3 is a Crowd!

This is a very old photograph of two male adders that I photographed at one of my adder hot spots. Digital cameras were not on the market back then, so I was using a Canon EOS 50e and as I could not afford a macro lens, I compromised!
Using a 400mm lens with 3 extension tubes gave me the means of being able to focus at close range.
The only draw back was that I had to manually focus and it severely reduced my shutter speed. On top of this I was lying on my belly in brambles, which meant a tripod was not suitable for these conditions. Hand holding a 400mm lens, manually focusing with a slow shutter speed = hard work, especially when inches away from two adders! But it paid off and this was the result.

As soon as our snakes emerge from hibernation, they usually head to an area where there is a good food source and good basking spots. If you are lucky enough to find one of these areas, you can see the same snakes and new arrivals there year after year, as long as they are not disturbed.
I can usually identify old snakes and it is good to see them every year.




Rob