Could all this ground shaking be shaking them to the surface, shaking them to the top, and out of their holes in the ground - I wonder?
Good point, but it's likely the warm weather. It "is" snake season here, and I am always on the lookout for rattlers since we live on a canyon rim. I nearly stepped on one as a little girl when I opened my aunt's kitchen door which led directly to her garage and that horrid experience has stuck with me all these years.