Hi SoCalGirl....You are absolutely correct! My wife told me it's a Red Diamond Rattlesnake.
She works in the field every day for the Riverside County MSHCP, under the authority of the DFG. After she told me about the really large rattlesnake, we went out to the same area to see if we could find it. We didn't see any rattlers, but we did run into a wild beehive in the rocks. That wasn't much fun. I worry a bit about her being in the field, but I'm more concerned about what kind of human contact she has out in hard to get to places, than I am about snakes, Mountain Lions or other creatures.
"Turtles, Frogs & other Environmental Sculpture"
www.quillansculpturegallery.comtwitter: @josephquillan
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