Sahyadrica

Last year I was fortunate to observe a few Eastern Garter Snakes late in March. I had set out to track when and how life returned to Medway Creek , without expecting to find any snakes so early in the season. After stumbling upon many Garter Snakes and being amongst a few individuals that I photographed for the first time, I started following one unique fellow with a rather dark abdomen compared to the others around. His name is Toby and this is his story. Toby is just another male Garter Snake in this vast country who spent the cold months huddled in a hibernacula with his fellow mates. Now he is out and about, exploring the dense woodland surrounding a fragment of Medway Creek – a tributary of Thames River in London, Ontario, with one important mission – to find a mate and pass on his genes. (The script of narration is provided at the bottom) If you watched the documentary, you may have had the same question in mind – was it really a female or just a trickster male? I was quit...

Eastern Garter Snake, Thamnophis sirtalis sirtalis I remember shuffling through pages of Childcraft as a kid, when I was more interested in pictures than the text. My father had bought a set of these books that further nurtured my interest in science and nature. After years, I forgot about these introductory books, although I obscurely remember the pictures and drawings in them. This amazing children’s encyclopedia was my gateway to beautiful photographs, drawings and the vast knowledge. It was in those days that I started observing around, looking for bugs, building bird nests and wishing dinosaurs were still alive. It was then, more than ten years ago when I first saw pictures of snakes – hundreds of them living together. It was when I saw a documentary on these many, many snakes living together called Garter Snakes, that I became interested in them. Looking through the thickets After a few fruitless walks at Medway Creek, I was furious about my camera’s failure to focus. It to...