Tag Archives: Snake

Snake In A Tree, LR AI Denoise

May 30, 2023 Ellen Jennings 5 Comments

This morning I finally updated Adobe Lightroom to Version 12.3 which includes the new AI denoise functions.

I had already processed the images for my recent snake post using Topaz Denoise, then tried them with the new Adobe function.

Same image, using Lightroom Denoise first, then the same cropping and light adjustments. On this particular image I don’t see much difference in the bigger view.

Cropped from the above images:

Process with Topaz Denoise, Cropped for closer look

However, when you zoom in to the snake details, there is some improvement.

Lightroom Enhanced Denoise, Cropped For Closer Look

I’m not sure how this is going to play out with my image processing flow. One plus to the Topaz version is the ability to batch process, which I have used a lot.

Audubon Center at Beidler Forest, Harleyville, SC
April 14, 2023

Reptiles

Snake In A Tree

May 30, 2023 Ellen Jennings 2 Comments

This odd shape caught my eye as I worked my way down the boardwalk at Francis Beidler Forrest.

Possibly a Rat Snake, he was in a tidy pile and undisturbed by my presence. It wasn’t until processing these images I noticed the insect exuvia, seen in this next image if you zoom in, just to the right of the snake’s head.

I passed by a little later and the snake had stretched his neck out along the branch, and you can see the exuvia dangling above the snake about 3/4 across the image from the left edge.

His tail had flipped around to the other side, but the rest of his body stayed in the same looped configuration.

Audubon Center at Beidler Forest, Harleyville, SC
April 14, 2023

Reptiles

Cottonmouth Snake, Part 3 of 3

April 11, 2023 Ellen Jennings 2 Comments

The Cottonmouth Snake went on his way and disappeared into the swamp.

Francis Beidler Forest, Harleyville, SC
March 31, 2023

Reptiles

Cottonmouth Snake, Part 2 of 3

April 10, 2023 Ellen Jennings Leave a comment

More of the Cottonmouth Snake as he moved away from me…

These water ripples were caused by the snake, making an interesting interaction with the the surface tension along his side.

Some other ripples were caused by caterpillars falling from the trees.

The snake swam away slowly…

… in an out of the tree shadows.

Francis Beidler Forest, Harleyville, SC
March 31, 2023

Reptiles

Cottonmouth Snake Tasting The Water, Part 1 of 3

April 8, 2023 Ellen Jennings 10 Comments

You’ve heard this before…I’m not much on snakes but this scene fascinated me with the combo of the snake flicking his tongue, shadows and reflections, and the tent caterpillar over the snake’s eye.

I was safely on a boardwalk above the water that I was sharing with about a million tent caterpillars.

These caterpillars are having a very successful year in SC. This one didn’t know it, but he was about to go for a ride.

Francis Beidler Forest, Harleyville, SC
March 31, 2023

Insects, Reptiles

Cottonmouth Snake with Ebony Jewelwing Damselfly

July 17, 2022 Ellen Jennings 7 Comments

I’m not much on snakes–I do photograph them on occasion but don’t often post them. This one was sunning just off the boardwalk; Ted had identified him as poisonous.

Cottonmouth Snake with Ebony Jewelwing Damselfly

Unfortunately I didn’t see the Damselfly until looking at the pictures on my computer.

If I had, we’d be looking at a closeup of the insect on those interesting scales…

instead of just a blip of blue on the snake.

Francis Beidler Forest, SC
July 9, 2022

Reptiles

All Curled Up: Snakes

March 24, 2022 Ellen Jennings 9 Comments

Snakes were what I saw the most of on my recent visit to Beidler Forest. I’m not a big fan, but have grown to appreciate their habits since moving to SC.

The positions they arrange themselves in are pretty interesting, including a little flare with the tail.

It was a partly cloudy day in the mid 70s (24-25C) and these three were in spots that were in and out of the sun.

Beidler Forest, SC
March 18, 2022

Reptiles

Harmless Snake

May 14, 2019 Ellen Jennings 2 Comments

I know, it is still a snake. I’ve never been a fan, but am becoming more accustomed to them. I spotted this one at Beidler Forest working his way along a rotting log.

I don’t study the educational signs with the ID info about snakes, but do know that the round eyes and round head are signs this one is harmless.

The snake slowly checked out the crevices in the log and showed no interest in me watching him

Plus, I was on a boardwalk at least ten feet away.

Reptiles

Rat Snake Staying Dry

March 31, 2018 Ellen Jennings 2 Comments

I’m not a snake fan but was fascinated by how this one found a way to stay dry in the swamp. He was about two feet above the water.

I would have like to see him getting into this position.

Reptiles

Brown Snake

February 10, 2018 Ellen Jennings 6 Comments

Differences in pattern or color from the background are often the best way to spot creatures in the wild. This snake caught my eye due to both of those factors, plus he was moving!

I’m not a big snake fan, but I was fascinated by the shapes this one took as he moved down the tree trunk and that he could hang onto the tree. He was intertwined when I first saw him. I thought he was eating something but it turns out his head was directly over his tail.

Slowly he worked his way towards the ground, straightening out, his body taking an indirect route.

Then he made a few 90 degree turns. I got distracted by the Reddish Egret in the water beyond this tree line and when I looked back he was gone. I promptly went the other way.

One of the photographers I was traveling with identified this as a Brown Snake, and harmless to humans. I’ll take her word for it. He was brown so I’m not looking it up — too many pictures when you Google snake.

Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, Florida, 1/28/2018