I have had a couple of interesting sightings recently. A red-bellied snake (Storeria occipitomaculata) and some immature Harris’s sparrows.
I recently managed a good look at a red-bellied snake. They are one of our smaller snakes, growing to perhaps 8-10 inches long. This one was gray, but they can also be various shades of brown to gray. They have a stripe down the center of the back and sides that may be rather inconspicuous as well as some pale spots on the neck. But the conspicuous characteristic is the red belly, which can also vary a bit in color. We have no similar species, so identification is quite easy.
