Indigo Reintroduction as of 7/4/2010

Independence Day and the Indigos seem to know it. Seventeen days since their day of independence and all are alive and none have disappeared breaking several peoples predictions(you know who you are) and beating the odds on several friendly wagers. They have all set up their own territories. Most have picked an old armadillo or gopher tortoise burrow as their retreat from the south Alabama heat. One found its way into the stump of an old longleaf pine long since rotted away leaving only the standing heartwood. I can't figure out how it got in there(no obvious hole around the stump) but it is certainly in there. Tracking snakes is amazing. Without radio telemetry one would never know they were standing on top of a 4ft long snake! They seem to be coming out and hunting/basking in the early mornings and late afternoons. Then going back to their same hole during the heat of the day. Today almost half of the snakes were seen out and about, yet most were within an easy slither from their refuge. We haven't seen any more feeding since the first week although several had bulging bellies. Things are looking positive for the future of the Indigo in south Alabama! Lets hope that the trend continues!