By Will Wiggins
MSNHA’s RiverLine consultant
Land steward at Cane Creek Canyon Nature Preserve, with Land Trust of North Alabama
As a land steward at Cane Creek Canyon Nature Preserve, I spend a lot of time outdoors. With each season—through boot-soaking dew, heavy rain, parching heat and bitter cold, I feel quite lucky to get to experience the changing flora & diverse fauna that reside and migrate through this secluded forest in northwest Alabama. And in the final weeks of August 2025 I witnessed something that I’ll treasure forever.
While carrying out my duties as a land steward — which include maintaining trails, felling dead or dying trees that pose a risk to hikers, and removing invasive plant species — I always keep an eye out for snakes, which I have a keen interest in. I do this to both be safe, as venomous snakes are present on the preserve, and to ensure that I don’t harm them.
One day while making my rounds at the Citadel, one of the highest points in elevation at CCCNP, I walked out to an overlook point & looked down at a fallen tree just beyond the edge of the bluff. Near the base of this hollowed tree was one of the six venomous snakes found in Alabama — and one of only three that have been documented on the preserve. Not only was I looking at a beautiful timber rattlesnake, also known as a “canebrake” rattlesnake, but this was the largest snake I have ever observed in the wild.
With her head resting on her coiled body, I sensed her calm — an apex predator with no worries, content as she basked in the sunlight. I took a few minutes to appreciate what I was seeing before grabbing my phone for a photo. I couldn’t wait to share the encounter with my fellow land steward & the previous property owners, who still live along the edge of the preserve and whose observations from more than 40 years spent on this land I value greatly. After I told them about the sighting, they said that a timber rattlesnake has been seen in this exact spot for several years. That was good news to me, as it made me hope I might see her again.
My hope came to fruition when I trekked back to the Citadel a few days later, around midday, and found her still there. I was pleased & wondered how many more times I might get to see her.
About a week and a half after that initial encounter, I returned to see how my new friend was doing. As I stepped out to the edge of the overlook, I was met with a shocking but wonderful sight and immediately understood why she had once appeared to be the largest snake I had ever seen in the wild. Lying at the base of the hollowed tree, gathered together in multiple coils next to their mother, were at least 10 baby timber rattlesnakes. I was completely overjoyed and could hardly believe what I was seeing. I have witnessed many litters of puppies and kittens, nests filled with baby birds, joeys clinging to their mother opossum’s back and even a few fox kits following their mother down a trail, but something about seeing a freshly born brood of rattlesnakes is incredibly special.##Seeing a healthy brood of timber rattlesnakes reinforced something I’ve learned over years of working outdoors: snakes are not something to fear, but something to respect. Most negative encounters are avoidable with awareness and basic knowledge. For readers interested in learning why cautious behavior, not fear, is the safest approach, I’ve shared a longer discussion and practical tips in an earlier post. ###
