Terror on the eastern plains

While searching for small birdies at the derelict Upper Queens Reservoir State Wildlife Area in Colorado a few weeks ago,  my poor buddy chose to use the restroom facilities, a vault toilet.  Unbeknownst to her, long neglected toilets often serve as home to many things that slither.  As she made her way across the grass, a loud noise, kind of like the air escaping from a spray can, caused her to jump, turn, and run all in one smooth motion.  Being the kind of clueless friend I am, I continued to stare through my binoculars at birds, assuming her soda can had exploded.

This, however, is who she encountered.  A four foot Prairie Rattler, who had happily made a home under the vault toilet.  Yikes - talk about getting the crap scared out of yah.

Here it is slithering back to the safety of it's toilet home. Below is just its rattle, which is quite large

 

 After that scary experience, we continued to bird.  We ran across many deserted houses that looked like they had bodies under the floor boards. Being too chicken shit to investigate and not wanting to be arrested for trespassing, we settled for a few pictures.

The highlight, however, came later that evening, when this magnificent creature crossed our path.  Such a beauty!  If it doesn't already have a name, I think it should be called Lady M!