It was a great night for an evening drive along Tesla Road in eastern Livermore. The objective was to look for San Joaquin Kit Foxes, but we failed to find them. Kit Foxes are both nocturnal and extremely difficult to see. We did, however, manage to see several other species of Bay Area animals.
As the evening light faded, we first spotted a Tarantula as it was crossing the road. As we were attempting to get him out of harms way in a timely manner, it managed to crawl into the wheel on our car. After several minutes of banging a stick on the tire, it finally decided to come out and wandered off to safety.
Tarantula on Tesla Road
As we drove along, we also saw a Gopher Snake cross the road. When threatened, Gopher Snakes tend to sharpen their heads so that they resemble something like triangles, something we had noticed before while driving along Mines Road which is also in Livermore. This one was no exception.
Driving a little further east on Tesla Road yielded two Western Rattlesnakes. We managed to snag a picture of the second one, its eyes gleaming in the headlights. Note the defensive position.
Western Rattlesnake off Tesla Road
The fact that we saw three snakes as well as a tarantula crossing the road combined with a decent level of traffic shows how easily animals can become roadkill. Drivers must be careful always.
On the way back, we saw a Barn Owl fly along the road for a bit and then veer off. And then a Desert Cottontail by the side of the road. No Kit Foxes but plenty of wildlife.