This wood duck nesting box was on a metal pole, maybe 100 feet from the water and it had an inverted metal funnel for a snake guard that was about 24" across. It was firmly attached to the pole, it didn't tip back and forth, so I'm assuming that is how the snake was able to slither up and over the edge of it.
I had no idea how long it was, as it only had it's tail sticking out of the hole, and was slowly making it's way completely into the nest box. Once the ladder was in place I had to get up there fast and grab it before it went completely inside.
My face, when I was standing at the top of the "A" frame ladder was a few inches below the hole going into the nesting box, so when it looked like it's head was coming out of the box, I gave it a good fling away from me. It landed about 20' away and curled up like you see it. When I started to poke and prod it so I could pin it's head to the ground, it regurgitated the one egg that it had swallowed, but it had broken inside of it on it's trip to the ground.
