Texas Rat Snake up a tree! (Pantherophis obsoletus lindheimeri)

This is the same dead tree which had Wood Ducks and Black-bellied Whistling-ducks on it, in my last post 3 days ago. Rat snakes are non-venomous and are really good climbers - we've seen them climb a vertical brick wall with no problem! One night a few years ago, one managed to climb up a veranda support pole, to raid an old swallow nest, which was being used by a pair of House Finches. We did not hear anything until it was too late.