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.
Showing posts with label basking. Show all posts
Showing posts with label basking. Show all posts
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.
Thursday, 30 June 2011
Male Adder!
Not a great pic I know, but this male adder was in a gorse bush (they usually are) and it was tricky to get a decent angle.
Unless I can get down to their level, I don't get too close because this just disturbs them and I would rather walk away with a crappy shot than disturb this reptile just for the sake of a photograph!
Will hopefully be getting out tomorrow weather permitting!
Rob
Unless I can get down to their level, I don't get too close because this just disturbs them and I would rather walk away with a crappy shot than disturb this reptile just for the sake of a photograph!
Will hopefully be getting out tomorrow weather permitting!
Rob
Friday, 4 March 2011
Fingers Crossed!
Woop - woop! Bring on the spring and warm weather. I've been waiting very patiantly for this month and this weekend is the first one I have had free to be able to devote a lot of time to my snake habitats.
I did my usual gardening over the winter, so it will be good to see if the snakes have taken advantage of the basking spots I have created for them.
I will be looking out for the snakes I see year after year and also the new arrivals, which are hard to spot as they are so tiny. There is one snake that I really want to see and that is the melanistic adder, which I filmed and photographed last year.
I will update with any pics if I am lucky, but in the meantime here is the main one I will be looking out for.
Rob
I did my usual gardening over the winter, so it will be good to see if the snakes have taken advantage of the basking spots I have created for them.
I will be looking out for the snakes I see year after year and also the new arrivals, which are hard to spot as they are so tiny. There is one snake that I really want to see and that is the melanistic adder, which I filmed and photographed last year.
I will update with any pics if I am lucky, but in the meantime here is the main one I will be looking out for.
Rob
Tuesday, 23 November 2010
Basking Melanistic Adder
Here we have a melanistic adder, probably a male. Melanism is a condition, which means the animal has an increased amount of black pigment throughout their body. This can be slight, or in some cases it can be so severe that the whole body is completely black.
You will notice that he is resting his chin on his mid-body section and that this part of his body looks flat.
The reason for this is the fact that a snake can flatten their body to create a larger surface area. The bigger the surface area means more sun penetration and heat can be absorbed.
Its tough work getting close to a shy and elusive creature like the adder, but stealth, understanding and patience is the key to getting close without disturbing them.
This photograph was taken with a 100mm macro lens and I was probably no more than 12 inches away, but even though he could see me, he was fine as I was making no sudden movements and was at his level.
Why do I feel the need to get so close? That's simple, I love these creatures and when I see certain TV presenters tailing these beautiful reptiles, swinging them around (whilst trying not to be bitten), it makes me mad.
I could pick up every snake in my photographs if I wanted to, but for what purpose? I have no idea why these presenters feel the need to man handle the snakes they find, maybe the producers think it makes better TV?
I have hours of video, where our snakes are in their natural habitat (acting normal). Some of this footage can be slightly boring, I admit it as a basking snake is not very entertaining, but if these presenters were swung around by their legs for about 10 minuets, I'm pretty sure they would be very upset and want to punch the person doing it.
Snakes don't have hands to defend themselves, they have fangs and 9 times out of 10, all snake bites are preventable.
Rob
You will notice that he is resting his chin on his mid-body section and that this part of his body looks flat.
The reason for this is the fact that a snake can flatten their body to create a larger surface area. The bigger the surface area means more sun penetration and heat can be absorbed.
Its tough work getting close to a shy and elusive creature like the adder, but stealth, understanding and patience is the key to getting close without disturbing them.
This photograph was taken with a 100mm macro lens and I was probably no more than 12 inches away, but even though he could see me, he was fine as I was making no sudden movements and was at his level.
Why do I feel the need to get so close? That's simple, I love these creatures and when I see certain TV presenters tailing these beautiful reptiles, swinging them around (whilst trying not to be bitten), it makes me mad.
I could pick up every snake in my photographs if I wanted to, but for what purpose? I have no idea why these presenters feel the need to man handle the snakes they find, maybe the producers think it makes better TV?
I have hours of video, where our snakes are in their natural habitat (acting normal). Some of this footage can be slightly boring, I admit it as a basking snake is not very entertaining, but if these presenters were swung around by their legs for about 10 minuets, I'm pretty sure they would be very upset and want to punch the person doing it.
Snakes don't have hands to defend themselves, they have fangs and 9 times out of 10, all snake bites are preventable.
Rob
Basking Grass Snake
This is a photograph of a basking female grass snake. If you don't know what to look for you would have walked right past her. She has tucked herself behind a rock for extra camouflage and also for a bit of extra protection.
Sometimes snakes will stretch out to bask, this is when they are cold and need to warm up quickly. Once they have warmed up, they will then coil to regulate how much heat they need to absorb. I will address this later.
You will notice that her eye is slightly blue and clouded. This is also something I will address at a later date.
She was approx 120cm in length and quite bulky. A mature snake and grass snakes of this size and bigger are seldom seen.
Rob
Sometimes snakes will stretch out to bask, this is when they are cold and need to warm up quickly. Once they have warmed up, they will then coil to regulate how much heat they need to absorb. I will address this later.
You will notice that her eye is slightly blue and clouded. This is also something I will address at a later date.
She was approx 120cm in length and quite bulky. A mature snake and grass snakes of this size and bigger are seldom seen.
Rob
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