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18 | OHCC LIVING | JUNE 2020 | We have at various times in the past provided Rattlesnake information, but I think it is the time of year to provide some good pointers from Nextdoor.com: 1. Be vigilant, all it takes is a few warm days and they are active. The three-footer shown in the picture was on Leisure Village near Barcelona. 2. Rattlesnakes need to be coiled to "strike" or bite. That said, they can quickly coil up when they feel threatened. If you just stay clear of them, they won't bother you. Their rattle is to give warning they feel threatened. Just back away and give them space to move along. 3. Adult rattlers don't want to waste their venom if you are bigger than prey, so leave them alone. Youngsters may strike regardless. However, if an adult snake bites you or your pet, you may not know if it was a dry bite or venomous, so you need to go to the ER for you or vet for your pet anyway. Just don't be on your cell phone when you are out walking. 4. Rattlesnakes only bite what they can eat; unless they feel threatened, and killing something that scares us is nonsensical and cruel. Keep in mind that rattlesnakes eat a lot of mice and rats which controls our rodent population. 5. If you get bit, follow these instructions. Either call 911 or have someone drive you to the hospital ASAP. (a) Move beyond the snake's striking distance. (b) Remain still and calm to help slow the spread of venom. (c) Remove jewelry and tight clothing before you start to swell. (d) Position yourself, if possible, so that the bite is at or below the level of your heart. (e) Clean the wound with soap and water. 6. What to do if a dog gets bitten: "VIP" (a) keep Benadryl in your dog first aid kit - Children's Liquid, generic is fine. Give them 1 tsp. for every 12.5 pounds of body weight if they are bitten. (b) Get your dog to a vet if they are bitten as soon as reasonably possible - do not be over-dramatic and get in a car accident to get there, but do not stop at the dry cleaners on the way either. Proceed with due haste. Pet Lovers Club Birdwatchers We may not be able to go on bird walks together this spring, but there is plenty of action among the birds in our neighborhood. In my own backyard I have been able to observe House Finches gathering nesting material from the ball of cotton I've provided. The female does the work while the male looks on. Female hummingbirds have also been pulling out thin strands with their long beaks. In their case, the males take no part in the nesting phase. After a successful courtship, they're out of there! I couldn't see the nests, but a few weeks later, the fledglings arrived with their mother to drink the nectar from my feeders. I was providing three times the normal amount of nectar to keep them all satisfied. Some evenings there were two or three hummingbird families feeding together! At the beginning of April, a family of Hooded Orioles started coming in for the grape jelly: an adult male and female, together with an immature male. Their strange clattering noise always announces their arrival. The House Finches had fledged by the end of the month and were fussing to be fed by their fathers, who conscientiously ingested suet from the feeder and regurgitated it down the throats of the youngsters. A pair of Song Sparrows were doing the same thing, as well as a couple of California Towhees who visited the feeder many times a day to gather food to take to their babies in a nest on the bank opposite. Along with a Bewick's Wren, a pair of Mourning Doves, a couple of Mockingbirds, the yard has been a hive of activity – not to mention the Red-shouldered Hawks nesting in the pine tree beyond our wall. We hear them, but rarely see them. However, any day now the fledglings will be flapping in the branches and taking tentative flights. Birdwatching is never boring! ~ Ann Baldwin Just in case: Check with your club contact to confirm meeting place, date, and time.