation. 1) 1600mm equivalent. f5.8 @ 1\/200th @ ISO 250. 2) 300mm equivalent. f5 @ 1\/200th @ ISO 160. 3) 1680mm equivalent. f5.8 @ 1\/1000th @ ISO 400. 4) 800mm. f5.8 @ 1\/320th@ ISO 200. Processed in Lightroom for intensity, clarity, and sharpness. <\/p>\n

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