Nothing other than my pride was harmed during this event. I checked the box ten minutes prior to taking this photo and it was empty. Other than a thirty foot flight into the pasture, the snake got away unharmed.

These photos show nest boxes that I mount on t-posts around my property. I attach baffles underneath each with the assumption that I am preventing predators from climbing the posts to get at the eggs and sitting birds. This snake proved that my snake proof baffles aren’t…

This is a four foot black rat snake. They inhabit my farm and I let them as they help my cats with the mouse population. They also eat birds and raid their nests, though, and I’ve tried to deter them somewhat by adding these baffles to the nest boxes I build. Until now I always thought my ingenious craftsmanship was successful. I haven’t seen a skunk butt sticking out of a box yet so perhaps they have some usefulness but my ego is significantly deflated due to this snake making the mistake of showing the truth.

My sweetheart told me about photos she has seen on her gardening group that show rat snakes standing upright, balancing on their tails, to get to nest boxes and tree branches. As this nest box is five feet above the ground, this snake must have climbed partly up the post and then stretched past the baffle.

So what are your thoughts? Install a baffle that covers the entire length of the pole? Grease up the baffle? Add little medieval spikes? Poison ivy?

Thanks for any ideas.