Watch video below of Ken Wallace's brief, peaceful encounter with a black bear in the park. CASTILE – Bobcats and eagles and bears, oh my! Letchworth's hunters have been on the move and getting their pictures taken more than usual over the past month. Park goers Mark Van Norman and Ken Wallace have been posting great photographs and videos of predators to social media. Van Norman posted pictures of bears, an eagle nest with grown eaglets, a … [Read more...]
WATCH: Hiker Nudges Black Rattlesnake from Letchworth State Park Road
Watch Wallace's video of his encounter below! CASTILE – A frequent visitor to Letchworth State Park spotted a black-phase rattlesnake warming itself in the road Monday morning, and decided to give it a nudge in the right direction. Warm weather has called forth Letchworth State Park's rattlesnakes from their winter lairs, and some visitors to the park will encounter them. At about 8:30 Monday morning, park regular Ken Wallace had just such … [Read more...]
WATCH: Leicester Milk Snake Does Amazing Rattlesnake Impression
LEICESTER – In the video below, a harmless snake's best rattlesnake impression had one local family not only fooled but worried for a second. They were convinced that it was in fact a rattler and decided to let it go because they knew rattlesnakes are a protected species. Wildlife educators with Southern Tier Exotics immediately recognized that the snake in the video is not a rattlesnake but an eastern milk snake (Lampropeltis Triangulum), and … [Read more...]
Reptile Handlers Delighting in Sighting of Timber Rattler in Letchworth
LIVINGSTON COUNTY – Following our coverage of a yellow timber rattlesnake sighting in Letchworth State Park on Monday, a GeneseeSun.com reader and member of a reptile handling and education group reached out to us to emphasize the importance of conservation of this strikingly beautiful native species. The following is a letter sent to the GeneseeSun.com by reptile handler Devin Moyer with Southern Tier Exotics out of Gainesville, NY, which … [Read more...]
Rare Golden Rattler Spotted in Letchworth State Park
CASTILE – Lucky hiker Ken Wallace spotted this rare and threatened icon of wilderness in Letchworth State Park Monday morning, shooting a few pictures of the fiercely beautiful animal before it slid quietly away into the underbrush. The habitually peaceful timber rattlesnake, though terrifying to some, had no problem with Wallace as he took several photos and reported the sighting to the Park Visitor Center. "I noticed something in the road … [Read more...]