After the emergence and mating season, this time of year is the busiest for us herpetologists as the young are being born or hatching. Adders are my bag and they give birth to live young, starting now and running for about three weeks.
It's been quite wet up here recently, so I haven't had much of a chance to do any surveying in the area. Today was the first time, and I will be going out about three to four times a week now till they all go back into hibernation.
Herping stuff at the ready (although, like a wally, I forgot my thermometer)...
I don't usually use the hook or bags unless there is an injured one, or I find idiots with sticks trying to catch them. Sometimes you see an old specimen that needs further ID or photographing, and if I find them under the tins, I like to move them out before putting the tins back down, just to prevent injury. But usually, it's not necessary to carry a hook. But like everything else, the day you really need it, is the day it's left at home.
Lowland heath... best place to find adders...
I'd only gone a few steps when I saw the first lizard. There were loads of them. The young were born about six weeks or so ago, and they were everywhere, darting about like loons. Damned fast though, so hard to take pics of....
A large female grass snake was the first snake of the day, but was gone as soon as I saw her. Same with a couple of male adders out sunning themselves. This area is usually devoid of males this time of year as it is female dominant and they come here to give birth. The males arrive soon after to settle down before hibernating nearby. The weather must be colder than usual for the males to arrive so early.
There was a male adder and Common lizard in this next pic, but by the time the camera had focussed, the adder was gone leaving the lizard...
No female adders were above the vegetation and out sunning themselves, which is good as they normally go into the roots of heather and mosses a week or so prior to giving birth and you don't see them out and about during this period. As there were no newly born adders about, that is what they must be doing. Another week and I should be able to find small neonate adders in the area.
Plenty of slow-worms about, I think I counted about twenty individuals in this one site...
Notice the slow-worm on the left in the piccy above. She is ready to drop at anytime now.
Found an old friend of mine further in. This young adder is last years young. I recorded him around the same time last year, a day or so after he was born. He had grown some, but was still as lethargic as he was back then...
He didn't even bother hissing at me, just looked at me as if he was mildly annoyed at me disturbing his kip. His darker colour and mildly misty eyes suggest he is getting ready to slough his skin any day now..
This was him last year, tiny little thing about the size of half a pencil.....
Not a bad day, spent about an hour and a half over there and it gave me some idea of what is happening in the area. Loads of lizards about, I saw well over 100 of them. The next couple of weeks should get very busy over there with the adders and slow-worms giving birth. The juvenile grass snakes also tend to hand around that area from hatching by the stables just over the fields.
Saw one ginormous mushroom on the way back too...
It's been quite wet up here recently, so I haven't had much of a chance to do any surveying in the area. Today was the first time, and I will be going out about three to four times a week now till they all go back into hibernation.
Herping stuff at the ready (although, like a wally, I forgot my thermometer)...
I don't usually use the hook or bags unless there is an injured one, or I find idiots with sticks trying to catch them. Sometimes you see an old specimen that needs further ID or photographing, and if I find them under the tins, I like to move them out before putting the tins back down, just to prevent injury. But usually, it's not necessary to carry a hook. But like everything else, the day you really need it, is the day it's left at home.
Lowland heath... best place to find adders...
I'd only gone a few steps when I saw the first lizard. There were loads of them. The young were born about six weeks or so ago, and they were everywhere, darting about like loons. Damned fast though, so hard to take pics of....
A large female grass snake was the first snake of the day, but was gone as soon as I saw her. Same with a couple of male adders out sunning themselves. This area is usually devoid of males this time of year as it is female dominant and they come here to give birth. The males arrive soon after to settle down before hibernating nearby. The weather must be colder than usual for the males to arrive so early.
There was a male adder and Common lizard in this next pic, but by the time the camera had focussed, the adder was gone leaving the lizard...
No female adders were above the vegetation and out sunning themselves, which is good as they normally go into the roots of heather and mosses a week or so prior to giving birth and you don't see them out and about during this period. As there were no newly born adders about, that is what they must be doing. Another week and I should be able to find small neonate adders in the area.
Plenty of slow-worms about, I think I counted about twenty individuals in this one site...
Notice the slow-worm on the left in the piccy above. She is ready to drop at anytime now.
Found an old friend of mine further in. This young adder is last years young. I recorded him around the same time last year, a day or so after he was born. He had grown some, but was still as lethargic as he was back then...
He didn't even bother hissing at me, just looked at me as if he was mildly annoyed at me disturbing his kip. His darker colour and mildly misty eyes suggest he is getting ready to slough his skin any day now..
This was him last year, tiny little thing about the size of half a pencil.....
Not a bad day, spent about an hour and a half over there and it gave me some idea of what is happening in the area. Loads of lizards about, I saw well over 100 of them. The next couple of weeks should get very busy over there with the adders and slow-worms giving birth. The juvenile grass snakes also tend to hand around that area from hatching by the stables just over the fields.
Saw one ginormous mushroom on the way back too...
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