I spent most of this spring, summer and fall videotaping timber rattlesnakes in the wild and have produced a 20-minute high definition DVD which captures a full annual cycle of the snakes - from spring emergence to denning up for hibernation in the fall. The wait for neonates when they were finally born in late September was worth it as I was able to film several clutches with their mothers before they shed and took off. If you are interested in purchasing a DVD ($20), you can visit my website (www.thetimberrattlesnake.com) or send me an e-mail. If you order both a calendar ($15) and a video by e-mail, you will save $5.
Overall, it was a normal season with several gravid females each giving birth to six or seven neonates. We also had several big nuisance snakes, which is typical each summer. I'm encouraged by the fact that our population appears to be healthy and sustainable.
The DEC is working on a recovery plan for timbers in NYS but many of us are skeptical about the practicality of removing them from the Endangered Species list. Once that happens, the snakes will lose the protection which is currently making it possible for them to survive the threats of development and hunting. Without their status as threatened on the list, their habitat will become even more endangered than it is now, causing many sites to become extirpated. It will be interesting to see how this plays out over the years as the recovery plan develops.
