Blog Archives
Another gorgeous Red-bellied Black Snake
This was my third encounter with a Red-bellied Black Snake in three months! And that after never seeing one before.
The snake was lying in the sun on the side of the walking track. I stopped to wait for it to move away. It was a big snake!
Red-bellied Black Snakes (Pseudechis porphyriacus) are quite large in comparison with other snakes I’ve seen. They’re a dark, shiny black on top, with a glowing red tinge underneath. You can see a bit of the red under-belly in this close-up of the snake’s head:
This snake was at Manly Dam (location on the map) where I often walk. My first encounter with a red belly happened near the Turon River, quite a way from my usual haunts. I posted a photo and video of that snake in another blog post. My second encounter was just a couple of weeks ago, a few hundred metres away from today’s snake at Manly Dam. It might have been the same snake.
Evidently the venom of Red-bellied Black Snakes isn’t as harmful to humans as some of the other snakes in these parts, but it can still make you quite ill. So it’s a good thing to give the snake its space. This one just watched me carefully. When I moved back, it slowly crossed the path in front of me and took shelter in the undergrowth. As I passed, I could see its head and flickering tongue as it watched me go.
Red-bellied Black Snake at Turon River
This post is not about a bird. Instead, it’s about a large and beautiful snake that I encountered near the banks of the Turon River in New South Wales. We were travelling along Upper Turon Road, on the way from Capertee to Sofala. I brought the car to a quick halt when I noticed the snake in the middle of the road:
It was close on two metres long, and very lively indeed. We jumped out to take some pictures. The snake moved off the road onto the grass and came over to have a look at us:
It’s a Red-bellied Black Snake (Pseudechis porphyriacus). Evidently their bites are rarely fatal, although the venom can cause quite severe illness. Usually, these snakes move away from humans. This one was an exception. It appeared to be very interested in us, and we kept well clear of it while admiring its beauty.
This video shows the snake making its way off the road onto the grass:
It felt like a great privilege to encounter this creature as it went about its daily life.
Sydney Birder 