Although I did manage to get close, which is quite hard with the grass snake, it kept it's head hidden from view!
Still nice to see and I'm sure there will be many more encounters where I can get a clear head shot.
Sunday, 11 March 2012
First Grass Snake of 2012
Not been able to get out much due to other commitments and work, but I did manage to get out for a couple of hours earlier and I found a nice basking grass snake.
Although I did manage to get close, which is quite hard with the grass snake, it kept it's head hidden from view!
Still nice to see and I'm sure there will be many more encounters where I can get a clear head shot.
Although I did manage to get close, which is quite hard with the grass snake, it kept it's head hidden from view!
Still nice to see and I'm sure there will be many more encounters where I can get a clear head shot.
Sunday, 5 February 2012
Counting Down the Weeks!
Why does the first two months of the year take so long to pass? Not that I'm wishing my life away you understand, but snakes are my passion and waiting for them to emerge from hibernation feels like an eternity!
Rob
Rob
Saturday, 8 October 2011
My Wildlife on TV!
Great to see they featured the female adder I found for BBC Autumnwatch on last night's programme.
Also the hornets and wild boar, although all credit goes to them for actually finding the wild boars. I just put them in the right location.
A massive thank you to all three presenters for standing up for the wild boars in the UK, a creature very close to my heart.
CLICK HERE FOR AUTUMNWATCH; EPISODE 1
Rob
Also the hornets and wild boar, although all credit goes to them for actually finding the wild boars. I just put them in the right location.
A massive thank you to all three presenters for standing up for the wild boars in the UK, a creature very close to my heart.
CLICK HERE FOR AUTUMNWATCH; EPISODE 1
Rob
Saturday, 1 October 2011
BBC Autumnwatch are Here!
Today I spent the morning with a film crew from BBC Autumnwatch. The main subject was supposed to be wild boar and although I found them a fantastic location (filming tonight), I couldn't resist taking them to one of my adder hot-spots!
It wasn't long before I found a lovely "big" female for them to film and although she was quite shy, hopefully they captured enough decent footage to be included in the programme.
I also found them some hornets building a nest! This was something I really didn't expect to find as this species dies off during the winter months, so this is not really the best time to start building a nest. We are seeing some unusually hot weather at the moment and this is probably the reason for this unusual activity.
Will be on TV next Friday, so get tuned in!
Rob
It wasn't long before I found a lovely "big" female for them to film and although she was quite shy, hopefully they captured enough decent footage to be included in the programme.
I also found them some hornets building a nest! This was something I really didn't expect to find as this species dies off during the winter months, so this is not really the best time to start building a nest. We are seeing some unusually hot weather at the moment and this is probably the reason for this unusual activity.
Will be on TV next Friday, so get tuned in!
Rob
Thursday, 8 September 2011
Snake Found in Bedroom!
I was contacted by the Cheltenham Echo yesterday to identify a snake that a local resident had found in his home. At first I thought I was going to see a pet corn snake or a young python, but I was shocked to see that it was an adder. Britain's only venomous snake!
Click link below for full article.
Snake Article
Rob
Click link below for full article.
Snake Article
Rob
Friday, 2 September 2011
Cobra in the Forest!
The grass snake (Natrix natrix) may not be venomous like the adder (Vipera berus), but they do posses some other unique ways of fending off a possible threat.
1. If you startle a grass snake and it feels like it has no means of a quick escape, it will sometimes rear up like a cobra. The female grass snake in the photograph below did just that and at around 120cm in length, with approx 1/3 of her body raised in the air, she was quite intimidating.
2. If a grass snake is attacked, or if it feels like its life is in danger, it will sometimes feign death. Basically it will squirm around and come to rest upside down with its mouth gaping and tongue hanging out.
I do not have any photographs of this as I have never put a grass snake in this situation, where it feels threatened to this degree. I cringe when I see photographs on the internet of grass snakes doing this, as I know that they have been, or are enduring immense stress!
3. To accompany the death throws and if disturbed, the grass snake will sometimes squirt a "foul" smelling liquid from its anal gland. If this doesn't sound bad enough, just imagine what rotten fish and anal secretions must smell like and you are almost there. If you get this on your clothes or skin, it is very hard to wash away and the smell makes you feel sick!
A grass snake of 120cm pretending to be a cobra. I was lying on the ground for this shot and her head was higher than mine. Awesome encounter with a truly beautiful snake.
I still see her today on occasions, 4 years later and she looks a lot bigger.
Rob
1. If you startle a grass snake and it feels like it has no means of a quick escape, it will sometimes rear up like a cobra. The female grass snake in the photograph below did just that and at around 120cm in length, with approx 1/3 of her body raised in the air, she was quite intimidating.
2. If a grass snake is attacked, or if it feels like its life is in danger, it will sometimes feign death. Basically it will squirm around and come to rest upside down with its mouth gaping and tongue hanging out.
I do not have any photographs of this as I have never put a grass snake in this situation, where it feels threatened to this degree. I cringe when I see photographs on the internet of grass snakes doing this, as I know that they have been, or are enduring immense stress!
3. To accompany the death throws and if disturbed, the grass snake will sometimes squirt a "foul" smelling liquid from its anal gland. If this doesn't sound bad enough, just imagine what rotten fish and anal secretions must smell like and you are almost there. If you get this on your clothes or skin, it is very hard to wash away and the smell makes you feel sick!
A grass snake of 120cm pretending to be a cobra. I was lying on the ground for this shot and her head was higher than mine. Awesome encounter with a truly beautiful snake.
I still see her today on occasions, 4 years later and she looks a lot bigger.
Rob
Thursday, 4 August 2011
Success!
You may remember my post earlier this year when I, along with a friend carried some heavy corrugated tin, on our heads to a location in the Forest of Dean.
This tin was to give the adders some artificial refuge and help with the decline in their numbers in this area.
After giving the reptiles time to get used to the change in their habitat and explore it, I went back for the first time yesterday evening. Although the tin was nearly covered by bracken I managed to take a look underneath and success as the first piece had two slow worms underneath. This was great to see as adders share the same basking spots as the slow worm, so I moved on to the next piece hoping to see one taking advantage of it!
Nothing under the second piece except a large ant nest, so I re-positioned it in a different location.
I dug my way in through the bracken to the third piece and lifted it up. There she was, a lovely female adder, coiled up right in the centre.
I was over the moon and this just shows what a little hard work and determination can achieve!
No pics of the adder I'm afraid, for a couple of reasons.
1. I didn't want to disturb her, so the tin was carefully placed back down straight away.
2. It would have been hard taking a photograph one handed!
A massive thank you to my friend Mark Dando for his help and an equal amount of credit is due to him for helping a species in decline, in the Forest of Dean!
Rob
This tin was to give the adders some artificial refuge and help with the decline in their numbers in this area.
After giving the reptiles time to get used to the change in their habitat and explore it, I went back for the first time yesterday evening. Although the tin was nearly covered by bracken I managed to take a look underneath and success as the first piece had two slow worms underneath. This was great to see as adders share the same basking spots as the slow worm, so I moved on to the next piece hoping to see one taking advantage of it!
Nothing under the second piece except a large ant nest, so I re-positioned it in a different location.
I dug my way in through the bracken to the third piece and lifted it up. There she was, a lovely female adder, coiled up right in the centre.
I was over the moon and this just shows what a little hard work and determination can achieve!
No pics of the adder I'm afraid, for a couple of reasons.
1. I didn't want to disturb her, so the tin was carefully placed back down straight away.
2. It would have been hard taking a photograph one handed!
A massive thank you to my friend Mark Dando for his help and an equal amount of credit is due to him for helping a species in decline, in the Forest of Dean!
Rob
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