Narcisse Dens

[guidofatherof5]

I'm planning on taking my kids up to Manitoba, Canada to the Narcisse Wildlife Management Area. Has anyone on the forum been there? Just wondering what to expect. Do I understand correctly that passports are now needed to cross the boarder? Any info. would be great.

[adamanteus]

When are you planning on going, Steve? Don't forget your camera!
A couple of our less active members have been, and there is a thread about a visit to the Narcisse Dens somewhere on the forum (with photos) but I forget the title.

[reptile3]

I don't know much about Canada.. but here is something I found

Province of Manitoba | Manitoba Conservation Wildlife and Ecosystem Protection Branch (http://www.gov.mb.ca/conservation/wildlife/managing/snakes.html)

yes take lots of pics!! Wish I could tag along, that looks soo cool!:)

[misskris]

Too cool. Pics pics and more pics :) ohh and have fun

[olive oil]

You have to have one to fly in but not to drive in.
I do think they are planning on changing that soon though.

Oh, and have a great trip.:)

[Snake lover 3-25]

sounds fun!!!:D

[guidofatherof5]

James,

April/May time. I need to make some calls to them to narrow it down some. The family will be well equiped with multiple digital cameras and camcorders. I have a high def. camcorder that will be going. The kids and I were reading "The Snake Scientist" and can't wait for the trip. The kids grades are very good and I have plenty of vacation time built up. They can miss a few days of school and I don't mind missing work.

[anji1971]

As of July 2009, everyone crossing the border needs a passport.
Which is pretty much why my budget won't be large enough to make it to the World Meeting. 4 passports at once? Not likely this year.:(
But if anyone is planning a trip up here, please try to make it to l'il ol' Windsor for a couple days. I'd be thrilled to meet you!:)

[guidofatherof5]

Anji,

I've never needed a passport before. You have me worried. What does a passport cost?

[anji1971]

About $100.00 here.
Now, mind you, I am in Ontario, not Manitoba. I'm reasonably sure this is a federal change though, not just a provincial, but don't quote me on that. I'm usually wrong.:rolleyes:
If you're going in April/May, you'll most likely be fine.

[guidofatherof5]

Checked into it after my post to you. Don't need one if I have a valid DL and a birth certificate. I've got the valid DL will have to search for the other. My kids only need valid birth certificates. I can handle that.

[infernalis]

here is a few reference links....

http://www.thamnophis.com/forum/general-talk/1537-manitoba-canada-snake-den-photos-videos.html

http://www.thamnophis.com/forum/general-talk/1538-snake-dens-part-2-a.html

http://www.thamnophis.com/forum/general-talk/1129-jakes-favorite-pictures.html

[ssssnakeluvr]

never been there..but have wanted to go since I was a little kid!!!!

[drache]

oh, I want to go
and I'm so disappointed you won't be able to come to the world meeting, Anji

[guidofatherof5]

Anji,

I still planning on loading the family up and coming east in July. Gas prices are the stopper. If they get too high it's a no go. Our Canada trip will be a short one. Up in one day spend a couple there and drive home.

[anji1971]

You have no idea how much I want to be there in July! I just keep hoping for some financial miracle to come through. Unfortunately, jobs, even low-paying crappy jobs, are very scarce here now, and my sister's wedding is coming up, which is another expense, at least a happy one!
But I'll keep hoping. You never know........

[guidofatherof5]

I found this awesome video and thought you might enjoy it.
My family and I are still planning on going north this spring to see this great event.
YouTube - Amazing Garter Snakes (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ueQhny3UJ24)

[Stefan-A]

I come across that video every now and then. :) I give it 5 stars every time.

[drache]

thanks - I hadn't seen it
it's excellent
I personally do wonder whether the females actually know which male they are mating with - and how would we know that they actually picked him, and it wasn't just the one who managed to latch on?

[MasSalvaje]

James,

April/May time. I need to make some calls to them to narrow it down some. The family will be well equiped with multiple digital cameras and camcorders. I have a high def. camcorder that will be going. The kids and I were reading "The Snake Scientist" and can't wait for the trip. The kids grades are very good and I have plenty of vacation time built up. They can miss a few days of school and I don't mind missing work.

Excellent book! I bought it "for my son" when he was just a couple months old and read it to him almost everynight!

I am sure you know this but from their website the first 2 weeks of May are usually the best time to go. They say two weeks prior and two weeks following are pretty good also but that the most massive balls will be seen in the early days of May.

Also if you don't mind becoming Guidofatherof9 for a few days, we will tag along as well!

-Thomas

[guidofatherof5]

Excellent book! I bought it "for my son" when he was just a couple months old and read it to him almost everynight!

I am sure you know this but from their website the first 2 weeks of May are usually the best time to go. They say two weeks prior and two weeks following are pretty good also but that the most massive balls will be seen in the early days of May.

Also if you don't mind becoming Guidofatherof9 for a few days, we will tag along as well!

-Thomas

I have a 15 passenger van. You're welcome to come along.

[Snake lover 3-25]

neat video!:D

[guidofatherof5]

May 8th the kids and I are headed for Canada. Friday late afternoon we'll head out. 11 hours drive. Should arrive at Narcisse early Sat. morning. According to the Canadian website they're just now starting to come out. A couple of weeks from now should be a good time to be there. I will take a lot of photos and video.

[adamanteus]

Jealous? Me? Of course not! :rolleyes::D

[guidofatherof5]

My van holds 11. I've got 6 open seatbelts. Kids and I be travelling from Council Bluffs Iowa(using mapquest)to Arborg(northeast of the Dens) the first day. Anyone that is along the way and not off my travel route(too much) is welcome to meet us somewhere and join the trip. Dens most of Sat. We're staying in Arborg Sat. night. Dens again on Sunday and driving home starting Sunday afternoon.
As long as the room rate doesn't go up you can chip in some gas money, pay for your own meals and that will be all. Let me know if that sounds good, we'll make arrangments.

[adamanteus]

Sounds very generous to me, Steve.... but I guess Manchester UK is just a little too far 'off route'!:D

[guidofatherof5]

Sounds very generous to me, Steve.... but I guess Manchester UK is just a little too far 'off route'!:D

This time it is but next time we'll pick you up.

[Sid]

Steve, I have read that Mothers Day week is the peak time to be there.

[guidofatherof5]

Steve, I have read that Mothers Day week is the peak time to be there.

Thanks Sid,

There was another update from the Dens today. The weekend of the 8th is the only one that will work for me at this time. Here's a link to the update site.
Frequently Asked Questions | Wildlife & Ecosystem Protection — Conservation | Province of Manitoba (http://www.gov.mb.ca/conservation/wildlife/managing/snakes_status.html)

[gregmonsta]

Wonder how much it would cost to teleport one of those dens to Scotland

[guidofatherof5]

Wonder how much it would cost to teleport one of those dens to Scotland

Greg,
I'm taking a HiDef camcorder with me. I'll burn you a dvd and send it to you. That's just like being there, isn't it.:D
I'll have to see what kind of souvenirs they have. Maybe they have a penny machine on location! That would be great. Pennies I can do.

[gregmonsta]

That would be fantastic to see :D

[guidofatherof5]

This trip might happen a week earlier. On the 8th my oldest won't be able to go, so next weekend may have to work. May 1st, 2nd and home on the 3rd. Short stay, but well worth it.

[k2l3d4]

I don't know much about Canada.. but here is something I found

Province of Manitoba | Manitoba Conservation Wildlife and Ecosystem Protection Branch (http://www.gov.mb.ca/conservation/wildlife/managing/snakes.html)

yes take lots of pics!! Wish I could tag along, that looks soo cool!:)


Wow... that place looks totally cool.... Can I go?

[drache]

I am so envious, I can't even talk about it
and I wish I could at least make it to Iowa to cop a ride

[guidofatherof5]

The trip is on for this Friday(May 1st). Pick the kids up at school, home for a final check of supplies and it's off to the dens. It's a long drive but well worth the effort. Taking a laptop and my I-touch so I should be able to post a few updates. Maybe even a few photos. 3 camcorders and 5 digital cameras should make for some great memories.
Love the family time.

[prattypus]

The trip is on for this Friday(May 1st). Pick the kids up at school, home for a final check of supplies and it's off to the dens. It's a long drive but well worth the effort. Taking a laptop and my I-touch so I should be able to post a few updates. Maybe even a few photos. 3 camcorders and 5 digital cameras should make for some great memories.
Love the family time.
Totally unrelated to the dens, but makes me think back to the road trips my dad would take with my brother and myself from Denver to Montana. Good times.:)

[Snake lover 3-25]

hope you have a good trip!!:D

[count dewclaw]

I may have A snake den in my yard, but you get to go see THE snake den. Yes, I am jealous. Have a great trip , we will be waiting for pictures....

[guidofatherof5]

Friday can't come quick enough. I love the fact I live in the center of the U.S. Makes travel times and distances all about the same to the coasts or borders. My kids are stoked and so am I. Let it begin! Let it begin!(quote from the movie "Bolt"):D

[guidofatherof5]

According to the Den update, their is between 5,000 to 8,000 snakes out amongst the 4 dens. The ground is dry enough so that rubber boots aren't needed. Sounds like this weekend may be a good time to be there. Come on Friday! Will be taking I-29 north from Council Bluffs to the Canadian Border. Any forum members along that route are welcome to come and join us. I would also like to offer any members along the way some of my radixes. Let me know what you want. Meet us along the way and get your order. Please, PM me as soon as you can.

[prattypus]

If only the route went through CO, I would SOOOOO jump at some of the chance to get some of Steve's Radix--

[poissonguppy]

That is a very generous offer! Lol. I'm not sure I could part with my snakes, and I don't even have any.

Good luck at the dens. I hope you have a super fun time. Pictures!

[guidofatherof5]

Alex,

If I make it seem easy, it's not. I have been hand feeding these little radixes since they were born. Parting with anyone of them is not going to be easy. I love each one of them. What makes it easier is knowing they will be going to caring people. I don't want my kids put in a bad situation. References are required:D


That is a very generous offer! Lol. I'm not sure I could part with my snakes, and I don't even have any.

Good luck at the dens. I hope you have a super fun time. Pictures!

[MasSalvaje]

Steve I tried to pitch the idea to my wife and she humored me for awhile but then got me with the "But what would I do the whole time?" ploy. I guess it will have to wait.

If you like it enough this year to go back next, count me in!

-Thomas

[guidofatherof5]

We're out of here. Next stop Canada.
We'll check in when we hit some WiFi along the way.

[aSnakeLovinBabe]

wow!! have FUN!!! :eek:

::jealous:: :rolleyes:

[drache]

have a great time
also jealous

[guidofatherof5]

Very tired. Only 100 miles from the border. Kids were going to stay up with me. Hope I don't wake them when I get back in the van. Short break, feeling much better. Going to press on.

[Stefan-A]

I wish I could be there, Steve. :) Hope you have a good time over there.

[drache]

yeah - me too
and there's something special about nights on the road besides the destination

[guidofatherof5]

Arrived at the dens early Sat. morning. Saw no snakes. Too cold. Got some sleep and went back mid afternoon. It was AWESOME to say the least. Took a lot of photos and videos. Little did I know, the best was yet to come for my family and I. We were given some special info. and were able to get right into a den. It was unbelievable. The photos and video we shot were a once in a lifetime opportunity. We were the only people at the den and were not held back by any fences. We were able to be within inches of the mating balls and emerging snakes. The photos and video are priceless. Being on the ground with thousands all around was something special. They were as curious about us as we were them. Photos and video are nothing compared to being there. There is more I would like to share but I'm tired and need to sleep. I will explain the whole expirience on a future post.

[Snake lover 3-25]

wow that's AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! can't wait to see those pics!!! have a good rest of your trip steve!!!:D:D

[guidofatherof5]

Back on the road, heading home.

[Sid]

A big congratulation on the sucess of the trip, Steve. Have a safe trip home, rest up, and POST PHOTOS:D

[drache]

safe trip home

[prattypus]

way to go- That's awesome! I'm happy if I go out and see one!

[guidofatherof5]

Just crawled in the house dragging the kids. We made back without any problems. It was a good weekend.
I'm not sure how those 200 red-sided garters snakes got in my van and how Customs missed them but I guess I'll have to make room for them:D
Post more later. Thanks for all your prayers.

[gregmonsta]

Glad you had such a great time :D

[Snaky]

Already looking forward to the video's and pictures... It already sounded amazing in your post. :)

[crzy_kevo]

cant wait for your post and get the videos online for us to watch :D

[guidofatherof5]

Sorry about not posting anything yet. Recovering from the trip, kids back to school, work, yard work, neighbors, phone, bills, more yard work and of course my radi.:D I'm hoping to have something ready by the weekend.

[guidofatherof5]

Here's a quick photo of the first snake we encountered. This beautiful female was sitting in the path to the first den. Since she had no males around, I'm guessing he had already bred and was off to the summer area. She was very calm and didn't seem to mind being held.
http://www.thamnophis.com/forum/picture.php?albumid=52&pictureid=241

[Snake lover 3-25]

wow if she's that pretty..... OMG CAN"T WAIT FOR MORE PICS!!!!!!!!!!:eek::eek::eek::D great pic:)

[prattypus]

very saturated colors on her! That's dynamite!

[guidofatherof5]

Here's the first male we ran across just outside of Den #1.
All the males we saw seemed to be preoccupied.
It's as if they had something else on their minds:rolleyes::D

I would say the males out numbered the females 100 to 1.
I felt there were a lot of snakes out but according to the Den Interpreter(As they are called) this was only 10% of normal. He attributed this to the cold spring they have been having.
http://www.thamnophis.com/forum/picture.php?albumid=52&pictureid=253

[gregmonsta]

Great stuff :D can't wait to see more.

[Snaky]

Great stuff :D can't wait to see more.
Dito, dito, dito.... ;)

[guidofatherof5]

Here's a couple of the mating balls we encountered. The photo on top is from the secret location we were at. The second is from Den #2 in the managed area. By far the non-managed area was much better. We were able to be up-close and personal with the snakes. Since we were the only ones at this site the crowds weren't a problem.:D If and when I return I will spend my time with the snakes instead of simply looking at them. The experience my kids and I had was priceless.:)
http://www.thamnophis.com/forum/picture.php?albumid=52&pictureid=260
More to come later.

http://www.thamnophis.com/forum/picture.php?albumid=52&pictureid=244

[snakeman]

Awesome!I love how the garters in Canada are so crisp.It's like black and yellow and no inbetween.

[ssssnakeluvr]

I love them too!!! love the colors....nice and crisp as tom said.... someday I will go there......hopefully

[count dewclaw]

Now those mating balls put to shame the ones I see in my yard! That must have been great to see first hand.

[Snake lover 3-25]

neat pics!!

[guidofatherof5]

As I said before. They are just as curious about us. I had a number of photos like this. They would shoot up to see what it was than back to the breeding.
There was also some variety amongst all these snakes.
http://www.thamnophis.com/forum/picture.php?albumid=52&pictureid=266

Out of all the snakes we saw this was the only attitude we found.
This one had just emerged and was dirty and cold. We set her in the sun for a quick warm-up.
http://www.thamnophis.com/forum/picture.php?albumid=52&pictureid=262

Death was never very far away. The crows seemed to only pick on the 2 year old males. Here's one that I found. Crows will kill them by pecking through the skull into the brain and then eat only the liver. This was the only difficult time my kids had. My oldest and I were both in tears at the site of all the ones that didn't make it. I tried to point out to her all the life that surrounded us but it's hard to overlook these poor little ones.
http://www.thamnophis.com/forum/picture.php?albumid=52&pictureid=270
http://www.thamnophis.com/forum/picture.php?albumid=52&pictureid=269
http://www.thamnophis.com/forum/picture.php?albumid=52&pictureid=271

[guidofatherof5]

We had time for some site seeing. This monument is in the town of Inwood. The license plates up there say "Friendly Manatoba" it was true. Everyone we came in contact with was as nice as could be.
http://www.thamnophis.com/forum/picture.php?albumid=52&pictureid=263

Here's my daughter Hailee with one of the little males.
http://www.thamnophis.com/forum/picture.php?albumid=52&pictureid=251
http://www.thamnophis.com/forum/picture.php?albumid=52&pictureid=268

[reptileparadise]

Awesome! More pics please :D

[guidofatherof5]

Here are a few more photos. It's been a week since we were there. I'm already longing to be there again. I was truely moved by this experience. I can feel a pull towards the north now. This first pictue is of a mating ball I spent most of my time with. It was in amongst some wild roses. My kids laughed at me because I was laying on the thorns. To be honest, I didn't care.
http://www.thamnophis.com/forum/picture.php?albumid=52&pictureid=265

http://www.thamnophis.com/forum/picture.php?albumid=52&pictureid=279

http://www.thamnophis.com/forum/picture.php?albumid=52&pictureid=273

[guidofatherof5]

http://www.thamnophis.com/forum/picture.php?albumid=52&pictureid=282
http://www.thamnophis.com/forum/picture.php?albumid=52&pictureid=275
http://www.thamnophis.com/forum/picture.php?albumid=52&pictureid=278

[guidofatherof5]

http://www.thamnophis.com/forum/picture.php?albumid=52&pictureid=252
This was the real treasue of the trip. Special time with them!

http://www.thamnophis.com/forum/picture.php?albumid=52&pictureid=285

http://www.thamnophis.com/forum/picture.php?albumid=52&pictureid=284

[gregmonsta]

Great stuff mate :D .... I think thorns would be the last thing on my mind too :D

[guidofatherof5]

I still have to work with the video that was taken. To be honest I haven't looked at any or it yet. I do have a youtube account and will try to post a link for you at a later date. I can't do it now
GOING HERPING. I know just were to go. Photos to follow.

[prattypus]

yeah, it sucks about the crows. I know they have to eat, but I wish they'd make the sacrifice a little more worth it.

[Snake lover 3-25]

great pics!!:D

[reptile3]

Great pictures Steve... Your kids are beautiful!!

[misskris]

Ohh wow. Looks like you guy's had a great time :) Thanks for sharing.

[anji1971]

Fabulous pictures!:cool:
I really, really, really want to go to the Dens someday.............

[guidofatherof5]

With all the cold weather and brumating going on, I thought I would post a few more photos from my Narcisse Den trip last year. Spring is just around the corner(yes, a long corner) and the garters will be coming out. There is a chance my family and I will be returning to the dens this Spring. This time I plan on spending a few days at our den. We may bypass the public dens.
http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/medium/my_group.jpg
http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/medium/ball11.jpg
http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/medium/female1.jpg

[guidofatherof5]

http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/medium/1st_male.jpg
http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/medium/1st_large_group.jpg
http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/medium/girl1.jpg

[Calift]

Steve- those are awesome pictures! Although the rest of my family looked a bit disgusted when I showed them- I couldn't think of a more amazing sight! I wish I knew of a place in Ontario or Massachusetts that I could witness the spring breedings like that.....hope you get to go again this year!

[guidofatherof5]

Steve- those are awesome pictures! Although the rest of my family looked a bit disgusted when I showed them- I couldn't think of a more amazing sight! I wish I knew of a place in Ontario or Massachusetts that I could witness the spring breedings like that.....hope you get to go again this year!

Going to the managed den site was awesome. I've read about and seen many photos from there.
The real bonus for us was when one of the den interpreters told us about an uncontrolled site. I still don't know what prompted him to do that. I had only talked to the guy for about 5 minutes and invited him to eat lunch with my family. He turned me down and my family and I went off to eat at one of the picnic tables. The guy followed me over and continued to inquire about my interest in garter snakes. He then sat down and drew me a map to the site. He said he wasn't suppose to tell anyone but felt he could trust me.
We arrived and got out. We immediately heard them in the dry leaves. Many of the snakes were as interested in us as we were with them. I found a large group and layed down in the thicket with them. That was my favorite part. Being within inches of this activity. The interpreter said that they estimated 10 million snakes in the Provence. AWESOME SNAKES! I would love to live up there with them but my heart belongs to my radixes.

[ConcinusMan]

Just crawled in the house dragging the kids. We made back without any problems. It was a good weekend.
I'm not sure how those 200 red-sided garters snakes got in my van and how Customs missed them but I guess I'll have to make room for them:D
Post more later. Thanks for all your prayers.


200? Good lawd! Like you don't enough snakes. Geez!

You can't fool me. I know how they got there...:cool:

They climbed in when you weren't looking. They've heard about how good life is at the ranch and they were like "hey, that's him! let's go!" :D

[guidofatherof5]

200? Good lawd! Like you don't enough snakes. Geez!

You can't fool me. I know how they got there. They climbed in when you weren't looking. They've heard about how good life is at the radix ranch.


The funny thing is the attitudes I got from both sides of the border. Going into Canada, they wanted to know why I was visiting. I of course, said garter snakes. I gave the U.S. Customs officer the same reason for what I did while in Canada. Both officers gave me a weird look and asked "why". I was upfront and said "I like garter snakes" The U.S. officer went to the back of my 1 ton van, opened the door and asked one of my kids "where's the garter snakes". They replied "back in Iowa".
I'm guessing they don't get many people using the garter snake reason.

[ConcinusMan]

good answer! I guess he figured the kids would rat you out. They were honest though, gotta give 'em that.

[TheBeansprout]

Hi Steve, I went to the snake dens about 5 years ago. Kept checking the website for information on what was going on and made the flights and motel reservation accordingly. Flew into Winnipeg and drove up from there. Don't forget to check out the garter snake statue in the town square (picture from Jake's thread) http://www.thamnophis.com/forum/14755-post6.html

Frequently Asked Questions | Wildlife & Ecosystem Protection — Conservation | Province of Manitoba (http://www.gov.mb.ca/conservation/wildlife/spmon/narsnakes/snakes_status.html)

It was kind of cold and rainy when I went, but there were thousands of snakes out and about nonetheless.

It's quite fascinating, a must-see, in my opinion anyways.

Have fun!

TheBeansprout

[TheBeansprout]

Hahaha, I just realized how old this thread is, for some reason, all the pages weren't showing until I rebooted my computer and browser. DOH!

[Faunaofthenorth]

i went there with my family and my buddy about 4 years ago and it was awesome, although the ranger there was a little bit too anal and would only let me hold one at a time and i HAD to support there neck by holding them with TWO hands the whole time, i told him that they arent twigs, they are supposed to bend they are a lot more flexible then you give credit to, and said that he could get me banned from there, **** but i guess he just didnt want the snakes to get injured. I of course decided to veer off the beaten path and find my own snake heep which i did and it was worth it. i have some pics from there ill post sometime but yea if you love garters do it for sure

[stripe&houdini]

Totally unrelated to the dens, but makes me think back to the road trips my dad would take with my brother and myself from Denver to Montana. Good times.:)
I live in Montana!

[Faunaofthenorth]

ive gone to montana for herping, it was definitely an interesting and beautiful place, we were high in the mountains, and i never found much other than the fact that i caught two female wanderings in the middle of the hotel, in an open pool area in the middle of it, i was like what the heck...as soon as i went down the stairs, BAM!! and it was at night, and then my brother said he saw three more on the path outside the hotel, so hmm...nocturnal...maybe, then next to a glacial deposit river, i caught a pretty big wandering as well, and also in the same area a thamnophis sirtalis fitchi, which was interesting, hmm....fun times

[guidofatherof5]

Here are some photos I thought I lost to a bad hard drive. I was able to recover some of it. Here are a few I didn't post last year.
http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//693/medium/Nar8.jpg
http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//693/medium/Nar14.jpg
http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//693/medium/Nar12.jpg
http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//693/medium/Nar15.jpg

[guidofatherof5]

http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//693/medium/Nar9.jpg

http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//693/medium/Nar7.jpg
http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//693/medium/Nar4.jpg
http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//693/medium/Nar3.jpg

[guidofatherof5]

http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//693/medium/Nar2.jpg
http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//693/medium/nar1.jpg
http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//693/medium/Nar10.jpg

[ConcinusMan]

Oh crud. please disregard this post

[Mommy2many]

One of these days I would love to go here.

[guidofatherof5]

One of these days I would love to go here.

It's an awesome spectacle.

[guidofatherof5]

I found this video on a flash drive. A little late but here you go.
D6VnmukGec4

[gregmonsta]

Loved every second of that :D

[RicMartin]

Awesome!

[guidofatherof5]

Loved every second of that :D


Awesome!


I found another one on my Hi8 camcorder.
Need to download it and do some work to it.
Hopefully I'll have it up in a few days.

[guidofatherof5]

Here's a few photos I located on a recovered harddrive.
http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/medium/DSC08354_Quick_e-mail_view.jpghttp://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/medium/P5020389_Quick_e-mail_view.jpg
http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/medium/P5020237_Quick_e-mail_view.jpg
http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/medium/P5020381_Quick_e-mail_view.jpg

[PINJOHN]

really great stuff Steve, i spotted a couple of dead snakes in your footage females? having got through the winter what then could be the reason for the deaths? the mating balls perhaps? :confused:

[guidofatherof5]

Usually predators. Crows seem to be a major one.
I only saw a few that weren't killed by crows.

[ConcinusMan]

I see that here too. Luckily the crows don't seem to mess with the healthy snakes. They pick off the weak and sick ones that didn't fare well over the winter. They can spot a snake "limp" from a mile away and those are the ones they go for. I also noticed they like to pick out certain organs and leave the rest.:rolleyes:

[guidofatherof5]

Found more photos I didn't post.

http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//693/medium/narcisse7.jpghttp://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//693/medium/narcisse8.jpg
http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//693/medium/narcisse6.jpghttp://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//693/medium/narcisse3.jpghttp://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//693/medium/narcisse2.jpg

[EasternGirl]

I love that one happy little guy in the middle of the first pic...what a cute face!

[InsanePirateDragon]

Geez... Thats a lot of snakes. When do these balls start coming out?

[chris-uk]

Geez... Thats a lot of snakes. When do these balls start coming out?
Apparently Mothers Day weekend is usually a good time.

[Light of Dae]

I've been there! When I lived in manitoba, haven't been in years, but I would love to go there again, wanna find one closer to home... :D

[chris-uk]

I would love to go too. It's a long trip from here :(
I've been told that for the discerning garter lover it is an incredible sight.

[EasternGirl]

I want to go so bad...it's my dream trip! Someday...I will get there. People dream of going to Hawaii, Italy, Tibet, Machu Picchu...I dream of going to the Narcisse Snake Dens! (Of course I wouldn't mind going to Tibet or Machu Picchu either...)