Western rattlesnakes in southern Okanagan den.
Image Credit: SUBMITTED/ Ron Peace
May 04, 2023 - 7:00 AM
Penticton photographer Ron Peace spent a hot weekend hiking around rattlesnake dens in the south Okanagan to take photos a few days ago, and he found lots of them.
“I stopped counting after twenty,” he said. “It is really weather dependent. When it warms up, the snakes come out and warm themselves.”
Every spring Peace goes to the dens he knows of to photograph the snakes before they leave their dens and start dispersing into the fields for the summer. He photographs everything from wildlife to landscapes but the rattlesnakes are a bit unique.
“The terror factor makes it unique, so part of it is my own fear of them,” he said. “I don’t do it a lot, it’s a short window of opportunity, they are harder to find the rest of the year.”
Part of the fun is spotting the snakes that camouflage themselves well.
“I can hear them buzzing and I peer into crevices,” he said. “After you are still for a while you start being able to see more of them, you really have to pay attention.”
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He said when numerous snakes start rattling, it is difficult to pinpoint them individually because “they sound like a chorus.” Peace photographs the snakes by himself and is careful not reveal their locations in order to protect them. He said he is mindful not to disturb or stress the wildlife he photographs.
Western rattlesnake.
Image Credit: SUBMITTED/ Ron Peace
Peace’s work has been in a number of galleries in the south Okanagan, and he also operates a small framing studio. Go here to see more of his work.
Western rattlesnake.
Image Credit: SUBMITTED/ Ron Peace
Image Credit: SUBMITTED/ Ron Peace
— This article was corrected at 2:40 p.m. Thursday, May 4, 2023, to provide the correct link to Ron Peace's Facebook page.
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