Northern Pacific Rattlesnake (Crotalus oreganus oreganus).
As I was taking pictures of the bees and crab spiders next to Mitchell Creek, I got a bit of a "gitchy feelin'" and turned around. Lo and behold, this beautiful rattler was five feet behind me at the creekside! It was very relaxed, just stretched out and waiting for me to leave. As I got closer to take pictures, it did nothing but flick its tongue in and out every time I moved. I left for a few minutes and when I returned it was drinking water from the creek.
One of my favorite nature encounters.
Should have gotten some extra ambient sound to replace my lens and breathing noises, but oh well.
Mt. Diablo State Park, California.
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Canon 60D
Micro-Nikkor 55mm f/3.5
1080p 24fps
